5 Reasons You Need A Blogging Partner

Our host today is Marcus Smith. If you're interested in getting in front of the readers of Site Sketch 101, check out our guest posting invitation here.

The temptation to tackle the blogging world alone is strong. The barriers to entry are extremely low, the rush of publishing material to the world is incredible, and at first glance blogging seems like something that can successfully be done alone.

A quick google search for successful bloggers can turn up several brand names that appear to have created a great living for themselves through solo blogging (Steve Pavlina, and John Chow just to name a few). No one will ever know for sure, but its highly unlikely that these guys are handling all of the tasks themselves.

Blogging, with any expectation of success, is a huge undertaking that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Here are 5 reasons you need to bring a partner along in your blogging journey.

1. Leveraging Expertise and Desire

My partner in crime has a completely different set of skills and interests than I do. As a result he handles any technical issue or need that arises with the site. That means I don’t need to wrestle with PHP, plugins, security, backups, or staying on top of wordpress updates.

In our partnership I am responsible for creating post topics, promoting the blog, looking for partnerships, and coming up with fresh ideas. We split the responsibility for writing 50/50.

Having a partner allows me to avoid the frustrations of things that I detest on focus on tasks I enjoy.

2. Avoiding Burnout/Share the Workload

Its easy to underestimate the amount of work it takes to run a blog. Any respectable blog will have to deal with the following projects on an ongoing basis:

  • Creating compelling content
  • Marketing your content
  • Interacting with the community you build
  • Staying abreast of trends in technology
  • Maintaining a workable backup of your site
  • Off site testing of plugins, scripts, and so on

Depending on your blog you could end up dealing with more than that. Its nearly impossible for one person to handle all of those projects and do them well.

Bringing along a partner produces better results in a much shorter time window.

3. Multiple Points of View

Each person looks at things from their own perspective. As a result the ideas that a person creates in isolation are limited. Bringing another person on board will expose you to all of the thoughts and expertise of another person.

4. Motivation

Blogging isn’t an activity that typically reaps quick rewards. When you’re blogging alone it doesn’t take long before you start to feel like its all a big waste of time. You can work hard and have nothing to show for it. The natural inclination is toss your hands in the air and quit. When work alone its an easy thing to do.

After all no one will know you quit. You can shrug it off without a worry in the world. A committed partner can provide extra motivation to push through the hard times that you face.

5. It Makes Good Business Sense

I’ll assume that you’re reading this article because you want to improve your blog and possibly make some money from your efforts.

If so, ask yourself these questions:

  • How many 1 person enterprises can I name in 10 seconds?
  • How many multiple person enterprises can I name in 10 seconds?

The point is clear. Solid businesses projects involve multiple people. Bill Gates built Microsoft with a team. Steve Jobs built Apple with a team. Technorati has a team. Google has a team. YouTube has a team.

Conclusion

Blogging is a significant undertaking. Thousands of blogs are created each day. You will need help to compete. Think of your blog as a business and bring on a partner that can alleviate the workload and bring fresh ideas to your blog. You wont regret it.

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21 Vibrant Comments

We would love to hear yours!


  1. September 10, 2010

    Murlu said:

    This has come at a perfect time and I have to completely agree that everyone should get a blogging partner.

    It’s common to think that we go at it alone but in reality we all network when we blog.

    Having a blogging partner is just taking the next step.

    So far, personally, I’ve been able to open up a ton of networking opportunities which have lead to guest posts, promotions, featured articles and business opportunities.

    Hell, if I can do it so can you – get out there and find someone you believe would be great for you and get this thing on the road!
    My Latest Blog Post: Murlu Musing- Things I’ve Got Going On


  2. September 10, 2010

    Samuel said:

    I’d agree. A partnership is like a marriage too. There must be good understanding.
    And you have to agree in spliting the income :)
    My Latest Blog Post: Finalmente- fuera de Google sites


  3. September 10, 2010

    Gabriele Maidecchi said:

    You make very valid points, however I am not sure that having a partner makes sense from a technical point of view. The relative simplicity of managing the technical side of a blog, made possible by instruments like WordPress and its various plugins, kinda allowed blogging to be available to masses of less-than-tech-savvy individuals. I understand tremendously successful blogs will require a lot more fine tuning than what a single individual can provide, but a shared engagement will suffice for the most part.

    I totally agree however on having one or more partners for editorial reasons. Blogs ran by a single person offer just the view of that single individual, it can be good if you’re promoting yourself (as a consultant or whatnot) but it’s not very effective all the times in my opinion.
    Having more than one person sharing their view on various topics is refreshing for your audience and prevents you from burning out too quickly.

    The problem? Finding people in your company available to share your burden can be the trickiest task at hand.
    My Latest Blog Post: 6 ways to nurture your blogging ideas


    • September 10, 2010

      Marcus Smith said:

      From a technical standpoint it depends on your proficiency and level of interest in the technical underpinnings of your blog. There have been many minor catastrophes that my partner has been able to cut off without my knowledge.

