Should I Start a Blog?10 Reasons Why (and 8 Key Questions to Ask Yourself First): Free Quiz

If you’re asking the question, “should I start a blog?” then you need to consider these 10 reasons why (and a few reasons why not) before making the decision to begin blogging. Let’s dive in.

Should I Start a Blog? Reasons Why to Blog and a Free Quiz to Decide if You Should Blog design icon

If you’re thinking about starting a blogโ€ฆ but youโ€™re not sure if itโ€™s the right path for you, it’s natural to ask,ย should I start a blog?

Maybe you have lofty goals like building a million dollar business, or launching your career as a New York Times best-selling author…

Or maybe your ambitions are a little more modest. Perhaps you just want a lifestyle business that gives you the freedom to travel the world, work from home or even just a small blog that brings in some side income to pay down your mortgage faster alongside your full-time gig.

As well as the financial incentive to start a blog, you may also have other motivations. Maybe a blog sounds like a great platform to share your ideas with the worldโ€”or it seems like a valuable tool for building your personal brand within your industry.

You could even feel that blogging is just a fun hobby to spend your time onโ€”and thereโ€™s nothing wrong with that, either.

Youโ€™ve probably realized by now though, that blogging takes real work.

You canโ€™t just get your blog online, write your first blog post, start driving in tons of traffic (and make money from your blog) the very next day. It takes time, effort and the willingness to experiment in order to build a profitable business around your blog.

Given all of that, you may have some concerns (or doubts) about whether or not you should start a blog. If youโ€™re daunted by the technical aspects, doubt your own writing abilities or are worried that youโ€™ll be no good at marketing, don’t make a hasty decision to call off your blogging endeavors just yet.

We’re going to examine every angle you should considerโ€”to get toย your right answer to the question…ย should I start a blog?

Should I Start a Blog? 10 Reasons Why (and 8 Questions to Ask Yourself First)

  1. 6 Good Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog
  2. 4 Not So Great Reasons (Why You Shouldn’t Start a Blog)
  3. 8 Important Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Blog
  4. Should You Start a Blog? Making the Final Decision

Disclosure:ย Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, Iโ€™ll earn a commission. Know that I only recommend products and services Iโ€™ve personally used and stand behind. When you use one of my affiliate links, the company compensates me, which helps me run this blog and keep my in-depth content free of charge for readers (like you).

If you’re already convinced that you want to build a profitable blog for yourselfโ€”then head over to my ultimate guide to starting a blog.

Want to Start Your Blog (the Right Way)?

Check out my ultimate guide How to Start a Blog (on the Side).


Weโ€™re going to be taking a look at some key questions to ask yourself before launching into your blogging career later on in this guide, but before we get to thatโ€”letโ€™s dig a little deeper into why exactly you might want to start a blog in the first place.

Weโ€™ll be examining six great reasons to start a blogโ€ฆ and four not-so-great reasons. Now, let’s dive in!

6 Good Reasons Why You Should Start a Blog

If one of these reasons (or even better, several of them) sounds like a match for your reasons for blogging, then youโ€™re in a great position to succeed.

Good Reason #1: Youโ€™d Love to Write About a Particular Topic

Should I Start a Blog Considerations and Reasons Computer Shot

Have you already got a niche topic in mind for your blog? Itโ€™s fine if you donโ€™t, but itโ€™s definitely a good sign if thereโ€™s a topic you know you’d love to write about.

It could be almost anything (though if you want to make money, youโ€™ll want a clear blog niche that has some potential for that). Maybe you want to write about your experiences of foster parenting, your obsession with classic sci-fi, your fascination with building tiny homes or even a food blog that explores your homemade recipes.

Whatever your passion, you can blog about it and youโ€™ll find plenty of like-minded other bloggers doing the same.

Good Reason #2: You Want to Build an Online Business

Maybe youโ€™ve come to blogging from a slightly different angle. You want your own business and youโ€™re aware that starting an online business is a great way to get your endeavor off the ground without a lot of expensive overhead.

While a blog in itself isnโ€™t a business, your blog can certainly be a core part of your business.

For example, you might sell a product (such as an online course) or a service (such as consulting), using your blog as a content platform where you can write about helpful blog post ideas that are designed to bring in targeted traffic and help those potential customers to come to learn from and trust you.

