During the past few years, many fitness clubs and gyms have been closed because of the pandemic. And even now, when we are returning to our regular lives, not all people rush to fitness centers that are filled with potential viruses. Instead, they choose at-home exercises with online trainers.
It is estimated that the virtual fitness market is going to hit $56 billion by 2027, so if you are into sports and want to share the knowledge, the time has come! In this article, we discuss how to start a fitness blog and make it a real success.
Types of fitness blog topics
Most bloggers have a specific topic to cover, so they usually don’t experience any difficulties with making a decision. But if you are struggling to choose, let us name the three most common topics to cover:
- Anytime fitness and workout. Make the sessions for busy office workers, women on maternity leaves, and elderly people who have issues with joins or back. Be specific and cover the needs of different categories of the population.
- Nutrition. 80% of success comes from the food that we eat. Unfortunately, packed foods and low awareness of the community make it hard for people to make healthy choices and swaps. You can share nutrition tips, dispel myths, and post video recipes.
- Lifestyle. Apart from training and food, there are other things that influence wellness. For example, stress, sleep quality, and so on. Discuss them with the audience.
1. Define your goals
Setting clear goals is the first step to success. Many bloggers fail because they simply want to “start a good blog.” But this doesn’t work! Your goals should be measurable and specific. For example, to sell fitness equipment on Amazon, gain 100 readers per week, or earn $500 per month from the blog. The more specific you are, the better. You also need to write down the things you should do to achieve these goals. For example, write three 500-word articles a week or spend an hour per day researching topics.
2. Choose your domain name
For many bloggers, picking a name becomes torture, while in reality, this stage shouldn’t take more than a few hours of your time. Here are a few tips to follow:
- The name should be broad in case you decide to expand in the future
- Keep it short, so the audience will remember the name with ease
- Stick to the .com domain name
- Conduct keyword research if you are short of options
- Don’t waste money on expensive domain names
- Use alliteration (it’s when two words start with the same letter)
- Add extra words like gym or class if the name you like is already taken
3. Pick the right platform
There are lots of platforms where you can place your own blog. And the decision will greatly impact the result. Some platforms are free of any charges, while others should be paid for. The most popular free blogging platforms are Squarespace and Wix. While it is a great opportunity for beginners or those who have a limited budget, free platforms come with lots of restrictions, and as time goes by, you will still need to spend money to avoid limitations.
4. Work on design
When you are only getting started, we recommend focusing on the fitness content instead of pouring lots of money into the design. However, there are still a few basic tips to follow:
- Use white space
- No more than two fonts
- Purchase a premium theme on WordPress
- Create a memorable logo using a logo maker
5. Make quality content
When the platform, name, and goals are chosen, work on your content marketing strategy. It involves steps of creating blog entries and engaging the audience. Instead of posting every day, spend some time researching, finding statistics, and coming up with fresh ideas. You should also spruce up your posts with quality pictures and videos. Make sure they are visible on various platforms. Luckily, there are many free video converters for Mac and other tools that don’t require any prior skills, so you can make content in any format.
6. Search for keywords and topics
Blogging is not only about creativity and the stretch of the imagination. It is also about monotonous activities like researching Google trends and finding out what people in your country or preferred category are searching for. You can filter results by location, time period, and other criteria to get the best matches. Another great idea is to see what fitness-related topics are covered by bloggers on the leading platforms and news sites. If the topic is trendy, don’t hesitate to cover it as well. But add a unique vision.
7. Learn from competitors
Working on design, keywords, and video editing surely makes you one step closer to a great fitness blog. However, you shouldn’t forget about one of the simplest and the most effective ways to understand what people want – to research competitors. First, find out who the leaders in your niche are. Then, evaluate their website and make a list of features you could implement in your own blog. Finally, read reviews and see what people like or don’t like about that particular blogger to avoid common mistakes.
How to promote your fitness blog
Creating blog posts is not the only thing that bloggers do. Their daily activities include research and marketing. Here are the most popular ways to promote your fitness blog:
- Link building on side websites, so readers discover you
- Sharing on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on
- Useful posts on Reddit
- Answering on Quora
- Cooperating with influencers that have thousands or even millions of followers
Other ways include offering loyal readers fitness gifts or discounts for being an early bird.
Wrap-up
Starting a blog is a great opportunity to share your knowledge, be useful, make friends, and earn solid money. And even though the fitness niche is rather tight, there is still room for those who are ready to learn and work. With the useful tips above, beginning and promoting a fitness blog will become a pleasant stroll, not a boring and exhausting routine.