5 Reasons Why It���s Still a Good Idea for Writers to Have a Blog

It���s 2023. Should writers have a blog?

It’s been the subject of debate for several years now. There was a time when, if you intended to publish and sell books, you were expected to write a blog too.

But it���s not so clear-cut today. There are a lot of ways to communicate with your potential readers, and blogging is only one of them.

Here are five reasons why I think it���s still one of the best.

1. Blogging Gives You Something to Talk About Besides ���Buy My Book!���

Whatever online platform you���re on, you need something to talk about. You have your book(s) of course, but what else? Maybe you talk about your pets, your daily walks, your traveling adventures, or your culinary talents.

Some writers can manage this well, providing consistent entertaining content for their followers, but for others, the ���What do I talk about now?��� question comes up pretty quickly.

If you have a blog covering a topic you’re passionate about, you don’t have that problem. I’ve been managing my blog, Writing and Wellness, for eight years now, and I’ve yet to come up against any serious struggles when it comes to thinking up topics. (If you have a blog and you are struggling with this, you may not have found your perfect niche.)

Anytime you write a blog, you have a great source of information to share on all your other social platforms. That can be a lot easier than asking your cat to pose for the hundredth time.

2. Blogging Helps Attract New Visitors to Your Website

Yes, you can post pictures and text on your choice of social platforms, but will that draw readers back to your website?

You may not think that���s necessary. But how else can you introduce your reader to your work, or lure them into signing up for your newsletter?

Sure, you can ask people to subscribe on your Twitter or Facebook pages, but if all they have to review are your posts on those platforms, they are less likely to sign up than if you lure them back to your website where you have a juicy freebie to offer them.

Yes, you can offer freebies on other platforms too, but the point is that there are more limitations in design and presentation on these sites than there are on your website.

And then what if your social media platform of choice changes the rules? Suddenly you may not be able to reach some of your readers as well. Your website, on the other hand, remains strictly under your control no matter what.

People need to get to know you and believe you have something of value to give them before they���ll sign up for your newsletter. Everyone is more reluctant to give out their emails today than even a year ago. They���ll look for an excuse not to sign up, so it���s more important than ever that you make the idea enticing.

Having a blog that you regularly update with new information can keep a reader coming back again and again until they finally succumb to that tempting offer and join your list.

3. Blogging Helps You Become an Expert at Your Niche

When you find the right niche for your blog, you can then write about that niche over and over again. As you do, you���ll find yourself becoming the expert in your readers��� minds, which will only broaden your reach.

Let���s say you���re a romance writer who writes about the perfect vacation spots for couples on a budget. Do that for a couple of years and you���re soon to become the expert on it. Your site will be the one people come to for information when they want to find a unique, affordable romantic getaway.

If you do it right���post regularly (once a week at the very least) and follow SEO recommendations���you may soon find that Google is helping to send people your way when they search for topics you cover. Hello, new readers!

4. Blogging Can Open Up New Possibilities for Your Writing Career

Don���t be surprised if the more you blog, the more opportunities open up for you in your writing career.

My blog, for example, is the reason I���ve written three (so far) nonfiction books for writers. I never imagined I���d write and publish nonfiction books until after I���d been writing my blog for a while. I soon realized that writers needed more information on the topics I was writing about, and I could give it to them in the form of a book.

Now I���m both a novelist and a nonfiction writer.

I���ve also received several invitations to speak at writing conferences completely because of my blog���it���s helped establish me as an expert in my niche, and increased awareness of what I have to offer.

5. Blogging Gives You a Reliable Home Base

We all know that the writing life has its share of ups and downs. It can get tough at times, and if your books are all you have, you can feel easily discouraged.

If you have a blog too, however, it gives you a kind of ���home base��� you can return to no matter what happens with each book launch, or with anything else in life for that matter.

One of the writers I interviewed on my site shared how her blog became her writing refuge while she was battling a difficult illness. She didn���t have the energy to write another book, but she could continue to communicate with her readers and subscribers through her blog. She said it sustained her until she became well enough to write a book once again.

The market can be fickle, but a blog can give you a reliable conduit to your readers no matter what happens. Positive feedback from those readers can also be a lifeline when you���re going through a rough time.

Bottom line: A blog can give you a welcome outlet for your creativity even when you may not be up to writing another book for whatever reason.

And any kind of consistency in a writer���s life can be a great thing!

Pssst: Mindy here to say that a great way to draw people to your blog is to share an amazing guest post at a popular blog. Check out the Guest Post Guidelines at Writers Helping Writers. I hope I’ll see some incredible post proposals from our readers.

*Keep your eyes open for Colleen’s April post full of tips for making your blog successful.

Note: Need help setting your goals for the New Year? Check out Colleen���s FREE report here. It includes 7 questions you can ask yourself to determine what goals will work best for you.

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