12 Undeniable Reasons People Hate Blogging

I’m going to be honest, it’s not hard to find yourself in a love/hate relationship with blogging. Sure, you know it’s a great way to connect with potential customers and generate leads, but it can also be a real pain in the you-know-what.

Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned vet or just getting started, I present you with 12 undeniable reasons why people hate blogging.

1) “I’m not good at writing.”

While I understand that writing doesn’t come easily to everyone, this is somewhat of a cop out used when people don’t really want to write. You aren’t writing a thesis paper, it’s just a blog post.

You don’t have to be an English Major to write a decent post and it doesn’t have to be perfect either. If you’re capable of having a conversation, writing an email to a client or coworker, or even just explaining the concept you’re writing about, you can write a blog post.

Stop overthinking, and write it in a way that comes naturally to you that your audience will be able to connect with, and then have a trusted coworker proofread it before you publish it. Boom. You’re a writer.

2) “I don’t have time for it in my schedule.”

This is one of the most frequent complaints made when it comes to blogging, and I completely understand why. It takes time to produce quality content, and it’s hard work. There really aren’t any shortcuts. 

Blogging is an important aspect of inbound marketing, and if there is truly no way you can make time for it in your schedule, then maybe it’s time to think about hiring someone to help you out, whether that means outsourcing or hiring someone in-house. Have you ever asked coworkers if they would be willing to help out? There’s no reason for you to put the entire responsibility of blogging on your own shoulders.

3) “I don’t know where to start.”

Simple. Sit down with a pen and a piece of paper and start brainstorming. Why are you writing this blog in the first place? Who are you writing it for? What questions might they ask that could lead them to your blog? Find a trusted coworker to bounce ideas off of, and don’t overthink the brainstorming process. Brainstorming is an important time to keep things light and simple.

4) “I always get stuck and find myself battling writers’ block.”

Writers block happens to even the most seasoned, naturally talented writers. If you’re stuck, take a break. If you can’t afford to take a break, reassess your topic and what you have completed so far.

Did you write an outline before you started? I know some people who can decide on a topic, open a blank document, and go to town, but unfortunately, I’m not one of those people.

Before I write, I brainstorm to come up with the main points I want to make in my post, along with a few supporting items to back up each point, and then go from there. This makes my writing process much smoother, and helps combat writers’ block before it even has a chance to kick in. And, if you’re really stuck, call your Mom. You can read more ways to beat writers’ block here.

5) “It’s such a process.”

I couldn’t agree with this complaint more. There’s so much more than just writing the content involved in blogging. It’s become a real process:

1. Brainstorm
2. Schedule
3. Research
4. Write
5. Edit
6. Create or choose a graphic/image to use
7. Publish
8. Promote/Share
9. Monitor

Again, there are no shortcuts. If you want to be successful, you have to accept that the process exists for a reason. Don’t forget why you’re doing it all in the first place.

6) “It’s such a commitment.”

If you’re going to spend your time writing a blog, you have to stick with it and be consistent. If you start by posting every other day and then don’t publish anything new for 3 months your audience is going to wonder what happened and all of the progress you were making will be kicked back by your lack of consistency.

Stick with it. Figure out a publishing schedule and make a commitment to following it.

7) “Takes too much patience to see results.”

“Patience is a virtue!” My mother used to say this to me when I was a child (she still does) and it drove me insane, but she was right.

If you want your blogging efforts to be successful, you have to be patient, no matter how maddening it seems at times. There is rarely any instant gratification when it comes to blogging, but if you’re consistently putting out quality content, you will see results over time.

To make this aspect a little less painful, set small milestones/goals for yourself, and reward yourself when you reach them. Your post got X number of shares? Fabulous! Take a moment to be proud. Give yourself a pat on the back. Buy yourself a new pair of shoes (I’ll use almost anything as a reason to buy new shoes.)

8) “There’s already so much content out there.”

There’s a mind-blowing amount of content that already exists, and there’s a good chance someone’s already written about whatever topic you’ve chosen… and that’s okay.

It’s your content. Put a unique spin on it and make it your own, or there’s a good chance it wouldn’t appeal to very many people even if there weren’t a sea of content available to your audience at all times.

9) “My boss/coworkers think I’m wasting my time or don’t understand.”

Metrics. Metrics. Metrics! If you can’t tell them, show them!

It might be frustrating at first, but if you stick with it long enough to be able to do a few simple reports and show numbers that can directly be attributed to your blogging efforts, you’ll probably see a radical shift in their attitude.

You might not only get the respect and recognition you’re looking for, but possibly even some leverage to use towards a budget or staff increase.

10) “I’m doing everything I’m supposed to be doing and still not seeing any results.”

If you’re consistently doing everything you’re supposed to be doing to make sure your blogging efforts are successful and you’re still not seeing results, you need to do some serious assessment to figure out why.

Have you clearly defined your buyer personas and are you writing your content with them in mind? Are you promoting and sharing your content? Is your content relevant, interesting, and useful to your audience?

There’s a good chance you’ve strayed from one of those paths and you need to be honest with yourself during your assessment if you want to figure out what you can do to start reaching your goals.

11) “I can’t get people to share/comment/interact with my content.”

Not all successful blogs get comments.  Not all readers of blogs leave comments.  Remember, you’re writing for your buyer personas.

If you’ve determined that comments are important, take a moment a read a few of your posts. Are you asking people to interact with you? Have you written your content in a way that encourages your audience to participate, comment, and interact with you?

As Nora Roberts said, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.” If you’re still not getting the results you’re looking for, see number 10 on this list.

12) “My company/industry is too boring to write about.”

As my CEO says, “There’s no such thing as a boring industry.” No matter how dull you may feel the topic you’re covering is, don’t forget to think outside the box. You’re trying to really connect with your human audience, so don’t write like a robot.

Think of some fun analogies, use your sense of humor, find a few attention-grabbing images to use throughout your content. All you have to do is remember you’re writing for real people, with real problems that you’re trying to offer a solution to.

Whether you can relate to all twelve items on this list, or just a few, the best way to combat your blogging blues is to embrace blogging and all of the hard work that comes with it. Stop looking for shortcuts and get to it - you’ll thank yourself later.