In this post, Cori shares how the influential guidance and teaching of a mentor can positively benefit your blogging success.
What is a blog mentor? A mentor is a trusted guide and teacher.
So a blog mentor would be a trusted guide and teacher who helps you become a better blogger!
Maybe your blog mentor is a blog/author/writer who has been working in the blogosphere longer than you. It should be someone who’s already learned the ropes.
Do you have a mentor? I’ve had multiple mentors. Mine instrumental in helping me to learn new skills. These individuals possess a wealth of knowledge in their fields of expertise. They have been my trusted guides and best teachers. I’ve learned so much from each one. In this post, I’ll show you how mentors and especially blog mentors are instrumental to your success as a blogger.
How One Mentor Powerfully Influenced My Blogging Experience and Success
In 2013, I was eager to learn all I could about becoming a blogger. I searched Google for how to start a blog. My search results found this blog (Dear Blogger) and Greg. I became a daily reader and commenter here at Dear Blogger. I’d start my day with one of Greg’s helpful blog posts and a coffee. As a lover of coffee, I found it warm and inviting that his logo has a coffee cup in it! Greg’s been a fantastic teacher! His blog posts and tutorials have been my guiding lights. It just made sense to adopt him as my mentor!
It has been over 4 years since I found this site and Greg. I credit him for providing me a solid blogging start. He’s also helped me learn and master WordPress, web development, and design. His video tutorials made it possible for me to design and develop several websites for clients. I was willing to learn and practice all he taught me. He was willing to teach and guide me toward successful blogging!
About a year ago I teamed up with him to help others learn how to blog. I assist him in helping people learn WordPress and solve their blogging and WordPress problems. I’m now Greg’s friend, social media manager and also help him with guest posting submissions. I’m so grateful to Greg for the opportunity to learn from him! So thanks, Greg! 😀
From Greg — Everything Cori said is true. Her client websites are amazing by the way. Thanks for everything, especially reading all those guest post emails day and night!
1. Why every blogger needs a mentor.
Why do you need a blogging mentor? I believe every blogger can benefit tremendously by having a mentor.
Great blog mentors are rare gems! They stand out in the crowd!
Without a trusted guide or teacher to learn from you’ll try to figure everything out on your own.
Starting a blog will be more difficult and possibly an overwhelming experience.
Bloggers like Greg who have achieved success already are those you want to learn from.
There’s a ton of successful bloggers out there. The truth is…you don’t want to learn from them all.
You’d become overwhelmed with information overload! There’s so much to learn about blogging!
You’ll learn invaluable tools of the blogging trade that will enrich your blogging journey.
When you practice what you learn you’ll see results. Why? Because they’ve already made it work!
They are great teachers who light your path and guide you toward successful blogging!
A mentor will support you and teach you in ways that help you reach your goals.
The most successful people I know all had the powerful influence of multiple mentors.
2. How do you find a blog mentor?
You find someone who is already successful and is an expert at what they do. This person is someone who as Jeff Goins points out “is closer than you think”. If you are seeking to learn how to start a blog you’d find someone who knows how to do that. The person you learn from best will be someone whose blog is already a success.
Often you don’t need to look very far. Most likely you already know who that person is.
For further reading on finding a mentor;
Bestselling author Jeff Goins in his book The Art of Work says this; “Don’t go in search of a mentor; instead, identify the mentors that are already around you.” Essentially this is what I did with Greg. I was already a follower of his blog. He was already there. For further reading, you may enjoy Jeff’s blog post about How to Find (And Keep) a Mentor in 10 Not-So-Easy Steps.
How to Find a Mentor to Help You Go Further Faster by Michael Hyatt
3. How do you know you’ve found the right blog mentor?
A good mentor is someone who has already succeeded as a blogger.
The good choice in a mentor is someone who is trustworthy.
They have a good reputation.
Good mentors are givers.
Unselfish leaders make the best teachers.
4. Reaching out and engaging with your blog mentor.
Establish a connection over time with the person you’d like to learn from.
Notice what they are doing.What is currently important to them?
Meet up with them online wherever they are at.
What are their new projects?
Maybe they have a YouTube channel with videos to help you.
Show up as viewer and commenter of their YouTube videos.
Subscribe to their channel. Be a regular listener of their podcasts.
Follow them where they are regularly on their social media networks.
Read their blog posts consistently. Comment on their posts.
5. Give without expectation and appreciation.
Being thankful and giving back goes a long way.This is especially true for the mentor/mentee relationship.
Expecting nothing in return will take you even further! Successful blogging is about giving more than you get.
I think that’s why the best mentors are the most generous givers. People love it when what they teach you works.
So reach out and let someone know how they’ve positively influenced your growth as a blogger/writer.
That person might just be your next mentor!
Conclusion
Remember that your mentor was once where you are right now. They’ve paved the way for your success already!
I hope you have been positively impacted by having a blogging mentor as I did. If not, I encourage you to reach out to someone who
has helped you. Establish a communication with that person. Practice all you learn. I promise you that you’ll be on your way to a richer blogging experience!
