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Comment by chrisa | Hacker News Reader

I actually just wrote a blog post about this :)

https://www.breakintoconsulting.com/blog/2018/4/4/tips-for-w...

Basically - I think the point of a blog (at the beginning) is not really to be lead gen for consulting gigs. Instead, it's a place to plant your flag on the internet and say "This is what I'm an expert in".

Eventually, that may lead to consulting leads - but at least at the start, it's really just a way to establish that you know what you're talking about. Either way - if you're thinking about doing consulting, I would highly recommend it.

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> Basically - I think the point of a blog (at the beginning) is not really to be lead gen for consulting gigs. Instead, it's a place to plant your flag on the internet and say "This is what I'm an expert in".

I actually just finished my first gig where a client mentioned reading something on my blog in our first call.

I don't write much or get really any recurring traffic, so I think it's more like having a blog is one way for people to check me out a little further and get a sense that I know what I'm talking about.

It's something I personally plan to invest a lot more time in this year, although I have another reason for doing that (I'd like to start a newsletter and eventually make some courses/ebooks or something along those lines).

I also think that it's a skill in and of itself; if you look at most developer blogs (mine included), it's just kind of a smattering of notes. I'm guessing that writing more longform, specialized stuff more appealing to both potential readers and clients.

Looks like a medium ad to me.

Also, the title says "Tips for Writing Your First Three Blog Posts" but you discuss only about first blog post. Or am I not getting something?

I'm not affiliated with medium at all - it's just the easiest way to get started blogging (in my opinion), and it's what I use (I cross post this blog to medium).

I guess you're right about the three vs one though - I should make that more clear. I used three because it's the number I give in the "First Client Checklist": https://www.breakintoconsulting.com/first-client-checklist

Basically - I say that if you want to be an independent consultant, you should start a blog and write at least three posts as a way of demonstrating that you're an expert in that area.

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