IN THIS GUIDE:
- Step 1: Choose a Name for Your Poetry Blog
- Step 2: Pick the Best Blogging Platform
- Step 3: Create a WordPress Blog
- Step 4: Customize your Blog
- Step 6: Configure Blog Settings
- Step 7: Write Content for Your Poetry Blog
- Step 7: Install Important WordPress Plugins
- Step 8: Promote Your Poetry Blog
- Step 9: Monetize Your Poetry Blog
Step 1: Choose a Name for Your Poetry Blog
Choosing the ideal name for our blog is the first step in the process. Contrary to popular belief, this is more significant.
One’s name creates an initial impression. It’s how you’ll be identified and viewed by others.
The name of your blog should reflect your writing style and the message you want to share with your audience. Make sure it satisfies one or more of the following requirements:
brief and simple to speak or spell
Remarkable
significant to your poetic self
connects with the people in your audience
You might even select your own name for your blog if you want to establish a reputation for yourself.
But bear in mind that a name like Poetry in Motion or Thought Train will likely resonate more with your audience. Just looking at the name makes it simpler to recognize as a poetry blog.
Simply enter one or two keywords into the generator and it will automatically display tons of blog name ideas that you can use.
For more tips check out our guide on how to come up with a blog name.
Step 2: Pick the Best Blogging Platform
Not very long ago, coding knowledge was a must for starting a blog. However, it is no longer the case.
You may register and launch your blog on a number of platforms without ever writing a single line of code.
Although there are platforms that are paid for and those that are free, you should be aware that some of them have restrictions on what you can and cannot do. Choose the one that allows you the most flexibility in terms of how you may develop, expand, and monetize your site.
You may have heard of Squarespace, Wix, and WordPress.com when you first start out. And because it’s so simple to get started, it’s enticing to join up.
However, as you develop, you’ll come to understand that you’re limited in the features and customization options available to you. It will cost you a lot of money to upgrade to a new platform or require you to pay extra for the same benefits.
WordPress.org is the greatest choice since it offers you total control and is also completely free.
Take care to distinguish between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Check out our page on WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org to see the differences.
The top blogging platform on our list is WordPress.org.
39.5% of all websites are powered by this self-hosted, open-source content management system and blogging platform.
Here’s why we recommend WordPress:
Simpleness of Use: WordPress has an intuitive interface. It can take you a few minutes to become familiar with WordPress if you’re a new user. Fortunately, there are a ton of simple video lessons and blog entries available to help you along the way.
Monetization Options: Since you are the one who owns and controls your whole site, you are free to decide how you want to make money: through affiliate marketing, digital goods, adverts, and so on. It is all up to you.
Scalability: WordPress offers you the freedom to expand your blog’s features and functionality as it develops.You may improve your blog with thousands of plugins and themes available.
Cost: WordPress is completely free to use. But you’ll also need to purchase a domain name and hosting package, which can be had for as little as $2.75 a month. Then, based on your website’s requirements and financial constraints, you can select between free and premium plugins and themes.
We’ve chosen the ideal platform, so let’s get your poetry blog up and running.
Step 3: Create a WordPress Blog
To set up WordPress you’ll first need a domain name and a web hosting plan.
- Web Hosting – Your blog is made up of files and a database. You need to store them on a server so that they can go live on the internet. Now instead of buying an expensive server you can buy a hosting plan for a small fraction of the cost. These hosting services will give you access to a server for the period you choose such as 1 year or 2 years.
- Domain Name – A domain name is the web address of your blog that users will type in their browsers to visit your site. For example our domain name is www.BlogTyrant.com.
Usually a domain and hosting plan can cost you around $14.99 per month. But we’ve worked out a deal for our users to get blog hosting and a domain name at a very affordable price with Bluehost.
Bluehost makes it easy to start your blog with these features:
- Free domain registration for 1 year
- 1-click WordPress installation
- Pre-installed SSL for better security
- Free CDN to boost speed and performance
- Free professional email accounts
Bluehost offers one of the most reasonably priced entry-level plans. They also provide a plan specifically designed to work with WordPress sites.
Additionally, Bluehost is offering Blog Tyrant readers a special 60% discount in addition to a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, and other benefits!
SPECIAL OFFER FOR READERS OF BLOGTYRANT
We’ve teamed up with Bluehost to provide our readers a 60% discount! Additionally, you receive a free domain registration for a year, typically valued at $14.99.
ACT NOW TO GET THIS SPECIAL BLUEHOST OFFER
For as low as $2.75 a month, Bluehost provides everything you need to launch a poetry blog.
See our guide to the Best Blog Hosting Services – Detailed Comparison if you’d want to look into further hosting possibilities. We’ll next walk you through the Bluehost setup process.
