Dr. Freelance, I’ve been blogging for a few months. I usually enjoy it, but it’s a bit frustrating to pour my heart and soul into something and then have practically no traffic and certainly no new clients to show for it. As a writer, I know it’s something that people expect, but I’m close to concluding it’s not worth the effort. Am I missing something? Do I really need a blog just because I write for a living?–Bloggers Anonymous
B.A., I have to believe that every blogger goes through the existential “do I really need a blog?” crisis you describe at some point. This Dr. Freelance blog is relatively new, but I’ve experienced what you’re talking about with my original foray into blogging at Jake’s Takes.
Bottom line, no, I don’t think a blog is a necessity for every writer. Do it because it’s a creative outlet or a business driver, but I would never continue just because it’s an expectation. On the other hand, if your frustration is “why is no one listening?” rather than the act of coming up with ideas and writing about them, you might start by researching how to build your audience. That, of course, is a lot more work than whipping together a few hundred words and hoping that the freelance jobs will come flooding in. Even if you’re not technically trying to make money online, copyblogger provides some excellent strategies for building traffic and SEO.