If you can build an engaged target audience of regular readers who tune into your blog content, then there you’ll create many opportunities for yourself to make money blogging through channels like sponsored content, affiliate programs, advertisements, digital products, live events and so much more. What’s important though, is that you focus on fostering strong relationships with your early readers once you get your blog off the ground.

Good Reason #3: You’re Looking to Build Your Personal Brand

Should I Start a Blog to Build My Personal Brand?

A blog can be a fantastic way to get your name out there, especially if youโ€™re a strong and thoughtful writer.

If you want to build your personal brandโ€“particularly if youโ€™re aiming to be an author or speakerโ€“then your blog could become a huge asset.

I know from first-hand experience. My blog has been directly responsible for getting multiple paid (and unpaid) speaking gigs to deliver presentations in front of hundreds of people. Because I share my experiences, insights and work to build thought leadership in my niche, that puts me on the radar for conferences and events looking to bring in speakers their attendees will recognize.

Starting a blog can also be a good way to dominate Googleโ€™s search results for your name (especially if, along with your blog, you also establish a social media presence).

Whether you want to impress a new potential employer, get a promotion at your current job, gain more media exposure or pave the way for pitching publishers on a potential book dealโ€”your blog can be a great destination to showcase your expertise and perfect your personal brand.

Plus, you can get a jump start on growing your personal brand by learning how to write an eBook and begin generating revenue selling it to your own audience. As others consume your products, the word about your work should spread.

Good Reason #4: You Want to Make a Difference in the Lives of Others

While some would-be bloggers are focused on the difference blogging could make to their world, others are focused on how their blog could make a difference to the world itself (by positively impacting the lives of your readers). This doesnโ€™t, of course, preclude the possibility of making money from your blog.

Perhaps thereโ€™s a key message or idea you want to shareโ€”or your business has one that helps people in some way.

For example, if youโ€™re a life coach or you write about personal development, there can be positive ways to create win-win opportunities for both yourself and your readers.

Every blog has the potential to make a difference in the lives of someone else. Even a blog that publishes light-hearted cartoons could really brighten someoneโ€™s day and even spark more meaningful conversations.

Good Reason #5: You’d Like a New (and Hopefully Profitable) Hobby

Should You Start a Blog as a Profitable Hobby

Although blogging can be a valuable business tool, some bloggers get started because theyโ€™re simply looking for a new hobby.

If youโ€™re a writer or marketer by trade, then you might find blogging a great way to get your work in front of an audienceโ€”quickly and efficiently.

Depending on your circumstances, you might be keen to give blogging a try because youโ€™re hoping itโ€™ll make you some money.

To be clear, thatโ€™s a perfectly valid motivation tooโ€”you can enjoy writing articles and learning new technical skills while also building up a side income and figuring out how to best monetize your blog with good intentions.

Good Reason #6: You Enjoy Learning New Things

When you become a blogger, you’re launching down a learning journey thatโ€™s pretty much never going to end.

Technology moves on quickly. You might get to grips with a particular social network or website builder today, only to find that they introduce a bunch of new features tomorrowโ€”or they go out of business and you’re left needing to find a new solution.

As a blogger, youโ€™ll learn a wide range of skills, including things like:

  • Coming up with ideas for blog posts, structuring and writing them
  • The art and science of how to write a headline for your blog posts
  • Editing and proofreading your posts and potentially (if you take guest blog posts) other peopleโ€™s work too
  • Sourcing images โ€” plus resizing and editing them when necessary
  • Using a content management system โ€“ย likely WordPress, though there are other free blogging platforms you might explore too
  • Marketing and promoting your blog (and potentially your business, if thatโ€™s the direction you go in)
  • Writing product reviews and recommending processes to your readers (like my Bluehost reviews post, for example)
  • Using social media โ€” which might include using new blogging tools to schedule posts and manage your social media accounts

If you love to learn new things, then youโ€™ll really enjoy blogging.

Youโ€™ll also be picking up useful skills that could potentially be a huge asset in your day job or in volunteer roles you could pick up down the line. Keep in mind that these new skills can also be monetized, for example by selling your services in contract-based blogging jobs online.

4 Not So Great Reasons (Why You Shouldn’t Start a Blog)

While all the above reasons are great motivations to start a blog, there are plenty of other reasons why you might be thinking of getting into blogging.

If any of these next few reasons ring true to you, I highly advise giving this all a little more thought before diving in.

Don’t heed this advice and you’re much more likely to end up disappointed when your expectations arenโ€™t metโ€”or the going gets rough and you’re not deeply driven by why your blog exists in the first place.

