How to Write a Successful Study Abroad Blog
Keeping a blog while studying abroad is an excellent idea with many advantages. It'll help you learn new skills like writing, marketing, community management, social media, and proofreading. It'll give you a place to process your experiences while you're abroad and figure out how it's changing you and what you're learning. Should you ever want to share your study abroad journey with a broader audience, a good essay writing service can assist you in crafting compelling narratives. It's also an excellent way to remember your study abroad experience. And it could inspire other people to take the plunge and study abroad.
If you've decided to start your study abroad blog, I've got many tips to help you make it as successful as possible.
Find Your Niche
There are thousands of study abroad blogs on the Internet, so if you're going to stand any chance of being noticed, you'll want to find a niche. This could be as simple as blogging about London if you're studying there, but you could also narrow it down to food in London or everything you need to know about moving to London.
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Widening the niche, you could focus on how to explore Europe using London as a base.
You don't have to focus just on location, though. You could aim to write a study abroad blog that covers how you can do the same if you struggle with anxiety or depression; you could write a humorous blog about how not to study abroad, you could share how to stay safe when studying abroad, or you could aim to be the most significant resource on what it's like to study abroad. The possibilities are endless.
Post Regularly
One of the easiest ways to build an audience that keeps returning for more is to post regularly! If you publish a blog post every Tuesday and Friday, people will know when to visit your site to catch up with your latest adventures. If you were to post every day for a week and then not post again for a month, you'd need clarification on your readers.
Be Honest
You'll want your audience to trust your opinion, so don't be afraid to show the opposing sides of study abroad. Write about how scared you are, how you're struggling to make friends, or how you're homesick, and you'll be surprised to see how many people relate to your feelings. Being honest makes you more human to your readers, especially if they've experienced the same things you're going through.
Read Other Study Abroad Blogs
It's research! Spend a day searching for some of the most popular study abroad blogs on the Internet and subscribe to their feeds. Study what types of posts they're writing and whether they're resonating with their audience, and then figure out how you can replicate their success. You don't want to copy them exactly, but if you see that, for example, a packing list post does well, you could also write about what you've decided to travel with.
And Other Types of Blogs, Too
It's also good to read outside your blog subject to see what other bloggers are doing and what works for them. You may pick up some ideas for posts you hadn't considered before, find out about a hot new social network, or even discover a money-making idea through them. Reading widely across various blogs will also help improve your writing skills and encourage you to try new writing techniques and styles on your site.
Interview Other Study Abroad
This is a straightforward way to boost your traffic and introduce your blog to a new audience! Find another person participating in a study abroad program each week or month and interview them for your site. Ask them 10-20 questions about where they're learning, how it's going, their biggest struggle, what they miss most from home, etc.
It's worth seeking out other study-abroad bloggers for your interview series. Once their interview is live, they'll share and promote it to their audience, giving your site a wider reach.
Join Social Media
You're probably already on all the big social media sites, but I recommend creating profiles specifically for your blog. It's a way for your readers to keep up with what you're doing, to see the stuff you don't usually write about on your blog, and even to widen your audience, as people will start finding, for example, your Instagram profile and then heading over to your site to find out more.
Create a Kickass About Page
Most people will look for your About page when they arrive on your blog. People want to know who you are, why you're studying abroad, your history, and why they should care about you. Make your About page the one page on your site you put the most effort into and update regularly.
Write Posts for Other Bloggers
A fantastic way to gain exposure is through guest posting on other sites. If you write a post connecting with that blog's audience, they'll likely come to your site to subscribe. It also has great SEO benefits, so your blog will rank higher in search engines.
Make Your Posts Useful
After you've written every blog post, review it and consider how to make it more helpful for your readers. If you've written about a trip to France, add links to the hotel you stayed in and the restaurants you ate at. If you're writing a packing list post, include links to the brands you've bought for your trip. If you've written about feeling lonely, end your post with tips about what you can do to conquer these feelings when you experience them.
Include Large Photos
These days, most people are very visual and like looking at photos -- it's one of the reasons why Instagram took off so quickly! Keep this in mind as you write your blog, and ensure you upload photos that fit the entire width of the text area. Your readers will thank you for it!
Tell Everyone You Know About Your Blog
Word of mouth is an underrated promotional tool, so once you start yours, ensure that everyone you know knows about it. Ask your friends and family to sign up for email notifications of new posts, invite them to like your Facebook page, and drop it into conversation when you meet new people. You don't want to be so over-the-top that you annoy people, but subtle reminders are always good!
Don't Wait Until You Leave to Start Blogging
Start by starting early and writing about the planning stages of your year abroad. Not only will this help you build an audience before you've even left, but it'll also help you hone your blogging skills well in advance of your departure date. Blogging is tough, and it takes several months to learn the ropes, so set aside some time to understand how it all works while you're still at home.
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