As fantasy football's popularity continues to grow, many participants have begun creating blogs where they can muse about all things FF. However, getting one up and running is a bit easier said than done. If you’ve been considering starting a fantasy football blog but are feeling a little overwhelmed by the prospect, here are a few kickoff tips.
Find your niche.
There are too many fantasy football bloggers out there who create content with a panoramic approach. They try to do it all—provide readers with player stats, offer drafting strategies, give their commentary on games, and much more. While this “everything under the sun” approach might seem like a good idea, it’s actually not for a couple reasons.
First of all, unless you plan on hiring writers, there is only one of you, and such a broad topical range is just too big for a single person to tackle. Second of all, these types of blogs are a dime a dozen, which means that you’ll have lots of competition. Unless you’re confident that you’re the best and brightest at literally every aspect of fantasy football, you’re going to face some stiff competition.
Instead, find one aspect of the game that you’re passionate about and focus your blog around it. It will help distinguish you from all the rest and will ensure that you’re always writing about something you know you’re a pro at.
Utilize social media.
This rule goes for blogs of any variety. Unless you’re a whiz at search engine optimization, no one is going to find your blog without a little promotion on social media—but you’ve got to be strategic about it. Instead of just tossing out posts everywhere, do a little research to find sites where fantasy footballers like to congregate. And when you do find them, make sure your approach is not all about self-promotion. You’ve got to contribute something meaningful to the pre-existing community or people will generally just ignore or hate on you.
Be persistent.
Most blogs don’t blow up overnight, and when it does happen it’s about 99% attributable to luck. Don’t let the hard road to fame discourage you, though. All the popular fantasy football sites you visit yourself started small in the beginning—think of your time in obscurity as a rite of passage that all bloggers must trudge through. However, if you’re consistent with your posting, provide readers with something unique and meaningful, and are smart with your social media strategy you’ll develop a readership eventually.
