Q&A: How do I create a blog?
On another platform, a writer asked about starting a blog.
Any ideas on creating blogs? I’ve thought about it and I’d like to have some idea of what I’m doing. Specific questions I have…
What do you use to create the blog? (software, app, etc)
How often should I post?
How long should posts be?
While I’ve written a post on how to start an email list and how to polish your blog layout, I haven’t yet talked about how to start a blog.
What do you use to create the blog?
There are a lot of free blogging platforms out there. I used Blogger for a long time, and now I use Substack. There are other blogging platforms out there such as Wordpress or Wix. Any of these three work, but here are the reasons I like Substack.-Substack doesn’t run nasty ads (or any ads) unlike the free versions of Wix and Wordpress.
-Substack has a very clean layout to read, and the user interface is fairly accessible. The trade-off is fewer layout and formatting options, but honestly that just makes setting up an aesthetic blog easier.
-Substack has a lot of useful features (but it can be overwhelming, I recommend starting simple.) These include like and comment buttons (not featured on blogger) and options for podcasting, emailing posts to subscribers, a chat feature (that can be turned on or off) and a paid subscription feature (that can also be turned on and off.) Before I made the switch, I was running my newsletters on one site and my blog on another. Substack streamlines that process.
How often should I post? I recommend anywhere between once a week and once a month, and do what fits your schedule best and won’t burn you out. Remember, you’ll have a lot of enthusiasm at first, but then life can get in the way. More important than how often you post is that you post consistently. For example, I post on Wednesdays each week.
How long should posts be? My posts are anywhere between 500-1600 words, with an average of 874. If the post gets too long, I might break it into a two part series. I also have at least one graphic, but some posts I have more.
Quality over quantity: I would rather read a short, concisely written post than read a long, rambling post.
Do you have a question for Flight Patterns? Let me know in the comments below!
Interested in more blogging advice? Visit Crazy Blogging Week for resources, competitions, and retreats.