Bad Reason #1: You Want to Make Money Fast

Bad Reasons to Start Blogging In it for the Money

Letโ€™s be honest, there are plenty of bloggers who get into this line of business primarily for the moneyโ€”and I’ll be the first to tell you thereโ€™s nothing wrong with that.

Itโ€™s important to realize though, that blogging is not a โ€œget rich quickโ€ scheme (whatever some may want you to think).

Many bloggersโ€”even successful ones like meโ€”have spent many years growing their blogs before making it to the point where we’re generating a full-time income.

Insteadโ€ฆ

Rather than seeing your blog as a way to bring in tons of money fast, see it as a crucial component of a larger online business.

Again, thereโ€™s nothing wrong with wanting to make money bloggingโ€”but instead of dreaming about a magical fountain of โ€œpassive incomeโ€ pouring in for very little effort on your part, you need to make a plan about how exactly your blog is going to form a part of your business.

  • Are you going to use affiliate links to promote other peopleโ€™s products to your audience?
  • Will you run advertising? (Keep in mind youโ€™ll need a lot of traffic for advertising to be a viable income source.)
  • Will you sell your own products or services? What kinds and why?

If youโ€™re not particularly attached to the idea of blogging, you might want to look at some other business ideas that could be more suitable for your goals.

Bad Reason #2: You Want to Write About Your Life

While there are now an estimated 31.7 million bloggers publishing all kinds of different content around the world, some of the earliest blogs were nothing more than simple online diaries (in fact, the word โ€œblogโ€ is a contraction of โ€œweblogโ€, an online โ€œlogโ€ of someoneโ€™s life). Find this fascinating? Brush up on all of the top blogging terms.

Thereโ€™s nothing wrong with writing about your lifeโ€ฆ but a blog may not be the best form for this.

For instance, you may have privacy concerns, or you might simply find that not all that many people are interested in reading about the details of your day-to-day activities.

If youโ€™re hoping to make money blogging, then writing about your life is very unlikely to be the best way forward. Unless youโ€™re a truly gifted writer (and have a particularly fascinating life), youโ€™ll likely want a different medium to share every detail of your lifeโ€”consider Instagram as a platform to double down on.

Instead…

You could pick a particular aspect of your life (perhaps one of your hobbies, or a particular situation in your life) to blog about.

With this more concerted approach, youโ€™ll be able to build up an audience of people interested specifically in that topic (i.e. learning how to find your target audience)โ€”which will be easier to not only focus your offer, but to eventually monetize in a scalable way, since they’ll all share a certain number of commonalities with each other.

As I’ve alluded to, if you really just want to talk about your life in general to an interested audience, consider using a platform like Instagram to see if you can build a following there as an influencer (having a knack for photography will help immensely).

If you want to get all your thoughts down in writing, you might choose a more private mediumโ€”like journallingโ€”instead of launching a blog that potentially anyone could discover, read and share.

Bad Reason #3: You Read Lots of Blogs and it Looks Fun

Should I Start a Blog Because I Read Other Blogs Bad Reason

If you enjoy reading blogs, it makes sense that you might decide you want to start one for yourself. While this certainly isnโ€™t a terrible reason on its own, itโ€™s not really enough of a reason to justify throwing your hat into the competitive world of blogging by itself.

Committing to a blog is a lot of work (if you want to grow it). Itโ€™s a bit like saying that because you enjoy watching films, you want to become a director. Simply enjoying someone elseโ€™s work doesnโ€™t necessarily mean youโ€™ll enjoy the process of creating or working on a similar project, yourself.

Another danger here is that you could end up creating a blog thatโ€™s very derivative of the blogs you read.

Itโ€™s important to find your own angle and motivation for getting into blogging… otherwise your blog wonโ€™t have mucho of a chance of standing out from the crowd.

Insteadโ€ฆ

Donโ€™t feel that you โ€œshouldโ€ start a blog just because you see other people doing it (and making money at it). There might be a different outlet that would work better for your ideas, experience or particular skill set to achieve your most meaningful goals.

For instance, you might find it much easier to talk about your thoughts than to write them downโ€”so maybe starting a podcast (you’ll need podcast hosting though) or launching a YouTube channel would suit you better.

You might also want to learn a bit more about the blogs you enjoy. Look at their About Me page or see if the blogger has done any interviews.

Find out how much work went into building what they’ve createdโ€”particularly in the early days.

