Dec 31, 2013 / Beginner

Get Ready for Zero to Hero: 30 Days to a Better Blog

Tomorrow’s January 1st, and for a lot of us that means it’s resolution time. Whether you’ve resolved to start that blog you’ve been thinking about, plan to return to a tumbleweed-strewn site you started long ago, or are committed to giving your current blog a a little more love, we want to help you get there.

Get ready: starting January 2nd, it’s time for the Zero to Hero 30-Day Challenge.

Created by a team of top blogging experts (i.e., us) based on years of highly scientific-like research (i.e., writing blogs), we’ve created 30 days of digestible blogging assignments that will get you from “What’s this blog thing?” to a blog that you’re excited to publish — and, hopefully, that others are excited to read. If you’re a new blogger it’ll give you a serious jump-start, but we’ve built it to give seasoned bloggers a boost, too.

WordPress HeroAt the end of the month, you’ll have:

  • A half-dozen (or more) published posts.
  • A handful of draft posts and post ideas to help get you through your next 30 days.
  • A customized theme, with widgets to draw new readers in and highlight your favorite reads.
  • A Reader full of great (and inspiring!) blogs to follow.
  • A (small but growing) audience.
  • An understanding of the blogging community, blog etiquette, and how to build a readership of your own.

One bite-sized task a day for 30 days; that’s it. From there it’s up to you, but you’ll have a solid foundation and a blog you’re proud of. We can’t promise you hundreds of readers (if only!), but we can promise that you’ll be doing everything you can to set yourself up for success.

To participate, simply bookmark this page, and check in each day for an assignment (they’ll also be at the top of The Daily Post’s sidebar for easy reference). All past assignments will be listed there too, so you can jump in at any point and catch up — if you’re not reading this until January 10th, no big deal.

Each day’s task will also offer our tips and recommended resources, as well as links to discussions in the WordPress.com Support Forums where you can chat with other Zero to Hero participants. If you want to do more or re-interpret something, feel free! Our only caveat is that you try to complete the tasks in order, since they’re designed to build on one another.

If you’re planning on participating, we’d appreciate it if you could let us know by filling out this short form. We’d love to follow your blogs, and will get in touch at the end of January for your feedback:

Ready? Set? Blog! Assignment #1 will be published here at 12PM EST tomorrow.

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  1. I filled out the form with what I hope to accomplish but when I hit submit I received a blank page. Does anyone know if my stuff was actually submitted?

    I am looking forward to this. I really need help getting in the habit or pattern of blogging on a regular basis. I am actually a Sports & Portrait Photographer and my blog is for my business. blogphotographybychar.com

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  7. I’m excited about this exercise. I want to get to know myself better and express the things I usually keep locked up tight. I’d also like to make my writing more organized and not so all over the place. I’d really like to make some connections with other bloggers, as well. So, if anyone has any advice, please share!

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  10. I started my blog 15 days back & this can help me become a better blogger with greater challenges that it may provide. 🙂

    I’d love to have feedback from you people as to how my blogging has been till now so that I may improve on suggested areas. Looking forward to your feedback. 🙂

    Here’s the link:

    http://anjushreeshankar.wordpress.com/

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  12. Sounds interesting! I love reading about other people’s blogs. I started my blog only yesterday and could sure use a ‘boost’! 🙂

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  13. Now that I am through with grad school, I want to really start dedicating more time to my blog and really give it a boost. As a marketer, blogging is really important to me. I look forward to this.

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  15. Okay I’m reposting this here because I included it when I filled in the form above and I thought it would appear as a comment here but I realise now it won’t so anyway I have a question –
    Question? Will my blog be anonymous? Will people who know me know it’s me eg. by my email address or by it being magically linked to my Facebook account or Google I.D. somehow? (Obviously I realise that the content I include could give it away.)
    Thanks….

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  18. I want to learn and improve my 7 week old blog so other bloggers can see, feel, taste and touch the delights and not so delights of my allotment through my words and pics and enjoy the feast!

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  23. Okay – I’m in! I’ve been blogging for 6 months on WordPress, so looking forward to seeing what I can learn from this. Thanks for doing this!

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  26. Start a blog to express the rest of my upcoming life, my ideas for the future, my philosophies and thoughts, secure a slowly growing audience, display the advancements of my abilities, show the progression of my business, potentially sell some of my works of art, make friends in Florida where I am moving in a couple of weeks, and ultimately establish a network that will benefit me and my company till the end of my days.
    Your blog’s address: http://odinfire.wordpress.com/

    ^^ Excited for criticism.

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