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Why Blog Now?

A few months ago I decided to start a blog. Late to the party but no better time to start than the present, right?

Of course I had a few goals with blogging:

  • Testing ground for new, unrefined ideas
  • Sharing lessons learned building two companies
  • Practice building an audience through content development

What’s an MVP for a Blog Look Like?

When starting out I tried to keep things very lean. The first hypothesis I wanted to validate was that I could consistently write. As I’ve heard many times:

Post 1 is easy. Post 15 isn’t too tough either. But can you make it to post 150 and still write compelling content that others value?

To test this out I started with a single, simple goal – write 1 post a week for 4 months. The rest I tried to keep as minimal as possible. That meant I spent little time focusing on site design, hosting, or even the content quality.

What’s the point in spending hours, or even days, building a fancy site if I stop writing after a couple months?

4 Tips to Writing Each Week

After 18 weeks I have 16 posts, so I hit just shy of 90% of my target. I’ll take that as a win.

As expected it hasn’t always been easy each week. Here are a few lessons learned along the way about writing consistently.

  1. Get in a Routine – I’ve started setting aside time to write each weekend. Dedicating this time keeps this a priority.
  2. Capitalize on Ideas in the Moment – BUT if an idea comes spontaneously, write about it then; the same enthusiasm and creative ideas won’t be there later.
  3. Get a Draft Done – Focus on getting the first draft down without worrying about form or style; that’s the easy stuff that can be done later. 
  4. Average is Ok – I’d decided that amazing content quality wasn’t part of this test, so even if I wasn’t 100% thrilled with a post I still clicked publish.

Future Goals

Up next I’m planning to figure out if there’s actually an audience for all this stuff I’m writing, even a small one. Or are my only readers lonely internet cats? Longer term I’ll then try to build and cultivate an audience.

  • And if there is an audience to be found, what do they want…
  • What types of posts get the best responses – Lists, Essays, Short thoughts, etc…
  • What topics are most popular…
  • What layouts get read the most…

While I try out different variations I’ll be measuring things like page views, engagement, shares, time on page, repeat visitors, and more. Looking forward to finishing out the year strong…