9 Benefits Of Personal Blogging (in 2020)

9 Benefits Of Personal Blogging (in 2020)

by | Aug 27, 2019 | Blogging, Nurse Blogger, Start A Blog

The benefits of personal blogging are huge.

Do you ever feel like you have something you need to share with the world?   Maybe you have a few hidden talents or interests that you want to talk about.  Or perhaps you feel burned out of your career and want a place to proactively vent your frustrations and find helpful solutions.  Either way, you have ideas, and they need an outlet!

I get that.  I’ve felt the same way for years.

Luckily we are in the age where we can express ourselves in many different ways through the interweb.  And the technology just keeps getting better and faster.  There has never been a better or easier time to utilize the internet for sharing valuable ideas.

I am a blogger and proud of it.

I follow many other website creators with whom I share the same interests.  Mainly, other bloggers, nurses, and mothers I have a lot in common with and who I feel I can learn from.  Over time I have found so many benefits of personal blogging, and I continue to find new ones as time goes by.

the benefits of personal blogging

*Article contains affiliate links. 

But first, let me tell you the story of how I discovered blogging. 

After the birth of my first child in 2015, I found that it was increasingly more difficult for me to read books at home, as I was busy caring for a new infant.  To get myself out of the house and get some exercise into my life, I started taking my daughter for two or sometimes 3-hour walks around the neighborhood.  It felt good to be out of the house again.  But I still missed my reading.

It was at that time that I discovered podcasts.  I loved them because I could put on my earphones and get lost in interesting conversations that were occurring among adults.  I was hooked!  Each morning from then on, I walked my new baby and listened to 3, 4, 5, or even more podcast episodes.  It felt fantastic to have more mental stimulation again, and I loved every minute of my long daily walks.

One day I started researching some of my favorite podcasters online.  I found out that almost all of them also had a blog that corresponded closely with their podcasts.  Up until then, I didn’t even know that blogging was a “thing.”

Not long after that, I caught the blogging bug myself.  I started researching anything and everything I could get my hands on about how to create a successful blog.  And the rest is blog history.

9 Benefits Of Personal Blogging in 2019

Reason #1:  Blogging gives you a voice

When you own a blog, you get to say, share, and teach anything and everything you want to.  You OWN the platform.

Your job as a blogger is to cultivate and find your inner voice.  You have a unique opportunity to build a tribe of listeners.  If your goal is to relate to your audience and provide value, then you need to speak honestly and from the heart about topics that you consider yourself very good at.   In other words, your blog NEEDS a voice.

In the beginning, you may find that you aren’t sure what you want to say.  So just start writing.  Your first ten posts might suck (don’t let that scare you, everyone’s do!).  But that is how you learn and excel.  Over time, practice does make perfect!

One of the most beautiful things I have discovered about having a blog is that it has made me a WAY better communicator.  I take my blog writing seriously, and I genuinely strive to be a valuable resource.

Find your voice, and you will find your audience.  If you are blogging correctly, you will effectively create a voice for your blog that will exclude most people. This is a good thing!  Because you can’t write for everyone and you shouldn’t try to.  As a result, you will create a more loyal following of people with whom you share similar interests.

My voice is all about the RN and mom lifestyle.  What will your voice be?

Reason #2:  Blogging helps you organize your thoughts on paper

I mentioned earlier that as a beginning blogger, it is quite possible that your first ten or more blog posts might not be your best work.  But if you keep at it, it won’t stay that way.  You get better with practice.  Swiftly.

Blogging makes you a better writer and a better thinker.  Blogging makes people better conversationalists about the topics they write about.

Writing makes you a more critical thinker.  Because when you write, you have to communicate thoughtfully and articulately.  It forces you to think of several different aspects of a specific topic.  Therefore, you have the opportunity to become an expert and tribe leader within your chosen writing niche.  Most people just don’t put that much thought into a subject when they don’t have to organize it for other people to read on paper.

When you think about it that way, you have the potential to become smarter than the non-blogger.  So start writing!

