Should I Start a Christian Blog?

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Should I Start a Christian Blog?

In August (2018), I’ll be celebrating my 10-year anniversary for HCH. (Yay!)

Over the years, I’ve been up and down with my blog writing activities. I used to have several sites, so truthfully, I wasn’t fully committed to HCH until the last year or so.  I just couldn’t keep up with all my online tasks, especially as a homeschooling mom.

Before answering the question, “Should I start a christian blog,” you need to consider that there’s a certain amount of commitment to maintain a blog.

What tasks will I need to do to get my blog started?

You’ll probably be overwhelmed at first, once you’ve decided to launch your Christian blog, but don’t be.  Just take it ONE STEP AT A TIME and ONE DAY AT A TIME — you’ll be perfectly fine. You CAN do it!

The main tasks to launch your Christian blog will be choosing specifically what you’ll write about, a domain name for your Christian blog, choosing a reliable web host, and designing graphics (or hiring a graphic designer to help),

I definitely want to encourage MORE Christians to blog, (Don’t we want MORE of God’s Word spread online?) but I had to be open with you that there is time involved to learn and a certain amount of commitment once you have your blog created. And a small financial investment if you’re planning to host your own blog.

My blog seemed to start growing the most once I made a full commitment to it, so I do believe a real commitment is important.

How much fun is blogging?

It’s kind of like life… there’s the fun parts and then there’s the work to deal with… blogging can be fulfilling…and for me, it’s especially fulfilling to encourage other women to read their Bible and pray more.  I also have chosen some other topics that I’m passionate about, and this adds some more “fun” moments.

Many launch into blogging with the thought, “Oh, it’s going to be sooo much fun! I’m going to write about this and this and this…”

Truth is, after a couple of months, it can get a little dreary. Sometimes it can be lonely and discouraging.  You will probably wonder for the first few months if there is anyone out there even reading your blog. (Rest assured, there will be if you just utilize whatever social media avenues that you are already familiar with using….you can learn other ones later.)

The basic thing is to make a commitment to NOT quit.  Stick in there for at least a year and then evaluate where you are and how much you’ve grown.

But make it a point to have fun! Attitude is everything!

Enjoy the learning process.  Write on topics that you have a passion about. Find a Christian bloggers’ group that you can connect with so that you won’t feel alone…there’s quite a few on Facebook.

WHY do you want to start a Christian blog?

I can’t stress enough that you need to KNOW your WHY!

When you get discouraged, you’re going to need to remember your WHY! Why did I start this blog in the first place?  Why should I continue on my journey?  Should I quit?

So, why do YOU want to start a blog?

My main reason for all the sites that I’ve maintained in the past was that I wanted to work from home so that I could home school and be home with my children.  And truthfully, I have loved the flexibility of working from home.

But I can tell you, blogging for just the money won’t keep you going. There needs to be some passion behind the topics you’re writing about.  There needs to be a targeted audience that you feel compelled to help.

How Do I Create Content for My Christian Blog?

I used to write on random topics here at HCH… whatever I wanted to chat about. But, over the years, I’ve realized this wasn’t the best way to maintain a tidy, user-friendly blog.

Narrowing down my main passions (5 or 6 topics) has been 100 times better than 20 topics. It allows your blog to be more focused…and I think you’ll be able to draw in a certain targeted audience much better. It also keeps your blog simple and uncluttered…much easier for your readers to navigate.

Basically, to write a simple blog post, you’ll decide on a topic.  Create a simple outline for the sub-points you want to be sure to cover, then get to writing. Narrow down your topic choices. For instance, don’t write about “flowers.”  There’s way too much to be said about such a general topic.  Instead, write about “How to take care of roses.”  You’ll be able to keep your blog post specific and much shorter. Plus, you’ll gain more traffic from the search engines for specific topics.

Also, focus on your strengths….  If you hate writing, but you’re good at chatting, you can also try Vlogging — which is creating videos for your blog content.  You’ll gain traffic on YouTube if you use that source and also Google favors YouTube, so you’ll gain traffic from the search engines. You can still maintain a blog and share your videos on your blog.

Photos… Include many images and photos on your blog. People are drawn to visuals and it makes your content much more appealing.  You can use stock images. Take some snapshots on your phone to use. You can also find help to get some of your images done.  I invested time in learning how to use a simple graphic design software.  YouZign is one of my favorite resources.

Three other options for creating content for your Christian blog: 

*Find guest bloggers. Joining a Christian bloggers’ group will allow you to connect with other bloggers.  You can invite them to guest post on your blog. This is especially handy during planning vacations, or, for instance, you’re having a baby and need extra help.

*Hire writers — There are many faith writers who can help you create content. You can still have control over the writing process by planning the topics, and even the outline.  After receiving the work, you can add your own thoughts, ideas and illustrations.

