The first years of this decade brought many things to a halt.
People transitioned to online jobs, working from home, and gradually expanded into pursuing other revenue streams online.
Many of them turned to blogging.
Among many good blog topics to write about, sports are always among the most popular and interesting for readers.
Sports blogs today always attract thousands of views every day, this is enough to prove the heat of this field.
If you are also one of the sports lovers and want to share your own views with the world, why not start a sports blog today?
But sports blogging requires an in-depth understanding of the field. For example, you cannot write about a bet if you do not understand the secrets of sports betting. The same goes for other sports themes.
Here’s the deal: Knowing about sports is usually not enough for you to become a successful sports blogger.
What then would qualify you to be able to start a sports blog?
Would passion for a sport be enough to start a sports blog or would you have to have a keen interest in all sports?
More on what you will write about later.
Let’s jump in and find out what criteria you do need to meet. Here are some tips on how to start a sports blog and be successful.
What You Need to Start a Sports Blog
Identify ideas
This is extremely important and a prerequisite for starting a professional sports blog.
The topic of sports is very broad, so before you start blogging, you should take the time to think about what specific area you are capable of and how well you understand it.
Know where your focus is. For example, if you only know about European football, then your blog will only direct readers to information and perspectives on European football. You cannot write about Asian football, swimming, or athletics while your scope of knowledge is limited to European football.
So figure out exactly what you can write about and dig into those topics. A professional sports blog has a specific, clear topic, doesn’t ramble, and doesn’t cover too many unnecessary topics.
Choose your sports wisely
If you plan to start a blog about some of the most popular sports in the world – association football (soccer), tennis, basketball, American football, ice hockey, and their likes – make sure you have something unique to say. Otherwise, your efforts will be lost in the crowd.
These sports are not only the most popular in the world but also the most covered – even the local newspapers cover at least some of their events, not to mention the countless dedicated sports portals, YouTube channels, Twitter and Facebook feeds, and everything else that wants to grab a slice of their incredible popularity.
There is no competing with the likes of ESPN or Eurosport when it comes to popular sports. Not to mention the likes of the Action Network that not only cover sports, but provide their readers with added value in the form of predictions, betting odds, and similar services.
From this point of view, a less covered sport with an established fan base would be a much better choice.
But there’s a catch here as well: Fans of these sports tend to be more knowledgeable about them, so if you are not on top of your game, you’ll quickly lose any hint of relevance for them.
Name your website
When you start a sports blog or any blog, you must come up with an available name. Check domain registries to determine which names are available.
The name of the website is extremely important. Sometimes people take this lightly, but if you are a serious blogger, you must be professional right from the name.
Make a name short but enough to impress the reader. This name must convey all the content that your blog brings, which is about sports.
You can set the blog name with “.com”, which helps your blog increase reach and recognition on the online platform. Avoid hyphens in URLs, as it will reduce Google’s popularity for your blog.
When you start a blog and choose a name, make sure the name is related to the sport of your choice.
If you decide to dedicate your efforts to a single team, make sure the name is related to the team of your choice.
For example, if you, say, plan to write about Liverpool FC, you can choose a name related to anything from the color red to Meyerside, the Anfield Road, or even the Shankly Gates, the Kop – other stadiums have kops, but Liverpool’s is the best-known of them.
Remember – the name of your blog will be your brand that you’ll have a chance to develop across a myriad of channels, from Facebook and YouTube to Pinterest and Reddit.
Plan your posts
When you first start a sports blog, you should focus on highly topical articles to attract readers.
In addition, you need to constantly update information and new articles on the blog. The level of appearance of new articles must occur regularly and provide concise information to readers.
How long do the articles need to be when you first start a sports blog?
Each article does not need to be too long, just about 300-500 words, accompanied by attractive images and videos if available.
If you have a deep understanding of sports, you can post analytical articles like articles of experts. These articles will be longer and if the content is strong, it will have a powerful effect on readers.
Here are examples of first blog posts.
Mind your writing style
Once again, we have to insist on your content being more than just the retelling of the news with your own words – this will hardly be enjoyed by your readers.
Unless, of course, you have a knack for writing engaging, entertaining text. Content is king, the old saying goes, but content alone – without a signature style, the right jokes in the right places, even a well-placed piece of profanity every now and then (for emphasis’ sake, not gratuitously!) can turn a dime-a-dozen, boring match report into an experience readers will not be able to get enough of.
And this is what you want to provide, this is what most readers are looking for: something fun to read.
Editor’s Note: Although humor is not normally part of my brand, some of my most successful posts share memes. In fact, a guide to generating “Best I Can Do Is…” memes currently is my third most successful post. The article brings in 6% of my blog traffic.
Start a Sports Blog: FAQ
How do you start a sports blog?
Choose a content management system. WordPress is the most popular. Choose a relevant, memorable name. Decide how narrow your focus will be. Will you start a sports blog about many teams or one team? Will you blog about many sports or one sport? Due to the fierce competition, write in a way that will engage your readers.
Bottom line when you start a sports blog
Building a sports blog is not difficult, you must be professional and elaborate from the simplest steps and provide readers with the most useful information. Building a successful sports blog, in turn, is a different matter.
While yet another sports website with match previews and reports may turn into a side gig that may help you pay the bills, expressing your unique point of view in a unique way will be much more appreciated by your audience.
Readers, please share so new bloggers discover how to start a sports blog.
I look forward to your views in the comments section. Can you suggest more helpful ways to start a sports blog?
This post was contributed and made possible by the support of our readers.
