10 Steps to Starting a Lifestyle Blog

Starting a Lifestyle Blog
Launching a new blog? Read our list of steps to starting a lifestyle blog - from managing the tech & content side to networking & peer support.

Launching a lifestyle blog is a lot like starting a new business.

Actually, it is a business. It’s a huge commitment, and it can be a little overwhelming at first as you start wearing every hat imaginable—web designer, tech support, writer, editor, researcher, photographer, social media expert, etc. One of the things I love most as a blogger is learning all these new skills. I’m not sure I fully knew what I was signing up for; nevertheless, it’s been such a rewarding process.

Here are my top 10 tips to starting a lifestyle blog with all the lessons I’ve learned along the way.

Buy your domain

The first thing you’ll want to do is make sure the domain (web address) you want to create is available. You can do this on GoDaddy. If it’s available, and you’re absolutely sure of your domain name, buy it immediately. It’s not that expensive to purchase a domain, and it’s way more professional and memorable than free alternatives, like username.wordpress.com.

Set up your social media accounts

Claim the social media handles you want to use on the platforms of your choosing, and get posting!

It’s great to build buzz leading up to your launch, and it’s also a bit more inviting once you’ve launched for readers to see that your social media platforms are active and populated. Nobody wants to follow an Instagram account with one photo.

You’ll want to concentrate on Pinterest as that’s one of the biggest platforms for driving traffic to blogs. I suggest having a template of what your pins will look like already set up so that you can just pop in your photo and title for quick and easy pins.

This way everything looks seamless. Picmonkey and Canva are great free tools for making pretty and professional pins. Once you’ve launched, you’ll want to join some group boards for added exposure.

Create a business plan

If you’re going into blogging with the intention of monetizing it in any capacity, you need a solid business plan. It doesn’t have to be fancy – create a Word document with your title, a basic logo (more on this later), and a short, concise description of your blog. Include how many posts per week you will be publishing.

“Lifestyle blog” can mean anything, so you’ll also want to specify what kinds of posts you will be writing, for instance, parenting, travel, product reviews, etc. It’s also important  to decide on an annual budget. I personally worked off the idea that I would not earn anything for the first year, so my budget was what I could afford to spend without profit.

Finally, write out your plans as to how to monetize your blog, like affiliate links, advertisements, or product reviews.

Choose a platform

There are tons to choose from: WordPress, Wix, Weebly, Squarespace, etc. I personally love WordPress. It’s customizable, and even if you’re not a designer, it’s very easy to buy a gorgeous design and adapt it to your needs. They have plugins for pretty much anything you can imagine.

Choose a host

I recommend Bluehost. Did a lot of research, and Bluehost was always one of the top suggestions. I like their customer support, and their prices are reasonable as well. I’ve never had any issues with them, not even a single glitch.

 

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Design your blog

Free design templates are often not the best unless you have the technical savvy to customize as you please. For those starting out, I suggest purchasing a theme and then customizing it to suit your needs and brand. I used Pretty Darn Cute Design (the Fun theme), and I’ve been so happy with it. The setup was quick and easy, and their support forum was incredible with any issues I encountered. I’ve gotten tons of compliments on the professional design of my website.

In terms of a logo, if you have room in your budget, you may opt to invest in hiring a logo designer. However, you’ll probably want to have a really solid understanding of your brand and vision before choosing a logo, so I recommend just starting off with something simple, but professional, for the first few months. You can design a logo using Canva or Picmonkey, or you can simply choose an elegant font and make your logo your blog’s name.

Build an editorial calendar 

The first step is to brainstorm as many post ideas as possible. I love Trello, a free organization app that lets you create boards of ideas and color code, sort of like a Pinterest for ideas and project management. I previously relied on Evernote for brainstorming, but much prefer Trello.

You can set up a board with all your post ideas and color code them based on category, which will help make sure you’re not constantly posting on one topic. In each individual idea’s “card,” you can add notes, comments, and most importantly set tasks and deadlines for yourself. Using their Power Up Calendar function, you can view your boards and cards on calendar sorted by deadline. It is such a helpful tool, and again it’s free, which is perfect for those just starting out.

If you have the budget, I would also highly recommend CoSchedule, which lets you create an editorial calendar directly in WordPress, brainstorm ideas, write drafts, sync with Evernote, and schedule social media content directly from your posts.

In creating your editorial calendar, the easiest way to start is looking at a calendar of all the national holidays. What ideas do you already have that are relevant to a holiday? For instance, that chocolate cake recipe for two on your idea list would make a perfect Valentine’s Day post. What other ideas can you come up with just thinking in terms of holidays? This not only makes your job easy, but also makes sure your content is relevant and that you get the best possible exposure on social media.

Save up posts

Everyone has a different idea of how many posts you should save before going live, and I think it really depends on how much time you have to dedicate to your blog. As a mom, I knew I’d likely be unable to meet every weekly deadline, so my goal was to have two months worth of posts. Try to estimate what works best for you.

Save up photography

If you’re using original photography, your future blogging self will be so grateful if you can have lots of great photography already stored up. If you’re writing about food, for example, spend a few hours taking creative stock shots of your kitchen, ingredients, utensils, plates, etc.

Join a blogging network

Join some Facebook groups or online forums for bloggers. It’s so great to have a place to ask a quick question to more experienced bloggers, to commiserate with fellow newbies, and share your victories. One of my favorite networks is Melissa Griffyn’s Blog + Biz BFFs group on Facebook. It’s a large group, so sometimes questions can get lost, but if you bump them up to the top and are persistent, the people in this group are so helpful. They’ve solved many a problem for me, and I like the weekly promotion thread where you can share your latest post with fellow bloggers. 