Join the conversation: We’d love to hear your mentor stories.
How did you find your mentor? Can you name one or two things that you learned from your mentor you’ll never forget?
Hi i just launched my blog and i don’t if am doing the write thing. Am not for get rich quick scheme…i read your articles and i have learnt so much from them…thank you. But getting the right mentor is another problem. If you don’t mind, i will want you to be my mentor.. I will be happy if my request is granted… Thank you.
Sure 🙂 I can be your mentor. It sure helps to look up to someone to give yourself faith that success is out there.
What is your blog and what are you goals now?
Happy New Years 2020 🎉
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Great post ! I want to start a blog about travel and lifestyle and I am trying to find a mentor, do you offer that service? would it be possible to work with you?
Hi Cori, excellent topic and I agree 100% with you that everyone needs a mentor no matter whatever industry they are in.
A mentor who’s already successful in your field gives you an idea about what you can do to speed up your blogging success. Without a mentor, you can still succeed in building a profitable blog that makes money, but you’ll have to struggle a lot and you’ll have to hustle for years (if not months).
But here’s the thing: don’t fall for a spammy mentor who’s just focused on taking money from you. He’s not going to help you in any way. The mentor you choose should guide you properly and encourage you to think big and focus on 10x results instead of thinking small.
I personally like Brian Harris from Videofruit and Ramit Sethi as both of them push you to the next level with their mentorship programs. Even if it costs thousands of dollars to get coached by such mentors, it’s worth every single penny because that money is not going to be wasted.
I loved the quote by Jeff Goins “Don’t go in search of a mentor; instead, identify the mentors that are already around you.” That’s a great reminder for anyone who’s looking to find a great mentor.
Hi Anil. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment! What you said here in the is very true! “A mentor who’s already successful in your field gives you an idea about what you can do to speed up your blogging success.”
I wouldn’t be doing what I do today with WordPress web design and blogging if it were not for Greg…my first blog mentor. I’m forever thankful to him for all he has taught me.
Yes, there are always the ones who overcharge or borderline on spammy. Solid mentorship/coaching programs such as the two you mentioned are a worthwhile investment. I believe a good coach/ teacher/ mentor deserves to get paid for their knowledge. We also need to be teachable and willing to commit and invest in our future. This is also important to our success. As you say .. learn from the experts.
Hi Monica. I’m just noticing my response to you back in January didn’t seem to post for some reason. Have you started your blog? The travel and lifestyle topic sounds amazing!
A mentor is a good teacher. Greg is the blogging and WordPress mentor you need! Here at Dear Blogger, you can find lots of great content for beginners.
If you don’t find what you’re looking for here check out Greg’s tutorial website https://www.dearblogger.com/. You can also head over to Greg’s YouTube channel where you’ll find all you need to start, create, and launch your blog. 😀
Nice article to read.
Useful advice.
Thanks, Munir. I’m glad you enjoyed the read. Wishing you blogging success and valuable mentors/teachers! 😀
Nice blog. Nice writing. I just love your writing. This article helped me a lot to know more about this subject. I want to know more about this subject. If write more about this niche it will help me a lot to know more about this subject.
I agree, Cori. All creatives can benefit from a mentor. They push us further than doing things on our own. I’m thankful to have a mentor for my art. If I didn’t, I’m pretty sure some of it wouldn’t exist, or it would be unfinished. My art mentor tells me to move on and keep creating, and to make meaningful pieces. Know your “why.” We need another pair of eyes to help us through this. And being part of the Tribe Builder’s Network is awesome! There are a lot of people who are helpful in that group, including you Cori. And Frank.
Thanks for the comment Jessica! So true all creatives can benefit from the powerful influence of a mentor/mentors. Still thankful to Greg so much for all his help in 2013. I love helping people and connecting with others in the Tribe Builder’s Network! Frank is a good friend, so helpful and has started an awesome rapidly growing group! Thank you for saying I’m a helpful part of the group! Awesome group of people such as yourself. I’ve enjoyed seeing your awesome so creative art! 😀
Sometimes we just need to see what’s possible from our mentors.
Frank for example is a great writer and a joy to read but also has that ability to bring folks together and create group experiences. Very inspiring.
Not sure what I was doing in 2013 that was so helpful. Need to remember, out of blog post ideas on a Monday 😟😀☕
This is great advice for any up and coming Blogger. Study those who have succeeded if you want to succeed. Learn from those who have done the work and not just written about it.
Great post, Cori!
Thanks, Frank! I appreciate the comment. So true about studying those who have succeeded. I learn from so many people!
Greg, of course, has been one of the key people for my blogging and WordPress. You’ve been a wonderful inspiration to me
about writing and Networking! 😀
Great point Frank. These days anyone can write about how to blog or be a success, and claim they are the first or best at it! I think it’s really clear whether a mentor is a good choice when you look at their desire to help people and create original content. Based on that and a million other reasons, I’d definitely pick you and Cori as Mentors now! 🙂
Thanks, Greg! I’d say the same about you and Cori!