In Praise Of The Humble Blog

With the unpredictability of social media why maintaining a blog is vital for authors in 2025

I started my WordPress blog way before I published my first novel in 2013. In the beginning it was simply named after myself and didn’t have much of a personality or theme going on. But that was okay. I hadn’t published any books yet and was only just starting to build my author platform on social media. I started my blog on the advice of another author at the time and it was a decision I never came to regret. I have loved my blog from the very beginning and still feel very fond of it now.

It’s had some ups and downs. It’s been through some revamps and relaunches until I finally figured out what I wanted it to stand for and project. In essence, The Glorious Outsiders posts about everyday life, family and other personal issues, as well as my writing and thoughts on writing. The name ‘The Glorious Outsiders’ is a reference to the characters in my books who very often are people on the outside, people who don’t fit in and don’t want to.

In the beginning I posted my work-in-progress on my blog. This was absolutely integral to me getting started as an author and becoming brave enough to share my work. At the time I was writing The Boy With The Thorn In His Side and sharing extracts on my blog. I only had a handful of followers on my blog and on social media, but enough of them read the extracts, responded enthusiastically and asked for more.

This was very exciting for me at the time and spurred me on greatly. In truth, I have my humble WordPress blog to thank for everything.

So, why should authors start and maintain a blog? Why should they do that as well as build a social media presence? Here are some good reasons why plus some tips for getting started and for maintaining the longevity of your blog.

1. Social media is fickle – We have seen this in recent years. At one point, platforms like Facebook were more than happy to make your page and your posts visible, but this free visibility has all but shrunk to nothing now. They want you to pay to be seen. For those who can’t maintain a budget for paid ads and boosted pages, the struggle is real. And it can be incredibly disheartening. You shouldn’t give up, of course, but this is where posting to your blog and gathering email subscribers to your blog is worth its weight in gold. YOU own and control your blog. You choose your tags and your titles and every one of your subscribers will see your posts because they will turn up in their email Inbox.
2. Social media is increasingly toxic – We are seeing this more and more and there is seems to be a backlash building from people who are just sick of it. People leaving X for Bluesky for example, or people simply removing apps from their phones or deleting social media accounts to escape the abuse, misinformation and onslaught of targeted ads. Does anyone genuinely like being on social media these days? I’d argue no, especially if they have been present there long enough to witness how much it has declined. Again, YOU are in control of your blog. YOU can moderate comments, block spam or refuse to post comments if they are in any way abusive. Generally, you’ll find that only interested email subscribers will see your posts and you’ve got to assume they’re there because they want to be.
3. For this reason, your blog is better for your mental health – When the internet is full of keyboard warriors and rage posters, it can feel like bliss to retreat to the safety of your blog. YOU have built it yourself to suit your needs. You can post about whatever you like. You can express yourself any way you like. It’s a safe place to be YOU.
4. Social media and writing platforms rise and fall and can’t be relied upon – By all means, join as many platforms as you wish to. In order to build an author platform, for example, it’s advisable to start a blog/website so readers know where to find you, but it also makes sense to be on at least two other sites. The choices are endless these days. Enjoy them and build them, but don’t rely on them. They can change at any moment. Let’s take Medium, as an example. Medium has been for many writers a reliable platform to post on and make money from. However, since January, the site has been going through some major upheavals and earnings for writers have plummeted. Many writers who were relying on the platform for money and exposure and reads of their work, were left shocked. If you’re already posting to other sites such as Substack, or your own blog, then the hit was not too bad. Never rely on these huge companies. Build your own blog. Build your own separate audience.
5. A blog allows you to figure out your writing voice – I am loathe to use the word ‘brand’ here, but that is also what I mean. This took me a while in the beginning but I got there in the end, and the blog gives you the time and space to figure this out. Is your blog based on one topic or theme for example, or several? Do you post daily about your life and thoughts? Or do you only post about your writing life? Blogging for so long on a multitude of topics from life, womanhood, parenthood, ageing, mental health and writing struggles, made it very easy for me to transition to writing and earning on Medium and Substack, for example. Your blog is your space, your playground to play around in and figure out who you are and what you want to say! Who knows where it might lead?
6. A blog gives you a loyal and captive audience – Once people have subscribed, they’re going to get an email every time you post. If they remain subscribed, that tells you to keep going – you’re doing something right! It’s much harder to gauge this on social media where often the visibility of posts is so restricted that no one sees them and you feel ignored and start to wonder what the point is. Many of my early subscribers are still with me and went on to become my first readers as they followed my writing journey. I don’t have to worry about visibility or algorithms, because these readers are subscribed. This fosters a sense of community and loyalty that is hard to maintain on social media.
7. Once started, take it slow – There is no need to rush. This is your space, your blog. Take your time to figure out the theme or topic of your blog and what you want to achieve with it. Look at other blogs, particularly ones that might be similar to yours. How have they built theirs? What do they post? How often do they post? How is their site laid out? What pages have they added? Take time to look around and figure out what you like and don’t like and then take it slowly. WordPress is not too tricky to use and if you get stuck you can always find the answers somewhere fairly quickly.
8. Share your blog to get subscribers – Sometimes this involves reading and subscribing to other blogs. That is definitely one way to get started. Also post to your social media pages regularly and ensure your blog is linked to your socials, so that your posts show up there too. Add ‘subscribe by email’ buttons to your blog – very important! Be patient. It takes time to build a following.
9. Decide how often to post – personally I think it would be unfair on my subscribers to post daily, especially as I tend to use my socials for daily posts. I think of my blog as and end of week thing. What happened that week? What have I been up to? What’s been brewing in my head? What do I want to talk about? You can share extracts and updates on your writing projects, book reviews, personal essays on life itself, photos, interviews and more. The list really is endless. Again, check out other blogs to see how they maintain their content regularly. Mine is generally a mix of writing related posts and personal/life posts.
10. Don’t forget to share posts and cross-posts! – Don’t forget to share once you’ve posted. Using the appropriate tags will also help your post get readers. Share to your socials in the hope of getting more subscribers. You can also cross-post. For example, Medium does not mind you publishing first to your blog. I have recycled loads of old blog posts on Medium. Substack is another one you can cross-post to, although I think they prefer to be the first place you post to. However, you can always edit and revise blog posts to suit different platforms. You can also post stories, flash fiction and poetry to your blog. This is a good way of building up content AND getting feedback from readers at the same time.

Once your blog is up and running, be patient, post regularly, revamp it from time to time and enjoy it for the humble yet reliable and safe place it truly is!