Thereโ€™s a good chance that what you see is just the tip of the iceberg and that there’s years of tireless effort driving their blogs to where they are today.

Donโ€™t shy away from hard workโ€”but do understand that blogging is more than simply writing, publishing and somehow magically earning an income.

Bad Reason #4: You Want to Get Free Products and Comped Trips

You’ve probably seen bloggers posting about products theyโ€™ve received in order to review themโ€”or even, in some niches, trips and experiences theyโ€™ve gotten for free.

Perhaps youโ€™d like to try out some nifty gadgets, or youโ€™d love to relax on an all-expenses-paid weekend at the beach?

While there certainly are freebies in the blogging world, the truth is that these mostly go to people with the traffic and influence to promote productsย successfully.

Sure, it’s possible you could write a few pro bono reviews and score a handful of free business books to keep reviewing from publishers, or even get your hands on someย  products within your blog niche… but youโ€™re highly unlikely to end up getting anything too valuable when youโ€™re just starting out. It takes time to build influence and audience.

Insteadโ€ฆ

Freebies can be a nice little perk. Itโ€™s best to see them that way, rather than to go into blogging with the main aim of getting free stuff.

Focus on starting your blog and generating a real income from it. Then you can reach out to relevant brands to ask if theyโ€™re interested in providing free products or services for you to review. This way, you’re not building a business model that depends on free or discounted productsโ€”it’s more of a nice-to-have.

Some blogging niches suit this better than others though. If you write about parenting for instance, you might actually be able to score some free toys or clothes.

If you write about health and beauty, you could get some free supplements or makeup.

You might also find that you can get free subscriptions to online courses or software tools if those are applicable to your niche, too.

8 Important Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Blog

So you think you have some good reasons for starting a blog? Should you go ahead, or are you going to end up wasting your time (and potentially even your money)?

Here are eight important questions to ask yourself (and spend some real time answering) before you even settle on a name for your blog, let alone actually launch into the nuances of getting your blog off the ground and starting to create content.

Question #1: Have You Picked the Right Niche (Topic) to Blog About?

Should I Start a Blog in This Niche Question and Answer Checklist

There are blogs out there on every possible topic imaginable. Some bring in a very impressive annual income, but others are run purely as hobbies and lose rather than make money.

While there are a lot of factors separating successful blogs from the not-so-successful, your choice of niche (topic) is a crucial decision that’ll hugely affect your blog.

This isnโ€™t about picking a great โ€œmoney makingโ€ topicโ€”while some topics can certainly be monetized more easily than others,ย whatโ€™s particularly crucial here is that you pick a topic that youโ€™d love to write about for years to come, and one where you have at least a basis of experience to build upon and share.

Avoid picking a topic just because youโ€™ve seen other blogs succeed with that topic.

For example, itโ€™s extremely common for would-be bloggers to want to blog about โ€œhow to make money blogging,โ€ because that ties in with the blogs theyโ€™ve been reading as they weigh whether or not they should start a blog for themselves.

While this is certainly a niche topic area that has strong potential for monetization, itโ€™s also a crowded corner of the blogosphereโ€”and youโ€™re extremely unlikely to succeed in this niche unless you actually have some prior experience making money blogging.

Not to mention the fact that ethically speaking, you shouldn’t go around trying to teach others what you don’t yet know, yourself.

Question #2: How Confident Are You With Technology?

While blogging platforms are mostly very user-friendly, and even the best WordPress themes donโ€™t require any fiddling around with HTML or CSS code these days… itโ€™s an undeniable fact that if youโ€™re going to blog, youโ€™re going to need to get comfortable with some slightly technical things.

If you struggle attaching a file to an email, then you may struggleโ€”or at least youโ€™ll likely find that blogging has a steep learning curve.

The good news is that there are lots of different blogging platforms out there, and even if you feel that one is beyond your skill set, you might find something else that’s easier to pick up.

For example, if you donโ€™t want to register a domain name and set up a monthly hosting plan from day one, using hosted WordPress offered by WordPress.com might be a sensible option that requires a lot less upfront work in order to get your blog online quicklyโ€”and it’ll be a lot less expensive than top of the line managed WordPress hosting plans.

Even if the technical aspects of blogging feel daunting right now, remember that there are tons of guides and tutorials out there that can help (like what I provide for free here on my blog in the form of new content and videos every week).

