In the event you’ve dreamed of changing into a life-style blogger, there’s excellent news: you don’t should be wealthy to get began. You can begin a worthwhile, partaking life-style weblog with little to no cash and scale it as time goes on and more cash turns into out there.
Steps To Take To Begin a Life-style Weblog With Little to No Cash
Step 1: Decide the path of your weblog or its area of interest
Life-style content material is already a worthwhile running a blog area of interest.
In 2022, the workforce at RankIQ analyzed data from 803 blogs making $2,000 or extra monthly. Life-style content material landed within the high 4 most worthwhile niches, with a median month-to-month revenue of $5,174.
However there are tons of life-style blogs on the market already, which suggests you have to slender your path down even additional. This can solidify your model and show you how to join with a selected viewers. Consider this step as discovering your sub-niche—your area of interest throughout the life-style weblog area of interest.
Your sub-niche will even inform your content material and weblog design.
Right here’s the way to discover it:
- Determine what pursuits you. Do you want writing about meal planning? Parenting? Relationships? Health? Journey? You don’t have to choose only one. Many life-style bloggers cowl a mixture of these subjects. We recommend selecting 3-5 sub-topics to discover as a part of your area of interest. Simply be sure you like writing about them, as a result of nothing’s worse than writing about one thing you may’t deliver your self to care about.
- Take into consideration what makes you distinctive. Everybody sees the world somewhat bit in a different way. Now that you already know the 3-5 sub-topics you’ll give attention to, hone in in your distinctive viewpoint. Lean into what makes you you, and use it to tell your work.
- Do a little analysis. Now that you simply’ve outlined what you wish to write about and the lens you’ll use to put in writing with, search for different, related life-style bloggers. If there isn’t anybody else on the market writing from the identical angle you’re, that’s nice! You’re the primary, and it’s time to maneuver on to Step 2. If there is one other blogger (or three) on the market with an analogous area of interest, your job is to distinguish your self much more. What distinctive insights and views will you supply readers that your rivals don’t?
Listed below are just a few examples of life-style blogs that provide a novel spin.
Weblog #1: Oh So Fashionably Late
NYC blogger Bianca Reyes blogs about meals, trend, journey, health, and all types of different lifestyle-related subjects—all from the lens of somebody who’s chronically late. Reyes makes use of this a part of herself as inspiration for all her posts.
Posts embody “15 Minute Workouts to Break Up Your Work Day” and “3 Reservation Apps Every Foodie Should Have Installed.”
Weblog #2: Cup of Jo
When Joanna Goddard began Cup of Jo in 2007, the web world seemed lots totally different. MSN Messenger ran the (digital) streets. Poking was a preferred exercise on Fb. Tumblr and Twitter had been new child infants.
Over a decade—and lots of of adjustments—later, Cup of Jo remains to be going sturdy. Joanna Goddard doesn’t write all of the posts anymore. She’s obtained a workforce of writers, photographers, and different specialists to assist Cup of Jo.
The positioning is fashionable for its deeply private essays, like Goddard’s “Five Things That Surprised Me About My Divorce”—a bit that garnered over 700 feedback. In reality, Cup of Jo’s slogan is “Come for the weblog, keep for the feedback.” The weblog generally options pieces built around reader comments. The private facet of the weblog, together with Cup of Jo’s give attention to constructing conversations, units the weblog aside. It’s why the weblog continues to remain related into the 2020s.
Blogger #3: Corporette
Corporette has been going sturdy since 2007, when founder Kat Griffin needed to put in writing about trend for girls within the office. The weblog now has a number of authors, together with Griffin—who now has children and runs a sister website known as CorporetteMoms.
Corporette shares posts about company trend, job looking, workplace decor, and parenting as a working mom. Current posts embody “Where to Find Interview Suits if You’re Pregnant” and “3 Great Online Personal Finance Classes.”
There’s lots of distinctive stuff right here. For one factor, Corporette focuses on skilled apparel for girls of all sizes and levels of life, being pregnant and postpartum included. For an additional, Corporette doesn’t restrict itself to trend. You’ll discover posts on mainly any matter referring to sustaining a smashingly profitable work life as a lady.