      The funny thing is I didn’t have a hard time selecting a partner at all. I had one person in mind. He accepted my offer and defined his own role in the first sit down.
      My Latest Blog Post: Why Are Independent Women Lonely


  4. September 10, 2010

    inspirationfeed said:

    Very well said! I love number 5


  5. September 10, 2010

    Abhishek-seekersfind.com said:

    Hi
    This is completely true and great points.Without blogging partner winning people trust is also difficult

    Thanks For Sharing
    -Abhishek


  6. September 10, 2010

    Dennis Edell | Direct Sales Marketing said:

    While not necessarily 50/50 partnerships, I strongly believe in tight associations – assistants, outsourcing, multiple authors, whether guests or regular writers, and so forth.
    My Latest Blog Post: Monthly Comment Contests Coming Soon!


  7. September 11, 2010

    Mandeep said:

    I don’t think it is necessary to have a blogging partner when you start a blog. However, once your blog is getting more traffic and requires maintenance of finances and other things, a partner would definitely help. Nice post!
    My Latest Blog Post: How do you make money blogging


  8. September 11, 2010

    stacy - girlsinthestacks.com said:

    I totally agree. Between burnout, ideas and motivation there is no way I could do it alone.
    My Latest Blog Post: BlogFest 2010!!


  9. September 12, 2010

    Matthew said:

    Excellent Post! I have a couple of partners, and I totally agree that they keep me blogging. I would have quit months ago, if they didn’t rely on me and I didn’t rely on them. Teamwork really is my biggest motivation!
    My Latest Blog Post: Ten Great Apps for iOS Jailbreak


  10. September 12, 2010

    Rahul @ MazaKaro said:

    Nice article. Really blogging partner is a must to boost up so that we will maintain patience for blogging :)
    My Latest Blog Post: Earn money from MazaKaro


  11. September 12, 2010

    Derrick said:

    Totally Agree!


  12. September 12, 2010

    Jason - Affilorama said:

    Hey Marcus, great views about blog partnerships. I also have thought of this before launching my personal blog, since it can surely enhance both individuals’ knowledge about the industry through constant sharing of expertise. It also allows the blog itself to evolve and expand its horizons in time, knowing that 2 or more minds are working on it. Ideas for posts will definitely be easier if you have a partner. Tasks will also be lighter in this case such as the blog’s promotion and social media interactions.

    Regards,
    Jason


  13. September 13, 2010

    Charlie Seymour Jr said:

    This is exactly true.

    My business partner, Dr. Marc Kossmann, and I split the duties on our blog, sharing the load. It’s true that it’s good for business. Having a team gives more motivation to work and multiple points of view: it’s brain storming with lots of ideas come in.

    We share our extensive video work, too.

    Thanks for the post.

    Charlie Seymour Jr
    http://PersonalSuccessMarketing.com


  14. September 14, 2010

    Suzanne Vara said:

    Marcus

    I agree to an extent. Yes motivation and also the technical side are big pluses but there are some that created, maintained and continue to maintain a blog as an individual. Sure, some have guest posts and some due to work load have opened up their blogs to others but this was pretty recent, after they were very successful. Jason Falls, Amber Naslund, Chris Brogan, Jay Baer, Nick here at SiteSketch, Darren Rouse, to name a few.

    Knowing who you are targeting and creating content around them, continuously creating content that is useful and linkable and networking with people that are your target and will help you achieve your goals will bring the success. A partner definitely is helpful but not always necessary.

    @SuzanneVara
    My Latest Blog Post: As A Nation We Unite And Remember


    • September 14, 2010

      Marcus Smith said:

      Suzanne

      I understand what you’re saying but I think you’re looking at the minority of successful blogs.

      I’d also challenge the assertion that any of the above handled content creation, blog design, technical issues, networking, linking, and the other tasks by themselves.

      It definitely can be done, but its the hardest and most cumbersome way to tackle blogging.
      My Latest Blog Post: Are curvy hips more fashionable than a slender body


  15. September 14, 2010

    Kathy said:

    When I first started building websites, I came to the exact same conclusions as you outlined in this post. There are many advantages to working as a team whether it is a two person team or multiple people. I think it is critical to long term success for an awful lot of people. If more people teamed up blogging, fewer of them would quit after just a couple of months.
    My Latest Blog Post: How Sex Can Help You Write Articles That People Cannot Resist Reading


  16. September 19, 2010

    Reza Winandar said:

    I think blogging partner could encourage your blogging spirit, unfortunately I haven’t found yet.
    My Latest Blog Post: 5 Types of Comments That Attract Attention


  17. October 3, 2010

    Dexter Gregory said:

    Personally I agree that having a partner would be much easier when it comes to workload but of course there’s some challenge to work out but it will be much lighter than do it alone specially with a very difficult “jungle” on the web of unknown. Great points you have here!
    My Latest Blog Post: Dexter Season 5 Episode 2 – Hello Bandit