Ever wanted to know how to start a fitness blog? That's probably the hardest thing, the “starting” part. When I first started building websites, it was incredibly difficult for me to produce something for nothing. Once I had the basic template in place though, I was off.
By the way, I use the word “blog” loosely here to describe any type of website. It doesn't have to be a “personal diary” type thing.
A lot of people out there refrain from ever starting a blog because they feel it will be too difficult, won't get any views, and will ultimately be a waste of time. It's true that 90% of websites out there get abandoned just as quickly as they get created, but that doesn't mean it's not possible to start a successful site right now.
With that in mind, I'm going to cover some of the things you need to consider, and how to go about it. In this article, the goal will not be to just produce a personal fitness blog that nobody reads, instead I will be covering how to actually get visitors and even monetize your blog.
How To Start A Fitness Blog – Tip 1: Don't Be Broad
Niche is the key word here. Narrow your site down. You can always broaden it out later as you get more visitors.
Want to start a fitness blog? “Fitness” isn't going to cut it.
How about “Fitness for women”? That's better, but still a little bit broad.
“Women's fitness for beginners”? That's more like it.
Choose something that you are interested in writing abut it, and see how narrow you can go. Don't go TOO narrow though. “Fitness for beginner women aged 25 in Michigan” is probably not going to be worth your time.
Note: The fitness blogs for sale here at Human Proof Designs have had their niches chosen already.
The key is to choose something that you will be able to write about for some time.
Tip 2: Make It Worth Your While
Now, you don't want the FOCUS of the site to be on making money. You don't want to just promote things endlessly. You probably DO want to make money off the site though if possible (and who wouldn't?), so make sure it is something that you can do.
Let's look back at the “Women's fitness for beginners” idea.
How could you make money from it?
- Review beginner fitness DVDs
- Review fitness/exercise guides
- Review fitness clothing and equipment
- Place Adverts on your site
- Recommend all sorts of other products
A lot of the companies that you are reviewing will pay you a commission every time some buys something from them via your site. Pretty neat right? Since this is something you are already interested in, reviewing the products should be natural and easy for you too.
Starting A Fitness Blog – Tip Number 3: Be Engaging
All you have to do is write good content. It could be reviews, it could be tips, it could be a personal progression report (“How I got fit in 21 days!”), it could be all three (and more). If you are writing naturally and sharing your work on social networks, you will start to get visitors, and over time after you've been adding content consistently, you'll start to get visitors from Google too.
Once you have visitors, you will get people checking out your recommendations, and that will lead to more income too.
Keep them engaged and your site will do well. It's not tricky, just write how you feel and you will get better with time.
Remember..it's not an essay or college paper. Writing like this isn't a good idea:
These running shoes are $100 and are made by Nike. The color is white and they are quite comfortable. When you run in them you can get support around your ankles…..
YAWN!
How about this?
I used to always get blisters when I ran no matter WHAT shoes I wore. That's when I tried on these puppies for size. WOW! They instantly felt like I'd owned them for years and my running has improved dramatically.
Notice the difference?
Tip Number 4 – Get Help
I regard my own humble online endeavors as pretty successful. The fact I learned anything at all and didn't quit after a few weeks is all down to the training I got online. You can get access to the same training for free, so I recommend you do just that if you are serious about having your own website.
You can also get help right here at HPD. Not only do I review products and services to help bloggers and offer tips, I also CREATE WEBSITES for people and sell them. I create fitness websites that are ready to go as well. All you need to do is invest a couple of hundred dollars in buying the site and it is yours. Ready to go.
Of course, the sites come with training that will get you from zero to hero in no time (sorry to use a cliche). Learn more about them here.