As I write this we are more than four months into COVID having a deep impact on the United States.
We’ve learned a lot about COVID during that time, but at the same time we are still far from having certainty about many things.
I’ve personally accepted the fact that social distancing and mask-wearing will be needed through 2020, and very likely into early 2021.
In Minnesota our winters can be brutal. The warm Summer and crisp Fall we have are great times to get outside.
It’s also easier to social distance outside. My wife and I have had a few bonfires at our house, each time with just a couple guests.
But once it starts snowing things will be more difficult. People will be stuck inside, more or less, where there are less opportunities to (safely) spend time with friends and family.
Which is what made me think of this question:
Should you start a blog during COVID?
I think it’s a question to seriously consider, especially if you’ve thought for years “I should start a blog.”
First I find it extremely important to say that you don’t have to be productive during COVID.
Especially in the United States, we have a cult-like obsession with productivity. I am 100% guilty of this.
While I do spend a fair amount of my free time watching “trashy” reality TV and binging Netflix, I have trouble simply being unproductive. It’s a big reason why I started my blog, and have since leveraged it to publish two books and give speeches. It feels great doing something meaningful in your spare time.
But we are in a pandemic right now.
Whether we recognize it or not, a majority of people will have some negative impact on their mental health from the pandemic. You may have lost your job and have no idea when you will get another one – especially if you work in an industry that requires live events. You may have lost a loved one. Or you may feel isolated and alone.
So don’t feel bad if you aren’t productive right now. As each week and month passes, I am more convinced that an attitude of “we just need to get through this” is warranted.
A couple posts we’ve pulled together that you may want to check out are 10 Affordable Ways To Practice Self Care During COVID and Ways to Feel in Control During Uncertain Times.
But for some people, pouring their time and energy into something productive can be beneficial. For me, I have dedicated this Summer to tackling as many outdoor projects as possible. It’s been a great distraction. In the Fall and Winter, though, I plan on pouring more of my energy into my blog.
Starting a Blog During COVID
A few things we know about COVID include:
- We need to socially distance, and large gatherings should be put on hold until we have a vaccine or herd immunity
- We are spending a lot more time at home
- COVID could continue for at least six months, if not a year or longer
- Once COVID is “over,” there will be a ton of things packing our calendars such as events, concerts, gatherings, and travel
Besides the not insignificant fact that COVID is a pandemic…for many it may create some capacity to finally start a blog they have been thinking about for years.
When it comes to blogging, I’ve been very transparent about the fact that it should be treated as a long-term endeavor. Some things to think about:
- It can take a long time for a blog to get off the ground
It can take months and months of writing content before you have even a small amount of traffic. It may even take years.
That’s why I often tell people they should start a blog as soon as possible. Everyone underestimates how long it can take before you get social media and – more importantly – Google traffic. The sooner you start the better.
- Blogging has a learning curve
Contrary to what some people think, blogging isn’t easy. It takes time and effort to learn what works and what doesn’t, and that includes both structure of a blog posts and the topics themselves.
There is a lot of ancillary activities beyond writing, too. When I first started I poured a lot of time into social media and networking with other personal finance bloggers. This took hours and hours of effort, but it was necessary to get the blog established.
At the beginning you will likely go the DIY route with graphics and design (likely tweaking a free WordPress theme), and that takes time. If you get frustrated by this you can pay someone to do it or use it as motivation to continue to create content so one day you have the income from your blog to pay someone to do it for you.
While blogging may not be easy, it certainly is rewarding. Here are a few reasons I think it makes so much sense to start a blog:
- Blogging is one of the best side income streams
If your goal is side income right now, it may be easier to simply deliver things through an app than to start a blog. But if you are thinking long-term, blogging makes so much sense as a side income source.
Blogging is 100% on your own terms. You can put as much or as little effort into it. You can do it from anywhere in the world. You can do it whenever you want to, whether that is at nights, during a lunch break, or first thing in the morning. There is nothing quite like it from a side income perspective.
This leads me to my next point…
- Blogging has a ton of upside and can lead to other opportunities
While you can stop at creating written content on your blog, there are so many other opportunities that can come out of it.
Using myself as an example, blogging has allowed me to publish two books, give speeches and webinars, make media appearances including TV, radio, and podcasts, and has allowed me to meet some amazing people who I truly can call friends. Finally, I built the marketing skills necessary to pivot into a content marketing role at my company (though I ultimately decided to stay in corporate finance).
None of this would be possible if I hadn’t started blogging over ten years ago, or started YoungAdultMoney.com over eight years ago.