Any lady getting into the skilled world can discover one thing of worth on the Corporette weblog. And the weblog will proceed to be related to her if she chooses to have children.
Step 2: Select a free running a blog platform
So many individuals beg you to avoid free blogging platforms due to issues like advertisements. Or being unable to monetize the weblog. Or missing full possession. Or having an unprofessional area.
We get it. To some extent, we agree—having your individual web site in your weblog is a greater long-term plan. But when selecting a free running a blog website is the distinction between beginning now versus beginning in six months, select the free website. You may all the time improve later.
A free running a blog platform will help you construct a following, which can make it simpler so that you can justify paying in your personal website afterward.
Loads of running a blog platforms nonetheless supply free weblog setup providers. These embody:
Weebly: Weebly presents a strong free plan stocked with fundamental options, together with:
- 8 free blogging-specific web site templates
- SSL safety
- The flexibility so as to add third-party embed code
- search engine optimisation instruments
- Lead seize kind for getting e mail addresses from guests
- Entry to the Weebly group discussion board
- Chat and e mail assist
- Free Weebly-branded area
Wix: Like Weebly, Wix comes with a free model of its web site builder, however it’s much less clear what you get with the free plan. That is what we gathered from making a free account and poking round on the location:
- 60+ free blogging-specific web site templates
- 24/7 safety monitoring plus HTTPS and SSL safety
- Means so as to add code if desired
- search engine optimisation instruments
- E mail advertising instruments
- Entry to Wix group discussion board
- Stay chat and callback assist
- Free Wix-branded area
Medium: If you wish to preserve issues hyper-focused on running a blog, create a free Medium account and begin constructing your voice there. You may ultimately pay for a $5/month Medium plan and join the Medium Partner Program to monetize your posts. Or, you may ultimately construct an internet site and embed your Medium weblog to it. Right here’s what Medium presents as a standalone running a blog platform.
- Easy, super-friendly person interface—nothing fancy right here, and for a few of us, that’s simply how we prefer it
- Primary formatting—headers, hyperlinks, and textual content customization
- Revision historical past
- Means so as to add pictures, movies, embed codes, key phrases, and customized code
- Straightforward sharing to social media websites
- Customizable profile so readers can study extra about you
If in case you have $50 to $100 to spend in your life-style weblog, go together with WordPress.org. You may join the platform at no cost, however you’ll should pay in your area title and internet hosting service, therefore the $50 to $100. Select one in every of these cheap web hosting options to get began with WordPress.
As for domains, our 11 easy tips for finding the perfect one will help you with that essential course of.
Step 3: Select a theme and design your weblog
When you get your running a blog platform, internet hosting, and area title located, it’s time to decide on a theme in your weblog and design it.
Net builders like Wix, Weebly, and WordPress all include totally different theme libraries. Select a theme that matches the design, look, and performance you’re going for in your weblog. After that, customise the design the place you may—issues like colours, sections, and font.
This step will be enjoyable for some and irritating for others, however it’s a vital a part of constructing your model as a blogger.
We’ve obtained two suggestions for selecting the best design and structure.
First, don’t fear too a lot about it. You don’t have to stay with the theme and design you initially decide. Folks redesign their web sites and blogs on a regular basis, and you’ll too.
Second, make a Pinterest board in your weblog. Does this sound like a wierd suggestion? Hear me out. On Pinterest, you may create a imaginative and prescient board for what you need your weblog to be.
Signing up is fast, free, and straightforward. You may log in with Google or Fb or create an account with an email-password combo. Click on the Discover tab as quickly as you get on there. Pinterest will ask you to choose 5 subjects you’re thinking about.
Check out the 3-5 subjects you picked to put in writing about in your life-style weblog. Search for them right here! In the event you don’t discover them, choose Pinterest subjects that you simply suppose would show you how to discover your aesthetic—plus concepts for what to put in writing about.
Let’s say we determined to begin a life-style weblog known as Life in Lavender, aimed toward ladies. We plan to put in writing about:
- Parenting
- Slowing down/discovering rest within the busiest seasons of life
- Simplifying work/residence life
- Touring with children/companions and solo
- Tremendous-easy, stress-free recipes/methods to make mealtime occur
When Pinterest asks us to choose 5 subjects, we select:
- Quotes
- Life hacks
- Flowers
- Drinks
- Journey
- Wholesome recipes
- Self-care
- Cleansing hacks
- Colour schemes
- Herbs backyard
Yeah, that’s greater than 5. We obtained somewhat carried away.
