Do you dream of starting a blog?
Then you are not alone. Every day thousands of new blogs are started. Some are started as a way to stay in contact with family, some as a way to share tips & ideas with others and some as a platform for authors, musicians and alike.
When I started my blog I knew nothing about blogging. I had no idea what a plugin or widget was or even which one to use. I did what many bloggers do, searched on the internet, often for hours. I was frustrated and about to give up because I spent so much time searching for answers instead of doing what I wanted to do – write posts.
Then things changed. About seven months ago I got to know Becca in a Facebook group we both belong to and she started helping me. What would take me hours to figure out took Becca seconds to explain. I would not be where I am today without Becca’s help. Becca has this ability to give simple answers to complicated questions.
Everything But the Posts was created to help more people.
After years of answering the same questions from bloggers around the country Becca decided to write a book so she could help more people. This book guides you on how to set up and create a blog, how to build your community and how to monetize your blog, should you choose to do so. It is full of little tidbits that even seasoned bloggers can use.
But wait, there’s more! After you purchase the book you can join a closed Everything But the Posts Facebook page where you can ask questions, learn more and connect with other bloggers. You also receive some free bonus content such as a media kit and sponsorship letter.
If you want to start a blog or already have a blog and want to save yourself hours of searching for answers then this book is for you.
Win a free book!
In order to help one of you get going I’m giving away a free copy (e-book or hard-copy, your choice) of Everything But the Posts. All you need to do is to tell me what blog you dream of starting or if you have a blog one thing you struggle with in the comment section below and I will pick a winner on Tuesday May 13, 2014. The entry ends Sunday May 11th at midnight.
Becca also blog at My Good Crazy Life where she shares great tutorials, tech tips, recipes and more. Also, check out a great podcast interview with Becca on my friend Tammy’s blog.
Want to know more about the book or purchase it directly from Becca? Click here to visit Becca Ludlum. There you can choose to purchase it as an ebook or hard copy.*
If you want to purchase the e-book through Amazon* click Everything But the Posts: Tips, Advice, and Templates from a Blogger Who Has Been in Your Shoes
Good luck!
*There are affiliate links in this post.
Thanks so much! What an awesome opportunity. I didn’t know about the group; that sounds so helpful! I struggle with knowing what’s most important to work on with my blog. I have limited time to dedicate to blogging & learning new aspects of the technical stuff, but I also have so many ideas & fun things I want to do with it. Right now I struggle with just posting once a week. After my student loans are paid, I hope to get fewer hours at work so that I can do more blogging. Thanks for sharing about the book!
The Facebook group Becca has is amazing! So much support, ideas and encouragement there. I wish I could have given everyone a book because you all deserve it but you were not the winner. If you can stick to once a week that’s great. It’s better to be consistent than inconsistent. You can always create posts when you have extra time so you have a stack of posts ready to go when life gets hectic. Keep at it. Your blog looks amazing!
I would love to win her book! I have been blogging for about a year at http://www.jerrodmurr.com and trying to figure out my voice. Our podcast is going great, so do i combine those efforts or make my blog more about my personal faith? Questions like these.
I had to draw names and someone else won, although you all deserved to win. I think staying true to who you are is the key, which could mean to combine about your podcast and your faith. I recently started listening to Ray Edwards podcasts. I think he is doing a great job of delivering useful and great content (which is why I tuned in) but he is also staying true to his voice by adding a short segment that is about a faith based topic. Although I’m not his target audience for that particular segment I applaud him for being authentic to who he is instead of leaving it out. It’s “like me the way I am” kind of approach which I find refreshing. I think that could be a great option for your blog. Maybe add a weekly faith based segment to your blog?
I am a water resource engineer by day and I am starting “engineering with love,” a blog about all the things I love to create or “engineer.” I want to eventually sell my products (baked goods, healthy alternative recipes, accessories, and crafts), to fund my trips to third world countries where I work on clean-water projects on my time-off. I’d love to read her book to help gain a readership following and get people involved in my passion!
I love your passion! Thank you for starting a blog for a great cause. That’s awesome. Clean water is something we take for granted but for a large portion of our world that is not the case. I wish you were the winner of the book, I had to draw names because all your answers were so great but someone else won it. I would definitely be interested in checking out your site once it’s up. Feel free to reach out with any questions.
I struggle with consistency. I have a ton of ideas for posts, but I can’t seem to get consistent with posting. This kills my following.
