How To Motivate Yourself For Blogging When You Are Feeling Demotivated

Motivate Yourself For Blogging
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A few days ago, I was talking to a budding blogger on the phone, and he was telling me that he was worried about his motivation for blogging. Here are the first few lines of the conversation I had with him (I will refer to him as “Mister X”):

  • Me: What happened? Why are you so demotivated?
  • Mister X: Harsh, I have worked on my blog for many months, and this is my 4th blog and probably the last one. I’m still getting only 100 or so odd views and people are commenting just because of backlinks. Things like “nice post” and “useful posts”, and I even get negative comments from time to time and that discourages me a lot.
  • Me: Why did you start blogging?
  • Mister X: I started blogging because I like it and it’s my passion. I’ve been blogging for the last 4 years and I like when people like my posts and follow me. The secondary reason is money; it’s not the main one right now but it will become a major one later in my career.
  • Me: What kind of people do you follow on social networking sites?
  • Mister X: Mostly bloggers and internet marketers.
  • Me: How do you feel when people talk about their success stories on Facebook or Twitter?
  • Mister X: Some of them motivate me and a few of them demotivate me. People who started with me and are doing great demotivate me, whereas blogs like ShoutMeLoud and HellboundBlogger motivate me, as I want to be like them.

When I was having this conversation with Mister X, I was already aware of his problem. This is one common phase of the blogging life which most bloggers face.

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At this point in the conversation, I shared a few of my experiences and gave him a few tips.

I’m sure many of you (especially if you are a budding blogger) are also facing the same issue. If so, you need to take action now, or you may end up among the multitude of start-up bloggers who eventually quit blogging.

In this article, I will be sharing a few tips which will help you to bring back the motivation for blogging.

Bringing Back Your Motivation For Blogging

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Tip 1: Blog for yourself first and for others second.

You must have read a lot about the importance of writing for your readers. While this is a good thing to do, it is also true that in order to capture an audience for your blog, you need to write for yourself first.

One of the first and most common mistakes new bloggers make is to copy someone else’s style. Your blog is your personal space, and it reflects your identity and your individual voice. You might not capture thousands of fans in a day, in a month, or even in a year, but if your blog post is helping even one person, its creation has been worth your time.

Just stick to your niche and write anything that interests you within that niche.

One of the greatest misconceptions about blogging is that there is no point in writing about topics that have been written about hundreds of times before. But that’s not true.

The fact is that every day a new internet user is born, and your blog might be among the first sites that that new user will find! You could be the one to teach them about whatever it is they want to learn. That’s how you build authority.

So, in short: Stick to your niche and write for yourself.

Tip 2: Start with the basics, then move to more advanced topics.

Start with the basics
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Many bloggers make the mistake of starting with information that is too advanced for a beginner.

In order to create, interest, and engage your readership, you need to have a lot of content that gets a reader to stick with your blog, and that means that what you write must help them understand the topic.

For example, Mr. X had written about one of the premium SEO plugins, and he was not happy with the comments he received. Well, the first questions he should have asked himself when checking his post before publication were:

  • When you see blog content with affiliate links, how do you feel?
  • Have you covered other topics in the same niche that led to your current topic?
  • Have you already informed your readers about the advantages of SEO and why SEO is important for your blogs?

Solution: Sit down and plan a content strategy for your blog. Write down every topic, from the most basic to the most advanced topics you can cover. This helps a beginner who ends up on your blog learn something new. And, as your blog develops in terms of content from beginner to intermediate to advanced, your readership will grow!

Tip 3: Blog without any materialistic view.

There is always a motive behind blogging, and when I started it was all about sharing knowledge.

I wrote about anything which interested me, and money and a fan following were never in my mind. The first few “thank you” comments I received helped to significantly motivate me to continue blogging and to write more and more. This is my story – perhaps yours is different.

When you blog with materialistic motives, you miss out on the most simple fundamental truth of blogging:

  • Bloggers blog because they love blogging!

Your blog is your personal space, and you should write anything that interests you on topics you understand and have a passion for. Sooner or later, like-minded individuals will find you and follow you, and they will love learning new things from you.

Don’t blog for money or to build a fan-following. Blog for yourself, and let your passion be your path to becoming an A-list blogger.

Tip 4: Forget social networking and focus on blogging.

Yes, I know social networking is important. But social networking is also a big demotivating factor for many bloggers.

When you sit in a room for hours and you see someone updating about their awesome trip to Las Vegas, you feel miserable.

To be honest, that’s how I feel when I read those updates! I want to get out of my office and take a trip to some new destination, too!

However, I know that that time will come for me, but for now, I need to stay focused on working toward that goal.

Constant social media updates can be very distracting and unhealthy. They will steer you away from the very goals you are trying to achieve.

If you are unable to use social media as a networking tool instead of the constant distraction it’s designed to be, then you need to stop using it.

Use social networking sites for networking to create real-life connections. Connecting with the right set of people and learning from them will benefit you. Focusing on what everyone else is doing and comparing yourself to them will not.

