Firstly, What the hell is a blog and what do I write about?
Before figuring out how to use a Personal Blog to create a personal brand or a Brand Business blog, or to answer the question should I launch a Personal Blog or brand business blog? It’s important to first fully understand what the hell is a blog. Understanding this will seriously help procrastination and confusion.
Originally a Blog was used as an online digital version of a journal. Journaling is something people have been doing for decades on paper and pen form.
Now to understand a blog in it’s most basic purpose we need to understand what a journal is.
A journal is a written form of note-taking, information gathering, writing down ideas and memories.
Originally supplemented by photos or diagrams placed in a Journal Book (as you can’t actually stick videos into a book can you.)
So if it’s a journal or notes on your personal memories. Where you would write down key interesting memories or activities that you are or have done. You write, record it, so you can go back, revisit it in your journal, and by doing so you are somewhat re-living that period of your life. And one day your children or loved ones may read and know who you were and did.
You would write down and do the same thing if you had an Idea or thought that you wish to recollect later.
If your journaling is for the purpose of notes for a course, subject matter, or skills you are learning. You would write it down, with notes, bullet points, images, diagrams so you remember the information better. And you can revisit that notes if and when you need to refresh your memory. Such as you would do in a College or University course.
So how does Journal relate to blogging?
” At the core, Blogging is a digital version of note-taking and journaling for your personal self-first”.
So it’s written in an informal or a conversational way so you can easily refer back to it, and revisit that information or memory.
The 2 large difference between a digital journal i.e. the Blog and a physical book and pen-based journal is:
- You can access the information you have written from anywhere in the world when you need it.
- The information can also be shared with other people who may be interested in activities you have done, or the educational information that you have learned that they can benefit from. So you write articles in that form.
So to start your journey into blogging, keep it simple, keep it informal, and write for yourself first.
Document things you are learning as you learn like note-taking.
And/or Document the key activities you have done for memories that others can also take motivation and inspiration from.
So your Blog can take these 2 forms predominantly. That is the core essence of what a blog is.
- Personal Blog
- Featured Niche Blogs
What does a Niche Blog mean?
It means, rather than writing for your own memories and knowledge reference for things you are learning. The blog is more focused on a specific goal, topic or brand concept.
These types of Blogs I call Featured Niche Blogs. Where you only write and share information related to the theme of the blog. So it’s not personal as such, it’s discussing a very specific interest you have, such as a hobby, or a product linked to what your like.
These featured blogs do not really include personal content. Unless it’s directly linked to the topic and theme the blog covers. To keep it cohesive for the audience who came for that particular interest.
So the blogs are made and maintained to build and support a community of likeminded people interested in that particular area or topic, and not because they are only interested in you.
But you maybe thinking,
“but Avz ! I have many interests and I have stuff I want to remember also like journal, what do I do?”
Well, this part bothered me for a long time. And the answer is more simple than you think.
You simply make 2 or more separate Blogs…🤯🤯 !
- One blog is personal, like a digital journal where you can share information with your followers and friends of what you are doing, or have learned. Similar to my blog at afzolali.com
- The other(s) blogs are FEATURED blogs, as discussed above, which are more in-depth information of activities or hobbies you are specifically interested in, or business you are running that have a core theme. Like Risingway.com
The key thing to note is, your personal blog can always link to other blogs, social media channels of your other interests to give more value to those who are following you as an individual.
But the Featured Niche Blog would not really outwardly be linking to your personal site, as it would most likely be unrelated to your Featured Blogs/brand topic and message.
So those who are interested in you as a person will gravitate towards your own personal lifestyle blog. Those who are interested in the particular niche topic or business concept you are focused on will go to the Featured topic-specific blog.
Later Stages
Once you become popular, have a keen following, and are experienced than on an advanced level, you can
- Leverage each blog,
- Segment the audience and direct specific audiences to the other blogs which are more specific
This way it will give your audience and readers even more value and personal connection.
Example of how this would work in practice:
You have an article on your personal blog, and it relates to say business or fashion. These are topics you as an individual enjoy and are learning. So you write it down and share it with your friends, and audiences that have come to like you.
But you also run a purely women’s fashion or business blog site.
In which case you would:
- Write an informal fun conversational small snippet of a topic on your personal blog site (can be the short form)
- Then you link-out at the bottom of the article to your other blog site where you go much more into detail about that topic for any of those readers specifically interested in that topic.
Hope now your mind is opened to a new sea of ideas.
Just stop thinking and start creating.
If you would like to learn more about how to Blog or set up a blog check out the Guide
