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craigchelo · 4 months

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The Menu Mix by Glenn Chelo_ Balancing Variety and Cohesion for Restaurant Success

Craig Chelo

The Menu Mix by Glenn Chelo: Balancing Variety and Cohesion for Restaurant Success

A restaurant's menu is more than just a list of dishes; it's a reflection of its identity, values, and culinary prowess. Crafting the perfect menu requires a delicate balance between offering a diverse array of options and maintaining a cohesive theme that aligns with the restaurant's brand. In the bustling world of the culinary industry, where competition is fierce and diners have increasingly discerning tastes, understanding the importance of striking this balance is paramount for achieving lasting success.

Understanding Your Audience

Before diving into the intricacies of menu design, it's crucial for restaurant owners and chefs to thoroughly understand their target demographic. Different clientele have varying preferences, dietary restrictions, and cultural backgrounds that must be taken into account when curating a menu. For instance, a trendy urban eatery may cater to adventurous foodies seeking innovative flavor combinations, while a family-friendly diner in a suburban neighborhood might prioritize comfort classics that appeal to a wide range of ages.

Additionally, gathering feedback from existing patrons and conducting market research can provide invaluable insights into evolving consumer trends and preferences. Armed with this knowledge, leaders including Glenn Chelo have tailored their menus to better resonate with their target audience, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty in the process.

The Art of Menu Engineering

Menu engineering is a strategic approach to menu design that leverages consumer psychology and data analysis to optimize profitability. By strategically placing high-margin items, highlighting signature dishes, and employing visual cues such as icons or borders, restaurants can influence diners' purchasing decisions and maximize revenue. However, it's essential to strike a balance between promoting profitable items and maintaining transparency and authenticity in menu presentation.

Moreover, effective menu engineering extends beyond profitability to enhance the overall dining experience. Thoughtful organization, clear descriptions, and enticing visuals can guide diners through the menu, sparking excitement and anticipation for the culinary journey ahead. By leveraging menu engineering techniques, industry leaders like Glenn Chelo create a seamless and immersive dining experience that leaves a lasting impression on guests.

Embracing Seasonality and Sustainability

In today's culinary landscape, diners are increasingly drawn to menus that celebrate seasonality and sustainability. Incorporating locally sourced, seasonal ingredients not only enhances the freshness and flavor of dishes but also supports local farmers and reduces the restaurant's carbon footprint. Furthermore, highlighting sustainable practices, such as minimizing food waste and offering plant-based options, resonates with environmentally conscious consumers and fosters a sense of social responsibility.

By embracing seasonality and sustainability, professionals such as Glenn Chelo differentiate themselves in a crowded market while appealing to the growing segment of eco-conscious diners. Whether it's showcasing the vibrant flavors of summer produce or championing innovative plant-based cuisine, incorporating these principles into the menu can elevate the dining experience and align the restaurant with contemporary culinary trends.

Striking a Balance Between Variety and Cohesion

Achieving the perfect menu mix requires striking a delicate balance between offering a diverse range of options and maintaining a cohesive theme. While variety ensures there's something for everyone, cohesion ties the menu together, creating a harmonious dining experience. Balancing these elements requires careful consideration of factors such as flavor profiles, cooking techniques, and ingredient sourcing to ensure that each dish complements the overall concept of the restaurant.

Moreover, effective menu design should cater to different dining occasions, whether it's a casual weekday lunch or a special celebration. By offering a mix of familiar favorites and innovative creations, leaders including Glenn Chelo cater to varying preferences while reinforcing their culinary identity. Ultimately, finding the right balance between variety and cohesion is essential for creating a memorable dining experience that keeps guests coming back for more.

Harnessing the Power of Presentation

In the digital age, visual presentation plays a crucial role in shaping diners' perceptions of a restaurant and its offerings. From menu layout and typography to photography and design elements, every aspect of menu presentation contributes to the overall dining experience. Restaurants can leverage eye-catching visuals and innovative design techniques to capture diners' attention, evoke emotions, and stimulate their appetite. By investing in high-quality photography, utilizing white space effectively, and incorporating cohesive branding elements, restaurants can create a visually appealing menu that enhances the perceived value of their dishes.

Furthermore, digital menus offer opportunities for interactive engagement, allowing diners to explore menu options with ease and access additional information such as ingredient sourcing and nutritional details. Embracing digital innovation not only enhances the dining experience but also demonstrates a commitment to staying current with technological trends. By harnessing the power of presentation, restaurants can create a memorable and immersive dining experience that resonates with guests long after their meal.

Adaptability in a Changing Landscape

The culinary landscape is constantly evolving, driven by changing consumer preferences, culinary trends, and external factors such as economic conditions and public health concerns. In this dynamic environment, restaurants must demonstrate adaptability and agility in responding to emerging trends and challenges. Whether it's introducing seasonal specials, experimenting with new cooking techniques, or pivoting to accommodate dietary restrictions, flexibility is key to staying relevant and competitive.

Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of adaptability in the restaurant industry, prompting establishments to innovate and rethink traditional approaches to menu design and service delivery. From implementing contactless ordering and delivery options to offering meal kits and virtual cooking classes, restaurants have embraced creative solutions to navigate unprecedented challenges. By remaining nimble and responsive to changing circumstances, restaurants can not only survive but thrive in an ever-changing culinary landscape.

In the dynamic world of the culinary industry, the restaurant menu serves as a crucial touchpoint between diners and the dining experience. By understanding the nuances of menu design industry leaders like Glenn Chelo elevate their offerings and stand out in a competitive market. Striking the perfect balance between variety and cohesion requires careful planning, creativity, and a deep understanding of the restaurant's identity. Ultimately, a well-crafted menu not only delights diners but also sets the stage for a memorable culinary journey that keeps them coming back for more.

#Craig Chelo

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juleswolverton-hyde · 5 years

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The Raven on Writing

Top o’ the morning, lads and lasses,

It has been a wee while since a post about a specific literary subject was written and since creating this post has been contemplated many times recently, it is perhaps the time to finally write it.

