Would You Like to Be a Successful Blogger?
Starting a blog sucks.
At least, it did the way I went about it.
I had no idea what I was doing – none. Zero. Zilch. Nada.
So I ended up developing a website on a platform where I had to create everything. With my degree in the social sciences and non-existent technological skills, I was overwhelmed.
Going it alone
That first site was not very good, to put it mildly.
A few years later I had developed a very nice brand for my business, and had a designer build a proper website for me. Someone had recommended WordPress, so she used that as a platform.
Then I decided to subscribe to a company that helped small businesses improve their inbound marketing, so I moved my website to their platform. They strongly advised me to write a blog.
They had some good ideas so I began blogging on their platform through my website. But as I learned more about blogging, I began to feel constrained.
- I had no control over the design of my blog.
- I couldn’t use advertisements.
- I couldn’t decide what went into my sidebar.
I contacted my designer and asked her to move me back to WordPress again. By this time, three years had passed since I first attempted to establish some sort of online presence with my homemade website.
Essentially, I spent years spinning my wheels while I slowly learned what was necessary to create and maintain a viable blog.
What I needed then and you need now
If I’d had access to Mary Jaksch’s wonderful tool to create a blog, Kickstart Your Blog, I would have learned in weeks what took me years to figure out on my own.
I know you’re reading Write to Done because you want to improve not only your writing but also your online presence, an essential component of success for any author today.
Kickstart Your Blog is the ultimate easy-to-use tool that will help you get that presence quickly, in a painless and enjoyable way, even if you have little or no experience in the world of blogging.
5 reasons you should try Kickstart Your Blog
When Mary first shared her idea of creating a tool for beginner bloggers, I volunteered as a beta-tester for the product. So I’ve taken it for a test-drive, and despite having put in a few years blogging, I learned many tips and tricks to improve my blog – in terms of design, usability, and getting more subscribers!
Here are 5 reasons you should try Kickstart Your Blog:
1. It’s designed for the absolute beginner, but adds value even for those who have been blogging for a while.
Mary has encapsulated her experience of being a newbie blogger in Kickstart Your Blog.
Think of it like going to school, where you begin by learning to recognize ABC, and are writing essays by the time you graduate high school. Except – Kickstart shortens this journey from years to weeks.
Starting a blog creates both excitement and anxiety; Kickstart makes it fun and easy.
2. No geek-speak!
I have nothing against geeks, but most of us aren’t one!
One of the very best things about Kickstart is the plain, simple-to-understand language that is used in both the written material and the 30+ videos of the program. Starting a blog is intimidating enough without being faced with a host of technical terms to figure out.
Kickstart uses everyday language to help you chart a clear path to blog success instead of getting bogged down with terminology. But it also offers you a guide to help you make sense of necessary technical jargon, so you can deal with it confidently when you encounter it.
3. Step-by-step-ness
Yes, I did just make up that phrase.
Because it’s an apt description of the Kickstart process. Each lesson in the 8 modules of Kickstart has written text accompanied by a video of Mary showing you how to accomplish the goal for that lesson.
For example, one of the lessons helps you set up a test blog where you can learn your way around a blog, and gain confidence before setting up your permanent blog. The lesson, called How to Create a Test Blog in Under 19 Minutes, features a video with Mary showing you in exact detail how to generate the test blog. All you have to do is follow along, pause the video when necessary to complete a task, then continue on to the next step.
4. Cool free stuff
Everyone loves free stuff. I know I do.
Kickstart comes with two handy freebies that are amazingly helpful in starting a blog.
One is the 25-page workbook, What to Blog About that is a step-by-step (yes, it’s all about hand-holding you through the beginning) approach to developing a viable niche for your blog. This is an area many new bloggers struggle with, and it sometimes causes them to give up. What to Blog About will help you identify the perfect topic(s) for your blog.
The second perk is a free WordPress.org setup! Mary has worked it out with the folks at The Free Blog Factory to provide all Kickstart participants with a free setup that is completed within 24 hours, and includes the comprehensive Canvas theme that will help new bloggers created a customized design for their blog. All this without using any software code at all!
It’s like customizing your email, only simpler.
5. Personal support
When I first started blogging, I really wished I could ask someone with all the answers to help me, rather than just be directed to an FAQ page or have to submit a support ticket that might be answered – or not.
Kickstart provides personalized support. This means that if you get stuck, you can send an email and get a helpful response from a member of Mary’s team. Not an auto-response, but a message from a real, live person who wants to see you succeed.
Click here to check out Kickstart Your Blog.
When I tried out Kickstart, I was so excited, I offered to be part of Mary’s team. It hits the sweet spot for me – it helps hesitant beginners become confident bloggers and it is created by Mary Jaksch, one of the most genuine, authentic people in the blogosphere.
I know it will hit the sweet spot for you, too. Go ahead. Kickstart your blog! (And feel free to leave a comment or share your blogging experience below!)
