Called to Blog?
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Amidst some of the chaos that is happening in our world, I am reminded that God has a plan. For an unknown (at the time) reason many moons ago, I transferred away from my dream state, switched colleges, and landed in a class about blogging. I wrote bar and restaurant reviews in my tourist-based town and was highly successful before the days of social media and before anyone was discussing Search Engine Optimization and Pinterest. I actually landed my first job in Public Relations due to my blog. I honestly never knew it would turn into a full-time career. How could I know 9 years ago when God prompted me to move from my dream school and state, that the plan all along was to have me take a class that would move the kingdom forward when I wasn’t even a believer at the time?!
Now, maybe you’ve been following a bunch of bloggers and wondering if maybe that’s your calling. Maybe you’ve been wondering if God is asking you to move the kingdom forward by blogging. I honestly didn’t know it could be a career or a ministry until I followed the girls of Girl Defined. I loved their mission of helping young women and they had a huge following and had built a whole ministry full-time with their blog and YouTube channel.
They really opened my eyes to the possibility of using my love of writing and experience in a PR firm and that class on blogging to turn my new found love of Christ into something meaningful. I really struggled for a long time to figure out what I was passionate about. What was my calling?! Nothing ever felt right. No 9-5 ever felt like me. Even running my own marketing business never felt like me. I was good at it but it wasn’t me. When people asked me what my dream job was, I would tell them I want to be a wife, and a mother, and I want to write. I wanted to talk about Jesus. He has done everything for me so I owe it all to Him. Blogging was that outlet. Blogging was that calling. I actually started writing about my faith in 2015 because I still didn’t realize it could be something full-time. I didn’t realize the potential it could have.
So what do you do if you feel God is calling you to serve people in an online fashion? Here are some practical tips to get started.
Pray about it
I know that sounds like a cliche Christian answer but seriously. This is a lot of work so really pray about it. Pray about the people you should serve. Pray about the time commitment. Pray about what God wants you to use this for. Pray about it.
Get clear on who you want to help and how. If you need some help in the clarity department, I recommend you take the Creating Clarity Course inside of Girl Power Alliance for just $79.99.
Get clear on the tech
There are a billion YouTube videos out there that will help with the tech side. I personally like GoDaddy for getting hosting through WordPress. If you have the Honey extension on your computer (which seriously, everyone should because you get discounts on everything including your next pizza delivery) your hosting for the first year should be about $12 give or take depending on when you use it. It will also include a professional email. I always recommend using WordPress over using something like Wix. I also love using Elementor. It’s a simple drag-and-drop website builder so anyone can design a website that they love. Simple is the way to go if you ask me.
Plan your content
Plan what you’re going to say. I plan my content out a year in advance. Of course, it’s flexible. I can wiggle things around and I can adapt as needed (hello Covid-19) but I have a big plan. I know the big topics I want to cover. I leave myself some wiggle room but generally, there’s a plan and I don’t stray from the plan. I stay within 3 major topics and my content fits under those 3 categories. Know what you want to write about and make sure it’s what your ideal audience wants and then write it down. Once you’ve mapped a content strategy, it’s a lot easier to do step 5. You can snag my blog planner right here.
Show up consistently
I will be so honest, I was not the best at this. In 2011, when I did it in college, I had to show up weekly because it was graded but now, I’m not the best. Maybe I should start emailing my blogs to my old professor. Or do I DM them now? For 4 years, I blogged pretty inconsistently and didn’t have a plan. I was a haphazard mess. Now, I have a plan. So while there are some weeks I may miss a post (read the month we had bronchitis on top of the flu and our dog died) for the most part, I’m here every single week serving my people.
Be available
How will you be available to your audience? Me? I love to connect in my email, DM’s, Facebook messenger, whatever it is! I’m an open book so you can connect with me always. I always ask that people reach out. We’re not an island. When you’re using your blog as a ministry, be sure to figure out how you’re building a community and how you want people to connect. It has to make sense for you as the blogger and ministry leader and your audience.
Most importantly, know you’re not alone. If God called you to it, He will lead you through it. There are so many who have gone before you so don’t worry if this is all feeling overwhelming and scary. Reach out if need a prayer warrior and cheerleader.
