My article's title credit goes to Ali Spittiel's Youtube video. That video really inspired to me think about blogging seriously. So, as part of Hashnode's Bootcamp, I will explain what blogging means to me.
I would like to start with why and how I got into writing. Actually, I hate or never put in the time to write something, I mean, I don't like writing. ✍️ I was trying to write diaries, but it never became a habit. After that, I needed to write a tutorial for a hackathon, and I really got into it and wanted to submit the project. Yes, I submitted the project and I remembered all the tweets about blogging and seeing that video that I shared earlier gave me a boost. I was thinking I'm not an expert to write on the subject, there are already articles written million times before I even think about anything. Who will read my blogs/articles? I am not a writer, I cannot write, I don't like writing. It's a waste of time. Okay, these are the reasons I had in my brain.
Eventually, I noticed it doesn't matter, I don't need to be an expert on the subject or even I don't need to be a good writer, I will just try. Who cares? At least, I can delete or I can keep it to myself.
Now, let's get into why you should write articles or what blogging means to me. I would like to explain the motivation behind writing blog posts.
1. Showcase your expertise
Blogging is a great way to position yourself as a thought leader. You can use it to leverage to land a job, launch careers in public speaking. When you decide to publish a book, you will have already writing experience.
Especially for freelancers or developers, I think it's important to show that you don't just code; but explain the logic behind the code.
2. Improve your communication and writing skills
I know while blogging you don't need to communicate 😁. But, you need to always think about your audience's needs and tailor your writing to be as clear as possible for them. For that, you will learn how to explain things in simpler terms as you can implement the Feynman technique.
3. Build a Business
A blog can be the center of a low-overhead, location-independent, lucrative business. You can make some money, I am not yet experienced about those, but after you show your writing skills and build relationships, you can get some gigs.
4. Grow your business or portfolio
Content marketing is one of the best ways to drive your business forward and market yourself to clients or employers.
5. Build relationships
Become an active member of your community and build relationships with people you want to reach.
6. Fun and enjoyment
If you are passionate about your topic, you may find that writing about it is a lot of fun for its own sake.
How Much Does It Cost?
You can start on Hashnode or Dev.to for free or you can create and make your blogging business under at least 100$.
The mindset of a successful blogger
Know Your Why and Keep Going
This is very critical to decide why you want to write about it. This can be about sharing your passion, starting a business, earn more money, etc... Your "why" can be of anything but you should have a long-term vision about it. Most people including me fail or just don't feel like doing it because of this lack of vision, or we just get excited to try something new, our dopamine levels get high, after a few days, we go back to normal. No one can go on so long with just motivation, you need discipline and a bit of motivation to do something, right? We don't want to be a procrastinator.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the idea of writing something, it is alright. All you need is to start and don't forget no blogger has ever failed mid-keystroke. Failure comes when you stop executing.
So, if you can start with a strong sense of internal motivation and follow through with discipline and habit in your execution, you will be unstoppable.
Your blog is a business
Of course, it's hard to grow an audience, get some reputation around writing especially at this time, but this is a general rule for everything in life. I mean, I always get excited that I don't need to do not a lot of stuff to earn money💰, get rich quick stuff. But, those are not real, so in real life, if you do what you wanna do consistently, you will eventually get there, but first put in the time and effort. You can always rest while you're on your journey, too.
The best thing you can do, instead of focusing on money, focus on providing quality content. This should bring success.
Not a good writer?
Me, too. We are all practicing, practicing, and practicing. This is a skill and everyone can learn. I hope I gave you some confidence. I'm a beginner in my writing journey, and I hope I will not be a procrastinator sometime soon. 😭
Last Words
I'm currently learning about blogging techniques and joined an email newsletter, you can also get benefit from it I think. Here is the link for that.
Wow, I finished writing this at 3 am! After seeing the Hashnode Discord group chat, I started to think about what to write and these ideas came to my mind. Also, you can follow me on Twitter and read my older posts. Thank you for reading!