An open letter to all bloggers and blogs during this CoronaVirus Pandemic. As a blogger this time might be the worse time for you or the best Depending on your niche. Are you wondering what to blog or write about during a health challenge like this? Should you bother writing at all?
I say yes! It’s a no brainer. You should definitely write. Write your heart out. Writing is therapy right? What better way to release, and if you can help others through this time even better. It also helps you to focus on something else to think about:This too will pass.
An Open Letter To All Bloggers
Blogging is a long game. The blogging business takes months and years in the making, decades even. For a lot of blogs and bloggers,this might be your first crisis as a blogger,but I can guarantee you it will not likely be your last. Do you want to ride it out? Survive? Come out the other side better? You totally can!
Here’s how:
Keep to your normal routine as much as possible
Yep, keep doing what you use to do. Every niche, every blog, and every blogger will be affected differently (much like every country, city, neighborhood and family is being impacted differently). Don’t overreact or panic, and don’t make any big changes unless and until you really need to (or want to). Traffic for most will reduce, for others it will go up — wait and see how you fare before making any big decisions or changes.
Understand that your blog writing is an outlet for yourself and a resource or distraction for your readers as well. In this time of inconvenience, Your consistency will provide them with consistency, and in uncertain times that has a lot of value. Don’t underestimate the impact your blog can have in the lives of your readers.
Also remember one day, this crisis will end . You can get through these trying times without quitting or changing your niche. Don’t feel guilty for writing about “frivolous” or non-essential things if that is not what your blog is normally about — people need that stuff in their lives! It’s an escape. A joy. If you want to think about it and write about then I guarantee there are people out there who want to read about it. Keep writing the same wonderful content you’ve been writing, and bring a little light into the gloom.
For some type of blogs like personal finance or health blogger, homeschool blogger, you might be experiencing the opposite problem: a crazy boom. This means you either have too much to write about and the zeal to write it all at once. Well the advice “keep to your normal routine” applies to you too. Don’t push yourself too hard.
Don’t add unnecessary pressure to yourself and risk burning out. It’s human nature to want to “make the most” of an opportunity but set realistic expectations for yourself. Only so much is possible especially in the blog world. You can only do what you can do. Sit down and set clear priorities, work on them as you can, and be grateful for everything little thing you manage to get checked off the to-do list.
Write on topics that are relevant but also evergreen
Think about how the current Covid19 pandemic will impact your niche. Travel bloggers are mostly vulnerable during times like this due to quarantines, isolation orders, travel bans, and unprecedented public venue closures. We also should not fail to mention the restrictions imposed in international and local travel. In most cases traveling during this time is a risk and luxury most can’t afford.
So if you’re a travel blogger think: how is this impacting you not as a blogger, but as a traveler? How are you changing your daily life? As a traveler maybe you had to cancel plans, so write a post on how to cancel travel plans. Hotel policies, airlines, itineraries planned through a travel agent, venue tickets, the list is endless and I guarantee you stressed out readers will appreciate a little clarity and focus surrounding how they should go about it and what to expect (what is and isn’t usually refundable, etc).
Other ideas could be How has your travel budget changed? Are you finding really good deals anywhere and are they worth the risk? What’s your opinion on paying extra for refundable tickets or travel insurance? What should you do if you’re stuck at an airport for an extended period of time? What if you’re stuck in a foreign country?
This approach will work for any niche that’s feeling the pinch. Are you a food blogger who writes about making fancy cakes / meals for big parties? Write about cake designs and meals that look classic and expensive but are friendlier on the budget. Blog about how to scale a recipe down for a smaller crowd like family. You can also play around with ideas for what to do with a cake or takeout when your event gets cancelled. The trick is to keep it both relevant but also evergreen.
“How to cancel travel plans” is relevant today but if written right can also still be relevant a year or two from now. Write for the present keeping the future in mind.
Use this time to study and learn
Do you have any courses or ebooks you’ve purchased that have been lying dormant in your ebook folder. Use this free time to read up on all the backend techniques you don’t know. Study up on SEO(finally figure out what keywords are!) and go back and optimize all your old blog posts.
Blogging has a LOT of moving parts, put some energy behind shoring up the weakest areas of your blogs and you could come out the other side of this Covid19 crisis a blogging powerhouse, with all your duck in a neat little row, ready to hit it big at the slightest sign of recovery.
Writing Prompts for Uncertain Times
Note: Storytelling is an important aspect of blogging, but be careful not to lose focus and “vent” your own stresses to your readers in blog posts (it may work on social media though, depending on your niche). Share your stories, get personal, but make sure your priority is always providing the reader with a useful takeaway. What’s in it for them?
An Open Letter To All Bloggers Writing prompts:
- How are you adapting your life (relating to your niche) as a result of the current situation? Share what’s working, and perhaps what isn’t working
- How do finances impact your niche? Supply chains? Talk about how to get creative when resources are limited, how to make swaps and substitutions, how to get by with less than or flow with unexpected changes
- Address specific stresses, and ideas for how to cope
- What are you learning during these times?
- What myths have you uncovered about what people expect vs experience?
- Any problems or issues you’ve seen that seem to be overlooked or under-reported?
- What aspects of your niche continue on, unchanged, regardless of circumstances?
- What worries might people have in your niche that are completely unfounded?
- Give a pep talk
- Has this crisis changed your outlook at all on your niche? If yes, how and why? If not, why not?
Conclusion;
To all blogs and bloggers out there, see this crisis as an incubation period for the boom you have worked tirelessly for. Create content for yourself and your readers. Make sure you are the avenue for their escape in this crisis. Stay away from FAKE NEWS, spread love not fear. I will see you at the other side.
