The LGBTQ community can never have enough positive representation, so if you think that you have fun, useful and helpful things to say to queer folks, why not start a blog? Gays might lack representation in mainstream media, but online, we can thrive and show our growth. So if you want to express your thoughts, feelings and insights, the LGBTQ community will accept you, if they manage to reach your content. To stay relevant and grow your blog and personal brand, here are a few useful blogging tips for all future LGBTQ bloggers:
Pick a niche for your blog
First things first, you have to figure out what you’re going to write about AKA your niche market. For instance, you can write about the LGBT community or go a little deeper and blog about gay, lesbian or trans issues, LGBTQ people with disabilities, army gays, gay parenting, etc. You probably have more than one thing on your mind, but no matter how hard it is to stay focused, stick to your niche at the beginning of your blogging career. When your name starts to grow, people will continue to associate your blog with your personal brand instead of your niche content, and you’ll gain a lot more freedom when writing.
Customize your design
Your blog design needs to be memorable and unique, so do whatever you can to make it attractive and relevant. It’s possible to create a decent blog using your HTML coding knowledge from school or YouTube, but expect it to pass some time before you settle on a final design. If you can work with a graphic designer, this process will be easier and faster. It’s also possible to find cute website templates for the LGBTQ community online and pay a few bucks to acquire and install them.
Choose a good name
What’s in the name? In blogging, everything! If you choose a very catchy name that not only rolls from your lips but also connects you and your blogging niche, you can keep the idea. A great tip is to use an interesting domain when building your personal website, one that will create a nice wordplay or fit your blog name. With an easy-to-remember name, you will grow your audience easier because people will know how to recommend you to other members of the community and manage to stay loyal to your blog.
Promote your blog
The LGBTQ community is not big, especially in certain parts of the world, but it’s still more than necessary to promote your content on social media. For instance, if you choose Instagram since this is where most of your followers spend their time, it’s not enough to simply write “new post out”. To attract attention and motivate users to click, read and share, it’s necessary to come up with catchy titles, quality pictures from your post, interesting quotes from it, etc.
Show love to other LGBTQ creators
Building connections in the world of LGBTQ blogging is everything, so make sure to follow your fellow queer bloggers, keep an eye on new accounts and peak outside of your niche. Leave likes, comments and shares if you see content that you think is helpful, fun or interesting. If you appreciate instead of hate, you will make a lot of new connections that can turn into partnerships and collaborations. The internet is a big place and there’s enough space for all LGBTQ bloggers out there.
Start to earn money
You might be blogging to express yourself and fill time, but that doesn’t mean that your love for blogging can’t earn you money, honey! The easiest way to make your LGBTQ blog profitable is to jump in on affiliate marketing. For instance, you can do reviews of various items and places connected to your niche, recommend products to your audience, and every time someone reaches the said products through links on your website, you get a few coins. It’s also possible to sell space on your LBGTQ blog for advertising or you can write sponsored content, just make to do your research on the client well and study their history with supporting LGBTQ people and other minorities.
As a queer person, you know a lot of things relevant to the community that need to see the light of day. If you create a good blog, it will reach a wide audience of LGBTQ folks, share knowledge where knowledge is needed and maybe even earn you some money on the side.
