Start Your Blog: Overcome 5 Blogging Objections
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I still remember the first time I sat down and filmed a YouTube video. You can search high and low through the internet archives, but you won't find it. I say that confidently (even though the internet never forgets) because I never posted that video. I loved writing the script and filming the video, but posting it? That's where it ended. I was hesitant to actually start my YouTube channel. So hesitant it took me over 10 years to get here.
My story with blogging is almost identical. I started at least 4 blogs with one or two posts (and dozens hidden in my google docs) before I finally started a blog I could stick with and dared tell anyone what I was doing.
Have you been putting off starting a YouTube channel or blog too? I'm sharing 5 lies I believed about blogging and how to overcome them with truth. I hope by the end of this post, you’ll be feeling inspired to jump in with both feet!
Lie: My blog won’t be good enough
Do you find yourself consuming a lot of content and fixated on how yours will never measure up? Consuming always makes it harder to create.
No matter what you want to pursue or build there's always going to be someone who does it better. That doesn't mean there's no room for you it just means they've been doing it longer. You're never going to get to that high production value if you don't just start and make a few low quality potentially embarrassing videos to begin learning and growing.
Watch me on YouTube
Truth: Imperfect content can still change lives
As a consumer, I rarely think about how a blog post was formatted or the sound quality of a YouTube video. I’m focused on the value I can get from what someone is sharing.
I’ve read blog posts with typos and watched poorly lit videos that have changed my life. Instead of trying to achieve perfection, start creating imperfectly and trust that God can use what you create.
Lie: I have nothing to say
Naturally, I’m more of a planner than a doer. Before starting a blog or business, I want to have it all mapped out. I want to write out my mission, vision & values, plan a year of content and know the answers to any question someone might ask.
Whenever I start to list topic ideas for a potential blog or YouTube video, I panic. It doesn’t make sense to create a whole blog for only 10 posts. I always fear running out of ideas. But as I get to the end of my list and panic, I’m missing one key truth.
Truth: Inspiration comes from action
When I started blogging regularly, that I figured out what I enjoy writing about. When I put content out into the world and gain feedback, it informs where I go from there and gives me new ideas.
The more blog posts I write, the more ideas I have. The more I learn something resonates with a reader, the more it fuels me to keep going.
Even if you only have three or five topic ideas, try acting on one of them. Even if you film a video that just stays in your phone or you write a blog post that lives in your Google docs, try writing or filming to see if you even enjoy it. Once you have a few videos created you can decide if you want to move forward with posting them or not.
Lie: People will judge me
I used to get completely stuck in my writing. Instead of writing what was on my heart, I sat there thinking about all the objections someone might have. I had imaginary conversations with my critics and thought about how I would defend my work.
Don’t write to your critic. Yes, people will disagree with you and people you know in real life may judge you. It means they weren’t the person you are here to serve.
Truth: Write for who you want to serve, not your critic
If you’re focused on the people who may disagree with you, you will miss out on serving the people who need what you know. If you encounter negativity, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re wrong. It means you’ve found something worth talking about.
Other truths that combat this fear include:
people are too busy feeling insecure about their own hobbies to notice what you’re up to
even if they judge you, they probably won’t say anything mean to your face
your value is not based on what other people say about you
no one needs to know you have a blog or YouTube channel until you’re ready to tell them
Lie: I don’t have time
I used to spend hours trying to choose brand colours, choose perfect photos and edit every last typo out of my work. I spent so much time overthinking the whole thing that blogging truly did take me hours.
Truth: blogging won’t take as long as you think
Since becoming a mom, I have a very small fraction of the time I used to. I’m forced to learn how little time blogging can actually take.
I used to spend 2 hours journaling and making my coffee. Now, if I have an hour to myself, I’m filming & editing a video or writing a 2000-word blog post or making 25 pins.
The more time you spend blogging, the easier it will become. Start today, and you’ll be busting out content in no time.
Lie: I create thoughtful Instagram reels and that’s enough for me
If you want to label something as time-consuming, let’s talk about Instagram. I used to spend an hour just posting ONE reel. By the time you come up with an idea, film, edit, engage on other posts before and after posting and get stuck looking at pictures of your niece for 20 minutes, you’ve spent over an hour on there. All for something that will live and die within days (if not hours).
A blog isn’t necessarily more work, but your post can serve people for YEARS to come. You can keep pinning and sharing that post over and over, update it, and even make money from it if you choose to.
Truth: A blog post can serve someone for years to come
I thought Instagram was the only way for the average person to have a creative outlet online. The constant need to create content was overwhelming. I felt like I could never keep up and still enjoy my real life.
If you’re feeling exhausted by all the short form content, you will probably love having a blog or YouTube channel instead. Couple it with Pinterest or some SEO skills, and you will be able to serve people at a pace that feels better for you.
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Are you overthinking your blog?
Basically I could sum this up by saying I was overthinking the details. I was afraid of what people would think or that no one would watch, concerned about the production quality, and afraid of wasting my time. I was afraid, so instead of taking action I obsessed over details that don’t really matter.
Where does faith fit into blogging?
What I'm learning over and over is that if something is on your heart you need to just do it. You need to stop worrying about all the details or trying to find the perfect way to do it and just pick the simplest path forward.
Maybe you’ll get a few videos in and decide you don't want to keep doing it, but ultimately, if God puts desire on your heart to do something like this, its not going to go away. You need to at least give it a try. If this desire was put on your heart by God, you can keep putting it off, but the desire won't go away no matter how many years you wait. Your biggest regret might be looking back and wishing you had started sooner.
A passage I've been loving lately is Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Instead of overthinking what those good works may be, create something small today. Write that blog post that’s been rattling around in your head for weeks or sit down in front of your camera. See how it feels, ask God to use it to bless someone and hit “publish.”
