We are building off of last week's episode, the 5 things to do BEFORE starting your blog, and now I'm laying out the specific action steps to take to finally launch your blog and business!
There is so much information in this episode! Definitely listen to the full episode for all of the details. These action steps are IN ORDER! This process should be done in one week. It's not meant to be a six month process, so do not try for perfection before you even launch! One. Week.
Last week, we talked about the problem that you solve for people and the type of content that they come to you for. What is your brand name going to be? I encourage you to match your website URL with you social media handles, so think this one through. Yes, you can change this in the future, but give it some thought up front.
I recommend using Bluehost to purchase your URL. They have a partnership with Wordpress and that's what I recommend for people who are just starting out.
Hiring someone to design your website is absolutely an option, but there's a higher cost and a longer lead time associate with that method. You do what's right for your business.
Buy a template inside Wordpress to base your website on. You want to be able to launch without having to make major tweaks or customizations to the template, so pick one that best matches your style, and then it's easy to change the colors to reflect your brand later.
This is the easiest step to SKIP. And also one of the most important, so don't skip it!
What do you want the feel of your brand/page to be? This includes colors, fonts, spacing, and overall feel when someone looks at your page.
I always encourage clients to "just pick something you like!" You may want to change this down the road, and it's not difficult to do that, but for now, pick something that you enjoy, a color and font pairing that you think looks nice, and move forward with it!
I'm currently tweaking some of The Blogger Brunch branding and it's not a big deal...you can always make adjustments down the road, but pick something and stick to it for 3 months then see how you feel.
You don't need the whole year planned out, but how about your first 4 blog posts...one month of content? Maybe 2-3 IG posts that go along with each blog post.
I always have clients think about the content they want to lead with before they move any further down the list, because the content can help determine next steps. Content plans can give you direction on photos you want to create, the types of outfits you might need, how to work in an upcoming vacation into your content, etc.
Grab my Freebie Content Planner and use it and make a plan for your content for your first month!
Time to execute some of your vision! Think about what represents your brand...how could you showcase that in a photo? If you're a DIY blogger, that might look like a photoshoot in your house, maybe holding some tools!
I don’t preach that you need a professional photo for every little thing, but I will push you to do one branding photoshoot to start your content off on the right foot.
This is so helpful for future content and can help remove anxiety around finding/creating images for posting in a time crunch.
IG is a huge tool you'll use in your business or blog! Let's make it reflect your brand in the best way possible. You should be looking at your bio, your profile photo, and your highlight covers as your main three touch points.
Don't get stuck on this. Try to spend one hour on this step. Go back to episode 24: brand refresh in under one hour.
Start a newsletter before you've even published a blog post? YES. 100%
Who's reading your first post? Nobody. Unless...you send it to them! Bring your IG followers along for the journey and be talking about your launch every day! You can share your newsletter sign up link in your stories every day before your launch.
I recommend FloDesk. (run away from MailChimp!): here's my link for FloDesk for a discount: https://flodesk.com/c/THEBLOGGERBRUNCH
FloDesk is the easiest mail service provider and they have the most beautiful templates that make it so easy to share emails!
Start building your list now. Start before you're ready!
This is your bare bones website, with minimal customization! You do not need all the bells and whistles in order to launch your website. You want to update your template to show your brand colors, your logo/site name, and that's about it!
You need to spend one weekend on this. That’s it. Any more than that and you’re getting into details that are not necessary for your launch. Done is better than perfect. You need to launch, be building your brand and following, and then you can share new website features as they happen.
Time to publish that content and CELEBRATE it! Share share share! Text that link to everyone you know! Share it on IG and every social channel you have!
It won't be perfect, but it will still be a huge accomplishment that you should be so proud of.
This is the thing that I didn't do when I first started my blog back in 2013. I was so scared to share because I wanted it to be perfect. Guess what? That's trash! It doesn't serve you AT ALL.
People are rooting for you and they want to celebrate with you. Don't forget that!
I believe in you! Shoot me a DM and tell me the name of your new site! I can't wait to celebrate you!