*Use private label rights (PLR) content – This is an option that not too many Christian bloggers know about.  Private label content is shared content that you purchase (much cheaper than hiring a writer because the content is also shared with other bloggers). I love this option for creating a file stuffed with content ideas…

The advantage of using PLR is that you can REWRITE the content any way you wish so that you can personalize it as your own… such as changing phrases and ideas that reflect your own personality and voice. Unfortunately, Christian PLR content is harder to find, but I have tried out Daily Faith PLR and their content is top notch. Since I prefer using the KJV, I changed all the Scripture references to this version. (*I had used their content to create a Gratitude series — particularly “video content” on YouTube and created a PDF to give away.) 

I prefer writing my own devotionals, but if you’re needing an extra hand or help with writing, then do check out Daily Faith PLR.

How Often Should You Blog?

This only requires a short, direct answer.  Determine how much time you have to write and work on your blog.

Consistency is better than randomly doing SEVEN post one week and then only being able to do ONE post the next week.

Also, ONE high quality written post is better than FIVE half-heartedly done posts.

Start off blogging just once a week for awhile as you learn how to maintain your blog and do your content planning.  This way you’ll create a weekly habit of blogging, and you’ll be able to see how long it takes you to create content and launch it.  Then, do it twice a week if you see that you have time for more.  Then, three if you still have sufficient time.  If you’re a fast writer, you may be able to produce more blog content than others.

Don’t jump in doing a whole bunch of blog posts and then burn yourself out.  Start slow, grow and gain a steady progress.

Will my writing be good enough?  

You might be wondering about your writing skills.

Before starting a blog, PRAY about it.

Be assured that if you feel compelled to start a blog, GOD will help you each step of the way, especially if your aim for blogging is to bring glory to GOD.

Your writing doesn’t have to be perfect.  You will develop and grow your skills as you go.  Don’t compare yourself to other bloggers, either.  Your own personality, ideas and thoughts will make your blog unique.  Just like we’re drawn to different people and personalities, you’ll find your own audience.

I look back at my writing when I first started and I’m totally embarrassed. You grow as you put forth the effort to write and create content.  Practice makes perfect — No practice hasn’t made me perfect, just better or improved.  You don’t have to be perfect at writing to be a blogger!

What about monetizing my Christian blog?

Perhaps you’re wondering about whether it’s ethical to monetize a Christian blog.

Here’s the thing to help answer this question….

First, I have hosting fees and a domain name to maintain. I could do my blogging on free resources, but I’d have less control over my content.  Free blogs have been known to disappear. And even though it’s great to start off on a free resource — what I pay for, I take more seriously (I’m more committed because I’ve invested in my site.) …and hope others will see the value of my site, too.

Secondly, I need to help my family financially.  The Proverbs 31 woman was a business woman as well. She was able to make wise investments and profit from it.  My blog is like an investment…a purchased field.  I want to grow it…use it as a blessing, but I need to have the freedom to profit as well.

I do have plans to create some ebooks for sale and I’ve been thinking about creating some Christian journals, etc. For fun, I’m also hoping to design some more products for my Zazzle shop and perhaps a few more T-shirts.

I also utilize affiliate marketing for added income. (This simply means that I share my referral links for products that I love and use and recommend them to others to earn a small commission for sharing those links with others.)

The challenges of Christian blogging

Starting a Christian blog has been another whole challenge for me compared to my other work at home sites…

I still need to earn an income to help with our household expenses and yet, I have to take caution because the Christian content that I create is also a ministry to me. When I pray and consider what devotionals that I’ll share, this isn’t about money, but about sharing God’s Word.

So, a Christian blog needs a good balance.  This takes some extra wisdom, for sure.

My WHY for blogging at HCH is because I want to connect with and encourage other Christian women. I’ve had some hurt in my own life (just like everyone else), and there’s nothing better to overcome hurt in your life than helping someone else.  I also want to spark in my readers a passion for praying and reading God’s Word — and encouraging them to become mature Christians.

Having my WHY pinpointed helps me overcome the challenge of wanting to quit when I’m discouraged.  Other challenges are keeping up with my blog when life gets super busy. Life happens… if you can plan in advance, then work ahead and schedule those posts to go out automatically when you’re gone. (WordPress allows you to schedule your posts in advance.)

But, at times, emergencies may arise and you cannot work on your blog as normal. This is simply a time to consider your priorities and not let your blog add more stress. Give it a break.

Another challenge is to keep a good balance between home life and your blogging.  I don’t have this perfected yet. There’s times I have a pretty good balance, and then there’s times when I pour in way too many hours sitting at my laptop writing.

Bloggers need to continually re-evaluate their priorities — and make sure they’re planning content efficiently. (Planning keeps you from staring at an empty screen on your laptop and wondering what you’re going to write about for the day. This wastes a LOT of time!)

If you have some big events coming up, then don’t plan for any 30-day blogging challenges, etc. For instance, we are planning for  a graduation for my youngest son in April.  So for the next couple of months I will not be planning any extra blog challenges or activities. I’ll keep things as low-key as possible.

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I highly recommend this bundle that will help you get totally organized and in tune with all the organization of maintaining your Christian blog and building traffic to your site, etc. If you’re already blogging, but still struggling, this can help you get organized and on track. If you’re planning to launch a new blog, then this is also a great investment for you.