Launching Your Blog? Avoid these 5 mistakes!

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I am just about to launch my blog and for the most part, this is my first blog. I mean, 10 years or so ago, I started a personal blog that was mainly photos of my girls for family but then I joined Facebook and there was no longer a need for that.

In this short time that I have been gearing up for my big launch date, I have learned SO much! In fact, too much! It has completely overwhelmed me and between you and me, I am a week out and just now writing my first post! I had these big ideas of starting with 9 posts, a fancy theme with all sorts of widgets and plugins, all professional photos, all my affiliate links up, it was going to be AMAZING!

You know what, I was right! It is going to be amazing when I launch but not how I had originally planned. I have debated a blog several times and it never fails, I get wrapped up in the circus I have created in my mind and trip over my idealism, perfectionism, and FOMO only to land right into a pile of atychiphobia (fear of failure – who knew), comparison and self-doubt.

Here I am, a week out and I almost did it again! This time is different though, I recently launched a new Instagram and gave you all a LAUNCH DATE! Eek, I am officially committed! That was scary but you know what, it was very smart! The last thing I want to do is disappoint all of you!

I still made a lot of mistakes this time so I want to help you avoid the same. I promise I will keep it simple and it will help you to stay focused on your Launch Date.

• DO NOT set unrealistic goals. It will trickle down through the whole process and be nothing but a time vacuum. I have NO DOUBT that you will be a huge and amazing blogger, just keep in mind that it will take some time.

• DO set a launch date! You already did this right!? Like I mentioned above, this will be your first and most important goal to get the ball rolling. After that, set smaller goals that will get you to your successful launch.

• DO NOT Choose a niche. I have seriously spent weeks agonizing over this and I don’t want you to do the same. I think what matters more is that you are writing honestly and passionately. Ultimately, your audience will help you develop your niche over time. That is my goal, to use you, hear you and write for you! “So, what do I say when people ask me what my niche is?”

• DO tell your Family, Friends, Groups and anyone else that will listen that you are launching a Lifestyle Blog. At a minimum, it will pique curiosity and you will definitely feel the love and support, it will be awesome! Now that is the trickle down you need.

• DO NOT Read….too much. This is another thing that will consume you. There is a lot of great stuff out there! Amazing advice from incredibly knowledgeable people. It is so easy to get sucked in and just read ALL DAY LONG! This is great and will help over time but first things first, get your blog launched! Learn about Pinterest, Monetizing, Affiliates, Pitching, and Collaboration LATER. First, you have to launch the blog right?

• DO engage Inspirational Bloggers! Find and engage with 3-4 classes, groups or bloggers that can educate and inspire you up front. Again, 3-4 only. Not 20, that is far too overwhelming!

• DO NOT spend too much money. Anyone that knows me, knows that I enjoy spending money but I had to keep things reigned in. I still spent too much so let’s help you avoid this. We all know that if you are blogging to ultimately monetize, you have to spend money to make money. With that being said, you do not need a ton of fancy classes, memberships or expensive themes. One of the best things about being a blogger is the community. There is plenty of supportive bloggers out there with free advice! If you find a post that is super helpful, keep clicking around on that blog and you will likely find more of what you need.

• DO invest in your blog. Purchase your domain (starting around $10), Web hosting (I use and LOVE Siteground – KILLER Customer Service and only $3.95 a month), a simple theme you love (You can find GREAT THEMES for $20-$40 and even less on Creative Market ) and maybe a logo ($10-$30) and that’s it. So that is $87.40 – $127.40 that is all you need to spend to get things rolling confidently. I will also add that I wasted WAY too much time looking for stock photos, Girl Boss Stock had gorgeous images to kick me off with more added weekly it was SO worth the investment and also great for your social media! If you are don’t want to pay for stock photos at all, I get it. Here are my favorite FREE STOCK PHOTO Sites! Lastly, if you are launching on WordPress.org, Udemy has a WordPress Class for $10.99 that was incredibly helpful as well.

• DO NOT over analyze everything. Am I the only one who does this? I didn’t think so, it’s human nature really.

• DO trust yourself. You’ve got this! Stop trying to talk yourself out of this! Stay confident and remember, you set a launch date! You don’t want to disappoint anyone especially yourself!

If you are getting ready to launch a new site, shoot me a note and let me know. I would love to hear all about it! Don’t forget to PIN THIS for later and to share with your friends!