6 Things I Learned In My First Year As An Outdoor Blogger
About a year ago, I started The Northeast Hiker with no experience blogging, designing a website, or writing professionally. It has been quite the year! I’ve made some blogging mistakes, shared some awesome hikes, and learned something new every day. Below are six of the most important things I have learned in my first year as an outdoor blogger.
Writing is Hard! When, where, and how you write matters.
When I started The Northeast Hiker, it was the first time since college that I had written anything that anyone else was actually going to read. For some reason, I seemed to have the notion that I was going to be able to plop down in front of the tv at the end of a long day and start churning out blog posts.
The reality, however, is that writing is a process that requires a dedicated time and place. It is almost impossible for me to create quality blog content after putting in a full day at my nine to five job but I sure do love treating myself to a special coffee and muffin and spending a Saturday morning writing about all things hiking.
Social Media Is Necessary…And Not Necessarily Evil
I have never been a fan of social media. As a matter of fact, I don’t currently have any personal accounts that I regularly update or even log into. As you can imagine, I had a pretty steep learning curve to overcome when I started setting up social accounts for The Northeast Hiker.
Once I got into the routine of keeping up to date on twitter and instagram, however, I found it to be something I actually look forward to daily. I am proud of my content and enjoy sharing it with other hikers that may find it useful. I also love getting a glimpse into the the lives of my readers and seeing their hikes and adventures.
As a new blogger, it is extremely important to get social media accounts up and running right away. Begin interacting with your readers and connecting with other content creators and industry professionals as soon as possible. If I could go back and start my blog over again, I would actually start on social media first and begin acquiring followers before even launching my site!
Follow The Northeast Hiker on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.
Digital Organization Is Essential
After just a couple months of blogging, I had added about a hundred files and folders to my computer. Word documents containing blog posts, lists, and brainstorms were saved to the “my documents” folder and photos were adding up faster than I ever expected.
I began hunting for a solution and ended up saving all of my blog related files to a new Google Drive. I love that the Google Drive keeps all the blog stuff seperate from my personal files. It also allows me to access files on any device. I have the drive app on my phone and tablet to I can get to my photos, posts, and spreadsheets anywhere that I have internet. Google Drive also get bonus points for letting me color code my folders.
There are tons of file storage options out there and everyone has different needs and tastes. Pick something easy to use and visually appealing enough that you will actually want to use it. Otherwise, you may waste valuable time when you could be creating awesome content, trying to figure out where you saved the photos you took on last week’s hike.
You Don’t Need To Be A Tech Expert
The thought of building a website can be intimidating to new bloggers with little or no experience in coding or web design. I am the opposite of tech savvy but my budget for starting The Northeast Hiker was tiny so I knew I would need to do everything myself. Believe me when I say that if I can do it, you can too.
If you search. You can find a video or step by step tutorial of just about anything that you can’t figure out on your own. I use Bluehost for my site hosting and they made it easy and inexpensive to get started.
The “Little Guy” Matters Too
When first starting a new blog, it can be discouraging when growth is slow and other bloggers with content similar to yours seem to be having greater success. Pinterest, in particular, is full of writers who claim to be making a significant income from their bog after only a few months (or weeks!). I am sure that most of these claims are true but equally certain that they are well outside the norm. For most of us, growth comes much more slowly.
After one year, The Northeast Hiker is still small (tiny really) but steadily growing. I’ve even had the opportunity to work with some awesome brands whose stories and missions I admire. You do not need hundreds of thousands of readers to have a “successful” blog. Every reader who feels inspired to get outdoors more, try a new trail, or experiment with a new piece of gear is a success.
Hikers Are Awesome!
Ok, I already knew that… but the hiking community is just as amazing online as on trail. I am so thankful for all of my supportive readers.
Are you blogging about your outdoor adventures or thinking about starting a site of your own? Let’s connect! You can find me on Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter, or send me an email.