It’s also great to have a smaller networking group, like Business & Career Networking for Women. Since the group is not so large, your posts will get a lot more attention and you can develop stronger relationships.

Hopefully this takes some of the guesswork out of starting a lifestyle blog and helps you get up and running in no time. We’d love to hear about your progress in the comments below!

Laura Quere

Laura Quéré is a freelance writer and the blogger behind Hudson & Seine, a French-inspired lifestyle blog. Laura is a New Yorker married to a Parisian, and having lived in the City of Light for many years, she loves bringing simple French pleasures to their new life in New York City.

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38 Comments
  1. Hasan @ Dream Life 7 years ago

    I visited your web site today and found it very interesting and well done.
    Thank you for the listing on your web page. You have a good looking web site.
    This website helpful to me .

  2. Ann 7 years ago

    These are all really great tips on starting a lifestyle blog. I just started my blog 6 months ago and am still learning so much. Thank you for sharing!

  3. Katie 7 years ago

    These are very helpful tips for me as I am am only two weeks into my blogging journey and still learning how to get my blog up and running well. I will definitely be using these tips! Thank you.

  4. Elizabeth 8 years ago

    Great tips, these! I started a food blog over five years ago and it’s branching more and more into lifestyle. That’s the wonder of blogging – you can do what you want! 🙂

  5. Claire Santiago 8 years ago

    I have a lifestyle blog and this is really helpful. But for now I can’t follow all those tips/steps because I am not yet full time on blogging. Thank you anyways and hope to read more about blogging.

  6. stacey 8 years ago

    These are great tips. I wish I had more understanding of SEO before I started my blog. I had to go back and fix a few things that I think would have made me more successful for the start had they been in place.

  7. Angela Zimsky 8 years ago

    This seems like a good plan. I am merely blogging for hobby but I will keep this information in mind.

  8. angela Milnes 8 years ago

    This is absolutely sounds a good list and so Interesting for me, Thanks for these tips

  9. Terri 8 years ago

    These are really great tips. I purchased a blog to use as a lifestyle blog but 6 months later I haven’t written my first post. I just needed your tips on how to get started.

  10. Ashlea 8 years ago

    I definitely should have stocked up on posts before going live. That would have benefited me greatly. I am trying to stock up on photos and blog posts now though.

  11. Amanda Love 8 years ago

    It would be nice to choose a theme that would attract readers aside from all the other things that you need to setup, a theme will definitely help. I think these are all important factors. This is such a good guide.

  12. Elizabeth O. 8 years ago

    It’s really important that you set up everything first before you go public. Social Media accounts are definitely going to help a lot. If you’re planning to monetize, getting a host is a must.

  13. Elizabeth Brico 8 years ago

    These are really great tips. I wish I’d seen this article before I got started! I definitely had no idea what I was getting into…I still could use a lot of help navigating the promoting aspect. Some of these tips are still new to me, so thank you!!

  14. Jessi 8 years ago

    These are great tips. It goes along with the posts I did recently about starting out.l I have a series that I am doing for newer bloggers and i love your info that you have here as well!

  15. Ayana 8 years ago

    What a great list! It’s a good bit of work starting out but so worth it!

  16. This is really a well organized list! Interesting to see how other bloggers work or build their work!

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      I’m so happy to hear you liked it! Wishing you the best of luck!

  17. kristen morris 8 years ago

    Awesome step-by-step, thanks for breaking it down so well! I know this is specific to lifestyle blogs, but I feel like it could be applied with some modifications to almost anything.

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      Yes, definitely could be applied to other kinds of blogs, too! Or even business websites! Thank you so much for the kind words.

  18. The Playful Parent 8 years ago

    Your article is full of great tips, very helpful.

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      I’m so glad it was helpful to you! Best of luck!

  19. It’s always interesting to see posts like this and get an inside look at what other bloggers have chosen to do in building their sites. Suggesting a network is a great idea too – what a great way to meet and interact with other bloggers!

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      Yes, networking is key! Not only can you get help and help others, but it’s also just so nice to have someone who can relate and understand. Family and friends often just don’t get it, even if they mean well! 🙂

  20. Sandra crespo 8 years ago

    This is great information! I love how you reminded us that it is the business and we have to remember that and treat it like a business I’m going to check out the trello

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      I hope you love Trello as much as I do. It’s so addictive!

  21. Raine C. S. 8 years ago

    Wow, you really go into some great depth in this article. Lots of really great information here. Thanks so much, I learned a lot.

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      Thank you, Raine! I’m so glad you found it helpful!

  22. 8 years ago

    Great Tips! The camera has become an addition to my body. The need for pics is so constant.

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      Haha, right? The photography is actually the hardest part for me. It doesn’t come naturally to me, but I do think it’s so important to have unique photos versus stock photos when it comes to a lifestyle blog. 🙂

      • 8 years ago

        😉

  23. 8 years ago

    My sister has been struggling with wanting to start blogging. This is great info. Will share.Thanks.

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      Thank you, Clara! Good luck to your sister! It’s hard taking that first step and putting yourself out there, but it’s so worth it when you’re passionate about it.

  24. 8 years ago

    Great tips and your blog is really nice too. Do you travel between the two cities?

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      Thank you so much! We travel a lot to Paris to see family and friends, but we live in New York City full-time. We are always debating if and when to move back though! I think it’s in the cards in the next five years. 🙂

      • 8 years ago

        That’s great!

  25. 8 years ago

    Very clear and concise. I will check out PicMonkey. Thanks!

    • Laura Q Author
      Laura Q 8 years ago

      Thanks! Let me know what you think of PicMonkey! It’s one of the best free tools I’ve come across!

      • 8 years ago

        Awesome!

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