I am not one of those career bloggers who will give you a tutorial on how to start a blog. There are already fantastic bloggers that will show you how to do that! No, I’m only a blogger who has been writing and blogging on the Internet for about … five years now. And through it all, I’ve had my doubts about whether blogging is “cool” and “in” in today’s video-centric age. Is blogging cool in 2023? Should you start a blog in 2023?

Absolutely. And here are eight reasons why you should totally start a blog in 2023.

You own the content.

Now, you can absolutely do this with Substack (which is getting very popular nowadays!), but if you start a blog, you do have to pay to set it up, but that means you own your own content. You have your own corner of the Internet to write about anything you want. Isn’t that cool? There is so many things to learn about SEO and social media marketing, and trying to find what type of content to post to reach a lot of people, but don’t forget that you can write about anything you want. Do you want to write about parenting AND pop culture? Start that blog today.

You have your own hobby.

Blogging is fun—when you want it to be. I’m not going to lie—it is hard work. But when you write about what you want to write about, it’s fun. I used to make it so much about the numbers, but when I got back to why I started blogging in the first place, then I remembered how fun it can be. Start your blog today as a hobby—you don’t even need to put money in it!

It can be profitable.

Don’t start a blog for the sole reason of making money … because you won’t make any money off of it for a while. It’s not a get-rich-quick side hustle. (Unless you’re already an influencer and you have a built-in audience.) But I’m not going to lie and say that blogs can still be profitable. Affiliate marketing is very popular among several successful bloggers, especially lifestyle, fashion, and beauty bloggers who promote those products.

Present yourself as an expert.

I’m not saying you’re Bill or Melinda Gates or someone, but when you start a blog and start to gain an audience, that audience can come to you for expertise on something … like you’re an expert! Because you are! If someone is looking for what boots to wear in the fall with a type of sweater, then they can come to your fashion blog. If someone is coming to your blog for what romance books to read in the summer, then they can come to you.

It can be your portfolio.

Do you dream of working in media but have no idea where to start? Dreaming of being a freelance writer but don’t know how to start? Then a blog may be the right answer for you. Write the articles that you would write for those publications, or at least a variation of them. Start promoting those blog posts on your social media platforms and work on building a following. Your blog can be a portfolio that you can show those dream publications that you want to write for (or work for) that you can write.

A blog can expand your business.

Do you already have a business, like a shop, podcast, YouTube channel, etc.? Then consider adding a blog onto that. Now, before your head spins wildly, I know that seems like a lot of work. Consider your band width for what you can add onto your plate. Maybe you have a podcast. Do you have a website to go along with your podcast? Or an Instagram page? Create blog posts to post alongside your episodes. Maybe you have a podcast episode titled, “10 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health In Your 20s.” That can be a blog post with the tips lined out! You’re reaching an entire new customer base on your blog by making it searchable on Google. People who find your blog post can also find your podcast episode on it, and then possibly become a loyal subscriber to your podcast.

You can be your own boss.

Lastly, you can be your own boss. Even if you already have a full-time job, you can come home and work on your blog and like my point earlier, you can write about anything you want and make those decisions for you. It can seem scary being the own boss, but that’s enough reason to do it anyway.