Since the advent of the digital age, people have more choice when it comes to consuming sports media. Instead of waiting for news, fans can access updates and breaking stories in an instant.
Social media platforms are the quickest way to deliver news, while all major media outlets also have a website for a more complete version of the story. Sports news isn’t however, the exclusive domain of the major operations.
Anyone can start a blog covering their favorite subject. It’s easy to get started, but it pays to take some advice on board before diving in.
Play to Your Strengths
The first point to consider when planning a blog is the subject material. That may sound obvious, but some bloggers fall into a common trap. They tend to look for options that they believe to be the most popular, rather than focusing on what they know and are passionate about.
To use an old sporting saying, you should play to your strengths and work on a subject where you have specialist knowledge. If soccer is your specialty, go for it. If you are a basketball enthusiast, you could focus on the NBA.
It helps if your knowledge is based around a popular sport such as horse racing. You can then cover all the top meetings around the world, listing Belmont Stakes betting and advice to every reader.
We all have wide interests, but there is always one sport that we are passionate about, so make your choice and focus on it.
Choosing a Platform
Once you’ve selected your subject, it’s time to think about the mechanics of your blog. You can hire someone to build your blog for you, but many platforms offer simple ways to set it up yourself.
Google has its own service known as Blogger where the options are completely free. All you have to pay for is a .com domain name if you want it.
Other popular blog platforms include WordPress which offers free and paid versions. The costs involved are minimal, and if your blog becomes popular, there are ways in which you can monetize it to recoup your outlay.
Do some research, choose your provider, and you can get started within a matter of minutes.
Consider Content Carefully
We’ve established that you are blogging about your favorite sport, but what, exactly, are you going to write about? Do you want to reinterpret the news that flows from the relevant channels, or are you looking to offer some opinion in order to stir up debate among your readers?
It’s important to have a plan in place, so that your blog is consistent throughout its lifecycle. Early readers will be confused if you change track after a few months, so put a strategy in place before you start writing. Create a digital business card online and add a link to your blog to share it with everyone who scans your card’s QR code or clicks your link.
If you are comfortable with writing yourself, then it makes sense to go solo in the early stages. If you feel that you need help, it’s possible to hire freelance writers from sites such as Upwork and Craigslist, but there will obviously be a cost to factor in.
Making Your Voice Heard
Building a blog is a popular side hustle and, whatever your sporting niche may be, it’s likely that you will come up against lots of competition. Of course, you want your sparkling content to stand out from the crowd, but you will also need the support of the search engines.
Established websites on the first page of Google and others will get the most attention, so how does a newbie compete? Search engine optimization is the answer, and this is a technical side of marketing where you may need some assistance.
The basics of SEO involve researching the keywords and phrases that people are looking for in search engines and building content around it.
Monetizing Your Blog
You may just want to blog for fun, with the aim to provide yourself with a creative outlet. It’s fine to have that goal, but if you aim to monetize your platform, there are many ways to do that.
Google’s Adsense program allows you to earn money every time a reader clicks on an ad that is placed on your page. There are alternatives to Adsense, along with other money earning methods. Once your blog reaches a certain level, you could look at affiliate marketing, selling ad space and other options.
The revolution in media has opened up space for bloggers to get involved. People set up sports websites for many different reasons, with some looking to monetize their platform, while others are happy simply to write about their passion.
Whichever category you fall into, there are many ways to get started, and you can begin to publish within a few minutes. Follow these tips and you can help your blog to stand out in a busy area of online reporting.