Remember back when blogs weren’t really a thing?
Not the case anymore. As of 2015, 28.3 million Internet users updated a blog at least once a month.
If you’re not sure what all the hype is for, here are ten benefits of blogging that you shouldn’t miss out on.
Contents
- 1 1. Share Your Passions :
- 2 2. Get a Better Job :
- 3 3. Become a Better Writer :
- 4 4. Practice Another Language :
- 5 5. Improve Your Technical Knowledge :
- 6 6. Connect with New People :
- 7 7. Get Immediate Feedback :
- 8 8. Establish Yourself as an Expert :
- 9 9. Get More Exposure :
- 10 10. Build Your Portfolio :
- 11 More Benefits of Blogging (and Writing)
Maybe you have a deep-seated love of French baking. Or maybe you’re gung-ho about knitting. Maybe you’re a talented underwater basket-weaver.
Whatever your passion project might be, a blog is a great place to share it with the world.
Because where else but the Internet can you find people with so many different passions wanting to talk to each other?
2. Get a Better Job :
If you’re great at blogging, you can even turn it into a better job.
Maybe you use blogging as a tool to help improve your online profile, show potential employers your chops, and get hired.
Or maybe you love blogging so much and get so good at it that it becomes the better job you always dreamed of.
Either way, if you dedicate yourself to learning how to blog well and writing regularly, you could parlay it in to a better job than the one you have now.
3. Become a Better Writer :
And while you’re at it, you could become a better writer in the process.
After all, blogs update all the time–every week, every few weeks, or every month (or, for the very ambitious, every day!) Where else would you have so many opportunities to practice your craft?
And if you’re worried about how blogging translates into more technical writing like whitepapers, reports, emails, or essays, think of it this way: the only way to get better at writing is by writing. A lot.
Blogging is, as a rule, a conversational form of writing. It’s a great way to get comfortable writing, and writing quickly.
Once you’re thoroughly comfortable around your own language, how to structure a piece, and how to rock a word-count, translating those writing skills into other forms of writing is a breeze.
4. Practice Another Language :
Since you have so many opportunities to write, why not use them to practice another language?
If you’re consistently forcing yourself to form coherent thoughts, sentences, and paragraphs in your non-native language, you may be surprised to find how much easier it is to work with that language.
And, as you establish a following, you’ll have more opportunities to interact with native speakers of the language, which means you’ll be able to practice even more.
Who knew blogging could help you learn so much?
5. Improve Your Technical Knowledge :
Of course, it doesn’t have to be languages. You could also flex your blogging muscles to improve your technical know-how.
Let’s say you want to write about failed back surgery syndrome, like this website. What’s the easiest way to learn about failed back surgery syndrome?
By writing about it and doing the research required to write about it with authority.
Always been curious about coding or economics? What better way to talk your way through what you’ve learned that blogging about it?
6. Connect with New People :
And while you’re blogging, you’ll have all kinds of opportunities to connect with people as you establish a following.
These could be people you’d like to add to your professional network. Maybe they’re potential blogging clients of yours. Or maybe they’re people who are just as passionate about interior design as you are.
Either way, learning how to spread your opinions and engage with your comments section is a great way to bring more people into your orbit. That’s the beauty of the Internet.
7. Get Immediate Feedback :
Plus, while all kinds of new people are engaging with your work, you’ll have all kinds of opportunities to get feedback on your work.
Did you ever take a writing class in high school or college? Think back to how that process worked–you wrote something, turned it in, and waited a week or a semester to hear back about it. It was a decidedly one-sided process.
Blogging is different. When you post something, people have a chance to engage with it in real-time via your comments section–and you have a chance to talk right back.
This is especially useful if you have an idea you want to develop further. Put it out into the world on your blog and see what people say. Sometimes, a little outside perspective is just what you need to make progress.
8. Establish Yourself as an Expert :
Let’s be honest–anyone can blog about something.
Let’s say you want to be a travel blogger. You can totally start a blog and write about far-off places.
But as you spend more time on your blog, doing your research, writing about what you’ve learned, and sharing your expertise, the more your blog turns into a demonstration of your expertise in your chosen field.
One post about something is one thing. But if someone comes to your blog and sees twenty in-depth pieces about a particular subject, they’ll view you as someone who knows what they’re talking about.
9. Get More Exposure :
Of course, not everyone starts a blog just to write about their dogs. Plenty of businesses start blogs to help boost their online exposure.
Who says you can’t do it too?
As we noted, blogging is a great way to attract an audience and engage with people. If you run a business, a blog is a great way to bring attention to that business and topics related to your business.
It might even bring you a few customers.
10. Build Your Portfolio :
Finally, the only way to build a writing portfolio is by writing. A lot.
Blogging is nothing if not writing a lot on a regular basis.
If you need to beef up your portfolio and show your own expertise on a subject, a blog is a great way to start getting your name on articles online. Even if it’s just your own blog, it gives employers, clients, and fellow enthusiasts a chance to read your work in a casual setting.
More Benefits of Blogging (and Writing)
Now that you know so much about the benefits of blogging, why not start a blog for yourself?
If you’re not sure where to start, no worries. We can help with that.
Check out our blog for all kinds of tips to boost your writing and blogging, like this post on the common mistakes every new blogger makes.
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