Subsequent, Pinterest takes us to our residence feed, curated primarily based on the subjects we picked. Our feed appears like this.
We—aka the workforce on the imaginary Life in Lavender weblog—are positively beginning to see some pins that catch our eye. We click on one in every of our favourite pins to put it aside to our profile. Then we head over to our profile and click on the plus signal to create a brand new board: Life in Lavender Weblog Design Concepts.
From there, it’s simple so as to add our first saved pin to our first and solely board.
Pinterest should perceive our board title as a result of the following factor it does is supply up pins that characteristic—you guessed it!—lavender. We select a number of of those pins after which use the search bar to search out extra pins that relate to our subjects.
After about quarter-hour of looking, shopping, and pinning, our board appears like this:
After finding out our board, we determined to make use of muted, earthy tones for our weblog design, with loads of clean house to create a restful house for our readers. You are able to do the identical factor! It’s enjoyable, it’s inspiring, and it simply takes a couple of minutes, though you’ll most likely end up shopping Pinterest for longer. It’s simple to get misplaced within the course of, and that’s OK.
When you’ve obtained your board unfold out earlier than you, decide a weblog template in your platform of selection that matches the colours and fonts you’re seeing. You’ll most likely have all types of concepts in your first submit by now, too.
(Truthfully, doing this made us wish to begin Life in Lavender for actual. Perhaps sometime!)
This brings us to presumably essentially the most thrilling step of all: writing your first submit.
Step 4: Write your first submit
You don’t should have your weblog content material technique all mapped out earlier than you begin posting. In the event you attempt to require this to begin, you most likely received’t begin in any respect.
Begin with one thing easy, like a submit introducing your weblog, what it’s about, who it’s for, and the place individuals can discover you. Having a second submit uploaded and scheduled to publish can also be a good suggestion as a result of it offers you time to begin outlining your content material technique.
That is the place it’s essential to guard your self from running a blog burnout. Whenever you’re actually excited to get began, it’s tempting to put in writing and publish posts each single day.
Don’t do that. You will burn out. You may even burn out so laborious that you end up posting much less and fewer till your momentum utterly runs out.
As an alternative, tempo your self. Use your Pinterest board and a keyword research instrument like Ahrefs or AnswerThePublic to search out out what individuals wish to examine. Then map out a technique that features posting 1-2 instances per week. In the event you discover you’ve got the power to do greater than that, nice! Go forward and add a pair extra weekly posts.
If not, don’t sweat it. Do your 1-2 posts per week and also you’ll be on the best way to gradual and regular good points.
And don’t overlook to offer your self a giant pat on the again when you publish your first submit. It means you’ve formally began your life-style weblog—a giant accomplishment for those who ask us.
Step 5: Preserve your life-style weblog
In fact, beginning your weblog is just the start. It’s worthwhile to keep it for it to develop.
Together with the posting schedule we talked about in Step 4, construct a media repository with pictures, movies, infographics, and audio to assist your weblog posts. Create important pages, like an about, contact, and store web page for those who plan to promote merch.
You’ll additionally wish to arrange Google Analytics at no cost in your website to gather reader and efficiency information. (Psst: our beginner’s guide to Google Analytics has all the pieces you have to know to get began.)
Be sure you market your weblog on free channels like LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and Fb. Do some visitor posting for established blogs with related audiences as yours to get some high quality backlinks.
When you’ve obtained a wholesome following, think about upgrading to a customized area. That’s when you may monetize your weblog by way of online marketing and advertisements. Internet online affiliate marketing is a gold mine for life-style bloggers as a result of there are so many potential services to advertise.
From sleeping masks and youngsters’ toys to canine leashes and journey equipment, nothing’s out of the query.
And eventually, preserve this in thoughts: you don’t should have all the pieces utterly put collectively to begin. Change instructions and add issues to your weblog as you study and develop. You’ll discover your footing—and your confidence—with every passing day.