Some of you may wonder how it is the pencil was first picked up or at least be curious as to how it is able to bring fantasies into words in a style that seems to be marked as ‘’quite unusual’’. This is put between quotation marks since this is the polite term of what has been gathered from comments (both positive and negative) on all publishing platforms (AO3 & Tumblr). However, in personal opinion, it is labelled as poetic prose or prosaic poetry reminiscent of the past. Indeed, the tales and the style aim to make the audience remember the great names who have preceded this wee birdy who can never excel them.

Now, how has this rather odd style been gained? How can one create a style at all?

It should be noted that the use of the word ‘odd’ is in comparison to the styles of modern authors.

Kathryn Lasky once said: ‘’I believe that reading widely is the best preparation for writing.’’ It is the manner in which many if not all wordy artists start their literary journeys, allowing themselves to be guided by a skilled author into a world of another’s making. Out of curiosity, the reader might pick up more works from their favourites and create an unconscious liking to the style. Withal, this preference might only become fully known in a creative way upon attempting to put personal fantasies onto paper. These imaginations might be ignited by a disagreement with a scene in the book that could have gone differently or the end is too open and thus begs for a continuation where the original author has left off. Whatever the case, the individual endeavours to make something of their own thanks to the inspiration provided by another’s work.

Certainly, this is essentially true each time a novel project is started since writers tend to follow the principle that originates in Ancient Rome and the Renaissance, namely translatio, imitatio, aemulatio. In other words: translation, imitation, innovation. One might study a language and translate a story they are curious about into their own tongue or find an already existing translation. Afterwards, they might be fascinated with the tale enough that they might try their hand at writing a similar chronicle themselves, imitating the original. A truly radical aspiring novelist will take the original work and give it their own spin.

What if it was Beatrice who had to reach Dante instead of the other way around? What if Athena was not actually raped by Hephaestus but the god was accused of this to worsen his reputation among the Olympians even though she might have actually genuinely fallen in love for the first time?

What if?

That is the most important question when it comes to writing. Ask it and it will lead to an answer.

Returning to the specified questions above, they particularly pertain to classic literature and mythology which are two of the trademarks that have been absorbed into the pen’s style while reading and following the old law. Admittedly, it was without awareness until the moment of enrolling in university to study English literature and specializing in classic literature and poetry.

And there is the answer as to how this wee birdy writes as if she hails from the sixteenth century or Romantic Age. Major influences and inspirations for the works currently making up the bibliography and the stories yet to tell are: William Wordsworth, William Blake, Shakespeare, John Donne, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, Seamus Heaney (a more recent name), Lewis Caroll, Oscar Wilde. In hindsight, the novelists of the Victorian and Late Victorian age alongside the Irish appear to be the greatest influences.

Regardless, style can also be developed in other ways. At university, it is expected of students to write in formal English. Henceforth, it is not allowed to use first and second person pronouns (I, you) as well as colloquialisms (get, a lot of, thing). Now, there is no shame in admitting the pen is guilty of the latter at times and even of the use of the pronouns nowadays. Yet, both of them are noticeably absent from the works unless there inherently was no other option but to use informal language. The use of I is, personally, still regarded as selfish for the reader might not want to accept the role offered to them by the narrator nor be able to sympathise with the character and their point of view.

Alongside the now innate restrictions on use of language, music is another great source to look for inspiration. Find what it is that makes a song attractive and write a tale about it if there is one to be told. Take a whole album and paint the images the songs conjure. ‘’Spring Remembrance’’ is based on BTS’s Spring Day, ‘’Babel’’ is based on the song with the same name by Mumford and Sons and this is the case as well for ‘’Broken Crown’’. Furthermore, references to various songs are strewn about in the chronicles told thus far. Look at the music by Delain, Within Temptation, Stray Kids, BTS, Linkin Park and Breaking Benjamin to find the obvious clues. However, nowadays, there is also creative fuel to be found in the soundtracks of Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and Mumford & Sons’ album Babel.

Last but not least, and unfortunately not everyone has the chance to exploit this means of advancing as an artist, travelling. A couple of true stories might arise in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman, but yours truly has had the lucky opportunity to have seen a lot of the world and continue to journey despite work and education.

Dear reader, before an untrue maleficent thought finds its way, it should be noted that by no means do I come from money. In the gap year before starting university, I had a fairly bad job at the local train station working shifts from five in the morn till half past one, requiring me to cycle to the city around a quarter past four. The pay was good, but mental wellbeing did not particularly take a turn for the best and the liquor bottles emptied pretty fast, too. Still, it allowed for seeing places that would otherwise have been left undiscovered and hear local myths and legends that could not have been as authentic and credible as when they would be told at a later date on local soil. Working (fortunately under better conditions) alongside studying maintains this Romantic and Byronic lone wolf’s ever-wandering lifestyle and supports the development of a wide view on the world that is at times disconnected from. Notwithstanding, all personal negative implications aside, if there is a chance to go out and explore, please take it for it will allow growth as a person and an artist alike.

A truly last piece of advice: do not be afraid to fail. All arts need to be practised in order to be perfected and even then have to be worked on in order to be made distinct from the rest. The first works will not be the best, but eventually, they will become of better quality if effort is continuously put into the craft.

In sum, look to creative outlets that are nearby such as music and books, the latter remaining the prime source for a proper start on the road to becoming a novelist. Of course, there are other means to gain inspiration such as art and travelling as well as academic education. In the end, there are various manners in which to develop as a distinct wordy artist. However, most of all, do not fear failure. If you fall, get up and try again. Translate, imitate and emulate a personal path in the world and artistic growth will come along naturally.

Until we speak again.

Forever yours,

The Red Raven

#writing #writer #writing advice #writing tips #author #novelist

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appealingdesign · 4 years

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How To Get A Website Made During COVID-19 in The United States?

Since COVID-19 has trapped all of us in our homes, this is the right time to initiate the plan for your business that you have been planning for some time now. The best way of launching your dream is by building a website. You can create a web design for personal use, like to display your art and skills, or keep it restricted for professional purposes. Your website, you decide.

Here are some easy steps to guide you on how to get a website made.

Choosing a platform

The process starts with picking up the right platform for your website. A platform is like a home for a website. It is a place where your entire content will be displayed. You add a shopping cart, payment collection methods, and all things that a website requires. Mostly people prefer wordpress.com as they provide the best quality services and many discounts for customers.

