Getting a Blog-Life Through Social Media & Practice

I’d been in business writing for a long time. I’d written proposals, customer communications and marketing material – among other things.  So I thought that blogging was going to be easy. But you know what? It wasn’t initially.

I tried to figure out my stumbling blocks and I realized that there were a couple.

Finding My Voice as a Blogger

First, you have to find your voice online – or should I say, I needed to find my voice.

Blogging is more casual than business writing. Less formal writing can also mean YOU showing through.  Showing more of yourself also means having more confidence.  And I needed some of that. Solving the lack of confidence and finding voice can be solved by doing it.

Tip #1 You’ll only find your voice when you practice. So do it.

Blogging requires some ability in all aspects of the content – not just the words. As a print writer, I was only ever involved in the final text product. Great blogging requires more than just good writing. So, I felt stuck.

Stuck because – as a blogger – you need to know how to make your blog interesting for people – giving them all round good content – not just good text.

I needed to figure out how to break the barrier into good content.  And I needed to build my confidence.  So what’s changed so that I now think of myself as an emerging blogger getting a blog-life instead of a techno-peasant?

Here’s the scoop.  You can actually use social media to find your voice online. You can practice in small bursts—also known as micro-blogging —instead of writing long posts. This is a great way to get started with blogging. Practice daily, short, social media posts. Voice your opinions. Get ready to debate with people on line. You’ll also find supporters and communities.

Tip #2 – Once you’ve done some micro-blogging, move to writing longer posts

Once you’re comfortable adding comments and commentary on social media platforms, move from shorter social media posts to writing longer pieces on your blog. Decide whether your blog will be inspirational or helpful to people. Resist the urge to write about your musings or what you have for breakfast. Think about what your potential audience wants to hear from you. Write longer posts based on your FAQs in your static content.

Tip #3 – Find an image creator tool like Canva

I said earlier on that my other difficulty with blogging was that posts require great headlines, images and content. I couldn’t find a tool to help me create great images. Then I discovered Canva. I didn’t need photoshop to add text and links and calls to action. You have to check out Canva if you’re struggling to create images that you can add a little of your heart and soul to. And if you don’t want to invest in PhotoShop or the Adobe Creative Suite.

So you can blog… no doubt. Just do it, practice every day starting with social media and find and use an awesome online image creation tool like Canva.