Reason #3.   Blogging connects you with like-minded people

I have found that there is another world of other nerdy mom and nurse bloggers out there, just like me.  They work all day and then pull their computers out after the kids go to bed.  And like me, they burn the midnight oil and create exciting content by focusing their consciousness on things they are already good at.   In time they become experts within their niche.

But, blogging can get lonely when you are sitting alone at your computer for hours.  Which is another reason why it is good to connect with other bloggers within your niche.  Connecting with other bloggers has helped me in so many ways:

  • Sharing helpful content from my blogger peers and vice versa
  • Learning how to blog better and faster
  • Forming relationships with other bloggers

I love it when readers leave me comments on blog posts.  And I love responding even more.  It tells me that I created a dialog that is worth having and that people are reading my posts!  Readers also give me new ideas about things I want to write about in the future!

Reason #4.  Blogging opens a world of opportunities

One of my favorite parts of being a blogger is that people and companies reach out to me with opportunities, instead of me reaching out to them!  It has taken me a lot of work and time to get to this point, and I expect the opportunities to continue to grow with time.  I have companies asking if I will guest post on their site or if they can put advertising on my website.  I get emails almost every day, asking me to promote products.  It is a lot of fun!

(I am learning how to be very selective about who I work with, though.  It is essential only to do the things that are worth your time and politely decline the rest.  And to be honest, I just don’t have a lot of time to work with many people at this time.)

Here are a few other examples of opportunities blogging has given me in the last year:

  • Guest posting opportunities
  • Guest podcast opportunities
  • Free products
  • Job offers
  • Higher paying affiliate offers

Here is the best part – you can blog from anywhere in the world you want to as long as you have internet access.  Any time of the day or night, you can blog.  It offers the ultimate flexibility.

Reason #5  Blogging helps others find information

My #1 goal is to provide value to readers.  When people turn to Google to find niche-specific information, I want to be the first website they see (as long as it is genuinely answering a question or solving an issue that they are looking for).  There are several ways that bloggers can provide value when discussing a particular topic:

  • Create a “How To” post
  • Make a checklist post.   Lists automatically provide structure to your blog post and de-stress your reader.
  • Write a research-based blog post.   As an RN, I live in a world where everything needs to be evidenced-based.  If it’s not, then it may not be relevant or valuable.  I often link back to Pub Med studies to give my posts more credibility.
  • Write an interview post.   People love reading about people’s lives.

Reason #6.  Blogging is an enormous challenge

To say that learning how to blog is a “challenge” would be an understatement.  There are so many moving parts to managing a blog that it sometimes makes my head spin.  But the harder it gets, the more I want to learn and grow as a blogger.

Blogging forces you to think in ways you haven’t considered before.  Without challenge, there is no growth.

9 Benefits Of Personal Blogging

There are many benefits of personal blogging

Reason #7.  Blogging can become a business

There are bloggers out there who make money. As a nurse, it seems that we are making less money each year, yet the cost of living continues to grow higher.  For that reason, many nurses I know have a side hustle to supplement their income.  That is one of the many reasons why I started blogging after my first daughter was born.

Blogging can be a hobby, a side hustle, or a full-time family business.  But it takes a ton of effort, research, training, and determination to get it started and build momentum.  I always say that blogging is a marathon, not a sprint (especially if you already work and have babies to take care of).

Reason #8.  Blogging is fun

When I’m not blogging, I’m usually thinking about blogging, because I get such immense joy from it.  I get frustrated when I have to stop blogging and go to bed so I can get some sleep!

Reason #9.  Blogging gives you freedom

Blogging gives me the freedom to write and share information about anything I desire.  Since I have a self-hosted website, I own my site.  It is mine, and I can do with it whatever I please.  When I am frustrated and burned out at work, this knowledge gives me a sense of peace.   It has become an outlet that has ultimately helped me become a better nurse, writer, and thinker.

I also have the freedom to create my website however I desire, with my favorite colors and fonts.

Professional bloggers have the freedom to work anywhere they want in the world, so long as they have internet access.  I know bloggers who work while on vacation, some even blog about their vacation!