With blogging, you can experiment as much as you’d like without worrying about wasting valuable resources or doing any damage (itโ€™s not like youโ€™re sculpting marble or rewiring your house). You can set up a free โ€œtestโ€ WordPress blog and experimentโ€”if something goes wrong, it doesnโ€™t matter. Just reverse your changes and start over again.

Question #3: Will You Have Consistent Time and Energy for Blogging?

How to Set Aside Time for Blogging

Another inescapable fact of blogging, is that it takes up both time and energy.

Sitting down to write a blog post at the end of a busy day at work (or during the early mornings) might be the last thing you feel like doing.

While many bloggers do manage to succeed despite their busy lives, you need to be realistic about what you can do in the time you’ve got.

This might mean delaying the launch of your blog if youโ€™ve got a busy day job and youโ€™ve just had a new baby. You may want to hold off for a little while.

It could also mean setting small goals, like aiming to make $100/month by the end of your first year of bloggingโ€”not $10,000/monthโ€”if your life is very busy and you’ve got the patience to make this a deliberate practice for the years to come.

Another option, if you’re still driven to go dive into blogging, is to look at ways to free up more time and energy in your life. That might be something as simple as hiring a babysitter for a couple of afternoons a week so that you can write, or it could translate into discussing with your partner and other family members about how to split chores more evenly in order to carve out some more time for your blog during the evenings.

Keep in mind that you donโ€™t necessarily need a lot of time to blogโ€”five to ten hours a week might be more than enough if youโ€™re happy publishing one or two posts each week and youโ€™re not doing a lot of promotion yet.

Obviously though, the more time you can put in, the more quickly your blog will grow.

Question #4: How Will You Make Money?

Letโ€™s be clear about thisโ€”thereโ€™s no rule saying your blog hasย to make money.

Most bloggers though, want to at least make enough money to cover their own costs (e.g. their hosting plan, or the cost of a premium WordPress theme for their blog).

If you have an existing business, you need to get clear about how your blog is going to support it.

For example, if youโ€™re a freelance designer, your blog could be a form of content marketing that you can use to bring in potential clientsโ€”or it could be a destination to showcase your work and be a portfolio that you use to seal the deal with interested prospects.

Too many bloggers start out with the idea that once they start getting enough traffic, they can quickly monetize those readers.

Instead, it’s better to prepare for monetization from day one. Think through how exactly your blog is going to bring in moneyโ€”will you run ads, promote Amazon affiliate products, validate the idea of selling your own products, work with sponsors, or use a mixture of different methods?

Read through my ultimate guide about how to make money blogging for a step-by-step tutorial on monetizing your blog.

Question #5: What Type of Content Will You Create?

Should I Start a Blog and How to Go About Monetizing It

While you may think of written blog posts as the key form of content to be published on a blog, there are actually plenty of other options too.

You could publish video posts, you could run a podcast, or you could create graphic-heavy content such as infographics, do live video trainings, courses and more.

Itโ€™s important to think through what exactly you want to create, and whether you have the necessary skills and equipment.

If youโ€™re not all that confident in your writing abilities, then you probably donโ€™t want to base your entire blogging strategy around producing 1,500 word articles twice a week. If you canโ€™t afford even a halfway decent mic, then podcasting might not be the right choice for you right now either.

While your content doesnโ€™t have to be super-professional from day one, readers will expect a certain standard they’ve already been conditioned to.

Blog posts full of typos and rambling ideas, crackly podcasts that can barely be heard and videos that youโ€™ve shot on an old phoneโ€”probably arenโ€™t going to cut it.

Question #6: How Will You Measure Whether Youโ€™re Succeeding?

There are plenty of different ways to โ€œsucceedโ€ at blogging.

If youโ€™re not particularly motivated by the money, but you want to spread your ideasโ€”you might decide that success is about the number of email subscribers you have on your list, or the amount of traffic you generate each month.

If youโ€™re hoping to quit your day jobย as a result of blogging, youโ€™ll want to figure out how much money you need to make (donโ€™t forget to allow for expenses and taxes), and look at how close youโ€™re getting to that goal as the months go by.

If you simply want to enjoy yourself blogging, then you probably wonโ€™t have an objective measure for thisโ€”youโ€™ll just think about what youโ€™re getting out of it and whether youโ€™re having fun as you progress.

Before you start your blog, think hard about what โ€œsuccessโ€ looks like to you.

Work out what metrics (if any) youโ€™re going to track to see whether youโ€™re making progress toward your goal.

