How To Start A Blog Anonymously - A Guide For Blogging In 2024

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How To Start A Blog Anonymously – A Guide For Blogging In 2024.

You may be wanting to start a blog but don’t want anyone to know about it.

Is it possible to start a blog without showing your face?

Definitely!

This is where anonymous blogging comes in.

It’s not always recommended to blog completely anonymously, but it’s certainly possible and in some cases is the best choice.

It will depend on the level of anonymity you are looking to achieve with your blog.

I won’t be going into using a VPN to stay completely anonymous online or how to buy a domain anonymously.

This post will be to cover blogging but without your name/face being known to the readers!

A lower-level of anonymity if you will, but still very effective!

Anonymous to your readers, not to the Internet itself.

If done correctly, you can still absolutely grow a new blog into something successful.

In time you can change over to start showing your name and face. But this is optional depending on your personal wants and circumstances.

Why Might You Want To Start A Blog Anonymously?

Initially, I think a lot of brand new bloggers want to be able to blog anonymously.

Fear of being judged or that people will “comment” on their new venture, makes the thought of wanting to make an anonymous blog a lot more appealing.

There’s a difference between wanting to know how to start a blog anonymously, and wanting to blog anonymously forever.

By this I mean that a lot of new bloggers don’t want to be linked to their new blog but only in the early stages. After a while you may want to show your face or name!

This would mean you don’t put your name over your website. You may not put your picture on your new blog. You may not advertise or promote your new blog on your own social media accounts. This is exactly what I was like with my first ever blog!

Even though the people around me were amazing, I initially didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t have anything identifying on my blog and never shared it on social media.

I think so many of us worry (too much so!) on what others think or may say.

In the early stages it can be tricky as you don’t feel you have the experience to answer their questions or reply to comments.

You don’t have to! You are doing this for you.

The end.

No matter the end goal (as an emotional outlet or wanting to create a hugely successful business), it’s no one else’s choice or business other than your own.

You’re doing this for you!

Confidence in it will come in time. There is nothing wrong with wanting to keep it all under wraps until you feel more grounded and confident in your decision.

I didn’t have a profile picture or name on my first blog for a long time. I then started adding in my name at the end of posts and linked social media accounts. This wasn’t to share on my accounts for people to see, but allowed others to follow me/share things.

One step at a time, however you are comfortable.

As time goes on though you may find you want to start adding in your name, adding in a picture, sharing the odd post on social media etc too.

You can also change usernames and social media handles if required too! If you are blogging under a brand name as opposed to your real name, this won’t be necessary.

If you think this will be the case for you, I would recommend setting your blog and any linked social media accounts up now, but keeping it lowkey in the beginning.

The anonymity you are looking for at this stage is different to wanting to own a forever-anonymous blog.

The next points will be more aimed at those who want to remain completely anonymous throughout their blogging journey/career.

Don’t Put Your Name Anywhere

This point may seem obvious but I wanted to mention it in case there was anywhere you hadn’t thought of.

If you are wanting to start a blog completely anonymously, you need to make sure your name isn’t anywhere on your blog, or linking to your blog.

Of course you won’t have your name in your blog name, in posts or on your “about me” page.

Other things to consider though would be not to link an email address that has your real name in. Not using your real name at the end of any email marketing campaigns, or not having your name attached to your “thank you” page from a contact form or pop up.

(Funny story; I used to work in customer service and once had an angry customer make a complaint. He was adamant not to give me his name, but when I asked for his contact details his email was (firstname).(surname)@…. )

Not quite so anonymous when you link back to an email or account that has your name in!

You can either choose a name to use that’s completely random, or you can use a pseudonym.

Pseudonyms are always popular with authors and can be a fun way of expressing yourself and your creativity but without having the pressure of it being linked to your own name.

You can of course grow your whole brand around your pseudonym if this is the more long term route you want to go down and are happy to not have your real name attached!

Anonymous Social Media Accounts

You have a couple of options when it comes to social media accounts linked to your blog.

You have a couple of options here for what you want to do to keep your anonymity.

