There are numerous reasons people start blogging. Because free blogging platforms provide anyone with a computer and internet access the ability to set up a blog and begin writing within minutes, new blogs are constantly popping up on a variety of subjects and for a number of reasons.
But why do people start blogging? What motivates them to put their thoughts and ideas out there?
1. To Teach
If you are an expert in a subject matter, you can start a blog to teach others about that topic. For example, let’s say you are very crafty, and make DIY projects at home on a regular basis. Using your projects as examples, you can teach others how to replicate those crafts at home, writing step-by-step instructions and using photographs to show what the project should look like from start to finish.
2. To Direct Traffic to Their Website
Bloggers who maintain a website often start a blog as a way of directing more traffic towards their site. A blog is a great way to connect with your site visitors, as well as entice new visitors to stop by and see what your website is all about. Plus, creating a blog is a great way for site owners to market and promote themselves and their business in a creative and engaging way.
3. To Help Others
Some people start a blog to help others who may be going through similar circumstances, such as a terminal disease or illness, or parenting-related issues. These types of blogs are great for those who have a desire to connect with others who are experiencing the same problems, and share their thoughts, insights and advice to those in need.
4. To Change the World
Other people start blogs to raise awareness about a specific issue or cause that is close to their hearts, or to sway people’s thinking in a certain direction. Political and social-issue blogs are prime examples of this.
5. To Stay Connected
The internet has enabled friends and family who do not live near one another to stay connected in a variety of new ways, and many people start a blog to share photos, personal news and other information with those they care about.
6. To Make Money
A lot of people start blogging in order to make money, but this takes hard work and commitment in order to turn a profit. Most blogs make very little money, but the potential to do so is there for a blogger who is willing to invest the time and effort it takes to create a decent income from blogging.
7. To Have Fun
Finally, many people start blogging simply to have fun. The most successful blogs are those where the blogger has a passionate interest in the subject matter, and can share that passion with readers. When you enjoy the topic, you are more likely to blog frequently and connect with your readers.
Brian,
You know what’s awesome about the Internet and Blogging… I’m sure there are many people that blog and create fantastic content for ALL these reasons…
Not terribly deep thought just something I find amazing about our time.
Thanks,
Ryan H.
Yeah – the word “blog” is sometimes misunderstood in my opinion. They relate it to journaling or diary writing – when in fact, it’s used quite often for reasons other than that.
Brian,
I would go so far as to say Journaling is NOW the last thing I would think about w/ blogging… Despite that being it’s roots.
Thanks!!
Well it’s really a throwback to the original blog platforms like Livejournal, which in essence was built for high schoolers to journal about their life.
I agree with Ryan. I have engaged with other bloggers that express all of those points listed as reasons to blog. For me, it’s 1, 3, 5 and 7.
One interesting point my coach implies is that I do it to validate my intelligence. He clearly hasn’t read my posts
Haha, good one Jason. Also – love your domain name…
Thank you Brian. I have to live up to it now.
Good domain name and… great theme – Generate.
Thank you!
I agree… Awesome domain name!
I think you’ve covered everything there Brian.
I started off with the intention to teach via my Public Speaking blog then I moved over to a Website Design blog and now I’m adding a few affiliate links.
I guess that lots of people start along one path and change direction.
I have changed paths a few times myself. Rebranded my blog three times within one year (I think I’m done now), changed URL’s, and changed themes. I started out in mid-2011 with an adoption blog, ow I’m doing something entirely different. But I’m blogging more regularly as a result.
I blog to teach, to influence the world…but mostly because it’s a whole lot of fun!
Forgot about the fun Charles.
If we didn’t enjoy it, we wouldn’t do it.
Gotta keep the main thing the main thing. Lose the big picture then something else will take over.
I agree that it’s fun – though at times it seems more like work. I suppose it’s more a matter of what you’re blogging about. I’d much prefer to blog on things I love (WordPress, social media, Starbucks) and NOT make money than to create a niche blog about something I’m not very interested in.
Yes. I’ve seen some guru’s out there advising readers to start a niche blog, yet fail to mention that if you’re not excited about the niche then it will likely fail. I’m all for niche blogging, but if the blogger isn’t excited about the subject matter, it will show on the blog and, particularly, in the content. And I won’t be back to visit such a blog a second time.
“…if you’re not excited about the niche then it will likely fail.”
