Starting a blog is one of the best feelings in the world, but at the same time, it can also be one of the lonliest of endeavors. You’re slaving away, trying to figure out this blogging thing and writing the best content you can, and nobody shows up. Launching a blog may as well be called “welcome to the Silence.”

At least, that’s how it used to be.

Social media has changed everything. Before you groan, roll your eyes, and click away, hear me out on this one. You’ll find it worth your time.

You see, people have it all backwards.

The normal sequence of events goes something like this:

1. Start a blog.
2. Write like crazy and hope people notice.
3. When they don’t notice fast enough for you, start doing things to build traffic, like SEO, guest posting, and social media.
4. Apply repeatedly until desired results are achieved, or you burn the hell out.

This is actually a form of top-down thinking applied to something that has no business being subject to top-down thinking: I’ll build a blog, and THEN I’ll try and get PEOPLE to read it.

You see what I mean? BACKWARDS.

Here’s a thought:

What if you got the people first?

Then, all you have to do is simply announce your blog has launched, and WHAMMO! Traffic.

How do you get the people first?

Social media:

• Twitter
• StumbleUpon
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Digg
• Reddit
• Mixx
• YouTube
• Blip.fm
• Utterli
• FriendFeed

Blogs:

• Commenting on other blogs
• Guest-posting

Do your “social media blitz” before you have a blog, not after. Build relationships, build your personal network. Make friends and help others. Without a blog of your own to promote, your motives will be more honest. I bet you will get people asking you, “where’s your blog?” all the time. And you say, “It’s coming. I’m working on it now. Would you like to get on my email list so you will know the moment it launches?”

Now, suddenly you’re building a list of subscribers, too, and you still don’t even have a blog, yet!

When you are ready to launch your blog, you will have a built-in audience who will be ready, willing, and able to promote you from their hearts, out of the bond of real friendship. When you have an army of fans who’ll do just about anything you ask, you have what Chris Brogan calls “Pirates” (which he mentioned in his talk at SOBCon ‘08). So, to run with the pirate analogy, think of it this way: you gather your crew before you build your ship.

There’s only one catch.

You have already know in advance you’re going to do this (in other words, you have to plan it), and you have to get busy and seriously rock it. In the words of Gary Vaynerchuk: you have to CRUSH it.

It is entirely possible now to build up a decent audience before your blog even exists.