Get a web host and domain name

Once you have picked up a platform for your website, now you have to choose a web hosting provider for your website. Getting a web host is necessary as it will make sure that your website is visible to the audience, and it also keeps the data of your website stored.

After getting a web host, you now need a domain name. A domain name is something that represents your business. For instance, yourbusinessname.com, .org, .blog, and so on.

Create a website

After you are done with the technicalities, now you can start with designing your website. You can choose several templates that the website builder provides. A paid version of these web builders gives you the flexibility to make changes according to your business needs.

There are multiple options that a website requires, for instance, adding services plan, payment options, shopping cart, review section, menu bar, and portfolio.

Testing website

The next step requires you to test your website before you launch it. Look for errors in the content. See if the site is optimized according to SEO techniques. Your website must match with your brand identity; therefore, you must choose colors and themes carefully based on your targeted audience.

Launch your creative website design

Now you are ready to step into the world of magic. Launch your website and promote it on different social media platforms so people could know that you are live and functioning. And hence, you are all done now.

Concluding lines

Your website design will show people your professionalism. So, you must make sure that your website design is interactive, attractive, and captivating. Still have questions on how to create a responsive web design? Visit Indigo Logo Design now to consult with web design experts.

#web design #responsive web design #web design experts.#Website Made During COVID-19

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imogenburchellfmp · 4 years

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I didn’t really have a particular idea for this mind map that I wanted to focus on, although there were a few areas that my mind naturally deviated to such as magic and monsters/mythical creatures as those are particular areas of the genre that I especially like. I did pick this word from the mind map as I wanted to have a second theme choice for my project/not just limit myself to Psychology and I thought Fantasy would be a good choice as its a media genre that I enjoy and it’s also quite broad so I have a lot of options as to what I can do with it.

I’ll start with the magic side of the mind map. Fantasy themed media frequently involves some kind of magic particularity fantasy worlds so perhaps I could have some kind of magic involved somewhere. Whether that’s designing a character that has magical abilities or using it as a mechanic in a game such as for a enemies attack or in a board or card game where spells/runes/potions could be used to slow down your opponents/help you win the game. Most magic though tends to follow some kind of system/rules that govern how it works and I came up with a few different examples on my mind map to use as a guide if I go down this route. Magic comes in various forms, you get your classical spells/ magical energy blasting out of someones hands or a wand, staff, etc. But you also get runes which are essentially symbols that are drawn to create spells. you also get potions which aren’t exactly magic but they often have magical properties so technically they count in my opinion. Although out of these three types I personally prefer having the magic emit from a character or object as it often looks cooler and runes and potions tend to be more restrictive.

Similarly some magic systems are more restrictive than others. For example magic or bending ( which is what its called in the world it takes place in) in Avatar the last Airbender (Nickelodeon Cartoon) follows very particular rules. Not everyone can bend, you have to be born with the ability to do it. your also restricted to only one element (unless your the Avatar), if you are a water bender you can’t earth bend. You also cant just bend straight away, in order to bend there are various I believe martial arts movements the character needs to do in order to get the element they bend to behave in the way they want it to. while the Magic in Harry Potter (book/film series) although still having its own restrictions is a bit less restrictive. your still required to be born with magic and carry out specific actions but abilities are not limited. As long as your a wizard/witch, have a wand and know how to cast the spell you can do pretty much anything. Although some of the main points I got from this are what is required to do magic in the first place. Some systems allow characters to emit magic straight from their bodies through some kind of physical action while others require the caster to use some kind of item such as a wand that contains magic/has magical properties. Also there is the question as to were the magic comes from. Most magic requires some kind of energy whether that be your classic magic or some other energy variation which is typically the same thing but with a different name such as Mana or Magicka. Although not all “magical” abilities seem to require energy and it is just down to the characters physical strength/endurance such as in Avatar the Last Airbender. If energy is required this energy is either stored inside the body of the character for the character to use which they absorbed into them somehow from magic in their surroundings or their body seems to naturally produce it themselves. Personally I prefer the systems that are less restrictive as it widens the possibilities with what you can do with magic but if you are going to implement it there should be some kind of logic/rules to it so the audience can understand how it works. I think if I was making a magical character I would have it so they either absorbed magic energy from their surroundings or they produce it themselves. Either way they need energy to perform magic but as long as they have enough energy they can do pretty much anything. No incantations or specific actions needed, although perhaps they need to visualize what they want the magic to do and they have to essentially teach themselves to get the magic to do specific things. They can’t just shoot fire out of their hands they have to think about the energy coming into their hands and it changing into fire, how does the fire behave, etc. Although if I made a game for my project I would make the system a lot more structured/rule based as games rely quite heavily on rules in order to function.

I did also go over alternate dimensions/ portals into other dimensions on this mind map such as the wardrobe to Narnia (book and film series) and the door in the wall in Coraline (book and film.) But I’ve already had a bit of a look at inter dimensional travel with the Margaret comic. Admittedly not to the extent I would have liked to but I would like to try and avoid going over familiar ground entirely. Admittedly I’m already treading over familiar ground with an animal character but that’s what I’m good at and I should try to limit any more familiar concepts if I can help it. so its probably best I don’t go this direction.

One other thing I naturally put down was fantastical creatures. I really like fantasy creatures esspecially dragons, which I’m pretty sure I’ve stated on various occasions on my first blog. Perhaps the world my animation(s) or game (I still haven't decided which one yet) could take place in a fantasy world with fantasy creatures.( I would need to do some research into lots of fantasy creatures so I have a lot of options to pick from.) That or my character could be a anthropomorphised fantasy creature themselves. A dragon character would be really cool or some kind of hybrid, although I have made quite a few dragon models in my own time (personal models) and I made a hybrid animal for my bottle topper so perhaps not. When I was doing this branch though Myths and Legends crossed my mind and the various different mythologies such as Egyptian and viking mythology. I don’t really know much about them personally but from what I do know there are some quite cool monsters/creatures in them so they might be good to look at as a source of inspiration to base a character or fantasy world on. Although if I do go for this direct inspiration I would need to do some quite extensive research on them. I’m particularity drawn to Egyptian mythology but that’s mostly because I like how Egyptian Gods and ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, artwork and artifacts look. Its also probably the one I know the most about although that’s still very little.

