I earn my living as an in-house copywriter. And I love it. I love what I do and where I work.
This blog helped me land this job. I’d been laid off and was scheduled for an interview with my current company. The hiring director looked me up and read my blog post on being laid off, and said that post gave her the insight to decide on me as the person to hire.
That, my friendly readers, is one of the many reasons I encourage anyone and everyone to start their own blog.
Why 1: Your own creative outlet
Your voice. Your content. Your thoughts. Your ideas. Your editorial standards. Your showcase to the outside. Best part is that because it’s your blog, you decide what (and how much) you do and do not want to share.
Why 2: Your own practice paper
Everyone needs quality writing skills; even people who don’t write for a living. Having your own blog gives you room to do that in a space that won’t limit your career options. “This person doesn’t know ‘your’ versus ‘you’re’? No senior VP position for them!”
Why 3: Your professional showcase
I do not share my personal life online; you never know who’s looking. Even my personal Facebook page is a collection of memes and cat pictures. However, professionally? Share it up!
Seriously, toot your horn. Share your knowledge. Show off your expertise, lessons learned, insight, resources, references and anything else that makes you look good. Whatever your profession (or hobby), having your own blog establishes you as someone who knows your stuff. Your blog is part of your portfolio.
And you never know when that can come in handy.
Why 4: Your new revenue stream
This is not for me, but blogging is a lucrative source for many other people. They sell advertising space, become affiliates for products and sponsor posts. Sky’s rather the limit for those willing to put in the work and hustle. If that’s reason enough for you to start a blog, go for it!
I’m not above it; I’m just here for the writing.
Why 5: Your tech-skill workout
Even the easiest blogging platform takes some skill to use. And even the savviest blogger needs to keep learning new tech skills because their favorite platform keeps changing its damn tools and user interface so that even those of who who’ve been working on the back-end for years and can hand-code circles around ourselves just for fun need to spend forever and damn day to figure out how assemble a basic-ass post again. And don’t get me started on the stupid mobile app.
(deep breath)
Start a blog to get comfortable with ever-changing tech. Just sayin’.
Why 6: Your voice grows stronger
The more you write, the more comfortable you grow with expressing yourself. On the page and off.
Plus, the more you write, the more research you do and the more confident you feel knowing what you’re taking about in the first place. Your knowledge base grows. Your confidence grows. You become less afraid to take risks and put yourself out there.
Having a comfortable, well-defined voice feels amazing. You will learn more about yourself writing for yourself, no matter the topic, than you will by writing exclusively for others.
So, if you blog, why? If you don’t, why not? Share in the comments.
Yours, Ducky
Rubber Ducky Copywriter™ 
Nice points. Besides keeping my writing gears oiled, I’ve found that my blog is a one-stop place to demonstrate my craft, and I’ve found that not many of my colleagues have ever maintained a blog ever, which gives me the edge as well. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you run your own blog. And you’re right, it’s your one-stop place to show off and stay in practice. I’ve always found it strange that so many of our colleagues don’t do the same.
Some designers and fellow copywriters I know still don’t have online portfolios. Can anyone weigh in on why not? I’m not judging; I’m genuinely curious.