Creating a Blog With Benefits!

I’ve been a blogger since 2007 and have dished a mountain of Hollywood gossip for six of those years as co-owner of a popular website that me and my Tennessee partner sold earlier this year.

The plan was to wrap up that part of my life and venture into new territory. It didn’t take more than a few days to realize that I absolutely NEED to blog. That said, I had to figure out a new direction. Discovering a new niche was key.

If you are thinking about taking the leap, you need to take a personal inventory. Are you a techno geek, crafty, a foodie? What is it that you gravitate to out on the web? What are you passionate about?

This time around I partnered with my childhood friend to review and report on new products, food and all things Pinterest. We named our site ‘Weve Tried It,’ and yes, we intentionally omitted the apostrophe.

If our readers want to know about something, we’re totally game to check it out and report back with a brutally honest and sometimes humorous assessment. We’ve been compared to a modern day Laverne & Shirley on a number of occasions – but I digress.

This is the order of which we started our venture:

Branding should not be taken lightly. Chose a blog name carefully and then check GoDaddy to see if the URL is available. Purchase it and select a hosting company.

When setting up your email, it is okay to secure more than one – just be sure to route them all to your main account.

Social Media is HUGE. Set up Facebook and Twitter business pages, Google +, Pinterest and Instagram and update your LinkedIn account with your new website information.

If you are planning to monetize your site, it is important to figure out how you are going to set up your company. Contact a reputable accountant and get some advice. We set up our company as an LLC. Once you get your Tax ID number, go to the bank and open an account. You will need all of this information when you apply for advertising. Stay ahead of the game and anticipate success.

I could fill the pages of a book with the do’s and don’ts of blogging, based on my experiences but this should be enough info to get you started.

Happy blogging!
Missy Germain
WeveTriedIt.com