You want to create a blog that is the heartbeat of your message, your mission, and your marketing activities. Your blog is going to be the foundation to your coaching business because it’s going to be part of your visibility plan.
But starting a coaching blog can be daunting in and of itself. That is why you need to have a plan of action before you can make your blog public. If you want excitement and a community ready for your coaching blog, you need to know how to launch it properly.
If you have been wondering how to build community while building up your blog, here is your ultimate checklist and guide to launching your coaching blog easy and successfully!
Know Your Niche
I recently heard it said that if you know your niche, niche down even further until you’re uncomfortable with niching down. Before you publish your blog, you need to know who you are speaking too.
Identifying your niche can take time, so it’s okay if you are not certain yet, but understand who you’re talking to because that’s going to give you content for your blog.
Have a Website
Many of you probably already have a website for your coaching business. But if you don’t, it’s high time to get a website for your coaching business. This website will host your main website as well as your blog.
I get asked too often if a blog and website should be on different domains and the answer is NO. Do not separate the two; your website and blog should be one. This creates a loyal brand and symmetry.
You can get your domain name for cheap by going to namecheap.com to buy and register your domain. This might be a good idea especially if you’re not certain what domain name you want or if you have an idea, but want to claim it before it gets stolen.
You do not want a free website as that makes your brand look less legit and trustworthy. You want to go ahead and buy your domain, even if you won’t use it. There are thousands of websites coming out every day and you want to get your domain before it gets taken.
Then get on a website like WordPress or Squarespace. There are other websites to get on, but these two are in competition with one another and are the most popular.
If you’re uncertain which one will work best for you, I would advise you to get a free account on both and play around with the free versions before committing to paying for the month;y fee they will require.
Have a Logo
Have a logo for your business? Use that for your blog and website favicon (the favicon is the picture you see on your window’s tab that tells you which site you’re on).
Favicons are 16×16 pixels and you should be able to add that to your website in settings.
You should be put your logo on your blog, blog graphics, content upgrades, and any graphics that you may have for your website.
Don’t have a logo for your coaching business? You can either hire a graphic designer, go to Fiverr or make your own at Canva.
Know Your Brand Colors
Your brand should have several colors and that should be reflected on your blog and website. That means any pictures or graphics you are going to use should reflect your colors as well.
Have an Email Subscription Service
When you start a blog, you want to begin building your email list right away. When you offer a content upgrade, you’re going to give it to your reader in exchange for their name and email address. Having an email subscription service is going to let you collect those email addresses and begin sending out emails to your new subscribers.
There are free and paid services; the most popular ones are Convertkit, MailChimp, and the one I use, Mailerlite.
Write a few Blog Posts
While you’re getting your website all set up, you can begin writing a few blog posts so you can get ahead of the game and have some posts ready to be published.
Write 5-7 blog posts and schedule them out so if you become busy, you can relax knowing that you have a few posts that will come out automatically.
Have High-Quality Photos for Your Blog
Having photos is extremely important for your blog as visuals give your readers a clue about what they will read about as well as make your blog visually appealing.
Think about the blogs you click on while browsing Pinterest. What made you click on that? Was it the image? The headline? Begin to notice your behavior on why you click on certain blog posts and replicate that process.
Once you have a graphic for your blog post, it’s time that you “dress” it up by using my favorite online graphic site, Canva! Create Pinnable graphics with your free stock photos.
Here are my favorite six free stock image sites that I find all my photos for my blog.
Have Your Social Media Accounts set up
One way to get the word out of your blog is by posting on social media. Social media is a great way to build your tribe and community before your blog is published.
Here’s an important note: You need to have separate accounts for your business social media accounts. Don’t use your personal Facebook Page as a way to promote your blog. Facebook is shutting down on that behavior and you want to get into the habit of posting on your business accounts, such as a Business Facebook Page.
Read how to use social media as part of your blog launch to build your community.
Have scheduling tools.
When you have a blog, its best to have scheduling tools in place like Hootsuite, Buffer, or CoSchedule. I know you are running coaching businesses and having scheduling tools will help you remain top of mind to your audience on your social media accounts.
Install Google Analytics on Your Website
Have Google Analytics will help you to know how many people are coming to your blog once it’s published so you can see what blog posts are the most popular and to help you see what people are wanting to read more of.
Create a custom email address.
You want to have a custom email address for your website and blog. This will make look more serious as a coach. I used Gmail to attach my domain to my email and I pay $5/month for this service.
Know Your Content Strategy Plan
Before you hit that publish button, know your content strategy plan to know what you’re going to write every single time that will align with your marketing activities.
Click here to download your free 30-day Content Calendar to start a content strategy plan!
Attend the Free Masterclass, How to Launch Your Coaching Blog Now
Does this sound like too much? You’re not sure what to do next or even how to do it all?
Register for the Free Masterclass, How to Launch Your Coaching Blog Now, that is going to teach you the exact steps how to launch a blog, what kinds of posts you need, and how to gain excitement on social media (and other places) so your community will be excited about your blog!
Your voice needs to be heard and know how to start your blog with confidence is going to impact your reach and the way you show up in the world. Register now and get your seat to know exactly how to launch your coaching blog will excellence!
