As far as “anime blogging”, it’s been more than 12-14+ months since I started. Though this isn’t my only website.
Over the years I’ve seen countless bloggers fail, quit and shutdown their
But for now, I’ll tell you how to start an anime blog in 7 simple steps. No BS, no fluff, just straightforward tips that work.
Use these tips as a guideline (there’s no such thing as “the only way” to do it). And don’t expect the same “stale” advice given by other so called bloggers.
1. What will you write about?
Seriously, WHAT will you write about?
Lets make things easier for you. Here are the topics in the anime industry:
- Anime reviews.
- Product reviews.
- Recommendations.
- Top 10 content.
- figurines.
- How-To guides.
- Day in the life posts (related to anime).
- Anime news.
- Inspirational posts (like
Anime Motivation ). - Life lessons (like
Anime Motivation ). - Anime quotes.
- Anime cons and events.
- Cosplay.
That’s a good idea of what the anime industry looks like when it comes to blogs and
When I started this blog,
Tons of fans come here to read up on anime quotes and similar content everyday. My secondary topics are recommendations and how to’s, related to
So whatever you decide on, have a main topic and secondary topics. Otherwise you’ll grow bored of writing about ONE thing.
Having secondary topics gives you room to breathe every now and then. And can even spark ideas and creativity. And more importantly: will prevent you from wanting to shoot your blog in the head and give up on it.
2. What are your skills?
This point makes me laugh, because it’s so easy to miss.
I see bloggers in all types of industries doing this wrong. And then wonder why they have 0 shares on any given blog
I don’t want you to do this wrong, so ask yourself: What are my skills? It takes self-awareness to understand this.
Don’t lie to yourself, it will only do more harm than good.
I’m a natural at writing, so it’s no surprise the written word is my main choice.
My secondary choice is audio.
What is your choice?
- Are you skilled at writing?
- Are you charismatic , comfortable or good in front of a camera? (video).
- Do you have a good voice? Are you good at communicating and speaking? (Audio).
Whatever your top #1 skill is in these 3 areas, choose 1. And then let that be your guide.
You can have a secondary choice as well. Anymore than that and your results might suffer.
3. Choose a blogging platform wisely
It’s simplistic to see blogging as “having a website” but that’s just not true.
There are multiple ways to blog without even owning a blog or a website.
Here’s a good range of blogging platforms to choose from:
- Blogger (owned by Google).
- WordPress (my favorite).
- YouTube (video blogging).
- Vimeo (video).
- SoundCloud (Podcasts).
- Stitcher (Podcasts).
- Writing guest articles for anime
websites . - Medium (free blogging platform).
- Quora (not the best, but it has a written platform for blogging).
- Periscope (live
streaming video content).
As you can see, there are more platforms than you realized. Even some bloggers don’t know of these platforms.
Going back to point #1, use your skills and apply them to whichever platform is best for you.
And maybe have a secondary platform, as well.
4. Consider running your own website with webhosting (WordPress)
If you choose WordPress, which I recommend more than anything, you’ll need to pay for
It might sound complicated now, but trust me it’s simple once you understand.
The basics look like this:
- You choose a
domain name (url). - You pay a company to “host” your
websites images, files,domain name and content. - You install WordPress.
- You’re given a url to login.
- And then you set up WordPress.
- After that – you’re done!
I’ll add some resources to the end of this post to help you out.
5. Have a schedule and stick to it
Assuming by now you’ve fully set up your blog, you need to stick to a schedule.
One of the biggest mistakes bloggers make is DISAPPEARING for months or even years. Only to come back and start writing again, when nobody even cares about them anymore.
Imagine if Beyonce stopped making
That’s how you’ve got to look at keeping a schedule. Even if it’s once a week, once a month or once a day, stick to a schedule.
People appreciate consistency.
Personally I’ve stopped following people who were inconsistent, simply because I’d forgotten who they are.
6. Learn the basics of digital marketing, then use your strengths
Unless you don’t plan on promoting your blog, you need to know HOW to promote it.
Digital marketing is slang for “promoting things on the internet”. That’s how you should look at it.
Here’s a couple of methods and things to learn:
- SEO (search engine optimization).
- SEM (advertising on search engines).
- Social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc).
- Email marketing (newsletters).
- Communities (forums, Reddit, etc).
- Guest blogging (writing for other sites).
That pretty much covers the basics. The point of this is to choose the methods that match your skills.
If you don’t, then you’ll struggle to get even 10 followers to care about your content.
7. Don’t quit
If you’re planning on giving up, then you may as well close this page and stop reading.
As I said earlier, I’ve seen so many bloggers disappear in the abyss. Never to return.
They expected “overnight success” too quickly. And that disappointment killed their drive.
So whatever you do, don’t quit. Things happen in time, and not any faster than that.
8. Don’t waste your time obsessing over the “competition”
I’ve noticed this not just when starting this anime blog, but long before this website existed.
Constantly obsessing over what other bloggers and
Comparison is the devil. Focus on YOU. This is YOUR journey. So don’t underestimate yourself.
And especially don’t put a low value on yourself or believe you have nothing to offer.
9. Write from YOUR point of view, and don’t fake it
I see some people being “politically correct” to stay on people’s safe side. And to avoid being criticized.
But here’s the reality: you’ll be criticized no matter what you do.
So why not share your REAL opinions on your favorite or not so favorite anime?
That doesn’t mean intentionally offend others or be an asshole. But it means writing from your own point of view, and not faking it.
10. Be creative and shun tradition
You’ll find lots of content on this blog that’s unique compared to what’s out there.
I shun the idea of being traditional, conventional and “doing the same thing” as everyone else.
And that’s why the content gets shared and is doing better and better overtime.
Personal example: Weird But Effective Anime That Will Motivate You To Study Hard
If you produce the same boring content as everyone else, you can’t expect people to give a shit. And that’s even if the response is negative.
11. Watch A LOT of anime
You won’t find these points being made on similar posts about starting an anime blog.
If you don’t watch a lot of anime:
- You’ll have less to blog about.
- Less knowledge on the topics you choose.
- Less to offer in terms of approach, style and opinion.
- And you won’t be able to produce an endless amount of content in the long run.
That doesn’t mean you have to watch 1000 anime shows. Not even close.
But knowing 100 or 200 shows. Or even 50 is a big advantage, because those 50 shows will give you all kinds of ideas for content.
I’ve made around 5-7 posts on this blog based on 1 anime series:
That’s a lot of posts for one anime series, and there’s more I can do with that 1 anime as well.
One more thing: write from a different angle
Don’t just talk about shows you love, talk about shows you hate.
Instead of talking about the best anime of 2017, do a survey asking your audience what THEY think instead.
Or in other words: approach things from a different angle occasionally.
Resources:
How To Set Up A WordPress Website From Scratch
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Related: How To Make Money From An Anime Blog (Or Website) And Turn It Into A Business