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vyasgiannetti · 4 years

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Design, Communication Trends in the Alcobev Industry

Addressing the elephant in the room — India is a dark market where alcohol brands have had to hide behind surrogates such as music, waters, and sodas for years in order to reach out to the audience. However, the tide is slowly changing.

Gone are the days where alcohol is associated with dingy-looking liquor stores adorned by dusty bottles or with men in ganjees seeking desi daaru and sale through store shutter windows late into the nights.

Today, as the taboo around alcohol starts to wear off, in new-age urban India the alcohol industry is also starting to shift dramatically at a fast pace. Drinking culture is becoming normalised and in fact flourishing; giving rise to brands innovating, finding newer ways to market themselves and actively engaging with their audiences.

Vyas Giannetti Creative is an advertising agency in India. Over the years, we have worked with a number of brands in this industry, to help them address various problems their brands have faced. From repositioning and branding exercises to marketing and communication, being one of the top advertising agencies in Mumbai, Vyas Giannetti Creative (VGC) has been able to help these brands across the board.

There are a number of emerging trends in design and communication for the alcobev industry and we’d like to demonstrate some of these through two of our projects -

1. Foster’s, one of the world’s leading beer brands, had trouble connecting with their audience when they launched in India. VGC helped position them for the local context and rolled out a holistic communication strategy, right from brand activation to product advertisements and much more.

2. TJ’s BrewWorks is a brand with a national ambition that opened its first microbrewery in Pune. With microbreweries being a relatively new concept in India, we needed to find a way to educate the audience about the concept of homebrewed beers to differentiate it from the standard beer. To do so, we strategically branded the company, created an environment and various elements within it that showcased the different types of beer on offer, developed communication and a whole lot more.

Now, let’s take a look at some of these trends we spoke about earlier.

Innovative Packaging:

When it comes to beer, most beer drinkers prefer a nice, cold one. Warm beer is despised by beer aficionados, the world over. But, how does one tell if your beer is cold enough to drink. 10 minutes in the refrigerator? 20 perhaps? There’s isn’t really a science or guide to getting this bit right.

When Warm

To fix this, VGC had designed thermo-sensitive packaging a beer brand. The packaging would reveal a hidden element (like a mountain or the degree symbol, as depicted in the visual) when at or under the preferred temperature for consumption (anywhere between 4 to 7 degrees Celsius for a typical lager) and this element would disappear, when it was warm. This way, even before picking up a bottle or pulling it out of your fridge, you’d know that your beer was cold and ready to consume.

When Cold

Immersive Experiences:

Today’s consumer prefers experiences over products (oh, that typical millennial mindset!). They are interested in engaging with their environment rather than just sitting around and having a drink. They like to get into the thick of things. So, when we set out to design the brewery, we wanted to create an experience that was definitely out of the ordinary, by making the whole place conversational and engaging the audience across all touch points.

Beer Mood Swatch

Revolving Beer Menu — For those that can’t make up their mind

Conversational Table Mats

Our intent was to establish the brewery as a place that not only brewed beer but also brewed conversations, art, music, news and much more. So, from interactive table mats and coasters, where consumers could fill in answers to certain questions and win a ‘six-pack’ to a blackboard where people could draw or write about what was brewing in their lives, the whole space was designed to interact with the consumer. We even created a beer mood swatch so that consumers could pick a beer based on their mood. Even the menu was playful and interactive. All of this really helped bring alive the place and made it the preferred destination to get a brew.

The beer lounge model at an airport

The beer lounge adapted for a pub

We were also tasked with creating immersive beer lounges, which were aligned with the parent brand’s positioning; these would offer a customer maximum control over the brand experience while delighting their five senses and also help in driving in traffic. The beer lounges were designed to have chill pits, a bar area and a lounge area for people to relax and move around in. Created for people to actually chill in while getting some of their favourite beer, this model could also be replicated in public spaces and pubs all across the country, from airports to malls and more.

Engaging the audience:

As the mindset of the audience shifts and brands become more inclusive towards them (especially women, who make up a large share of their customer base), it is becoming increasingly important for alcohol brands to actively engage with their diverse target group across various touch points.

A universally simple way to do this is to use elements of humour in your communication. This can be across mainline communication, or in our (India’s case) across customer experience points.

Fun ‘O Clocks

Standees, Banners and Collaterals to bring alive the brand’s positioning

Funny quips under bottle caps

Cheeky lines, punchy captions and engaging visuals are the norm. It helps make the brand more relatable and inclusive. Also, adding an element of fun, helps the brand stay buzzy and entertaining for the end consumer. From pubs to breweries and from experience design to ATL (restricted) communication we have used elements of fun across various places, to playfully engage & captivate our audience.

Compelling Associations:

Earlier, alcohol brands used to settle for being passive sponsors with their logos strewn all over a baseball field or cricket stadium. Today, a lot of brands are developing properties of their own, engaging with new audiences and chartering new paths for customer engagement. Associating alcohol with music however, is a no-brainer.

Invites and Communication for the stand-up event with Vir Das

Coasters with different messages that you could share with a friend or pass to a stranger to begin a conversation with

For one of our clients, we helped curate and create a unique (at the time) platform to associate the brand with — stand-up comedy. Back when stand-up comedy was at its nascent stage in India, we celebrated comedy through LOL evenings — a series of shows anchored by Vir Das, in pubs and bars across the country. This helped us establish the brand as an innovator that was doing something different.

Bringing the brand alive online:

The internet and social media are the perfect place to bring your brand alive. Especially in India, where brands are restricted in terms of mainline communication, the online channels have fewer restrictions, allowing brands to engage directly with their audiences.

Giving people the opportunity to share a talk about their favourite brew

A whole lot of merchandise and gear that could be won or purchased

The Result — A huge number of fans in an extremely short span of time.

For clients in the restricted space, the key is to make the communication engaging, impactful and fun. In fact, we did this at a time where social media marketing was still relatively new to India. From gifting & promoting merchandise to badges, exclusive content, contests and other engagements, the campaigns we created and executed, helped boost engagement and awareness of these brands.

