Blogging

Inspiration & Exploration

Start by reading blogs you actually enjoy. Head to Medium.com or Substack and search topics you care about — food, hiking, local Salt Lake events, anything. Notice what makes you stop scrolling and actually read. Is it a punchy first sentence? A personal story? A surprising fact? Spend time on BloggingBasics101.com for a beginner overview, and browse r/Blogging on Reddit to see what real writers discuss. Watch the "Start a Blog" playlist on the Think Media YouTube channel. Jot down three blogs you love and write a sentence about what makes each one work. You're ready for the next step when you can name two blogs you admire and explain one specific thing each does well.

Tools & Techniques

Time to pick your platform and learn the basic tools. WordPress.com and Ghost.org both offer free tiers — Ghost is cleaner and faster; WordPress has more plugins. Set up a free account on either one today. Learn how a blog post is structured: headline, hook, body paragraphs, and a call to action. Watch "How to Write a Blog Post" by HubSpot on YouTube. Bookmark Hemingway Editor (hemingwayapp.com) — it grades your writing for clarity and flags sentences that are too long. Try pasting a paragraph you wrote into it and see your score. You're ready for the next step when you can log into your blogging platform and identify where to create a new post.

First Creations

Write your first real post — 300 to 500 words on any topic you know well. Don't aim for perfect; aim for done. Use a simple structure: open with a question or short story, give three useful points, and close with one takeaway. After you publish, write a second post on a different topic. Try Grammarly (free tier) to catch typos and grammar issues before you hit publish. Share both posts with one real person and ask them to tell you which one they liked more and why. Getting honest feedback early is how you improve fast. You're ready for the next step when you have two published posts and at least one piece of feedback from a reader.

Style Development

Your voice is what makes your blog different from everyone else's. Experiment with tone — try writing one post in a casual, conversational style and another in a more informative, authoritative tone. Read both out loud and notice which sounds more like you. Learn about SEO basics on Moz's free "Beginner's Guide to SEO" at moz.com/beginners-guide-to-seo. Use Google Trends (trends.google.com) to find topics people in Utah are actually searching for right now. Write a post targeting a local angle — something like "best coffee shops near the University of Utah" or "hiking near Salt Lake City for beginners." You're ready for the next step when you can describe your blog's voice in two or three words and explain who your ideal reader is.

Refine Your Craft

Now you polish your process. Learn how to write headlines that get clicks — CoSchedule's free Headline Analyzer at coschedule.com/headline-analyzer scores your titles and suggests improvements. Study how to use subheadings, bullet points, and images to make posts easier to scan. Set up a basic editorial calendar using a free Notion template — plan your next four posts in advance. Join the ProBlogger Community on Facebook for feedback and encouragement. Read at least two posts on problogger.com about growing an audience. Aim for consistency: one post per week on a set day. You're ready for the next step when you have four posts published and a written plan for your next month of content.

Portfolio Piece

Create your best post yet — your portfolio piece. Choose a topic you know deeply, spend extra time on research, and write 700 to 1,000 words. Include at least one original element: an interview with someone local, your own photos, a personal story nobody else could tell, or a unique data point you found. Optimize the headline with CoSchedule, run the draft through Hemingway Editor for clarity, and proofread with Grammarly. Share it on one social platform and in one relevant online community, like a Utah subreddit or a Facebook group tied to your topic. Screenshot the response. You're ready for the next step when you have a polished post you're proud to show anyone as an example of your writing.