How to Start a Teacher Blog in Ten Steps

Now that I’m in my 5th year blogging, I feel comfortable enough to write this post. When I first decided to start a teacher blog it was because I love to write, I wanted to help other teachers, and, hopefully, make a profit from my writing. At year 5, I can confidently say that I am doing all those things! And by following the advice in this post, you, too, will be able to start a profitable teacher blog!

Step 1: Discover Your Niche

Every blogger has a niche. You already have the start of your niche by deciding to be a teacher blogger, rather than a food blogger, travel blogger, financial blogger, etc. Now you have to take that broad topic and narrow it down to your blog’s purpose.

Who is your target audience and how do you want to help them?

By answering that question, it will help you decide on your specific teacher blog niche. My target audience is elementary teachers, and I want to help save them time and give them inspiration. While all of my posts are written with that in mind, some of my posts do pertain to reading intervention or all teachers, not just elementary.

So don’t worry about your specific niche restricting the topics you can write about. It’s there to keep you focused and keep your content relevant to your target audience. That’s what will keep your readers coming back for more!

Step 2: Choose a Blog Host

There are a handful of blog hosts for getting started with your blog such as Bluehost, Squarespace, or SiteGround. I am partial to Bluehost. They host my website through WordPress. I have found it a user-friendly platform, and their online customer service is courteous and helpful. Plus, you don’t have to know a lot about technology to be able to write a blog on Bluehost.

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Step 3: Select a Name for Your Blog

Select a name that is catchy and sums up your niche. Also, do a quick online search to make sure that name doesn’t already exist. If it doesn’t, you’re good to go! If not, use a thesaurus or even AI to help you decide on a clever name.

Step 4: Design Your Website

On WordPress, you will choose a layout for your website and design the pages you want. It’s important to have a landing page, about me/contact me page, subscribe page, and privacy policy. You can also add a search page and resource page, if you’d like.

To write your privacy policy, you can model it after other teacher bloggers you follow or search for a privacy policy that is free to copy and paste. It’s important to have a privacy policy to comply with current laws.

Step 5: Write Your First Post

Now, you’re ready to start writing! Choose a topic for your first post and get started. I started with a post I hoped would really help teachers and, possibly, help me a little, too. It was Top 10 Ways to Build Your Classroom Library on a Budget. Even though I haven’t gotten any referrals through this post, it is still one of my most viewed!

Step 6: Add Plug-Ins to Your Website

There are many plug-ins you can add to your WordPress site to help with SEO optimization, analytics, visual appeal, and more. Some have free versions and some are paid. Note: I have never purchased a plug-in and my blog runs well.

Some plug-ins I recommend are Yoast SEO, Shared Counts, Akismet Anti-Spam, Jetpack, and Newsletter. Do some research on the best free plug-ins and start small. You can always add more plug-ins later, or deactivate the ones you don’t like. Stay tuned for a future post all about plug-ins for more details on what each plug-in does for your website!

Step 7: Publish Your First Post

After you have revised and edited your post, you are ready to publish it! If you have the Yoast SEO plug-in installed, also check your sidebar to see if your post is SEO optimized. Once you have published your first post, pat yourself on the back and smile 😁! That is a huge accomplishment that you should be proud of!

Step 8: Share Your Post on Social Media

I highly recommend starting a Facebook business page for your blog and/or a Pinterest business page. If you prefer, you could start an Instagram or TikTok for your blog.

When you publish a post, you will be able to copy the link from the sidebar to add to your social media posts. Doing that will up your exposure and your views!

An easy way to create a pin is through Tailwind. They have a free version to create 5 pins per month. It is a huge timesaver!

Step 9: Decide If You Want to Monetize Your Blog

One of my goals for my blog was to make a profit. To do that I had to monetize my blog in some way. I started with running ads and doing affiliate marketing.

Since starting, I have gotten rid of ads due to the lack of profit after 3 1/2 years. My profit now comes from being an Amazon affiliate. I am also an affiliate of some other brands, but have yet to make a profit from them.

If you are interested in affiliate marketing, choose brands that interest you, and then check to see if they have an affiliate program. Many brands run their affiliate marketing through another company, but it should say that on the brand’s website.

Keep in mind making a profit on your blog is no quick thing. It took me three years, approximately 100 blogs, to even get a purchase and a bit more than that to make any profit.

Even now, it is not something that could replace my every day job, but it is a nice side hustle to earn a little extra! What really helped me in the beginning was joining the Facebook group, The Smart Blogging Approach, ran by Ana-The She Approach. Her page and e-mails are an amazing resource for new and seasoned bloggers!

A couple other ways to monetize your blog is by writing sponsored posts or selling your own products. I do not have experience with those, but I know both can be profitable.

Step 10: Celebrate!

You have officially started your teacher blog! Congratulations 🎉! Now take a screen break and do something fun!

Final Notes

Now that you’ve started your teacher blog, it’s a good idea to brainstorm some topics for your upcoming blogs. Brainstorming topics is helpful, so you always have a fresh idea. When I have the time, I even write posts in advance. That way if I’m really busy one weekend, I already have something ready to go.

Furthermore, you will want to decide how often to post. I posted a new blog once a week the first year, except for during holiday breaks. I also decided to take summers off from blogging, too. Currently, I post 2-3 new blogs a month and refresh old posts for the other week or two.

I wish you much success on your new teacher blogging adventure! Be sure to come back and drop a link to your new blog in my comments section. I’d love to help you grow your readers!