As audiences become younger and as the media by which we engage with them becomes even more diverse, it is important for brands in the alcobev industry to find newer, innovative ways to engage with them, is our belief as an advertising agency in India.

From using cutting-edge technology, to crafting immersive experiences and engaging with talented creative agencies, brands are doing everything they can to stay ahead of the competition.

So, how can you increase your brand’s edge?

Well, watch this space or log on to our website — www.vgc.in for help with your brand or to just watch out for more emerging trends and techniques to tackle the ever-evolving alcohol market. We are one of the top advertising agencies in Mumbai.

Article as featured in Ambrosia India (The Magazine for the Alcobev Industry)

#top advertising agencies in mumbai #advertising agency in india #Brand Strategy

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samuelfields · 4 years

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How to Start a Blog

Key Takeaways

Find a niche and post consistently to see the best results.

Focus on quality, longer-length posts.

Use your content to build authority and monetize services.

If you’ve been daydreaming about creating a blog during yet another endless conference call, an excellent place to start is right here.

In case you haven’t heard, content is king. And there are plenty of full-time bloggers who prove it and make a living writing about hobbies, recipes, or workouts.

Writing with authority on a topic provides serious value in an internet landscape, often filled with subpar information.

With that said, starting up a blog doesn’t mean you can put in your two weeks as soon as you press “Publish” on your first blog post. Monetizing your blog and turning a profit takes hard work and dedication.

Like almost everything else in life, you get what you put in.

A great blog involves research, content strategy, and a fresh perspective.

So, if you have a story to tell or a niche to fill, it’s time to learn how to start a blog and unleash your creativity.

Step 1: Pick Your Blog Niche

Although you can simply start a blog based on broad topics, it’s smarter to narrow your focus. A unique point of view and a distinct voice are essential to building an audience.

There are two main questions you should ask yourself when setting up your blog and choosing your focus. The first is, “Do I enjoy learning about this subject?”

Good writing is infused with the passion of the author. If you’re writing something with thought and care, you’re more likely to benefit from actively engaged, inspired readers while building authority. On the flip side, if you don’t particularly like a topic, it’ll quickly surface in your writing and potentially turn readers off.

It’s important to be intellectually curious about the topic – otherwise, your creativity and ideas for new content might run dry.

Still not sure? Think about what your close friends and family come to you to discuss.

Do you know the best secret hiking spots in your state? Do your vegan recipes on Instagram get the most engagement? Let these answers guide your blog focus.

The second question you should ask is, “Does this already exist?”

You might think that a blog centered around crocheting crafts out of found materials is unique. Lo-and-behold, after a little Googling, you find a blog floating around focused on that exact niche.Although your blog will share space with similar blogs, it needs to be different enough for an audience to seek you out. You need to provide value – especially if you want to monetize your blog down the road.

If the COVID-19 pandemic has you worried about money, check out my free guide on Coronavirus-Proofing your Finances with the CEO approach

Step 2: Choose a Blog Name

Finding a name for your blog might seem intimidating at first, but don’t overthink it. Here are some tips to remember when you’re brainstorming your blog name:

Choose words related to your niche

Keep it simple and stick to one or two words

Don’t pick overly general terms like “travel”

Dotcom domains are preferred

Avoid hyphens or numbers

For a personal blog or branding, consider using a variation of your name

You can keep your domain name as long as you continue to pay your annual fees, which typically run $10 to $15 per year.

Step 3: Choose Your Web Host

So, you’ve chosen a niche around perfecting the art of macramé on a budget and named it. Now, what? The next step is to select your web host.

Web hosting is a service that makes your blog accessible through the web – it has a significant impact on your site’s overall functionality and its performance.

There’s a vast array of web hosts to choose from at all price points, from a few dollars to thousands. Above all, a good web host will walk you through setting up and launching your blog.

Hosted vs. Self-Hosted

You have two options here: hosted (Blogger, WordPress.com) and self-hosted (WordPress.org). “Hosted” blogging platforms, like Wix or Squarespace, offer a hands-off approach to your blog. You deal with one company, and all of your content and files live on the blog platform’s servers. These platforms manage data and web hosting, so you don’t have to.

Unfortunately, hosted platforms can be limiting and slow down the growth of your blog. Some might even put restrictions on how much money you can make from your content. Or you might be prohibited from monetizing at all.

“Self-hosted” platforms require you to install blogging software on your own web server.

Self-hosted platforms like WordPress.org allow you to set up and maintain your blog with a unique domain and web hosting. If you want to sell products, sell a service, or run ads, this is the right choice.

You’ve probably heard of WordPress’s blogging platform already, and there’s a reason for that – it’s easy to use and powerful. WordPress also delivers tons of free plugins you can leverage to customize and optimize your blog.

Step 4: Protect and Secure Your Blog

New bloggers may not realize they should protect their blog by doing some basic security housekeeping tasks.

Backup Your Blog

Backing up your blog should be one of the first things you do after setting up your blog. While it’s rare that a web host will lose or delete your site, it can still happen.

But your site suddenly disappearing isn’t the biggest threat to your blog — hackers are.

Hackers and other cybercriminals can infect your site with malicious code.

If the worst-case scenario occurs, but you have a backup of your blog available, you can restore a clean version of your website.

Be Careful With Copyrights

Copyrights need to be respected, especially when it comes to the visual elements of your blog.

Small-time bloggers are often the victims of what is called “Copyright Trolls.” Well-meaning bloggers might accidentally use copyrighted images to add visual interest to their content.

Copyright lawyers can sue you for damages based on the use of a copyrighted image, even if the lawyer doesn’t own the copyright or represent the entity with the copyright. As a result, bloggers can be bilked out of money.

How do you avoid this? Never use copyrighted images for your blog posts. If you’re not sure, it’s better to be safe than sorry and choose an image you’re confident that you can use.

It’s actually very easy to find images available for free through the public domain or free stock photo sites. And on that note, it’s good practice to credit the website or artist (or both), however. A step above using free images you find on the internet is to use your own graphics. Smartphones offer basic but helpful editing tools, and you can get surprisingly high-quality photos. Websites like Canva offer free tools you can use to create blog header graphics and other visual elements you can insert into your text to make your posts look more attractive.