Has to staert from there and then you can educate, help others, change the world… or even make money.
I rather enjoy the challenge of trying to make money as a Affiliate for products that I believe in.
Hello Brian Great article. One of reasons why I blog is to learn new skills. I blog about web development and write tutorials and snippets. I use this as an opportunity to learn about different subjects or new development techniques so that I can teach others.
I completely concur Paul – in fact, I have dedicated sections to my code snippets and my tutorials here. These serve two purposes on my blog – help teach people while increasing traffic.
Is it reasonable to try to accomplish most if not all of those in one blog? Or is their a sort of implicit degradation as you begin to tack on financial motivations? (either by the creator or by the audience)
Yeah – it’s kinda tough to imagine combining all of these into one blog. While I can see people doing most, it seems at some point one of them (primarily the intent to make money) might overtake the rest. In other words, it might be tough to (genuinely) teach people when you start slapping advertisements all over your site.
I was thinking more without the advertising model – instead something more like an affiliate or very very specific and limited sponsorship coupled with either ancillary infoproducts or member communities.
It seems that when we create a site specifically for training/education and the secondary benefit is authority (to the creator(s) and author(s) of the site) that’s a fine idea but at some point that model seems to evolve into a monetization model. MarketingProfs, CopyBlogger, and ThirdTribe are very very loose generalizations of the spirit of this idea.
It seems that evolving there is good, fine, okay – you just can’t start that way else you look too much like a niche grab. Correct?
I hope to not have grossly simplified things here – seriously trying to vet out the path here.
Many thanks Brian.
A note about reason #6:
It’s definitely not easy making money from a blog, and I think that most of that difficulty comes from the hours that need to be put in and the consistency that’s required to make real progress.
Having said that, I think that blogs are one of the most reliable and surefire ways to make money online. If you have the patience, the knowledge of your market, and the determination to keep posting day after day after day, it would be hard *not* to make money.
It’s all about traffic.
If you can blog for long enough to get enough traffic, there will always be a way to monetize it. If you have thousands of people reading your blog each week, and you offer them high-quality products and services related to the topics that bring them to your blog, enough people will buy to make your blog profitable.
I coach a few people personally, all of whom want to make a full-time income online, and the main thing I have all of them doing is posting every single day to a high-quality blog. All but one of them are already making an income from their blog.
If you want to make money from a blog, go for it. No reason it can’t work for you!
Alex, obviously you get it – not many people can wrap their heads around this concept. Too many folks are more interested in a quick buck than building their brand and establishing a true business plan.
For me the reason i blog is an outlet from my normal boring life. Its really good to let some steam off sometimes and having a blog helps me do that. I especially love it now because i can blog from anywhere now smartphones are HUGE lol
Hello Brian very good points indeed, I love blogging for a number of reasons mainly because I love teaching people things I have learned over the years.
The internet is an amazing place giving us the ability to share content like we do and meet some amazing friend and interesting people.
The only thing I can say if your reason for starting your blogging is money you better have patient because it will take you time to build up your foundation. Great post Brian
My focus is on helping CEOs, leaders, experts to produce content for many of the same reasons you’ve listed.
Staying connected is perhaps the most powerful for a relatively disconnected CEO. Customers appreciate this kind of connection, especially if they get the feeling that the leader isn’t just spouting PR blather.
Most bloggers will never make money “from” their blog…however, it’s much easier to make money “because of” your blog. Deepening those relationships is important. They make it easier for your followers to spend money with you.
Finally, having fun is a great reason to blog. Back to those same leaders…many don’t find the act of writing to be fun. Creating posts by talking is a method that many of those leaders find to be stress-free and yes, even fun. Using a podcast mentality is a good way to get a reluctant writer to share his or her expertise and let that passion come through. Even though there are a few extra steps involved (transcribing and re-writing), if done correctly, their voice will come through.
Straight to the point article. Love it.
I totally agree with you Brian.
As a newcomer, my purpose is on #6 and #7 but I realized I should take #1. The remaining reasons are amazing, I will be there soon. I’m just in my second post in my blog. Thank you Brian for this article.
Thank you Brian! Over the past 2-3 weeks, I’ve thought hard about starting a blog; but why? I ask myself that. But why? Of course, I have my motivations, which fall into your categories – LOVE IT! This “article/post” is perfect for me right now and I can totally relate! Thanks much,
Jacy