How to Use Bluehost to Create a Poetry Blog
Visit the Bluehost offer page to get started. You will see the specifics of the unique agreement. As seen by the screenshot below, click the “Get Started” button:
You will be prompted to select a price plan on the next page. A simple shared hosting package may be yours for as little as $2.75 a month.
You may then start writing your domain name. Enter the desired blog name, such as blogtyrant, under the “Create a new domain” option, and select your preferred extension, such as.com or.blog.
If you’ve already purchased a domain name choose the Use a domain you own option instead.
Next enter your account information and review your plan details. The 36-month account plan will give you the best value.
To finish the transaction, all that’s left to do is input your payment details. You’ll receive an email with your login information when you’re done. On your Bluehost account, select the My Sites option after logging in. Here, you must enter your login information to access WordPress.
Once you’re logged in you can set up and customize your new poetry blog. To launch the WordPress wizard click on the Create Site button.
The wizard is really easy to follow so we won’t go into detail. Simply follow the onscreen steps to complete setting up your blog with Bluehost.
If you need step-by-step instructions for the WordPress installation wizard see our tutorial on how to install WordPress in less than 5 minutes.
Step 4: Customize your Poetry Blog
The nicest thing about WordPress.org is that you may create a stunning blog without having to be an expert web designer.
You may activate any of the hundreds of WordPress themes on your website. Then, all you have to do to get your blog live is alter the content, graphics, and perhaps even the colors.
Selecting the ideal theme for your poetry blog is the most difficult task. Before you locate the one you desire, you might have to browse for hours.
We’ve carefully selected the top themes that are ideal for poetry blogs to save you time and effort:
SeedProd (Premium)
The greatest website theme builder available is SeedProd. SeedProd is ideal for you if you want to develop your blog entirely from scratch. Use one of the more than 28 pre-made templates or start from scratch.
All you have to do to create your own design is drag and drop the blocks into the desired locations. Text picture carousels, email opt-in forms, star ratings, testimonials, contact forms, and much more may be added.
See our in-depth SeedProd review to find out more.
Astra (Free)
One of the most used themes is Astra, which is also free. There are more than 230 quick-to-load, lightweight, and highly configurable website designs available. The templates include strong design features that help you customize your layout and select colors, fonts, and other elements.Whether your user is using a desktop, tablet, or smartphone, whatever theme you select will instantly be customized to appear beautiful on every platform.
OceanWP is free.
Another well-liked free WordPress theme with more than 220 sample sites is OceanWP. This implies that you may import a whole website and make it fit your own style. All themes may be fully customized using well-known page builders such as Elementor.Additionally, you’ll have instant access to millions of images from Flaticon and Freepik to easily update your blog’s graphics and logo.
Divi (Premium)
Divi by Elegant Themes is a suite of premium WordPress themes and tools you’ll need for your website. You’ll get access to 2000+ website layouts and 200+ elements that you can add to your pages. They also offer a visual builder to easily customize your blog by pointing and clicking. With Divi you’ll also get access to royalty-free photos icons and illustrations you can use to design your blog.
: Configure WordPress Settings
Once you install your blog’s theme there are a few important settings you’ll want to change in WordPress:
Permalinks
These are your blog’s URLs like poetryblog.com/poem/sunset-tomorrow. WordPress offers a number of permalink options but not all of them are good for your blog. In your WordPress dashboard go to Settings » Permalinks tab.
Under Common Settings select the ‘Post name’ option. This one looks neat and it’s descriptive so it’s good for SEO too.
Blog Page
If you want to create a page that displays all your poems in one place you need to create an empty page and name it ‘Blog’. All you have to do is head over to Page » Add New in your WordPress menu. Add the title with ‘Blog’ and publish the page. That’s all.
Now go to the Settings » Reading page in your WordPress admin dashboard.
In the Your Homepage displays option WordPress displays your latest posts by default. If you want to show a custom page you’ll need to choose ‘A static page’ and select the page you want to display as your front page from the dropdown menu.
Then under Posts page choose ‘Blog’. Once you’re done click the Save Changes button.
Blog Comments
You can allow users to comment on posts. This increases engagement on your website boosts the time users spend on the page and encourages them to visit your website again. To configure the comments go to Settings » Discussion.
Here you can choose whether you want to allow people to comment on new articles.
Now you’re ready to create new blog posts and pages.
Step 6: Write Content for Your Poetry Blog
Poems should be posted on a frequent basis if you want your blog to take off and attract more readers.
You may use WordPress to create blog entries with unique formatting and photos. After then, you may plan them in advance. In this manner, your blog will consistently be updated with new material.
To ensure that readers have something to read immediately when they visit your site, we advise publishing at least three to five posts prior to launching your blog.
