Blogs are a great way for people to connect and share their words and passions, and poetry blogs give writers a chance to discuss a myriad of subtopics such as style, popular collections, or poetry’s impact on the modern world. If you have a passion for poetry and conversations you want to have about it, perhaps you have considered the idea of a poetry blog. While the thought can be overwhelming at first, here are some basic steps that will help you get organized and get creating.
Make a decision about content and choose a name
Before you start, visualize what you want your blog to be. What are the main topics you want to discuss? Do you want to include modern and classic poetry? Do you want to have interviews and guest posts? What kind of overall tone or aesthetic do you want for your blog? You’ll want to choose a name that captures the essence of what you want your blog to be. Take the time to brainstorm and think about a name that accomplishes that for you. These types of questions will help you further conceptualize your blog and give it a basic foundation.
Think of a goal you have for your blog
Do you want to monetize your blog? What kind of plans do you have for posting frequency? What will you do to drive traffic to your blog? Is this a side project or something that you hope will turn into a viable source of income? Try and write down both long-term and short-term goals and think of steps that will help you accomplish them.
Check out other blogs
Take some time to observe some other bloggers in the same niches. How are their blogs organized? What are some things that you notice about the way they present their content? What are some take-aways that you can keep in mind while creating your own personal brand? This may also be a good time to join some blogging groups where you can ask questions, get encouragement, and learn from others in the same sphere of interest.
Choose a blogging platform
This part will take some time and research. There are a lot of components such as potential fees for a domain name or for specific plug-ins. However, you can get started on your blog for free on the popular site WordPress. From there, you can decide how much you want to invest in monthly maintenance and upgrades to your blog.
Get some content out there
Before you publish anything, I highly recommend searching for resources that will help you feel more comfortable navigating your chosen blogging template. Look on Youtube, search for articles with thorough step-by-step guides or instructions, or ask for help from a seasoned blogger who is willing to walk you through the beginning stages of blog development. Once you get a feel for it, you are ready to publish some posts! Another tip? Install Grammarly to help edit your documents before they go live.
Promote your blog
This step will be key for getting your site off the ground. You will want to have a plan to promote your blog across several different social media channels. Consider creating a Facebook page, twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest account all with the name of your blog as their handle. You will want to create many different avenues for people to be able to find your blog. The more exposure, the more visitors to your site and the more potential to build a loyal readership!
Stay consistent
Blogs take time and work to really take off. Don’t lose hope in the process and try to remember that any growth is a win even if it is slower than you’d like it to be. If you create and publish quality content on a consistent basis with a clear and consistent voice, you’ll gain readers slowly but surely. Continue to create content you believe in and do your best to promote it across several channels, and your following will start to grow over time.
I hope that these tips have given you a good foundation for starting your poetry blog. I know that it can seem scary at first, but if you have the passion and supplement it with hard-work and resources, you can create an awesome blog.
