Over the past month, I’ve talked to many people who are looking for advice on how to start a blog. When I first started thinking about having a blog, I hit a few “roadblocks” and thought I would cover a few of them here. The best advice I have heard over and over again is to write what you are passionate about. This way you will continue to write and readers will see how passionate you are through your words.

1. Find a subject you enjoy and are passionate about.

2. Review what other bloggers are writing about – Research is key.

3. Technology – what should I use?

4. Set a goal on how many times you’re going to blog per week.

5. Write 2 to 4 blog postings before actually setting up the blog.

1. Find a subject you enjoy and are passionate about.

During my research time I talked to a variety of blogger friends, read articles and books.  The one thing I heard and read over and over again was to find something that you are passionate about.  If you are not passionate about the subject over time you’ll forget about your blog. So, find something you enjoy and think others will too. If you write about something that you like, it will make it that much easier to find topics to write about.

2.  Review what other bloggers are writing about – Research is key.

When I talked to my friend, Yvonne DiVita she suggested reviewing what other bloggers are writing. This really helped me in getting ideas for topics and subjects that I should write about. Luckily, many people continued to tell me I should write about my social media experiences, so that made choosing something I enjoyed and was passionate about that much easier.

3. Technology – What should I use?

In all honesty, it doesn’t matter. Many successful bloggers use different tools from TypePad to Wordpress to Blogger, etc.  My advice, use what works for you. Do some research and find what tool fits your needs and experience.

4. Set a goal on how many times you’re going to blog per week

I have found this to be helpful.  I try to write 3 articles per week. Some are longer then others, but my goal is 3 per week.  Each week I try to keep the articles similar. The first week I talked about Twitter topics, then I talked about LinkedIn and this week I am focusing on blogs.  I write many of my blog postings in one day, so I have one topic in my head and can cover many aspects over a few postings. For me, this works, but for others it may not.  With my work schedule, I find writing my blog postings on the weekend works well.  Find a schedule and routine that works for you. Everybody is different!

5. Write two to four blog postings before actually setting up the blog.

This advice came from a good friend of mine, Mike Johansson (@mikefixs). I used this advice and it really worked well.  I guess when you setup a blog and then have to find topics to write about, it’s like having writers block. By writing a few blog postings before you setup one up, you avoid it and can write without the pressure of having to get your first or second postings on your blog.

I hope this information on blog posting ideas helps you if you are having roadblocks about blogging like I was. I really enjoy writing now.  If I can help you in any way with your blog, please let me know. If you have any other blogging advice, please post here.