Michele Clark recently posted…The Extra Mile
Stick to once a week. Then when you get more comfortable add if you want a second day a week. I write or start a lot of posts at once, then once they are finalized I keep them in my “ready” file so that on extra busy weeks I always have something that can go live easily. That is how I have been able to post consistently once a week now for months. You can do it!
I’ve been blogging for over 4 years now but I am trying to get away from just posts about the kiddos and transition into more creative content. I’d love to win to get some direction!
jennifer recently posted…Party In A Jar– Book Review
Congratulations Jennifer! You won the Everything But the Posts book. You can either choose a paperback copy or an e-book version. Email me your preference (and where to send the book, if you decide paperback) to camilla[at]nomorehamsterwheel[dot]com
You all gave such amazing answers so I had to draw the names. If I could I would give everyone a copy 🙂
Motivation ! Motivation! Motivation! When there’s so much easy temptation out there, especially when one is online, it can be difficult to devote the right amount of attention to the upkeep of one’s blog. Especially if one aims to be creative, produce interesting, worthwhile columns and even get in some research. But if you are serious about blogging, then you need to give your followers decent material on a daily or weekly basis.
I have a blog, but I want to grow it and make it bigger! 🙂 The one thing I struggle most with is to plan (and take action on) how to make it grow. What to do, what not to do and how to do it.
I love your blog! But how to grow it, yes that is a hard question. I think the best way is to write all the ideas down and then go through them to see if there’s a common thread and idea there to pursue. I could easily see a lot of e-books created for your site, not just the recipes but coaching on how to turn vegan/vegetarian, more like “how-to” books. It’s a big world out there and it’s hard to know where to go, what to do when deciding to either turn vegan/vegetarian or add more of it to your lifestyle. Your knowledge and expertise is amazing!
I’ve been consistently blogging for about six months now, and have found my “voice,” but am still not sure what steps to take to widen my audience. I’d love to get this book, which seems to meet me right where I am!
You all deserve a book but in the drawing someone else’s name came up. I am so glad to hear that you found your voice, that is critical. The first thing I noticed on your blog, which looks great by the way, is that there are no way to follow you on social media. Your social media icons should be on the top or easily found on your side bar. You don’t have to be on all of them, choose the one or ones that you enjoy the most. Also, in your about or tag line there should be what your blog is about so that the reader knows what to expect. A great way to gain audience is to be on Pinterest. I get three to four times the traffic from there than any other social media. Becca, on her My Good Crazy Life, has a few great tutorials on how to set up and create “pinnable” images. Feel free to reach out any time. If I don’t know then someone in the blogging community does.
I want to create a place for women (and men) to see their potential and to show them that life is messy and it’s OK. I think it would be fun to show my journey of home projects, cooking adventures, and road trips.
We need that…to know that it is okay for life to be messy. Love that idea!
My husband has just started blogging and would love this book, I am sure!
I had to draw a name because everyone’s answer were so great. Someone else won the book but have your husband reach out to us in the blogging community. I’d love to give help and share what I have learned. After all, other bloggers were there (and still are) for me in the beginning and we pass on the things we learn. It’s a great community and people help each other.
Would love some ideas about how to grow my blog.
Christiana recently posted…I survived
An important step to grow your blog is to make sure people can find you easily and connect with you through social media. I didn’t see any social media icons on your home page. Pinterest is the one that generates the most traffic for me (especially when I create a pinnable images) but I know people that get the most from Twitter or Facebook, or even LinkedIn. Also, commenting on similar blogs as yours is a great way for people to find you plus of course guest posting on other blogs. And love that A-Z challenge! Cool idea.
I was so excited to see this post! It will be so helpful for my Hustle!
What is your hustle Cynthia? Someone else won the book but I would love to help and give you ideas if I can.
I want to start, just don’t know how to go about it.
Brian – you all gave such amazing answers and comments so I had to draw the names and unfortunately it wasn’t yours. However, I’d love to help you on how to get started. A great way is to use a free WordPress site (which is the WordPress.com) or use the paid version (WordPress.org). You can purchase your own domain name for less than 10 dollars usually and shared hosting runs about 50-100 dollar a year. Then it’s about figuring out what you want to blog about, how often (stick to a consistent schedule like once a week or any amount that you know you can do long term, many start out with too many posts a week and then get overwhelmed…as blogging is time consuming), and then grow your audience by writing using your voice and your story. Feel free to reach out and ask any question, I’m more than happy to help out and also give you links to great sites for more information. The blogging community is a great helpful community so don’t feel as if you are to be in this alone.