You are planning to start a weight loss blog and you are ready to fire up the pistons. It is either due to passion, or you are a niche blogging who is trying to make some money online.
I’m sure you had done your research and you realized that the weight loss niche is highly profitable. For starters, the idea is perfect and the number of search intent is massive.
The exact keyword, “weight loss” has over 1.4 million results and there are 368,000 searches related to this every month.
Bu there’s a little, tiny bit of challenge that you almost certainly will face—one if you overcome it will help you build a super successful weight loss blog.
The weight loss blogging space is really heavy on purely promotional sites, deceptive sales messages, or even scams desired solely to earn some quick money.
All this makes it really hard to build a credible brand that stands out from the crowd.
There’s always a silver lining in anything and same goes to the competitive weight loss night.
There are those who made big money thanks to weight loss blogging and here’s a simple list.
Recommended Resources
MindBodyGreen.com
MindBodyGreen was founded by Jason Wachob, Carver Anderson, and Tim Glenister—all wellness experts and enthusiasts. Their team is one of the best in the business. From top yoga instructors to wellness gurus, and weight loss experts, there’s something for every interest and ability level on this blog.
NowLoss.com
A very successful blog in the weight loss niche by Andrian Bryant. NowLoss.com now helps over 1.5 million monthly visitors look good naked by losing weight, getting curves, and/or building muscle. NowLoss.com is the #2 weight loss website in the world behind commercial giant Weight Watchers.
A Black Girl’s Guide to Weight Loss
A blog where you can join Erika in her journey from 330lbs to personal trainer. Everything she shares comes from her personal experience. An great blog with lots of personal touches.
Now, let’s focus on how you can join the ranks of these quality weight loss blogs.
Use Your Own Name And Personality
In this complex and heavy niche, the only way to rise above the competition is by creating a personality or a brand name that the public can trust.
One of the common things such marketers do is that they never use their real names. Instead, they showcase some lame brand name, like HowToLoseWeightFast, or something.
With the influx of content on the web, building a strong brand for yourself is crucial.
How to build a personal brand for your weight loss blog?
1.
Branding and name choosing the most complicated one of all time. There is no right or wrong and I would recommend you to find a name that resonates well with your overall concept.
2.
Search for the availability of the name on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.) and if they are available, make sure you get them as soon as possible.
3.
Use the same name in everything you do (blogging, outreach etc.) so that it is visible to the public. Brand building takes time, so be patience!
Avoid Promising (In Weight Loss)
There is nothing definite in life, including weight loss. Anyone can lose weight, but how fast you can lose weight is determined by many factors such as:
- Determination
- Strategies
- Food intake
- Beverages intake
- Types of workout
Therefore, you want to be legit — and there should be no magic formula when it comes to weight loss. Your weight loss blog should focus on more workable solutions such as guided dieting, yoga, exercises and other weight loss strategies.
“People are very careful now when it comes to believing any sort of promises. Whenever you say that something will bring massive results you’re immediately becoming suspect.”
Always Get Started With A Name
This is about the name of your site.
Now, you can take one of two possible paths here:
- Get a custom domain at godaddy.com (or some other registrar) and your own hosting account.
- Register your blog at wordpress.com and get a free subdomain.
Both approaches have their pros and cons. The first one is obviously more expensive. You have to spend $10 a year for the domain, and around $6 per month for hosting.
But what you get in exchange is better credibility and a more serious look from the get-go.
Custom Domain vs Free Domain
See the comparison below to compare the custom domain to free domain.
Custom domain
- More control over content
- Not tied down to any terms or conditions
- Better credibility
- Costs around $10 per month (or less)
Free domain
- Lesser control over content
- There are rules an regulations to follow
- Lesser credibility
- Free and premium packages available
Conclusion:
If you are serious in starting a weight loss blog, I highly recommend you to get a custom domain for yourself. Looking for a better deal?
BlueHost is a prominent web hosting company that offers hosting services that start at $2.99 per month, and comes with free domain name! Click here get the deal.
Always Focus In Building Credibility
There are thousands of weight loss blogs in the market today, and you don’t want to get lost in the sea of information.
Trust is the rarest commodity in weight loss blogging. If people don’t trust you, they won’t listen to your advice, and might even find it hard to believe your stories.
Here are some powerful ways to build trust and become an authority in the weight loss industry.
- Create a real profile of yourself,along with complete biodata and photo/avatar
- Consider using storytelling and sharing personal insights to create a voice for your weight loss brand
- Display trust elements to build strong authority by displaying honorable mentions from other relevant blogs or influencers within the same niche
Be Honest — Talking About Negative Things Are Okay!
There is a taboo in the blogging niche—that we should only talk about the good things.
As in life, in weight loss, too, there are good and bad days. Good and bad products. Good and bad people.
“Be strong in telling your story—whether it is good or bad. Do enough of this and you will create a trust worthy brand that others look up to.”
Avoid Using Too Many Ads
There is no denial that advertising is the most intuitive way to monetize a website. However, too many ads on your weight loss blog will just make it look bad and less authority.
Your goal is to create a reputable weight loss blog that offers credibility and knowledge — and having too many ads is not going to help either one of them.
Displaying too many ads will bring your credibility down very quickly. Just one block for AdSense ads (or any other provider) in the sidebar is really enough.
Since you are using limited ads placement, it is important to ensure that you are placing ads on the right spots.
Here are the best ads placement for most blogs.
Publish Only Real Reviews
There is no denial that reviews are great ways to get a lot of sales. However the growth of technology also allows multiple fake reviews which hampers the entire review process.
This is especially visible in the weight loss space where, as we all know, there are hundreds of products available … pills, diets, training programs, training equipment, DVDs, you name it.
If you are planning to start a weight loss blog, focus in publishing on real reviews because it will help you to be more creditable.
More importantly, ensure that reviews are done through proper research or through trusted sources.
Here are some quick tips:
- Always list the bad sides of the product (there surely are some)
- Provide pictures of the product taken by you (or better yet, pictures of you using the product if that’s possible)
- Get in depth to the core benefits the product delivers
- Don’t quote any of the information from the product box or the official website
- Give an honest final opinion
Use Different Types Of Content
Do you know that there are many weight loss blogs on the Internet that are spam?
Spam-bloggers publish only simple 400-word blog posts providing no actual advice. You can differentiate yourself pretty easily by looking at the topic of blogging much more broadly.
Here are some blog contents that you can use for your weight loss blog:
- Infographic (example, top 10 tips to lose weight)
- Healthy food recipe download
- Workout updates
- Recommended weight loss plans
- Workout videos
- Podcasting on healthy lifestyle
Now it’s your turn!
What do you think about using a blog as a way to document your weight loss story? Are you a weight loss blogger? What tips and advice can you share?