If you are using social media just for sharing links, and you are expecting hundreds of people to jump aboard your blog as a result, it’s not going to happen.

Your own blog commenting efforts will be more helpful. Comment on other related blogs; not only can it drive targeted traffic to your blog, but you will end up creating many genuine connections.

  • Read: A Recipe For Writing Great Blog Comments

Another reason here for the demotivation of “Mister X” is the fact that his social networking site is full of bloggers, and they are already aware of the things he is writing about.

Obviously, their interest will be limited. Instead of focusing on other veteran bloggers, he should focus on people who are new to this field and want to learn more.

My story: Blast from the past 

When I started blogging in 2008, I commented on other blogs and sites a lot. I commented not for backlinks, but to participate in the discussions of issues that interested me.

I commented on blog posts that motivated me, which taught me something new or which triggered my thought process. I would comment with my perspective, with information which I felt was missing in the topic being discussed.

In this way, I generated a lot of additional comments. Yes, I got the benefit of branding and backlinks in the process, but I also created many important connections. And this is one of the biggest reasons for ShoutMeLoud’s growth!

  • Use social networking for the right reasons.
  • Use it for networking, and not only for self-promotion.

Tip 5: Have a blog business plan.

Blog business plan
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It is very important to have a business plan for your blog. If you wish to make money, have a plan to make money! Make a content generation plan, a blog monetization plan, a marketing plan, a growth plan, and so on.

With time, your blog plan will change according to your readership and the needs of your readers, so adapt your plan accordingly.

Things to keep in mind:

  • Don’t blog just for money.
  • Blog for passion and blog for yourself.
  • Before publishing a blog post, ask yourself one question: Is this post helping even one person? If the answer is “yes”, then hit the publish button.
  • Ignore other blogs and bloggers who discourage you instead of motivating you.
  • When you see other successful blogs, think about what actions you can take to reach that level of success, and start taking action!

Remember, success takes time to cultivate, and you can’t be the next big thing in a day or two. You need to work hard and be smart to be successful.

Whenever you are feeling demotivated in your blogging, stop and take a minute to ask yourself:

  • Why did I start blogging and why am I blogging right now?

Go through your old content and read the positive comments showing you that you have helped others to learn or solve a problem.

Here is a motivational video message for you:

Subscribe on YouTube

Now I want to hear from you: What are the kinds of things that demotivate you? What do you do to bring back the motivation? Share your thoughts with me and others in the comments below!

Like this post? Don’t forget to share it!

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Authored By
A Blogger, Author and a speaker! Harsh Agrawal is recognized as a leader in digital marketing and FinTech space. Fountainhead of ShoutMeLoud, and a Speaker at ASW, Hero Mindmine, Inorbit, IBM, India blockchain summit. Also, an award-winning blogger.

175 thoughts on “How To Motivate Yourself For Blogging When You Are Feeling Demotivated”

  1. srinath reddy

    Hello harsh,
    First of all i would like to thank you for motivating me. Yes. This post really motivated me. When i read the conversation of you and Mr X, I observed that the same thing happens to me which had happened to Mr X. I always get demotivated when ever i see status of some bloggers who have started blogging after me and are much successful . I am blogging since 2 years and not much successful. Social media connection always distracted me from my blogging journey and demotivated me. Now for sure i will shut down temporarily all my social profiles and concentrate on blogging. Thanks for your great tips. You are always my inspiration.

    Regards:
    Srinath Reddy.

  2. Rahul Sharma

    Harsh, first of all, great article.
    But I am confused, I am a 3rd year I.T. Student, I want to go for blogging as my future, but I am not sure whether this is good as a full time job after college or not.

    1. Abhishek Tavasalkar

      Hello Rahul,

      I am Abhishek Tavasalkar, a budding blogger too. I’m just 2months old to pro blogging.

      Now the question you asked here is somewhat similar I find in a newspaper’s Job Query section. Now to move forward blogging has nothing to do with your education, even a 10th kid can start pro-blogging.

      Now if you are getting into blogging to make a career; to earn money (I bet you’ve seen Harsh Agarwal’s Income Reports) then I must tell you; you’re doing it totally wrong dude.

      We bloggers have flare for writing and before that, we have knowledge about what we write. TBH I am not discouraging you. But blogging to earn money is the most hardest and butt-hitting job in the entire world. Only if you have passion for writing, you have plenty of knowledge to share and you’re not here to make it big because someone else just did; only then start blogging (to make money).

      If you ever read any blogger’s bio; you’ll never see them saying they took blogging as a career. You’ll always hear them saying they started it as hobby (because they love writing).

      Read this article gave me immense boost and knowledge and hope will help you too.
      https://www.shoutmeloud.com/harsh-agrawal-my-blogging-journey-so-far.html

  3. Susheel karam

    thank you harsh. I was doing most of the things that you mentioned in the post. first thing was i was blogging only for readers, fans and secondly i used to ignore to write the posts which were already written by most of people. Once again thanks for such a motivating post. I was now decided to change my attitude towards blogging.