Question #7: What Are (and Aren’t) You Willing to Compromise On?

Sacrifices Bloggers Make Example

There are so many things you can do as a blogger, that you canโ€™t possibly do execute perfectly (all the time).

Itโ€™s worth thinking up front about the areas in which youโ€™re willing to compromise, both with your blogging itself and with your life as a whole.

Perhaps you wonโ€™t compromise on the quality of your contentโ€”but youโ€™re not bothered about replying to every comment on your blog.

Maybe youโ€™d love to have a fully custom blog design, but you canโ€™t afford it right nowโ€”so youโ€™ll compromise by choosing a premium WordPress theme that you like and just commit to investing more of your own time into tweaking that theme.

When it comes to your life as a whole though, there might be touch areas you’ll need to compromise on, in order to free up more time, energy or even money to get your blog going (and growing).

Maybe youโ€™re happy to ditch some of your other hobbies, at least temporarily, or youโ€™re willing to stop dining out for a month or two in order to save some cash that you could spend on growing your blog.

Thereโ€™ll likely be areas you definitely arenโ€™t wanting to compromise on in your life, though. Perhaps you want to make sure youโ€™re still spending plenty of time with your kids, or that youโ€™re still eating well and heading to the gym regularly.

Itโ€™s worth thinking through these no compromise areas in advance, so you donโ€™t end up inadvertently encroaching on them when your blogging life gets busier.

Question #8: How Often Will You Publish New Content?

While this question may seem like a relatively minor detail when you’ve yet to actually launch your blog, itโ€™s still helpful to pin down how frequently you plan to publish new content at this stage.

If your planned blog niche requires you to write daily (i.e. you want to have a blog about the latest Apple news), that probably isnโ€™t going to work out so well if your lifestyle involves long hours at your day job most weekdays.

Thereโ€™s no right answer about how often you should publish content.

Most bloggers would agree that whatโ€™s really important is that you publish high-quality content, even if that means only publishing one piece every couple of weeks.

If you can be an invaluable resource, even to a small number of readers, then you’ve got the foundation for a blog that has potential to grow and become profitable.

By figuring out your content publishing schedule up-front, you can plan for things like how many interviewees you need to line up for your podcast, or how many blog post outlines you need to draft and kick off on a monthly basis.

Should You Start a Blog? Making the Final Decision

Should I Start a Blog? Making the Final Decision Why to Blog

Blogging certainly isnโ€™t for everyoneโ€”though it can be one of the easiest types of businesses to launch on a tight budget (if you’ve got time and aren’t afraid to work hard).

Youโ€™re likely to end up pouring quite a bit of time and energy (and even some money) into your blog before it begins to turn a profit… and you may not be in a stage of your life where you can comfortably afford that. If that’s the case, then don’t beat yourself up about it today. There are free blogging sites you can begin testing thing out on.

If you simply want to start a business, and you arenโ€™t bothered about it being a blogโ€”there are other options out there.

Check out my two roundups about clever ideas you can pursue to get into business for yourself:

If blogging isn’t for you, then those lists will definitely spark some inspiration for you to pursue your own type of business that’ll be a better fitโ€”even if that means freelancing through blogging jobs or WordPress developer jobs.

Having said that, there are (clearly) still a LOT of good reasons for why you should start a blog.

If youโ€™ve got a few hours a week to spare, and thereโ€™s a topic youโ€™d love to write aboutโ€”then thereโ€™s nothing stopping you giving it a go!

You can get started pretty inexpensively ( there are even several great free blogging sites you can use to test the waters)โ€”so if youโ€™re on the fence, try blogging out and see how it goes for you.

There’s no way to know for sure unless you dive in and give it a solid effort. Head over to my ultimate guide to starting a blog and let’s do it together.

Want to Start Your Blog (the Right Way)?

Check out my ultimate guide How to Start a Blog (on the Side).


Hi I'm Ryan Robinson

Blogger, podcaster and recovering side project addict. Head of Content at Close. Join me here, on ryrob.com to learn how to start a blog, make money blogging and grow a profitable side business. Be sure to try my popular free keyword research tool & AI article writer tool, as well. Somehow, I also find time to write for publications like Fast Company, Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Next Web, Business Insider, and more. Letโ€™s chat on Twitter and YouTube about our feelings (and blogging, of course).

