The Best Reason to Start a Blog in 2021

The world needs YOU. Right now.

We are currently in a crazy time with COVID-19 – all of this means for us in the world we live in, the impact on our lives in the coming year and the unpredictable changes for many years to come. With so many affected, the economy is damaged and there are entirely new circumstances and challenges that we all have to face.

For many, 2020 was full of fear, insecurity, and a feeling of overwhelm and paralysis.

Right now the world needs hope, certainty, and practical solutions to new and emerging problems.

We need places where we can come together and where fellowship and belonging can take place. Especially in this time when people are physically isolated, the world needs virtual spaces and safe spaces in which they can find this belonging.

The world needs YOU.

And you need a blog that gives you the platform and basis for your content and your community – to make the world a better place.

Why should you start a blog?

1. Improve other people’s lives

One of the great advantages of blogging is the potential to make the world we live in a better place. And while not all blogs do this, many do it in their own little ways.

My blogs are about photography and blogging. They are not issues that make a big difference on a global level. But I know that after 15 years of posting content daily, my blogs have changed many people’s lives.

A few years ago I shared A post here on ProBlogger about how one person came up to me at a recent conference and credited ProBlogger with saving their marriage. Others shared how they would build great companies by coming across things we had published.

Blogging can change your life as a blogger in many ways. But the experience is even more meaningful and rewarding when you realize that it can also be used to inspire, educate, and make others feel a sense of belonging.

It also offers many ways to shine the light and use your voice for other worthwhile purposes. One of my own blogging highlights came when I had this Opportunity to travel to Tanzania and see the work of an amazing organization that works with people with disabilities in this country.

It was an amazing opportunity to be able to use my blogs to give voice to this good cause.

in the ProBlogger’s Ultimate Guide to Starting a Blogging CourseWe go deep into the subject of motivation and uncover your “WHY”. Having a clear and compelling purpose for your blogging will support you and your audience during difficult times.

2. Build community

The isolation really showed me that we humans are social beings. We need community to sustain us, just as a blog needs community to sustain us. By building a community around your blog, you are not only creating something that is beneficial to others, but also to yourself.

When I look back on the nearly 20 years I’ve blogged, many of the highlights have been the people I’ve had the opportunity to meet and interact with. Years of creating useful content, growing your brand, building an audience, and trusting that audience open the door to lots of friendships, collaborations, and other opportunities.

You never know exactly where these relationships could lead you. Some can lead to financially rewarding opportunities. But most of the time this leads to lasting friendships and a real sense of belonging to dynamic and supportive communities.

3. Make money

A blog is your special place on the internet that you own and can build into a business. One of the reasons I start a blog is because it can be financially profitable.

I am not saying that every blog will be profitable. But many bloggers have generated streams of income directly and indirectly from their blogging.

I am amazed at how blogs have brought my family an income over the years. Not every blogger who wants to make money reaches a full-time level. However, it is possible to generate significant income from blogging.

Further Reading: Can You REALLY Make Money Blogging? [7 Things I Know About Making Money from Blogging]

In addition to making money directly from your blog, you can also use a blog’s profile to promote your existing business or sell your own services as a freelancer, coach, speaker, etc.

In blogs, you can:

• Expand your profile
• be found through search engines and social media
• (Most importantly) Build your brand, credibility, authority, and trust with potential customers

And I haven’t counted the number of times bloggers have used their blog’s profile to find more traditional occupation. (In those cases, her blog became her resume.)

Note: I am exploring Reasons Businesses Should Start Blogging on This Podcast

The other aspect of growing a blog’s bottom line is that it can also become an asset that you can potentially sell at some point.

4. Self improvement and personal development

While blogging unexpectedly became the foundation of my business and opened up amazing opportunities for me to earn an income, one of the greatest benefits of getting into this field is the same reason I got into it.

Blogging has given me a place to express myself.

Something very powerful happens when you get into the habit of organizing and writing down your thoughts, ideas, stories, and opinions. People have been doing this for centuries in private journals and journals. But putting some of these things on a public forum for others to interact with has been a very positive experience for me.

Having a place to express myself has brought me many personal benefits. In researching and writing thousands of articles over the years, I have:

• I’ve learned so much about the subjects I write about
• Identified, sharpened and deepened my ideas and opinions
• Refined my voice
• I have expanded my writing and communication skills
• Built discipline
• I found a creative outlet
• Faced fears and doubts and grew in confidence.

This list could go on. But the bottom line is that I’m much better as a person when I have a blog.

Should YOU start a blog in 2021?

Unfortunately I cannot answer this question for you. But I can say that starting a blog on a personal level was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done.

Blogging has changed my path in many ways.

• It has helped me grow and develop on a personal level.
• It has helped me start and grow a business that has given our family income that we never expected.
• It opened up opportunities for fellowship, friendship, and collaboration with wonderful people.
• It gave me opportunities to do something meaningful that, in a small way, allows me to make a difference to others.

I hope this inspires you to start a blog with us in 2021. Reserve your place in our FREE Ultimate Guide Start a Blog Course That starts on Friday, January 15th.

The course will walk you through 7 steps to starting and launching your blog – from clarifying your blogging purpose to defining your niche. Choose your domain name and set up hosting. All the way to starting your blog and thinking about your social media and email marketing.

In January, I’ll be hosting live check-ins and Q&A sessions for students who are working on getting their blogs started.

Then further Sunday February 7th We’ll help you start your blog with the world International Start a blog day – where we celebrate all new blogs from our students and introduce them to the wider ProBlogger audience and their first page views.

Register here to join us in January and start your blog in 2021!