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How to Troubleshoot Blog Hang-Ups of Your New Blog

This is a guest post by Nicole Akers. She is a writer, blogger, and health advocate. In this post Nicole provides tips for how to troubleshoot and navigate through blogging challenges. 

Dear Blogger, no one underestimates what you will do to succeed. We love the fire burning in your heart, come connect with us, and let’s journey together. In this post you’ll learn how to troubleshoot blog hang-ups and acquire strategies to remove barriers in your path to blogging success.

Rumor has it that you took the plunge and started your blog.

I’m writing to extend congratulations! I am thrilled for you. It is an exciting adventure!  You’re going to love it, hate it, and grow in ways you can’t imagine. You’ll be tried in ways you never knew. Blogging is like a roller coaster ride. Sometimes you will want get off the ride and puke. The highs are extreme, the lows are dark and lonely, the in-betweens are a slide or an elevator ride so smooth that you will seldom feel the transition.

You started a blog because you have something special to teach or share. Readers should run to sign up, subscribe, and accept your message. It would be great if it was that easy, and the truth is that connecting with your readers isn’t always easy.

When your message reaches an audience, I’m willing to bet you feel like singing. Right now there’s a fire burning in your heart; right?

“There’s a fire starting in my heart…and it’s bringing me out of the dark.” -Adele @nicoleakers10 Tweet this quote!

You want to come out of the dark, and step into the light; don’t you? I hope you are a success. May I offer some tips that hung me up in the beginning? I hope they will make your start-up journey easier.

You need an About Page

This is the place you get to tell the reader all about yourself and what you can do for them. Wrong. I live in Texas, and I shoot it straight from the hip. Honestly, the reader doesn’t care about you. The reader cares about what you can do for them. They don’t care about you until you care about them first. Check out my about page at http://www.wetalkhealthy.com/. I spend time connecting with the reader and explain what I can do for them. Connect, and always put the reader first. If it’s all about them, and they trust you, it will slowly become about you.

Create avatars

You have a message, and you want to share it, but you can’t do it directly. Sometimes a story about you is okay, but only once in a while. When writing a post, it will help to picture your niche, the group of people you want to reach. It’s even deeper than that.

I write about health and wellness and I want to connect with the person preparing meals in the home. I want to make it easy to plan meals, prep them, and cook food that won’t kill you. I have spent more than 7 years studying food, and I want to expose dangers in the food we eat. I have avatars of a family that I keep in mind when writing. Moreover, they have names, ages, and activities.

I have two girls, so I made sure that my avatar family has a mom, a dad, one boy and one girl. May I introduce you to my family? Come on over to the blog, tip the scale in your direction, and meet the family. It’s my real-life family, chosen with avatars that help me connect with my readers.

Sometimes I leave an avatar out to make the post effective. If I want to reach a single parent one avatar exits the imaginary stage, or changes roles. Readers don’t want to hear my message as it pertains to me. They want to hear a message that helps, heals, and nurtures them. Connect in a meaningful way with avatars.

Topics for posts

Getting writing topics is another challenge. Follow and subscribe to blogs of powerful influencers in your space. People you want to be like, and offer a similar message. I follow Chalene Johnson, Food Babe, and numerous others.

Engage on their blogs and comment regularly. Keep an ongoing list and grow it, too. When you connect with influencers on an ongoing basis they will notice you.

Network with a group

Blogging is a tiring business if you don’t connect with others who are doing the same thing. You need a support group to help when you desperately need to troubleshoot the blog or just get new ideas to solve a blog problem. This may or may not include other bloggers in your niche. You need people that have your back, and will pick you up when you struggle.

You need friends who will share your work relentlessly, so that your work gets in front of eyes that wouldn’t otherwise see it. Find a networking group and make friends, also be willing to share their work. The more you share of them, the more they will share of you.

“Finally, I can see you crystal clear… Don’t underestimate the things that I will do.” -Adele via @nicoleakers10 Tweet this quote!

Sending healthy wishes for your blogging success.

troubleshoot blog

Nicole Akers

Nicole is a Health Advocate and mom of 2 who studies food, and general wellness. It’s her mission to help you live a healthier life by learning about the dangers in the food you feed your family. Whether it’s meal prep or creative exercise without setting foot in the gym, you don’t want to miss her tips.

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14 Responses to "How to Troubleshoot Blog Hang-Ups of Your New Blog"

  1. Thanks for this — the post and the introduction to Dear Blogger. I have been brainstorming a list of ten blog post ideas per day, just to build that muscle, and this fits right in with all I’ve been fussing and worrying about.

    Reply
    1. Hi, Bethany! Glad this was useful and timely. Truly enjoyed how you related it back to health/exercise by flexing muscle. Are your worries subsided any? If not, let us know how to help more.

      Reply
  2. Hi Nicole, I’m about to start my blog and pick scraps of wisdom here and there from experienced bloggers. Your first tip clarified the biggest doubt I had, namely how to write to avoid inflating my ego. I noted your suggestion. Btw, my friend in the UK is writing a blog about a healthy lifestyle. I’m sending her a link to yours.

    Reply
    1. Hi, Grazyna! Congratulations on starting your blog! I hope it is a success. Thanks for your time to read and comment. Abundant thanks for sharing my blog with your friend. Will you please message me her blog too, I’d like to connect. Looking forward to it!

      Reply
  3. Loved your tips. I especially liked your suggestion to consider leaving an avatar out if it will mean you are then including someone who would have been excluded. This makes the writing more personal. I also agree that getting others to support your work is important. Of course you knew that.

    Reply
    1. Hello Anne! Glad the avatar tips are helpful for you. It is easy to read news, and boring, too. Avatars make “news” exciting and applicable to the reader. Readers and comments like yours are invaluable. Thanks!

      Reply
  4. Nicole, these are great tips for any new blogger! I especially like the way you constructed your avatars. It’s clear you know what you’re talking about. And isn’t it easier to write to a real person?

    Thanks for a great post!

    Reply
    1. Hi Frank! Abundant thanks for your time to read and comment. Yes, I think it is easier to write to a real person. It’s also easier to connect and share news and stories that relate to other people.

      Reply

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