Confession: I've tried to "make a blog work" for nearly 6 years.

In 2016, I thought you just created a blog and shared links to it on social media. Well, we used to. In whatever year that worked...

I've come to realize experts like Dickie Bush, Nicolas Cole, and Khe Hy are right—blogs and podcasts aren't the places to be.

Content Creators Just Starting Out, You Don't Need A "Blog"

If you put up a traditional blog, you're going to have an old-school experience!

Has anyone raved to you about an awesome blog lately? Nope! If you're like me, friends are sending you TikToks daily. You first learn of anything and everything via Twitter. You see ideas gain traction via threads.

I'm not saying NOT to have a blog, I'm saying not to expect it to get you anywhere.

Remember What A Blog (Or Podcast) Is Good For

Use it as a home on the Internet.

Use it as a link you point to and a place where you collect your best ideas for the purpose of showing them off. Use it as a place where you repurpose short pieces of content—but dive deeper.

It can serve as a portfolio.

Don't Test Your Ideas On A Blog

Not even your friends are reading your blog.

Ship 30 proved to me since January that the best way to test ideas is via the marriage that is Twitter + Typeshare! Medium helps. You can even test via Tweets first. If they land, then step up to an atomic essay or thread!

But...you have to test.

The Secret Sauce Is YOU

I got into Ship 30 and saw everyone was, "writing about personal development."

Twitter + Typeshare = a real-time social blog that showed me how to find my way in a crowded space.

Now I'm testing not just "personal development," but—more specifically—personal development for content creators!