One of the things I did at the start of last year was to offer read people’s blog if they recently started one. Blogging is hard and it’s helpful to know that you have at least some readers, so if you have a blog that covers points/miles/travel/deals please share it in the comments and I’ll add it to my RSS feed.
If it wasn’t for bigger blogs in this space for linking to me when I was relatively new, I don’t know if I’d still be blogging today so I’ll try to link to blogs shared here in our recaps (although obviously the content needs to be good). In a few months time I’ll also list my favorite new blogs of 2017 (as I did with 2016).
If you’re a new blogger and want some advice, the advice I always give is pretty simple:
- Make sure you’re doing something different. Chances are you won’t succeed if you just rehash other people’s information. You either need to be posting new information, or at the very least giving that information in a different format.
- Be passionate about what you post. I don’t write trip reports because I find them boring to write (and even more tedious to compile), readers can tell when you’re passionate about a topic you blog about because it comes through in the writing.
- Be patient & post regularly. It’s unlikely your blog is going to blow up in a month and become the next big thing. I’ve been doing this for three years now and have really only seen any level of ‘success’ in the last 12 months or so and I’m one of the lucky ones. I’m stubborn to the point of stupidity and that has helped immensely.
If you’re starting a blog to make money or gain fame, I’d recommend against it. The gold rush days of this hobby (in terms of blogging) are over. If you have a genuine passion for writing and this hobby, I wish you the best of luck and I’ll enjoy reading your blog!