Are you ready to start blogging?  You can find more information about how to get starting on my blogging resource page!

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9 Helpful Blogging Tips For New Bloggers

9 Helpful Blogging Tips For New Bloggers

by | Nov 22, 2018 | Blogging, Nurse Blogger, Start A Blog

This post contains affiliate links.  You can find my disclosure page here.

9 Helpful Blogging Tips For New Bloggers

Tip #1.  Use WordPress

Admittedly, I did not use WordPress when I was first starting my own blog.

Instead, I started with Squarespace (which is both easy to use and pretty, but not as good with SEO and has no plugin options).  Once I realized how limited I was with Squarespace I moved over to WordPress.  And I have been so much happier since.  It was a huge pain in the rear, it caused me a lot of unnecessary stress and I lost time I will never get back.

Here are a few reasons why WordPress is the way to go:

  • WordPress is beginner friendly:  you do NOT need coding knowledge to create a perfectly functioning website
  • WordPress themes and plugins give you almost unlimited flexibility:  Once you are more advanced with WordPress you are able to customize every aspect of your site as you see fit (or you can be like me and pay someone else to do it, the point being that you CAN customize your site more in the future).
  • WordPress helps you rank higher in search engines:  If your goal is high traffic to your site, then WordPress is the gold standard platform you need to be using.  Not only is WordPress already well-optimized for search engines, but there is an amazing plugin called Yoast SEO that helps me make sure my SEO is on point.
  • Support is available whenever you need it:  There is a WordPress support forum and a ton of online tutorials and courses

If you have not started your blog and want a step-by-step guide to setting up a WordPress blog on Bluehost check this out!  (I go into more detail about why you need a WordPress blog and why web-hosting with Bluehost is the best thing you can do as a new blogger.

Tip #2.  Find your niche.

In my very early beginner blogging days I had no focus and wrote about everything:  my favorite roasted pumpkin seed recipe, how limiting social media helps brain function, all aspects of motherhood, how to travel with toddlers, my nursing career, yoga, toddler foods….  you get the point.  I was pretty much all over the place.

Then a blogger friend said to me:  “You must find your niche.  Then, take your niche and niche it down even more.”  In essence, she was telling me to get really super specific about who my audience was going to be.

For example, if I just called myself a “nurse blogger” that doesn’t say very much about who I am or what my niche is about (except, of course, that I am one of 2.2 million other nurses in the US).  Its just too vague.

So, I refer to myself as a “nurse mom lifestyle blogger who helps other nurses take better care of themselves with an emphasis on self-care.”  I like to think of myself as a nurse mom advocate.  That sounds a little better, doesn’t it?

Having a specific niche increases your engagement with a very specific group and gives you the opportunity to be an expert in a small area.  You just cant be everything to everyone, and you cant be an expert at everything.

Tip #3.  Just keep writing

What do you do when you have been blogging for months and you’ve just run into your 20th roadblock?

What ever you do, don’t quit!

Here are a few reasons why you need to just keep writing (even when you feel like giving up):

  • Building something unique takes time.  Rome wasn’t built in a day and NO blog is an overnight success.
  • You are learning new (and valuable) skills.  There is a huge learning curve to blogging. As time goes by, you will learn lots more. Your writing will improve and you will start to build relationships with other bloggers.
  • You are closer to making money than you think (it sure is fun for me to see that I am making a little money every single day from something I created all on my own!)

Every single dollar you make through your blog was won entirely by your own efforts. You didn’t have to wait around for someone to employ you: instead, you created something valuable all on your own.

Even if you’re only making a couple of dollars a month, it’s something. And if you’re making nothing at all, it’s just a matter of time.

Tip #4.  Write about what you already know.

Don’t try and write about topics that you know nothing about.  This is one of the best tips for new bloggers who are trying to find their “voice.”

For example, if you are not already an expert in the kitchen, then you probably don’t want to compete with other food bloggers (that is a highly saturated niche already!).

