Is it Too Late to Start a Blog?
Tawn Holstra Auston
“Is it too late?”, is a constant question I get when I suggest someone start a blog. Even with all the content out there, many people simply misunderstand what a blog is.
A simple definition is, a blog is a regular modality (article, video, podcast, artwork, music, or poetry) that expresses art/ work out into the world through the internet.
Blogging is an emergent way artists and creatives can publish their journey and find readers, of like mind, to share it with – generally for free.
The concerns about “being too late” seem to come from the amount of content already out on the internet and yes, there are a lot of blogs. What is forgotten is that there is only one you! What you have to say may be aligned with or even similar to a topic of another blogger, yet your future services and/or products may not at all be related to other bloggers’ and, much more importantly, how you deliver your message will be entirely unique to you.
How You Deliver Your Message Is As Important As What You Say
Ultimately, how your message is delivered is as important as what you have to say. Your people, your tribe, the people out in the world that are specifically looking for someone they resonate with, will be attracted to your voice above others. If you do not ever put your voice out into the world, your tribe cannot hear it, thus will never find you.
Blogging is All About Building Trust With Your Reader
Customers are looking for folks who they can trust to consistently deliver valuable content in an area of life that matters to them. Each person has a different threshold of trust with a different level of interest in the subject. If you are consistent and, most of the time, give them something interesting to read, listen to, or watch, they will continue to follow your blog. It is that simple.
I say “most of the time” to be clear that you do not have to be perfect. Blogging is an expression – not a science, and, just like any expression, some pieces will get more attention than others. That is part of the learning for the creator, and it is also what keeps it honest. If you take a left turn, or start to get inconsistent, or just sloppy or lazy, even after building a great readership, they will unsubscribe eventually – or just stop opening it. Your tribe will become a certain kind of North Star and you will get better at your craft due to their feedback.
As we said earlier, there are a lot of blogs out there so what separates them from each other?
There are two real differences in blogs that are on the same or similar subjects:
One: The consistency of the quality of the information. Are you doing the depth of research to make sure your posts are current and relevant to your ideal readers? And are you taking the time to craft a quality post?
Quality is imperative to the success of your blog, so to take care of your tribe take every opportunity to deliver the best work you can.
Second: Your Voice! Your voice is unique to you and your take on your topic is equally unique. How you create your posts, your style is unique to you. The folks that follow your blog will stick with you the more they get to know you.
This is a unique time in the world where anyone who has access to the internet, can start a blog and connect with a tribe. If you are passionate about your subject and will invest time and energy in making it great, then you will find a tribe that resonates with your message.
The best part is that you do not need to pretend to be some academic, scientific person – if you are not.
You do not need to be assertive if you are shy, or sit back and coast if you are an activist.
You do not have to put on any airs at all. You get to create posts that express your passion the way you want to express it; you get to express your passion for your subject and give the world the best of what you love about your subject. Share your passion with the world and the more you do that the more your tribe will lean in. The best part is the more you are you the more your tribe can find you!
So, is it too late to start a blog? Absolutely not! It is the perfect time to get started.
As to why you would bother?
There are many reasons to start a blog, to educate the world about something you love; or to educate a particular community – such as living with autism; or after stroke; or as a vegan.
You might start a blog to transition your skills into an educational format so you can retire or travel the world or simply get out of the office more.
You could start a blog to share your art if you are a painter, photographer, singer, musician, or write poetry.
You might start a blog if you are an expert at something, like civil engineering or biomimicry or forcing bulbs and want to share your discoveries with other people besides those in your office.
Any and all of those reasons are a good reason to start a blog. You might start a blog simply because you want to journal your journey through something – think Julia and Julia. These types of blogs have endless possibilities, including travel, health journeys, being engaged, having a baby, dealing with aging parents, or empty nesting.
The reasons to start a blog are as unique as the blog!
If you ever want to have a business of your own and you are not sure how to get started , the first thing to do is create a blog….
Why?
It takes time to build a tribe. I know there are people who say you can do it in 30 days… and there may be people out there that have done it that fast. The average person will take about a year to build a tribe of any strength PLUS, the tribe you will build over a year will be much richer and more engaged than a tribe you build in 30 or 90 days.
Another great reason to start now (or soon) is that you have time to really get a handle on what your message is about. A blog can start in one direction and then do a deep dive into a subject that becomes the real heart of the blog. For example, a blog about finding the love of your life might do a deep dive to explore long term intimacy and keeping love alive for 20+ years.
The beauty is that there are so many subjects that are not being blogged about and there are so many people that are not reading blogs yet because they have not found a blog that matters to them. Yours may be the exact blog that will change their world, as well as yours.
Lastly, Blogging is a Win-Win-Win
If you consistently put out a quality blog you will find readers. You get to express yourself and really love what you are doing, you get to help people; they get to be helped; and the world gets to heal and grow through a collaborative, grassroots connection of its people.
So what will your blog be about? I cannot wait to hear your voice!
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