Blogging has become the most preferred side hustle because of its income potential and the fulfillment it brings. No matter what you want to write about, blogging is the best way to pursue your passion and earn money at the same time.

My blogging journey has been an amazing one although there were challenges along the way. What started as a simple desire to share my work at home experience turned out to be the most fulfilling mission I’ve ever had.

In today’s world where the digital landscape is crowded and oversaturated, you need to have a solid plan before launching your blogging business. Your launch can really bump up your blog exposure, so it’s recommended that you take the time to carefully think through the process and pay attention even to small details.

What is a Launch Plan?

In simple terms, it’s how you are going to let others know that you started a business (or a blog in this instance). A launch plan is a pedestal to show your new business to the world and it details what platforms you will utilize to attract your target audience. Having a clear strategy from the start will go a long way, and it will surely help you achieve your goals.

Here are 5 of the most important things you should do before you launch your blog:

1. Do Your Research

Assuming you’re already 100% sure about your chosen niche, and you’ve had a couple of blog posts up before your launch, the next thing you’d have to do is conduct market research. Find out where your ideal blog readers are hanging out, what blogs they are reading, what questions they are asking, what products they are buying and what social media platforms they are on.

List down the answers to the questions above, and from there, you can start setting aside a budget and creating a timeline for your launch. The research may take you a few days up to a few weeks, depending on how thorough you want it to be.

To be honest, the process of picking your niche, acquiring a domain and a hosting plan and even writing a few posts is much easier than planning your blog launch and going through the market research itself.

“Don’t focus on having a great blog. Focus on producing a blog that’s great for your readers.” – Brian Clark

2. Finalize the Promotion Channels

Writing helpful content is paramount, but knowing where to promote it is also vital. You have to list down the promotion channels you want to utilize and set them up before your launch. Many newbie bloggers often miss this critical step; thus, they fail to build traffic, they get frustrated and they give up too quickly.

In my personal experience, the traffic and the initial readership that my blog had in the first few months after the launch came from word of mouth promotion that I did. Apart from that, I also made sure that I use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram to my blog’s advantage.

3. Be Ready to Invest

Starting a blog might not cost you much. But it requires time, effort and dedication. You have to be disciplined enough to pay attention to details like your website’s theme and overall design. You should be ready to invest in learning about different concepts of your niche and you need to sign up for the must-haves like ESP (email service provider), automation tools, and design software.

Do not play safe. Sometimes you can only find success if you go all out and spend some ‘dough.’ Trust me, I have done it and have never regretted almost anything I bought for my blog. In fact, all my learning resources contributed to the success of my blog.

It is also advisable to have a stable fund when you launch your blog. Sure, you will be able to generate money from the blog but just like any other businesses, a start-up investment is required so you can sustain your blog and post fresh content pieces weekly.

4. Focus on Your Brand

Online businesses thrive on the uniqueness of their brand. Having a good brand strategy and working on developing a voice of your own can give you the best results going forward. Successful online entrepreneurs like Melyssa Griffin, Nathan Chan, Amy Porterfield have a unique brand voice of their own, and they have vast readership.

Work on building your brand from day one, whether it is through your blog’s theme or social media channels. How do you do this? Just ask yourself the question, ‘How do I want my readers to see me or what do I want them to think about when they read my blog?’.

Having a clear idea of what your blogging business is about can get you loyal followers and more exposure. Building a brand can be a long and tedious process, but if you start it right, it will surely pay off.

“A blog is merely a tool that lets you do anything from change the world to share your shopping list.”

5. Network

This is the big part of your blog launch. Whether you blog about e-commerce, lifestyle design, entrepreneurship or making money online, you need to be able to find like-minded people to connect with and help you spread the word about your blog.

Networking is a pretty big thing in the business world but the best thing about it is, you can find people to connect with just about everywhere. You can connect with them using social media, forums, groups, and during events.

Networking is also a means to find friends who will uplift and strengthen you as you push towards achieving your goals. I have a lot of online friends who ‘get’ what I do as a blogger and they have been very supportive of my business. These friends helped me form a community where we can share insights and help our readers. Start joining the right groups in your niche now so you can learn more about your target readers and develop a relationship with other influencers and bloggers.

Though it sounds straightforward, starting a blog means you are making your first step towards starting an online business. Doing the groundwork is as important as ‘hustle’ or ‘grind’. Although the overall success of your blogging business will still depend on how consistent you are and how determined you are in making it work, these simple tips can ensure that you will achieve the results you want for your blog launch.

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com