Are you considering starting a fitness blog? If you’re a fitness expert you probably have a lot of knowledge to share, and a blog makes it easy to connect to a wider audience. It’s also a great way to market yourself, if you do it correctly. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, more people than ever are looking for fitness expertise they can access remotely, so there’s never been a better time to be a fitness blogger. It’s up to you what your content will be, whether nutrition, exercise, or lifestyle and wellness. Whatever you choose to write about, we have some tips to help you succeed.
Define your objectives. If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t know how to get there, so determining the goals of your blog is a very important first step. Set SMART goals, which, as you probably know, means goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. Is your objective to drive traffic to your website? Gain new clients? Promote products? Use the SMART system to help you define and reach your goals.
Find your spot. What’s your niche? If you’ve already established yourself as a nutritional consultant or personal trainer, it’s easy to know how to align your blog’s topics with your brand. If not, picking a specific niche can help you become recognized as a thought leader on that subject. Don’t worry, being a running coach doesn’t mean you can’t talk about yoga or nutrition tips, it just means that your topics should somehow connect with running. You can choose to create a general fitness blog, which will make coming up with topics easier, but it may be harder to gain a steady audience.
Choose your blog’s name wisely. The name is usually the first things clients know about your business. You’ll want it to give them good information about you, what you do, and what you’re all about. Brainstorm, perhaps with a friend, and think about using your name, your subject matter or a combination of the two.
Pick a platform and provider. New to setting up websites? Here’s an analogy to simplify this part of the process. If blogging is a house, the domain name is the address, the content is the actual house, and hosting is the land on which the house is built. You can choose to self-host, using a blogging platform like WordPress and paying a hosting company like Bluehost or Siteground to store your data. You can also choose a hosting site with an all-in-one platform like Wix. This is an easier option to set up, but you won’t have as much control over customizing and advertising as you would with self-hosting.
Decide who will do the writing. If this is your skill set, great! But if it’s not, consider outsourcing your writing. You can find freelancers to write, do search engine optimization (SEO), create graphics and distribute your content. If you have the budget, you can even hire a web developer to design or overhaul your website. You don’t have to go it alone, because creating consistent content can easily become an overwhelming task.
Develop a solid strategy. How will you approach the production of content? Think about your audience and the problems you want to help them solve as well as all of the things that make your brand unique. Then determine how you’ll get your message out to the people who need it. Research shows that in-depth posts generate more leads than short ones, and the most successful posts tend to average between 1,140 and 1,285 words. Additionally, businesses that publish 16 or more posts per month generate over four times as many leads as those who publish four posts or fewer. Consider reaching out to other fitness bloggers so that you can guest post on each other’s blogs to reach new audiences.
If you’re a fitness enthusiast looking for likeminded people with whom to connect, a great place to do that is a high-quality fitness club. At the Wellbridge Family of Athletic Clubs, we offer world-class training that keeps up-to-date with the latest in health and wellness. At our any of our 18 clubs, you’ll be greeted by our friendly team before you’re challenged and motivated by top-notch instructors in our fitness classes. You’ll make new friends because you belong here. Join today, find a location near you, or contact us to learn more.