You also don’t want to write a post called “My Top 10 Favorite Dinner Recipes That All Children Will Love!”  It would take you ten times longer to write recipe posts then it would for someone who is awesome at cooking and passionate about sharing recipes.  You will burnout as a blogger.  Fast.

Instead, think of what you are already an expert at and go from there.  What are you passionate about?

9 helpful tips for new bloggers

Tip #5.  Provide value

Quality content is king.  It is the ONE thing that keeps visitors coming back to your blog.

Strive to over-deliver on the value you provide with your blog.  Otherwise, why would anyone want (or need) to continue reading about what you say.

Quality writing is good, but are you giving your readers something that can be used to help them somehow in their daily lives?  Are you helping to answer a question about something they need to know about.  Its all about value.

Think about what phrases your readers would type into Google and then go from there.  Not only will it help you with SEO but it also helps you fill a void for a topic that a reader on the internet need answers to.

Here are a few good delivery methods to easily provide value to readers about a topic you already know a lot about:

  • Make a checklist for your readers
  • Create a resource guide
  • Use bullet points in you posts to easily separate points
  • Write an ebook

Tip #6.  Practice makes perfect

I have a secret that no one told me in my beginning months of blogging…

Your first 5 -10 posts might actually suck.  Really, bad actually.

In fact, I cringe when I look at my first blog posts.   Not only were they full of improperly constructed sentences, they had sneaky grammatical errors that my brain wasn’t used to sniffing out.  And they kept popping out even after 2 or 3 post revisions!

But, alas!  There is great news!  The more you blog, the better you get.  I promise!  Over time not only will your writing improve, but you also won’t spend a week writing and editing a single post.  You’ll get better, faster, more creative, more clever  and more confident each time you push “publish” on a new post.

Sometimes I go back and think what the heck was I thinking when I wrote that?  On a positive note it is great to see how far I have come in the blogging world.  Everybody has to start somewhere.

Tip #7.  Invest in courses

As with any new business, you will need to invest a little money so you can learn the ropes from people who actually know what they are talking about.  When deciding where to invest money, I highly recommend focusing on three things:

  • Invest in courses that will help you understand how to set up a functioning blog
  • Invest in learning that will (eventually) help you make money from your blog
  • Invest in courses that will help you simplify your life and blogging business

I am a blogger who has made friends with many other bloggers who happen to create GREAT courses.  Here are two blogging experts that I can, in good faith, recommend. (If you don’t believe me, look at their recommendations.  They are amazing!).

  • Building A Framework:  Abby Lawson–  This was the first blogging course I ever took and it pretty much covers everything you need to know about setting up a blog from scratch.   It is easy to follow and highly actionable.
  • Nurse Blogging 101: Healthcare Media Academy –  If you are a nurse or other healthcare blogger, I highly recommend starting with this one.  Creators Brittany Wilson and Kati Kleber are both published, award-winning authors who are also considered the Godmothers in nurse blogging.  They are especially great because they go into more detail about patient privacy concerns and other considerations that healthcare bloggers need to be aware of.

Tip #8.  Quit doing other time wasting activities

Life is busy, but there are also a lot of distractions out there.  The number 1 biggest time waster of them all = social media!  I know  people who spend hours on Instagram every single day, yet they swear they are so busy that they never have time to get anything done!  I bet if you quit using social media for 1 week you would find that you are suddenly so much more productive.  And probably happier and living more in the present to boot!

If you are going to be a blogger you have to get really good at using your time wisely.  Be overprotective about your time.  My time is the most important asset I have and it is important to me.  As a result, I rarely use Instagram anymore.  Hopefully one day I will be able to source out a lot of my work (except content creation, of course), but until then I have a lot of work to do.  There is no time to waste.

This is an excellent tip for new bloggers, as well as anyone trying to find more time for more productive activities.

Tip #9.  Have fun.

Blogging is not always all work and no play.  Reach out and make other blogging friends.  Don’t take your writing too seriously.  Remember, blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.  You need to be in it for the long game in order to be successful.

Good luck and let me know if you have any questions!

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