You can leverage your blog to get a publishing deal for a book, build a large instagram following, launch a podcast, create an online product or course, get paid speaking gigs…the possibilities are truly endless.
One of my favorite things that has come out of my blog is a live interview on the New York Stock Exchange on Cheddar’s morning show.
A lot of people start a blog and then quit after a few weeks or a couple months. If you start a blog, I recommend committing to giving it a go for six months. If you can get past that six month point, you are much more likely to stick with it – especially when life gets busier after COVID passes.
Remember – you don’t have to be productive during COVID. But if you have an idea for a blog, this may be one of the best times to get started and give it a try.
Ready to start a blog? Below are a few steps to take. I’m excited for you!
How to Start a Blog in a Few Simple Steps
There are a number of free blog options such as Blogger and Wix. Many have made the mistake of starting a blog on one of these free platforms.
I’ve seen many (too many) bloggers go through the headache of transitioning from a free hosting platform to a paid, self-hosted one like Bluehost and some have spent an entire weekend going through the process and working out bugs. It’s a stressful, time-consuming, and many times costly process (you really need a developer to help with the transition or you avoid botching it). Don’t make this mistake.
The process can be so complicated that I completely abandoned one of my early Blogger blogs instead of go through the headache of transitioning to a paid hosting service.
If you want to start a blog that makes money and that you plan on sticking with longer than a couple months you are going to want to start one on Bluehost, using their simple WordPress installation. Bluehost offers many benefits, including:
- Affordable – By using my link – any link on this blog post – you get hosting for just $2.95 per month, which is less than $36 a year
- Free Domain Name – You will get a free domain name when you sign up for hosting on Bluehost using my link (if you already bought one with another service like GoDaddy you can use that domain on Bluehost as well)
- Extremely Easy WordPress Installation – Bluehost has an easy “one-click” WordPress installation
- 24/7 Tech Support – Bluehost tech support is available 24/7
- Attractive to Advertisers – Having a self-hosted blog is attractive to advertisers and will make it easier to make money blogging
- 30-Day Money Back Guarantee – If you cancel within 30 days you receive a full refund on your hosting service
There are many benefits of using BlueHost to start your blog. With their 30-day money-back guarantee there is very little risk of starting a blog with BlueHost.
If you want to start a blog on BlueHost click here to get the lowest possible price and a free domain name and then follow through the rest of the tutorial.
1) Choose a Hosting Option
Once you have gone to BlueHost you will see the various hosting options. I highly recommend going with the “basic” package. Even though there are a few higher-priced packages, there is nothing in the higher-priced packages that you need if you are just starting out, and Bluehost would be happy to upgrade you to the higher-priced packages if you want.
2) Choose a Free Domain Name
When you sign up for Bluehost using my link you get a free domain name. This is an approximately $15 value if you had bought the domain name.
Note: You can skip the section below and go straight to “Install WordPress” if you are registering a free domain name.
I will be the first to admit it’s not easy to choose a domain name. It took me a while to find YoungAdultMoney.com, as many domains with “money” in it are already taken.
It’s easy to overthink a domain name, but the value of your blog will not be in the name but in the content you create. There are many hugely successful blogs out there with super obscure names.
Once you have a free domain, you simply need to complete your registration and you officially have a blog!
A quick tip – I would choose none of the extras on the last screen as they are just going to increase the cost of starting a blog.
Already have a domain name?
If you already have a domain name that you bought on a site like GoDaddy, it’s easy to connect your domain name to Bluehost. Instead of registering a new domain, just choose the second option on the page and enter the domain you would like to be linked to your Bluehost hosting.
Here are the directions for changing your nameservers within GoDaddy. Here are the bluehost nameservers you will want to replace the default GoDaddy nameserves with. You can always reach out to 24/7 support with Bluehost if you run into issues.
3) Install WordPress
Bluehost makes WordPress installation super easy. It’s called “one-click WordPress installation.”
They continue to refine the process of adding a WordPress blog, so it likely will be intuitive of what you need to do once you are registered. But, worst case scenario, you can always follow these directions:
Go to the “My Sites” tab:
If you don’t see your site to the right, click Add Site:
Select Use WordPress:
How do you log into your WordPress site? Simply go to your domain name and add /wp-admin to the end of the URL. This will pull up the user and password fields that allow you to log into WordPress, as well as reset your password.
Just like that you have a blog. Congratulatoins!
If you have any questions at all do not hesitate to ask. I am happy to help.
Start a blog by clicking here to get the lowest possible price and a free domain name and get started today!
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