How to Start Your Own American Football Blog

Blogs have become a highly popular source of entertainment and information for readers all over the world. A blog can cover any number of personal interests – from travel to tightrope walking, but sports is one of the most popular niches in the online blogosphere.

If you’re keen to share your knowledge of American football with the world, you might be wondering how to start a blog and attract a following. Luckily, you don’t have to be a sporting professional, photographer or even a great writer to run a successful sports blog. Here are five top tips to get you get started.

Choose a Stance

Consider that there are thousands of people all over the world commentating on sports. Some of them are journalists, some of them are news anchors, and others are bloggers or social media users like you. Sports analysis is well covered, but that shouldn’t put you off – you just need to take on a different stance that will set you apart from the mainstream.

In other words, merely repeating information from the news isn’t enough: you need to offer something different. Could you report on hidden secrets of American football players, for example, or revisit forgotten moments in the sport’s history? Whatever you choose, your unique approach to the game will help you define your blogging niche.

Image Is Important

However compelling your sports analysis, your readers won’t hang around for long if there are no visuals on your blog. The most common way to add images to a blog is to capture and post photographs, but this isn’t always possible at sporting events (unless you happen to be a sports photographer, of course). You can find free to use images online using websites like Pixels, which is what many sports bloggers do. Just make sure you don’t use copyrighted material. Stick to images that are “labeled for reuse” and always credit your source. You should also create a banner for your website that draws readers in and speaks to your brand.

Keep It Short

No one has the time or inclination to read thousands of words on a web page. Most readers will skim your content while commuting, or during their coffee break at work, so you need to keep your posts short and to the point. Aim for 400-600 words maximum, and make sure you break up your text into small sections. When it comes to writing a blog, little and often is usually considered the best approach.

Engage With Your Readers

You won’t have many (if any) readers in the beginning, but as long as you commit to posting regularly and promote your blog on social media, you will slowly accrue a following. Once people start to comment on your posts and interact with you, it’s important to engage with them. It doesn’t matter whether you have ten subscribers or 1,000: you should respond to their comments, thank them for any feedback and always encourage them to spread the word.