Why Blog?

As we talked about in our last post, bloggers come from all walks of life. New blogs are created every day — and yet many of us find ourselves hesitating to press the “Publish” button. Here are some great reasons for blogging that’ll get you motivated to push past the worries.

Starting a blog positions you as an authority in your area of expertise. Whether your passion is photography, baking, restoring antiques, or traveling, a blog allows you to share both your passion and the lessons you’ve learned with the world. With Google at our fingertips, we all turn to quick online searches to find instructions on a new skill or task, or to get advice. Many of these results are blogs posts written by people who were eager to share their knowledge with others, just like you.

Beyond imparting your own knowledge, blogging also helps you learn a new skill. Writing regular blog posts can improve your writing skills drastically. Through managing your own blog, you can learn as much as you’d like about image editing, coding, blogging platforms, and other tech-focused skills that facilitate your experiences in the digital world (and can make you more desirable to employers!).

Writing is also a creative release that can improve your mood and overall stress levels,. Through regularly putting pen to paper — or fingertips to keyboard — you give your mind the space to process and evaluate events in your life and the world. If you’re a corporate blogger writing updates on behalf of your company, posting regularly can help you achieve clarity in communication and spark new ideas for other social media projects or blog posts. As a personal blogger, writing down your favorite new recipe or the weekend hike you took cements these ideas in your mind, gives you a chance to reflect, and lets you release them into the wild.

On the business side, blogs are excellent marketing tools. You can monetize them to bring in extra income, or leverage them as megaphones to expand your business. From individual consultants and coaches to larger corporations, blogs give customers (and potential customers) a way and a reason to interact with your brand. Fresh, new, and quality content also increases your likelihood of appearing in search results — another great way to attract new customers and clients. And as your blog grows, you can cash in on your writing skills by reviewing products, incorporating advertisements and affiliates, or even finding sponsors for your posts.

Above all, what separates blogging from other types of writing is that it creates a community around your work, passions, and words. By default, blogging encourages people to regularly visit and engage with your website, through checking for new content and commenting — and community is a powerful thing! You’ll find people reaching out to you, seeking your advice or services, and even becoming friends as they loyally follow your updates.

Whether it’s expertise or connecting with others online, there are many reasons to get started blogging. And with so many great .blogs out there, why not join the family?