Opt for Domain Privacy

Besides securing your blog, you should also take steps to protect your personal identity. Your web host should offer a domain privacy service that keeps your personal information private.

Besides domain privacy, avoid sharing identifying details in your blog like where you live, your schedule, names, and other similar details.

Use Hard-to-Guess Passwords for Your Blog Login

Although this might seem like a no-brainer, there’s evidence that millions of people still using passwords like “password,” “abc123,” and other easily-guessed combos.

Here are some basic password tips to keep in mind:

Use 12 characters minimum

Include numbers, capital letters, lower-case letters, and symbols

Don’t use dictionary words

You can use a password manager like Keeper if you’re concerned about forgetting a complex password.

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Step 5: Design and Customize Your Blog

Now for the fun stuff. Installing a theme for your blog is a straightforward task, but it can take time to accomplish since there are thousands of free themes to explore. While it’s essential to ensure that your blog is attractive and user-friendly, it’s equally important that it complements your blog content. If you’re working on a WordPress site, look for themes that say “SEO optimized”, “responsive” or “fast loading” themes. Many free themes can make sites look odd when viewed on a mobile device, or make for increased page speed (aka the time it takes a page to properly load). For users on sites like squarespace or Wix, you shouldn’t have to worry about these potential issues.

For example, if you’re starting an urban photography blog, a theme emphasizing visuals is preferable to text-oriented themes.

To get more relevant results, you can apply filters while searching for themes like designs based around your blog subject, for instance.

Step 6: Add Basic Blog Pages

Before you start posting regularly, it’s smart to add a few basic, standard pages to your blog to boost your website’s credibility.

Create an “About Me” Page

Your “About Me” page should explain who you are and the focus of your blog. Spend time making it interesting and fun.

Readers are often interested in getting to know you and how you started your industry or niche. You don’t have to write an entire autobiography, just describe how you got to the point you’re at now. Over everything else, be relatable.

For example, show your readers that you’re a credible source. Why should they listen to you? What experience do you have that makes you knowledgeable on this specific topic? If you’re writing a finance blog, are you a CPA? If you’re sharing recipes, what do you bring to the table that will make your audience want to listen to you? A coupon-cutter, perhaps? Tell your readers how long you’ve been doing it, how much money you save, and why they can benefit from the information you’re sharing.

Add a Privacy, Disclosure, and Comment Policy Page

If you want to monetize your blog, you’ll need to make sure you comply with all laws regarding data collection, privacy, and advertising. Adding standard disclosure language is an essential step if you want to make money.

You should also note your commenting policy. For example, do you allow anyone to comment? Do you ever delete comments? Are there commenting rules?

Craft a Simple Contact Page

It’s important to make it easy for readers and businesses to contact you. Set up a dedicated page with an embedded contact form or just list out your email — speaking of which…

Step 7: Set Up a Custom Blog Email Address

Another step you should take during the initial phases of your blog set up is registering a customized blog email address. At the outset, this may not seem all that important to you.

But details matter — especially to your readership and people who might reach out to you for partnerships, content writing services, and other reasons.

A professional email that matches your blog looks professional, credible, and helps build up your brand’s authority. An email from an email address with tons of numbers and a mishmash of letters can look spammy. If you’re unlucky enough, any email sent from a suspicious-looking email can be automatically filed to the “junk” category of your recipient’s mailbox.

As a professional blog owner, you don’t want to be confused with a Nigerian prince who needs a one-time investment to set up a new school playground. An email that’s simply [email protected] lends polish to your brand and can help you monetize your blog later. Nobody wants to do business with [email protected].

Step 8: Register Social Media Accounts for Your Blog

When you’ve done all the hard parts on your actual blog, it’s time to branch out to the world of social media. Social media is another channel you can use to alert followers to new posts and attract new visitors and more traffic.

Many social media platforms also allow you to set up ads that you can use to extend your blog’s reach.

Have a post on your blog that is performing well? You may want to consider targeting ads for it to get even more people on the page. Or, maybe you have an underperforming post you revamped — you might consider sending more traffic to that post with social media ads.

Below are some basic social media tips and which platforms to target.

Twitter

Set up a Twitter profile for your blog. Add a Tweet button to all blog posts you publish on your blog so followers can easily retweet them.

Follow other big names within your niche and interact with people in the industry already. Tweet out alerts for new posts.

Facebook

Set up a Facebook page for your blog. Share your content on Facebook, schedule posts, and invite friends and families to like your page.

Instagram

Set up an Instagram page. Find compelling images and use tools that allow for longer, evenly spaced captions to publish snippets of full-length blog posts or even exclusive “mini-blogs.”

Although this is a platform for building a professional network, almost any blog can still be relevant to a professional audience. Obviously, a blog about marketing is going to be more relevant to a wider group of people on LinkedIn, but don’t write it off if your blog is more niche.

LinkedIn provides the ability to connect with other bloggers and thought leaders within your industry.

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Step 9: Optimize Your Blog

SEO or search engine optimization is crucial, especially if you want to monetize your blog. SEO helps improve your site’s chances of appearing high on Google’s rankings for relevant search queries.

Although SEO can be intimidating at the outset, WordPress actually makes it pretty simple – even for beginners.

One of the best ways to get started on your blog’s SEO journey is by downloading a plugin called Yoast SEO. Yoast can give you readability ratings, keyword density, and point out pages on your blog that need a little SEO boost.

If you want to do a deeper dive into SEO, you can also conduct some keyword research. In most cases, you’ll naturally be using keywords as a result of providing valuable content around a particular subject.

But SEO tools like SEMrush, for example, can suggest alternate keywords to incorporate. Just don’t get too hung up on keywords and stuff too many in your posts, because Google can penalize your blog for doing so.

Once you have the keywords you want to target, use them in your title, title tags, first sentence, heading, subheadings, and any anchor text you use (the text you link to related pages on your website).

You can also optimize your images for SEO. When you upload images to your blog, use keywords in the file name, and use the alternate text space to write a keyword-rich description.

Step 10: Choose a Posting Schedule and Write Posts to Build an Audience

In most cases, it’ll take a few years to build an audience. Yes, years.

