Blogging is a natural extension of sharing your passion. It can also produce an income stream if done properly. So what’s the deal? Is it really hard to do? The answer is no, it’s not hard, but the sooner you avoid these mistakes the sooner your blog can become successful.

Probably the biggest mistakes right off the bat is fear. If you have to work up the courage to post something, it’s exhausting and time-consuming and you’re going to avoid it. No posts mean no blog. The saying “feel the fear and do it anyway” applies here. It should get easier as you progress.

Another problem that will kill a blog is that of perfectionism. A perfectionist is never happy and always tweaking. That means posts are far and few between. Nothing is ever perfect and people certainly aren’t. Let you human side show, mistakes and all, and your readers will bond better with you.

Not having a lead magnetic is a mistake. It is so important to build your list as soon as possible that I’d go so far as to say don’t open your blog for business until you have your optin freebie in place.

Not having a call to action in your posts is a problem. What do you want them to do next? This is where you can send them via an affiliate link to a product that will solve their problem, or to your Facebook page, or another post.

Too broad or too narrow a niche are both mistakes. Too narrow means you’ll run out of content and too broad means you’re all over the place and losing people.

Another mistake is not sticking to your niche. Who wants to read about handguns on a photography site? Sounds ridiculous but it happens more than you’d imagine.

It’s a mistake to not have enough quality, actionable content. People don’t want to just read, they want a game plan. They want to be able to think “I could do that, let me try now.” Give them PowerPoints, worksheets, cheatsheets and the like.

Giving up too early or abandoning your blog is wrong. Yes, it can be disheartening when you’re blogging your little fingers off the bone and no one is reading it yet, but don’t stop. Instead, learn how to drive traffic to your blog. Continue to get educated about blogging and stay at it for the long haul.

Being impersonal is another problem bloggers have. Don’t be just another blog. Make yours memorable by adding the missing ingredient, the spice – you.

Blogging can be fun and lucrative and there’s no reason why you can’t get your share. Pay attention to your mistakes and keep focused on your blogging goals.