Jump into the conversation

Leave a Reply:

24 replies to “Should I Start a Blog? 10 Reasons Why (and 8 Key Questions to Ask Yourself First): Free Quiz”

  1. I have started my blogging website 4 months back and your posts are really useful in providing me with the right direction an motivation. Keep up the good work!

    Reply
  2. Hi Ryan,
    Sincerely, this is very impressive. More grace to you. My challenge is that I’m a Nigerian also resident in Nigeria. May I ask, how easy is it to start blogs. I’m not a quick money pursuer (although money is one of my motives). I have passion for writing and I have topics to write on. But I’m doubting if I can succeed as a blogger in Nigeria or as a Nigerian blogger. Please, I need your advice.

    Thanks
    Felix

    Reply
    • That’s a great question, Felix. Why do you feel that being based in Nigeria would hold you back from being a blogger? From what I can see, there are a lot of people online in Nigeria who want to learn new skills… do you have any particular skills or experiences that you could use to connect with some of those people (using your blog as a vehicle for that connection) and thus help them in some way?

      Ultimately, a blog should be used as a tool to help others in some capacity… so if you can find a way to do that in a niche/industry you care about, then you’re onto something.

      Reply
  3. Hi Ryan! Thanks so much for your wonderful and very relevant content. I admire what you’ve done for yourself. Keep it up!
    I started my blog a year ago. I can’t say I’ve been very dedicated to it, mainly because I’ve felt discouraged. I know my content and ideas are good but I’ve just never been the one to attract attention or popularity, or socially exceed.
    How can I get past that and be able to build a following and get my work out there?

    Reply
    • You’re welcome! I’m glad you found my content.

      My advice would be to find ways to lean into the strengths you already have (rather than try and force yourself to be too much of an extrovert if that’s not your natural disposition). Much can be said about the benefits of doing experiments to push yourself out of your comfort zone sometimes, but I’d encourage you to find ways that you can cater to an audience of people who identify with having the same/similar tendencies.

      It’s hard to give actionable advice without seeing your actual blog, but if there are ways you can curate your content to be more specifically for a niche community that you’re a member of, then that’d a very good starting point… read through my guide on picking a smart niche for your blog and see if that sparks any inspiration for you: https://www.ryrob.com/blog-niche/

      Reply
  4. Great summary. I think blogging is an amazing way to build a brand (like my speaking biz) but it comes with tons of work.

    Reply
  5. great article , thanx a lot you just gave me some good knowledge ..i started my blog before a month and i keep reading about this subject to make my blog better ..i think your blog is the best place to find informations in the blogging niche

    Reply
  6. You blogs are gold! I can’t wait to start my blogging journey now! Definitely my favorite. I have followed many bloggers before but felt like they were just making money, whereas you genuinely care for your followers!

    Kudos!

    Reply
    • Ah, thanks for the kind words Ruth! I’m glad that’s clear to you ๐Ÿ™‚

      Good luck with your blogโ€”and please feel free to stay in touch with any questions I can help answer as you build momentum.

      Reply
  7. Dear Ryan,

    This is such a useful article.

    You have clearly highlighted the investment required for making a blog successful. Investment in terms of commitment of time, energy and also finances.

    Most of the bloggers (the bulk of them at least) tend to get disheartened in the initial stages of blog creation because their expectations are not aligned from the beginning.

    I always get a reassuring feeling of knowing you have the best interests of your readers at heart while reading your articles.

    Reply
    • Ah, I’m so happy to hear that Surabhi! Glad you’re finding all these resources useful & can feel that it comes from a genuine place ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  8. Hi Ryan, Honestly this is my first and biggest opportunity I have ever had in my life
    However I have not started it yet but I am grateful to God for your life for being so much blessings to me,at least a have some kind of hope to do something for my life.
    Bless you Ryan
    Thanks

    Reply
  9. Your blog is a full of engaging content and I like your blog too much. Thank to share your experience and you expertise with people’s start their journey for their inline business.

    Reply
  10. This is a great post Ryan, literally covered every single point for a beginner and exp blogger in every field. So true blogging is not for everyone. My reason is always Good Reason #6: You Enjoy Learning New Things. Rest points come on the way to grow more.

    Reply
  11. I love your blog so much, it is so true and informative. I like that your blogs are not too formal it feels like a friend is giving advice to you.

    Reply
  12. Blogging is a powerful tool to connect with your customers and prospects. It’s also an easy way to stay on top of your industry, build authority, and drive traffic to your site.

    Reply