6 Harmful Blogging Myths that Keep You from Creating Helpful Blogs

Who remembers the internet’s first blog posts? What about those online ramblings on MySpace? Everyone and their cat seemed to have something to say in the form of online, public diaries. Then, social media seemed to slowly creep in and the masses flocked to Facebook and Twitter to talk about their seemingly amazing lives. 

So, what ever happened to blogs? Did they just disappear? Nope, they’re still around, putting compelling content into the world. As a matter of fact, every time you search for pretty much anything on Google, you’re likely to stumble upon a blog somebody wrote about that specific subject. 

Today, more and more people are managing blog sites as a source of income. However, there are still quite a few myths kicking around about blog writing that might hinder you in your quest to create a helpful blog. We're here to set the record straight!

In this article, we'll debunk six myths on blog writing and even share a few tips on how to ensure your blog can bring in a healthy profit. Let's dive on in!

Myth #1: You Need to be the World’s Next Hemingway

You might be put off from writing because you didn’t study literature at college. Maybe you’ve never written a love letter, or your best poem was a haiku that didn’t even have the correct number of syllables in each line. Perhaps you don’t even have any ideas on how to name your blog.

But the thing is, you don’t have to be a fantastic writer to create a blog. You just need to have something to say – a perspective, an opinion, an experience to detail. It certainly helps if you can get your grammar into shape and get your spelling down, but there are plenty of resources like spellcheckers and grammar tools to keep you on track. 

You definitely want to learn some basics about clear writing to help make your writing pleasant and easy to read. For example, you’ll want to space out your texts so they’re not in single, enormous, intimidating chunks. You’ll also benefit from the use of bullet points and bold text, which make it easier for readers to scan your text and zoom in on the important points you want to make. 

You’ll almost certainly want to make use of pictures to break up your text. You can use your own photos and illustrations, or make use of free resources like Unsplash. 

And you’ll probably want to remember what you learned in English class and break up your articles into an introduction, main body, and conclusion. It’s a tried and tested method that has withstood the ages for a reason; it works. Our brains enjoy a clear structure. 

And who knows, after some practice maybe you will end up becoming the next Hemingway. 

Myth #2: Everything Has Already Been Written

Whenever you search on Ecosia or Google, you're often met with thousands of results. A search of “Meg Ryan” on Ecosia returned 205,000 results, and Google 68,700,000 results. It can definitely feel like everything that can be said has already been said. 

Here’s the thing though – it may have been said ten years ago, from a ten-year-old perspective. Even an article that’s three years old will be out of date now – the world moves so quickly. 

You might also feel there are loads of people already writing about the subjects you know about and what to write about – but what does that mean? If there are lots of people trying to capitalize on a subject through blogging, that means there are consumers who are reading those blogs and spending money.

Personalizing websites is one way to stand out from the crowd. So if making money is one of your aims, you don’t have to avoid popular subjects. You can, of course, choose a more niche subject if you think there’s a gap in the blogosphere, but don’t be put off targeting an audience that’s already been targeted by others. 

Myth #3: You Have to Write Something New Every Day

Many bloggers will put out something new once a week, which creates anticipation for their audience and routine. But you definitely don’t need to put out new content daily. It’s not only asking too much of yourself, it’s asking a lot from your audience to engage with you every day.

Too much information can end up getting filtered out from people’s attention spans. Content team collaboration can also help ease the load if you’re finding it hard to keep producing content.

Another point here is writing – a blog doesn’t have to consist solely of writing. You can also create videos or podcasts. Maybe you’re more natural when it comes to being on a camera than on Google Docs.

Myth #4: You Will Acquire an Audience Overnight 

It would be nice if we could just produce something amazing, and by sheer force of awesomeness, the universe will conspire to lead everyone to your blog. The truth is, you could be the blogging version of Shakespeare and no one would ever know without some marketing on your behalf. 

Acquiring an audience will take time and effort. If you go into blogging knowing these two things, you’re much more likely to stick it out and see your audience grow. 

You can use search engine optimization (SEO) methods to generate traffic organically through search engines. You can also use social media to help people find your content. You can even go down the paid advertisements route. Or another idea is to do some cross-collaboration with fellow bloggers to become known to their audience and vice versa. 

Whatever you choose, analytics tools on WordPress can give you an idea about which methods are helping you; how someone found your blog. Then you can build on the methods that work and create an audience over time, and learn more about the importance of online reviews for your blog.

Myth #5: There’s Only One Way to be a Successful Blogger

It can seem like there’s just one way to become a successful blogger – that you need to spend money on domain names, hosting, and advertising. Maybe you think you need to do tons of research and post your content everywhere. 

The truth is, there are many ways to get your content out there – some free but more time-consuming, and some paid but lighter on your time. And when it comes to marketing your content, you don't need a fancy business degree. Instead, you can simply check out all the amazing resources online that can help you market your online venture and increase your blog visits.

You also don’t have to have just one method that you stick to from start to finish. You can change up your style over time. Maybe once you start to get an audience, you decide you want to spend a little money on .ae domains or advertising.

There’s no quick, overnight, one-size-fits-all solution. There are, however, endless resources available to help you.

Myth #6: Nobody Reads Blogs Anymore

Let's circle back to the most harmful myth out there hindering people from writing blogs that could help others. Why would you bother writing anything if you didn’t think it would get read? 

We do live in a super fast-paced world, where many thoughts are limited to 280 characters or less (thanks Twitter!). Images seem to have taken over the written form in some instances (looking at you, Instagram). But how often do you turn to blogs and online forums to find answers to pressing questions that pretty pictures and short, snappy comebacks don’t address? 

There will always be a need for blogs. If you want to learn how to make your own canoe, you’ll want an in-depth tutorial you may only find online via blog article or exampled in a vlog video. Many blogs today have even incorporated online courses to create an online learning environment.

Just remember, where there’s a need, there’s an audience.

Final Thoughts

Blogging is still very much alive, and very much accessible. You don’t have to be a literary genius and you don’t need to have a weird niche to access an audience. 

You also don’t have to be an expert in the field of marketing. You just have to have a voice and know how to promote your blog.

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