Here are a few blog tips to help nurture a loyal blog following and audience:

Stay Consistent: Try to post at least once a week and try to avoid skipping weeks. You can write a few posts ahead of time and schedule them out if you wish. In an ideal world, you should aim to post two to three times a week.

Focus on Quality: For every post you write, push for quality. Google tends to rank longer blog posts higher on their results pages, but if you’re writing fluff — that doesn’t help anyone.

Observe Your Competition: What is the focus of other similar blogs? Can you do it better or answer a query more comprehensively?

To Thine Own Self Be True: Find your unique voice – are you funny, heartfelt, honest? Build your brand. Write as if you’re talking to a close friend if you’re unsure of the right tone to adopt.

Get Active in Related Communities: Facebook groups, subreddits, podcast interviews, and speaking engagements can be lucrative opportunities for publicizing your blog.

Tips for Keeping a Strong Content Flow

Not every blog post you write will be award-winning. There might even come a time where you feel like you’ve run out of ideas. To avoid frustration and creative dead ends, consider brainstorming smart blog post content ahead of time.

If inspiration for a new post doesn’t pop into your head and you’re stuck fighting through a severe case of writer’s block, you can choose from that list of vetted topics you’ve created.

Okay, but what if you’re out of topics, and now you need to create new ones from scratch?

Read Books, Forums, and Comments: Reading books about your niche or people within your industry. Forums and your own blog comments can also be useful sources of potential inspiration.

Leverage Google: You can mine Google’s “People Also Ask” sections or query suggestions that pop up when you type in a keyword for blog post ideas.

Travel: Some bloggers also find success in coming up with new ideas by traveling somewhere and getting a fresh perspective. A new physical environment might just open up your brain.

Interview Industry Leaders: Can you reach out to other people who can provide insight on a topic? Or maybe you can join a friend in the industry for a cup of coffee and talk shop.

Crowdsource Topics: Use your readership for new ideas. Ask what your readers would like to see with polls on your social media platforms.

Step 11: Promote Your Blog

So, you’re posting regularly, and everything’s set up. Now, how do you encourage people to visit and read your blog?

Create social media posts immediately after publishing a new post.

Since you’ve already taken the first step of setting up your social media sites, it’s now time to leverage them as the fantastic promotional tools they are.

By publishing immediate social posts promoting your new blog content, you can get immediate follows, shares, likes, and retweets that can build momentum, so your post to go farther.

It’s important to remember that your audience is likely to follow you on a few different social media accounts.

That means you need to customize each snippet or preview text you use when promoting a blog post.

What you don’t want to do is copy and paste the same verbiage repeatedly for each of your accounts — it comes off spammy and uninteresting. Optimize your messaging for each social stream and audience.

Re-promote Successful Content

Did you hit virtual gold with a blog post that went viral? Don’t be shy about promoting it again after some time passes.

Re-promoting content that didn’t do well in the first place might not be the best strategy, but posts that have strong stats initially can do well again in the future.

It’s a good idea to focus your efforts on creating evergreen content that stays relevant over time.

“Evergreen” is just a term that internet marketers use to refer to posts considered timeless. This type of content stays useful years after the initial publication because it tackles a core problem or subject. An evergreen post might be “How to Clean Your Bike Chain.” A non-evergreen post would be “How to Clean Your Bike Chain During a Pandemic.”

Spice Up Your Blog Post Descriptions

Are you only sharing a blog post’s headline through your social media channels and calling it a day? Well, that gets boring very fast. To keep the interest in your blog higher, change up the messaging, and get inspiration from your own content.

State the Main Takeaways: Was there a “moral to the story” that sums up your post? Use that to give potential readers a basic, exciting summary.

Reuse Your Meta Description: Your meta description is the preview snippet that shows up in Google search results. (Yoast, that plugin we talked about earlier, will prompt you to customize yours – if you don’t customize it, Google will simply pull the first line or two from your blog.) Reuse your meta description to sell your blog post.

Use Your Subheadings: Your subheadings help readers navigate through your blog post. You can mine these subheadings for copy that you think might attract traffic to your website.

Pull Interesting Quotes: Did an industry leader, influencer, or celebrity give you a quote in your post? Pull out any interesting, odd, or thoughtful quotes and tag the person who said it in your social promotion post.

Use Images: Posts with visual elements get much more engagement than those without visual elements. Don’t just rely on boring stock images. Overlay images with text, create your own memes or use GIFs to demand attention.

Use Hashtags: For Twitter, you can use trending hashtags to see what people are already talking about or focus on hashtags relevant to your industry. For Instagram and Facebook, you can take advantage of pertinent hashtags to your blog. Don’t be afraid to get super specific with your hashtags.

Use Social Media Regularly: Post at least once a week, engage with commenters, and answer messages.

Guest Post

Guest posting is a way to promote your blog by contributing to another blog within your industry. By providing a guest post to another blogger, you can help build your own website’s credibility.

Guest blogging can accomplish three different goals for your blog: showing others you’re an expert, pushing traffic to your blog, and building backlinks.

Quick Explainer on Backlinks: Backlinks serve as a “vote” for your site. But not all backlinks are created equally. Links from relevant, trusted websites pointing to your website can your site move up in Google’s rankings. But, if spammy websites are giving you backlinks, that’s a red flag that may result in a ranking drop.

To pursue guest blogging, you’ll need to find places to submit a guest post. If your blog is about bikes, you’ll want to search for similar blogs focused on your bikes and make sure the blog owner is active with an engaged audience.

You can also use a simple Google search to find blogs accepting guest posts. Just use a keyword relevant to your niche plus “submit a guest post” or “guest post guidelines” and other similar search terms.

Once you’ve found blogs to guest post for, you’ll need to pitch a few content ideas. Make sure you do your due diligence and research the blog’s tone of voice, type of audience, and other information you need to know. Pay attention to guidelines like the required word count.

Some guest post bloggers allow you to post links to your blog in the content itself, while others will enable you to post your blog link in your byline. Each guest blogging site operates differently.

Step 12: Monetize Your Blog

There are many ways you can monetize your blog, but the two you can most easily leverage are affiliate links and services.

Affiliate programs work through pushing links to products relevant to your audience. When your audience clicks through the link to that recommendation, they get a unique tracking code. If they end up purchasing, you’ll get a portion of the sale.

