Blogging is fun and challenging and there are lots of reason to start a blog but there are also reasons not to start a blog.
Someone Else is Pressuring You To
I love blogging so much that I wish more people I know in real life blogged. So I know I encourage my family and friends to blog because I want them to share in what I do but really, if a family or friend starts a blog just because I won’t stop bugging them to, they aren’t going to get very far with it and it’s not going to build up a readership because they aren’t doing it because THEY want to.
It Seems Easy
It’s not, in general. If you really aren’t worried about how many people read your blog or if there are long breaks in between blog posts, than it’s easy I suppose. But don’t kid yourself, if you don’t care now how many read your blog, you will. You will find things you want to do with your blog that you don’t know how to do. You will want to blog more often than you can seem to find time for. You might get in over your head, it happens. Blogging is fun and challenging, but not easy.
You Want Free Products From Companies
Getting products from companies is fun and helpful if you are on a tight budget but they are not really free as you have to pay for them by evaluating them, taking photos or video, writing a review and promoting the post. Sometimes you host giveaways too which is more work than it sounds like at first. When you first start doing review blogging, it’s tempting to say you got all the products for free but you didn’t. Plus if it’s the only reason you are blogging, you will find your blog gets boring quick and you will eventually get sick of the backlog of products waiting for you to post about them.
You Want to Be Famous
Sure there are some bloggers who are very well known, some may even say famous. Some are in the news, some have their own TV shows or books. However those are a few out of the millions of bloggers out there. What are the chances you will become famous from your blog? Slim to none – sorry to burst your bubble. You should be focusing on the people you want to reach, your desired audience, whether that be 100 people or 100,000.
You Want to Make Lots of Money
The subject of blog monetization is big right now and people DO make money off their blogs, but not everyone will and of those that do, most make meager amounts. Some make enough to cover blogging cots, some make enough to give them a little extra spending money and some make enough to help pay bills. Very, very few, make enough to live off of.
Good Reasons to start a blog usually involve helping others, sharing knowledge, making connections, documenting life, content marketing for business etc.
Do You Agree? I’d Love to Know!
Nicole
Thursday 23rd of January 2014
Thanks for this article! I am going back and forth about starting a blog (on top of a full time job and a etsy business), and I'm planning to subscribe to more blogs INSTEAD of starting my own! I will comment and be involved, but I don't think I want to blog at this point. This is the first time I've even seen anyone else consider that blogging is not for everyone! I really appreciate it.
Kathleen Garber
Friday 24th of January 2014
You're welcome! It's hard for me to think that everyone can't love and be addicted to blogging like me but it's the fact of the matter. If you were thinking of starting a blog to boost your business, consider a larger social media presence instead. Less time commitment.
Maya Fitz
Thursday 24th of October 2013
YES! Agree 100 times over. Thanks for sharing. I would say that blogging is typically a passion. You either have it or you don't. You and others will know quickly whether or not you "have" it or don't.
Mindy Grant
Wednesday 23rd of October 2013
These are great! I get requests from friends and family members ALL THE TIME asking me to help them set up a blog. They always think it's so easy to do and that I can just quickly walk them through the process. They are amazed at the "free stuff" I'm able to get, and that's mostly what drives them to want to start a blog of their own. Little do they know how much work I have to put into it. It's not "free stuff". It's payment for my time and effort. I always point them in the direction of an online blogging course. They see how much work is really involved, an d then change their mind about it!
@LMC502
Wednesday 23rd of October 2013
You should never do anything, really, just because someone is pressuring you. A blog is a LOT more work than most people realize, and if you're not truly "into" it, you'll start to dread it quickly.
Dani@lifeovereasy
Wednesday 23rd of October 2013
So true. Like most things, it looks much easier from the outside!