You may also post your poems on their own sites and then write about poetry-related subjects on your blog.
To locate post ideas that your target audience might be interested in, you may use tools for researching blog topics. Here are some additional ideas for poetry-related blog posts.
It’s time to start planning and composing your articles when you’ve made a list of the subjects you want to write about.
You must navigate to Posts » Add New Page in WordPress. This will launch the built-in Block Editor for WordPress. Both a title and content are optional. You can add a feature image and category tags using the menu on the right.
When you’re ready hit the Publish button.
In the same way you can create pages under the Page » Add New tab.
If you’re new to blogging you can read our guide on how to write a good blog post for tips.
Next you can start adding tools to add more features and grow your blog.
Step 7: Install Important WordPress Plugins
WordPress is home to thousands of plugins. This means if you just think of a feature you want your blog to have chances are you’ll find a plugin that lets you add it with just a few clicks.
You’ll find plugins to add newsletter signup popups enhance SEO sell digital products and so much more.
Here are the most important WordPress plugins you need when starting out:
All in One SEO (Free)
Among the greatest WordPress SEO plugins is All in One SEO (AIOSEO). You must optimize your blog for search engines if you want it to be seen. You can quickly optimize any page and blog post you make for poetry with the aid of this plugin.
It even does an assessment of your website and provides you with actionable recommendations that you can implement with a few clicks. Your website will then show up in Google search results.
Strong features included with All in One SEO are as follows:
On-page analysis by TruSEO For appropriate on-page SEO, title tags, meta descriptions, and keywords may be added with ease.
Smart XML Sitemaps: Create an XML sitemap automatically and tell search engines of any modifications.
Rich Snippets Schema — Schema markup support to increase click-through rate and traffic to your rich snippets.
Social Media Integration: Manage the appearance of your thumbnails and content on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Link Assistant: This tool will automatically look for internal linking possibilities to improve content discovery for both users and search engines.
And Much More
Find out more about this plugin in our AIOSEO review.
MonsterInsights (Free)
MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress.
Google Analytics will let you track statistics about your blog like how many visitors view your blog how much time they spend reading and where in the world they come from. Now connecting your site to Analytics is quite technical.
MonsterInsights simplifies that and makes it as easy as clicking a button. Then you can see important Google Analytics metrics for your blog right inside your WordPress dashboard.
You can discover how much traffic you’re getting new vs. returning visitors popular posts and pages how visitors found your site and much more. With these insights you can track the success of your blog and improve your blogging strategy.
Follow this tutorial to install Google Analytics on your WordPress blog with MonsterInsights.
WPForms (Free)
WPForms is the best form builder plugin for WordPress. You can create forms to let users get in touch with you submit poems of their own or register for events. You can even run surveys and polls to get opinions from your readers.
Want to sell a chapbook? There’s an option to add downloadable products such as an eBook or PDF along with images and pricing. Then you can set up automated email confirmations to deliver the digital product to your customer.
WPForms comes with premade templates and a visual builder that lets you create any form you need. See how easy it is to create a contact form for your blog.
WP Super Cache (Free)
WP Super Cache is a free WordPress plugin that will help optimize your site’s speed and performance. This will help you deliver a better user experience and prevent users from leaving your site. A faster site is also good for SEO as Google favors sites that load faster.
Sucuri (Free)
Sucuri is a popular security plugin for WordPress. When you run a WordPress site you’re responsible for your site’s security. So this is a must-have plugin to protect your site from hackers. It will regularly scan your website to check for malware and vulnerabilities. It comes with WordPress security features like file integrity monitoring blocklist monitoring post-hack security actions security notifications and more.
For more plugin recommendations see our list of the best WordPress plugins for blogs.
Step 8: Promote Your Poetry Blog
Once you set up your blog and start publishing poems you need to let the world know. You’ll want to promote yourself as much as possible to attract new readers and drive traffic to your blog.
When we mention ‘promote’ most people think of paid ads which can be expensive. We’ll show you lots of free and affordable ways to promote your blog. Let’s take a look at a few different strategies:
Email Newsletters
If you want to build a loyal fan base of people that keep coming back to your blog newsletters are the way to go. When someone visits your blog you can prompt them to sign up for your newsletter.
Then you can send weekly newsletters with updates of the new poems on your blog published books upcoming events and so on. This will get their attention and keep your poetry brand alive in their minds.
Push Alerts
You may set up push notifications to alert your readers when you upload a new poem or blog entry. Notifications may also be customized and sent as needed.
When your reader is online in their local time zone, these alerts will arrive in their browser.
PushEngage is the most useful tool for this. Starting off is free, and as your blog becomes popularity, you may improve.
