10 Things to Consider Before Starting a 2nd Blog

Most bloggers at some point face the decision of launching a new blog or just focusing on their existing blog(s). Whether you currently have one blog or ten blogs, adding another is something that should be given careful consideration. Typically, bloggers choose to branch out for one of the following reasons:

Income Potential – Sometimes a blog’s income gets stagnate and in order to increase the amount of revenue from blogging activities, the blogger will choose to launch an additional blog.

Variety – By launching a new blog that focuses on different topics, you can get some variety in your work that may be very much appreciated.

Lack of Results – Sometimes a new blog is launched simply because the existing one isn’t producing the results that the blogger was hoping for. The new blog is then an attempt to reach the goals by starting off in a new direction.

Something New – Burnout is a very real issue for most bloggers. Launching a new blog can bring some added excitement and enthusiasm that may otherwise be lacking.

Although it’s very common for bloggers to launch a new project, it can have serious effects on the productivity and profitability of all of the other projects that you have going on. Before you jump into something that requires a significant commitment, take the time to make sure that the timing is right for you. Here are ten factors that you should consider before launching a new blog.

1. Time

How much available time do you have to work on another blog? Most bloggers do so on a part-time basis, and if you are adding one more blog to manage and maintain, it could have a significant impact on your schedule. I think most of us tend to get excited when we have an idea that we think will work, and that excitement sometimes prevents us from rationalizing about what is really involved. Be honest with yourself. Do you have enough time for a new blog? Don’t just consider the time it takes to write posts. You’ll also have to respond to comments and emails, as well as market the blog. If you are giving up one of your current blogs in order to free up more time, this may not be an issue.

2 – How will it affect your other blog?

If your new blog takes part of your time and your focus, what impact will that have on your other blogs and online projects? If you have other profitable sites, be sure that you won’t be making too big of a sacrifice.

3 – What will take priority?

One of the things you will find is that when you have multiple blogs going at the same time, it’s natural for certain priorities to form. You may not intend for it to happen, but something will be more important and will demand more of your time. The more you throw into the mix, the more this will affect your priorities. Try to anticipate how your new blog will affect you in this way and think about your order of priorities.

4 – Profit potential

Most bloggers attempt to make money from their efforts in some way. Maybe you are selling ads on your blog, or maybe you are using the blog to promote your services. Regardless of your approach, you need to consider the new blog’s profit potential before you start devoting too much time working on it.

5 – Can you transfer readers?

One of the huge advantages to starting a 2nd (or 3rd, 4th, etc.) blog is that you will already have an established audience and you should also have a strong network of other bloggers. These are serious advantages over bloggers who are just getting started with their first blog. If your new blog will cover topics that are similar to your existing blogs you may be able to transfer some of your readers to the new blog by promoting it on your other blog(s). This is probably the best way to quickly build up your subscriber base.

6 – Can you transfer advertisers?

If you sell ads on your blog, you may have an advantage by starting a 2nd blog. Managing advertisers can take time and effort, and if you are able to sell ad spots on multiple blogs to the same advertisers, it could be a nice time-saver. If your blogs target similar audiences, many of your subscribers may be interested in marketing to both.

7 – Is the niche saturated?

I’m not one to say that you shouldn’t enter a competitive niche. However, I do think you should understand what you are getting yourself into, and you should be prepared for the level of competition. Take time to do some research on other blogs in the niche and see what you can learn.

8 – What is your exit strategy?

When you start a new blog it’s always a good idea to think about where you want to go with it long-term. In today’s online environment, that may mean preparing to sell the blog. If this is the case you’ll want to consider what you can do to increase the value of the blog while you have it.

9 – Can you outsource?

The more blog you are running, the more likely it is that you will want to outsource some of the work. Many bloggers now are turning to freelance bloggers to produce some or all of the content. Others are even hiring editors to handle more of the day-to-day operations. This is something that you may want to consider if you expect the blog to be profitable and you have a very limited amount of time available.

10 – Will you run out of ideas?

Running a blog require a lot of interest and knowledge (or at least a willingness to learn) on the subject at hand. How much do you have to say about the particular topic? If it’s not an area that you have a strong interest in, the chances are higher that you’ll have a difficult time finding things to write about.

What’s Your Experience?

How many blogs you own? What challenges does this present to you? If you were planning to start a new blog, what would be the most significant factors for you?