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dad blog advice to help new bloggers

If you're a dad and you're thinking about starting a blog, you're in for a treat. Dad blogging continues to be a very popular hobby for many men, and there's a lot of great information out there to help you get started. In this post, we'll talk about some of the basics that you need to know before writing your first post. We'll cover topics like choosing a topic, finding your voice, and building an audience.

Questions To Answer Before You Start Blogging

Before you begin writing, there are some questions that you need to ask yourself. You might even want to involve your partner here because being a dad blogger can quickly become something that exposes your family's quirks and intimate moments to strangers. This can create some interesting situations and you need to be aware of that.

 

What's Your Motivation?

The first question you need to answer is why do you want to blog? This might seem like a silly question but it's actually really important. Your motivation will determine the type of blog that you create, how often you post, and what topics you write about.

For example, if your motivation is simply to document your journey as a dad for your children to read one day, then you'll likely want to write more personal posts that are less about offering advice and more about sharing your own thoughts and experiences.

On the other hand, if you're hoping to connect with other dads and build a community of like-minded men, then you'll want to focus on creating content that is helpful and relatable. This could include posts about your favorite parenting hacks, product reviews, or even just stories about the funny things your kids say and do.

Finally, if your goal is to make money from sponsors, get free products, or receive invites to take family vacations to share on the blog, then you'll need to approach your blog from a more business-minded perspective. This doesn't mean that you can't still write personal posts, but you'll also want to make sure that you're creating content that will appeal to brands and help you achieve your financial goals.

Now that we've answered the question of why you want to blog, let's move on to some of the other basics.

 

What Makes Your Experiences Worth Following?

As a dad, you have a lot of unique experiences and insights that other people can benefit from. But before you start sharing them with the world, it's important to take some time to think about what makes your experiences worth following.

Do you have any funny stories about parenting fails that will make other dads laugh? Are you an expert on a particular topic like sleep training or potty training? Do you have any tips or tricks that make your life as a dad easier?

Answering these questions will help you focus your content and ensure that you're creating posts that people will actually want to read.

 

Are You Willing To Expose Your Family To Scrutiny?

As we mentioned before, dad blogging can quickly become something that exposes your family's quirks and intimate moments to strangers. If you're not comfortable with this, then you might want to consider a different type of blog or a different motivation for why you're blogging.

However, if you are willing to share your family with the world, then you need to be prepared for the scrutiny that comes along with it. This means being okay with people disagreeing with you, making fun of you, or even saying hurtful things. It's not easy, but if you can handle it then dad blogging can be a very rewarding experience.

 

What You Need To Start Your Dad Blog

Now that we've answered some of the big questions, it's time to get into the nitty-gritty of starting your dad blog.

Blog Name

The first thing you need is a name for your blog. This can be anything you want, but it's important to choose something that is memorable and reflective of the type of content you'll be creating.

For example, if you want to write funny stories about your experiences as a dad then you might want to include the word "dad" in your blog name. Alternatively, if you're planning to write more serious posts about parenting then you might want to stay away from names that are too cutesy or humorous.

The important thing is to choose a name that you're happy with and that will help people understand what your blog is all about.

Blog URL and Social Handles

Once you have a name for your blog, you need to secure the URL and social media handles that match it. This is a challenging step for some aspiring dad bloggers since you may want to search for a blog name in parallel with securing the right URL and social handles based on their availability.

While you can often add hyphens or select alternative top-level domains - .io or .travel vs .com or .net for instance. It is important to ensure that your blog name as well handles are easily identifiable and easy to remember. Some less reputable bloggers may want to create names that look similar to someone else's work ... that's not a good thing to do and will cause issues later as your own blog becomes better known.

Managed Blogging Platform Or Self Hosted?

This will be a major question that a new blogger will need to decide. A managed platform such as a hosted installation of WordPress, Wix blog, or even starting a blog on a platform like Medium is the easiest for non-technical people but a self-hosted WordPress blog offers better long-term flexibility to grow.

One major advantage of having a managed blog platform is that those hosting services usually offer plenty of templates that you can use for free. On the other hand, if you are starting a fresh WordPress install then you may want to considering hiring a website designer  to build out a custom template that fits your site specifically.

 

Created A Content Outline

The next step is to start creating content. But before you start writing, it's important to have a clear idea of what you want to write about. Nothing is stopping you from just starting to write random blog posts but it is much more productive to have a plan and create a content outline that will help guide you with creating sections, categories, tags etc.

Your content outline doesn't need to be overly complicated. In fact, a simple spreadsheet with a list of topics that you want to write about is often all you need to get started. But if you're struggling to come up with ideas then there are a few things you can do:

  • Look at other dad blogs and see what they're writing about. This will give you an idea of the types of topics that are popular among readers.
  • Search for parenting forums and see what questions people are asking. These questions can provide inspiration for blog posts that offer helpful advice or information.
  • Think about your own experiences as a dad and consider what lessons you've learned that others might find useful.

Once you have a list of potential topics, it's time to start writing!

 

Get Involved In The Dad Blogging Community

The dad blogger community will help inspire you as well as offer help and guidance when you have questions. There are a few ways to get involved:

  • Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook have active dad blogging communities that you can join.
  • Join an online forum or group dedicated to dad bloggers. These forums are great places to ask questions, share your work, and get feedback from other dads.
  • Attend dad blogger meetups or conferences. These events are usually held annually in major cities around the world and offer an opportunity to meet other dad bloggers face-to-face.

By getting involved in the community, you'll be able to learn from other dad bloggers and make connections that will help you as you continue growing your blog.

As you reach out to other bloggers for help, make sure not to spam people or be too aggressive. Be polite and ask plenty of questions but be prepared to listen. You're joining an existing community and should be respectful of the members who have been there for longer than you.

Dad blogging can be a great way to connect with other dads, share your experiences, and offer helpful advice to others. By following these tips, you'll be on your way to starting a successful dad blog of your own.


Written by:
#MenWhoBlog MemberBlogging GuruThought Leader

James' passion for exploration and sense of duty to his community extends beyond himself. This means he is dedicated to providing a positive role model for other men and especially younger guys that need support so that they can thrive and be future positive contributors to society. This includes sharing wisdom, ideas, tips, and advice on subjects that all men should be familiar with, including: family travel, men's health, relationships, DIY advice for home and yard, car care, food, drinks, and technology. Additionally, he's a travel advisor and a leading men's travel influencer who has been featured in media ranging from New York Times to the Chicago Tribune, and LA Times. He's also been cited by LA Weekly "Top Travel Bloggers To Watch 2023" and featured by Muck Rack: "Top 10 Outdoor Journalists for 2022".

He and his wife Heather live in St Joseph, Michigan - across the lake from Chicago.