Another way to monetize your blog is to offer services or intensive information related to your topics of expertise or industry.

Depending on your blog’s focus, you can provide live workshops, one-on-one consulting sessions, or comprehensive online courses. Your blog serves as the jumping-off point, but your audience will only convert into customers if you’ve demonstrated authority and knowledge. Neither of which happens overnight.

Takeaways: Building a Blog, Step by Step

Creating a blog requires patience, strategy, and the desire to develop quality content. You don’t have to be a professional writer to create a successful blog. Plenty of everyday people have created a blog out stemming from a genuine interest that exploded into a successful brand. If you’re ready to try something new, blogging is a great way to flex your creative muscle and potentially earn some money.

FAQs: How to Start a Blog as a Beginner

Still, have a few remaining questions about starting a blog? Get answers to your blogging FAQs below.

Can I Start a Blog for Free?

While it’s true that you can, if your end goal is to monetize your blog and transform it into a lucrative side hustle, it makes more sense to pay to host your blog on your own server with your own domain name. Not only will this make your blog more “legit” from the outset, but it also gives you much more flexibility for monetizing down the line.

Is it Difficult to Start a Blog?

Yes and no. While starting a blog is a reasonably straightforward process, the key to creating a successful one is consistency. Consistency and developing a strong content strategy are going to be the most difficult parts of maintaining your blog, especially if you have other responsibilities demanding your attention like a day job, kids, or other obligations.

With that said, writing regularly for your blog is easy once it’s a habit, and you have a running list of future blog post ideas from which to choose.

How Much Money Can I Realistically Make Blogging?

It’s not unrealistic to make a range from just one cent to ten cents per page view through ads. If you get around 1,000-page views each month, you can earn $10-$100! And depending on the success of your blog, it can go up from there. Not everyone will be able to live off their blog income full-time, but there’s still the potential to make a good chunk of change.

Do People Still Read Blogs Anymore?

Yes! Blogs are still critical in the internet landscape. There are a few things to note about how people read blogs that have changed over time. For example, people are much less likely to read a blog post from beginning to end.

Instead, people tend to skim a post for the information most relevant to them. Keep that information in mind as you’re writing your initial blog posts.

Well-structured blog posts should utilize headings and subheadings so that information is organized efficiently, and readers can find what they need.

How Do I Make My Blog Stand Out?

Ultimately, you’ll need to provide value. Good information on a particular subject is the best way to set your blog apart from others. But a difficult-to-use site with a lot of great information is unlikely to garner much attention. First impressions matter, in real life and in virtual life.

Your site should be user-friendly, easy to navigate, and easy to skim. And don’t forget to integrate enough negative space to give your readers somewhere to “rest.”

Focus on making a site that even an older relative could navigate.

How Do I Stop Spam Comments?

If you allow comments, you need to be prepared for spammers and trolls. One way to deal with this issue is by turning off commenting altogether. Or you can also moderate the comments yourself or install plugins that can help reduce the frequency of spam.

How Do Successful Bloggers Monetize Their Blogs?

Bloggers may use their blogs to increase their authority within a certain niche or industry, sell things like memberships, sell digital products like e-books or courses, use affiliate links, or monetize with CPC or CPM ads.

FYI: CPC and CPM stand for “cost-per-click” and “cost-per-thousand-impressions,” respectively.

What Kind of Blogs Make the Most Money?

Before you get your answer, it needs to be said: don’t let the list of blog types inform the choice of your blog alone.

Why? Well, if you want to start a blog about newborns because that’s a niche that’s historically made money, you can only do so confidently if you’ve had a baby yourself or work with babies.

If you’re an 18-year-old single college student without a kid, it doesn’t make sense to start a blog about newborns. Keep that concept in mind before pursuing a subject simply because it historically makes money in the blogging world.

Top Blogging Niches:

Crafting

Parenting or newborn

Health

Lifestyle or family life

Budgeting

Interior Design or home decor

If your blog doesn’t fall under one of these umbrella categories, don’t panic. Ultimately, these are just basic categories that won’t make or break the success of your blog. Stay authentic to what you’re actually passionate about.

How Can I Better Analyze My Website Traffic For Free?

If you want to know what types of people visit your site, you have a few free tools you can leverage. Two of the best are Google Console and Google Analytics.

Both of these tools are easy to install and offer training so you can learn to use them. GC and GA can reveal interesting insights into visitor behavior, backlinks to your site, and other pertinent information about your site’s ranking for particular keywords.

How Long Should My Blog Posts Be?

While there isn’t a hard and fast rule about content length, if you’re trying to get ranked on Google, longer is better. Blog posts between 1500 and 2000 words seem to be ideal. Again, your posts shouldn’t be full of fluff for the sake of reaching those word count goals. Instead, try to create comprehensive posts that cover a particular subject in rich detail.

Will I Make Money Off My Blog Right Away?

While instantaneous success isn’t unheard of, you will probably need to blog for a few months or closer to a year before you see any revenue. Your initial year operating the blog should focus on analyzing what’s working and what isn’t working. Here are some questions you should ask (and know the answer to!) after your first few months to a year of blogging.

What are the most popular posts? The least popular?

What are the demographics of my blog visitors?

How long are people staying on my page?

Is traffic trending up, down, or is it steady?

Starting a blog isn’t going to be an overnight project, but with time and patience, you can turn it into a real side hustle.

How to Start a Blog is a post from: I Will Teach You To Be Rich.

from Finance https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/how-to-start-a-blog/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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andrewdburton · 4 years

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How to Start a Blog

Key Takeaways

Find a niche and post consistently to see the best results.

Focus on quality, longer-length posts.

Use your content to build authority and monetize services.

If you’ve been daydreaming about creating a blog during yet another endless conference call, an excellent place to start is right here.

In case you haven’t heard, content is king. And there are plenty of full-time bloggers who prove it and make a living writing about hobbies, recipes, or workouts.

Writing with authority on a topic provides serious value in an internet landscape, often filled with subpar information.

Like almost everything else in life, you get what you put in.

A great blog involves research, content strategy, and a fresh perspective.

So, if you have a story to tell or a niche to fill, it’s time to learn how to start a blog and unleash your creativity.

Step 1: Pick Your Blog Niche