  4. Jayashree

    Thanks Harsh for this great motivational article. Am sure who are demotivated after reading this will be able to identify their pitfalls for demotivation and correct them. I think the key to success is to follow the Three P ‘s rule being passionate in what we do, perseverance and being Patient .This applies for everything we do not only for Blogging

  5. Alice Smith

    Hi Harsh,
    Thanks a lot for this post. I was reading one of your post and found a link of this article on that post.

    I am really upset with my blogging. I, sort of, demotivated in this field. But i can’t leave blogging because this is the only way to get some money for me.

    I read this post and found very encouraging. I really need to focus on blogging rather than money.

    Thanks once again

  6. Raspal Seni

    Hi Harsh,

    I had a laugh after reading ”For instance, you end up talking about Hostgator hosting but you have never shared what is Webhosting and why you need one”. I think I did this mistake. I had a post about how to start a WordPress blog on a shoe-string budget, but assumed people know what is webhosting, or there are thousands of websites which explain this already.

    Thanks about telling to plan a content strategy. I’ll do that and brainstorm more topics I can write.

    I’ll agree with you – Money making, though a crucial factor about blogging isn’t the only one. The other day, after getting a question from Jane Sheeba in her newsletter, why do I blog, I wrote a post containing 13 reasons why I blog. Here’s the link if anyone likes to read. Some times, I go back and read it.

    Some months ago, I saw a webinar by Danny Iny in which I heard him saying that it’s fine if we post just 2-4 times a month. I loved that point from him. What’s your advice on the number of times a newbie blogger should post per week?

  7. Prashant

    Harsh,

    Thanks a lot…for this nicely drafted article!!

    I have started my blog site 6-8 months back and feeling the same as like Mr.X…and I am trying to answer myself on the Question mentioned by Abhishek in above comment…

    But Now after reading this, I have a lot work to do for my site.

    Once again thanks for directing the path!!

  8. Amit Kumar

    Dear Harsh,

    First, of all thanks for being so modest and giving all the information which makes a Blog HIT among people.

    I really admire you for the way you present any topic – it’s simple, to the point and the same time motivating…I have seen very few people who are sharing such precious information without any fees. We are a Group of Friends and not a single day passes when we do not discuss about your ways of achieving the success.
    Loved it by heart…Thanks Sir…

  9. Abhishek Tavasalkar

    This post is true not just for blogging but also for any person starting with anything like an entrepreneur. It always happen that you’re really motivated for the initial part but as the days go by without positive results; thoughts keeps running in your heads “Why am I doing this?” If you’re really passionate about it only then you would be able to answer this question.

  10. Pankaj Bhatt

    Thank you Harsh sir,
    after 1 year 5 months of blogging is also same as Mr.x , even worst.
    it may be because of blogging for money. thanks for sharing such a motivating post.
    it have now given me the future strategy for blogging that is share what you know.

  11. Abhinav

    Hi Harsh

    That was wonderful piece of advice – much needed. Many many thanks.

    Abhinav

  12. siddhartha

    Exceptionally brilliant case study, my story is also similar to Mister X, few weeks ago I too tackled a similar situation, there was also no hope, no inspiration nothing. But then something triggered me, all i can say is that, Just keep blogging! Sooner or later you will get noticed.

  13. sahil jain

    hello harsh sir,
    superb article.truly inspiring and motivating.i am completely agreed to you.nothing can be achieved overnight.just focus on hard work in right direction.

  14. King

    The concept itself is unbeatable and is very quite common phase for each and every blogger be a successful one or a failure blogger who always complains about things the way to get out of this is to concentrate on proper business plan yeah I reiterate a proper business plan for blogging is very much essential when you have the goal of making money through blog.. the fame which you (may) expect will follow once you reach a sustainable level in blogging.. I strongly suggest people prepare an execution plan that works (atleast for you) you can always learn from your mistakes if some thing goes wrong..

  15. Jan Christian

    Thanks! for this article. This is a really big help for me coz I’m currently I feel down on my blogging efforts right now. I’m surely gonna follow this tip to make myself get motivated again.

  16. kanishck

    Thanks a lot Harsh!
    you helped me realize my major demotivation sources.

    1. Harsh Agrawal

      I’m glad if this article helped you 🙂

  17. Yonas Prayudhi

    Thank you, this article motivate me a lot. Start from today I will write for myself and everyone just like you said. 🙂

  18. Asif Billah

    Seriously, this article is a must read for every blogger. Awesome line – “Write for everyone and you write for no one, write for yourself and you write for everyone.” Thanks.

  19. Asif Billah

    A wonderful article for bloggers I have ever read. We should write whatever our heart says, regardless of others.

  20. Rohit chugh

    Thanx for motivation sir.bloggers like you motivate me regularly.i read your all about me page.sir i m also doing b.tech final frm ece.bt lil confuse which course i should do. web design or java n one more thnk i want to be a good blogger like u in next few years. plz help me out.

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