Share on Social Media
These days, in order to engage with readers and build a fan following, you must have social media profiles. On websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you may register for an account. You may use programs to sync various platforms, so all you have to do is publish to one—like Instagram—and it will instantly post to all of your other social media accounts.
Participate in Poetry Forums
Networking with other poets and readers is essential if you want to establish a reputation for both your poetry blog and yourself. An excellent place to do it is on a poetry forum. A straightforward Google search for “poetry forums” can provide a number of hits.
These forums are similar to online discussion boards where users may provide tips and ask questions about poetry.
Occasionally, when you offer insightful guidance in pertinent discussion threads, you may be able to include a link to your blog, depending on the forum guidelines.This will assist you in attracting targeted readers to your blog.
Wish to launch a forum of your own? This is how to make your blog a forum.
We’ll discuss how to make money from a poetry blog last.
Step 9: Make Your Poetry Blog Profitable
To share your poetry with the world, you might wish to put them up on a blog. To make money from your artwork, you can also wish to monetize your website.
If you’re not experienced, monetizing your site might be rather challenging. However, it’s actually simpler than it looks.
Here are some ideas for making money off of your poetry blog:
Produce and market e-books
Has the desire to publish a collection of poems come from you?
An excellent approach to compile your poetry into a product that can be sold is through a chapbook. Simply copy and paste each of your poems into a PDF document. You could create a beautiful book cover and graphics for the material within using software like Canva.
After that, you may sell this book on your website. The best thing is that you just have to set up the product distribution mechanism and write the book once.
After then, it will operate on its own and bring you passive revenue.
The best way to sell eBooks on your blog is with a plugin called Easy Digital Downloads.
Easy Digital Downloads is the best WordPress plugin for selling digital products like eBooks PDFs videos and more.
It’s also easy to set up. Customers can choose one or multiple products to add to their cart and checkout. You can accept payments through credit card PayPal online wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay and more.
Then once the payment is confirmed the plugin will automatically deliver the digital product to them.
You can get started with the free version or upgrade to the premium plugin for advanced features.
Wondering how to write a chapbook? See these tips in our guide to writing an ebook.
Display Ads
Since advertisements may detract from a website’s aesthetics, many website owners—especially those in the creative industries—tend to avoid them. It could detract from the core of your work and appear out of place.
However, it need not be this way. Ad networks allow you to register and have complete control over the type of advertising that show on your website and where they appear.
You can ensure that the advertisements don’t seem tacky and are appropriate for the topic. Additionally, since your user is more likely to be interested in your targeted adverts, you may improve the likelihood that they will be clicked.
Making an account with Google Adsense for free is one method to get started. Google will then display content- and audience-specific advertisements on your website. You get paid each time a user clicks on an advertisement on your blog.
See our tutorial on adding Google Adsense to your WordPress blog correctly for further information.
Start Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing lets you promote products and services of others through your content. You could find a brand or company that is relevant to your field. So for instance if your poetry tends to be about nature you could find products that are eco-friendly or nature tours & travels. If they run an affiliate program all you have to do is sign up with them and they’ll give you a unique link.
Then on your website you can use this link inside your blog content pages banners sidebar and more. Each time someone clicks on your affiliate link to buy the product you’ll earn a commission.
FAQs
- What is the duration required for monetizing a poetry blog? Poetry blogs may be profitable in a variety of ways, but it usually takes many months to a year. Prioritize creating a devoted following and high-quality material before putting monetization techniques into practice.
- Which websites are the greatest for beginning a blog on poetry? Well-known blogging services such as Medium and WordPress Blogger are great options. Examine the characteristics of each platform and select the one that best suits your needs and interests.
- Is it okay to put pictures on my poetry blog? Indeed, adding photos can improve your blog’s aesthetic appeal. Make sure the pictures fit the general topic and enhance your poems.
- How can I prevent plagiarism on my original poetry? Think about putting a clear copyright notice on your blog and copyrighting the stuff you do. Additionally, in order to reduce the possibility of unlawful usage, refrain from sharing the entire text of your poetry on social media.
- Exist any particular SEO tactics for blogs on poetry? Indeed, pay close attention to the keywords you use in your blog articles and poems. Enhance picture alt text and meta tag headers. Promote your blog on social media to get more exposure for it.
- What kind of content belongs in a poetry newsletter? Exclusive poems, behind-the-scenes looks at forthcoming projects, and subscriber-only deals are all possible included in a poetry newsletter. Make it unique and catered to the interests of your audience.
Conclusion
In 2024, launching a poetry blog and turning a profit will need commitment, ingenuity, and careful preparation. You may develop an engaging poetry blog and open doors to financial success by adhering to these detailed guidelines. Continue to be genuine, interact with your audience, and acknowledge and applaud your progress.