Option 1 is to not have any social media accounts linked to your blog at all. This would be detrimental to any marketing or sharing you or your readers may want to do. Social Media can be one of the best ways to promote a new blog so while this is an option, it’s not an ideal one!

The second option is to create brand new social media accounts under your pseudonym or a different username. This way you can grow your blog while being able to promote it! This may take more time as you will be growing new social media accounts while also growing your blog.

If you are starting new Social Media accounts for your new blog/business anyway, then this option is ideal!

If you are wanting to truly start a blog anonymously, I would advise opting for either of the above options. Using old and established social media accounts and changing username/email could be done, but you would have to remove everyone who knows you off of the accounts anyway, and it may still show up with your name somewhere.

To start a blog anonymously, either start brand new anonymous accounts, or don’t link back to any social media accounts.

Use A Platform Designed For Anonymous Blogging

There are platforms that are designed specifically for you to start a blog anonymously.

They can be good options for running an anonymous blog.

You can find anonymous blogging sites. Websites like Ghost and WordPress.com (the free version) give you options to start a blog anonymously.

Are they ideal for those wanting to stay completely anonymous? Yes.

On the flip side, are they ideal for those who want to fully monetize their blog? No.

The option is of course there, but I would only recommend this option to those who absolutely need to stay anonymous for the duration of their blogging journey. That and those who aren’t ever wanting to earn an income from their blog.

You can make money with an anonymous blog, but it’s harder.

Here’s why…

The Downsides Of Blogging Anonymously

As with anything, there are pros and cons to each choice.

One of the big downsides when you choose to start a blog anonymously is that it becomes a lot trickier to build an audience. People often enjoy blogs because of the personal feel. It’s much tricker to build a relationship with your audience if they have zero idea who’s blog they are on.

Readers often want to connect with bloggers on a personal level, so not being able to put a face or personality to the content can make it more challenging to engage and retain readers.

Following on from this, it can be tricker to come across as credible. When you blog anonymously, readers may question your credibility and expertise on the topic you’re discussing. Without being able to identify who you are or your experience, it can be difficult for readers to trust the information you’re sharing.

This isn’t always the case and of course depends on the nature of the information you are sharing, but it’s something to keep in mind.

As an example, it’s tricky trusting a review of something from someone you know literally nothing about!

To cover a point I touched on earlier, it can also be tricky to make an income from a fully anonymous blog. This is the same as missing out on collaborations with other bloggers and content creators.

This is in part because brands themselves don’t know who you are!

They will be wanting to put their name forward to collaborate and work with you as they like your content. What may hold them back though is that there is no indication of who you are or whether you are the kind of person they would be wanting to work with.

Most often, brands and other bloggers will choose to work with those who are open and transparent about their identities – at least to some degree!

This also applies for monetising your blog. Monetising your blog through advertising, sponsorships, or affiliate marketing can be more challenging when you’re blogging anonymously. Brands and advertisers typically prefer to work with bloggers who are open about their identities and have a strong online presence.

This is not to say there aren’t exceptions to these rules of course!

This was just to be transparent with some of the issues you may face if you do choose to start a blog anonymously.

Legal Implications

Just a quick note!

Please be aware that even if you blog completely anonymously, that does not shield you from potential legal implications. You will still need to be careful and courteous in what content you post, in terms of libel or defamation.

If you write on highly controversial/illegal topics or share others personal information or sensitive information, the anonymity won’t stop you from any potential future consequences. Personally or legally.

This goes for both blogging and any emails/social media accounts you set up anonymously.

Of course this point won’t apply to 99% of people reading this, but just something to keep in mind!

I hope this has helped to explain how to start a blog anonymously in 2024!

Overall, while there may be some benefits to blogging anonymously, there are also the mentioned downsides to consider before making that choice.

There are definitely ways it can be done, and reasons why it’s a good idea!

If you just want to be able to write anonymously and have your blog as an online journal, it would be ideal.

For the majority of people wanting to blog anonymously though, I would still choose a self-hosted website (a mix of wordpress.org and a decent but affordable hosting company would be my top recommendation).

You can start off keeping your name, picture and identity under wraps and only add these in when you feel more comfortable.

This way you are still setting yourself up for the biggest success! You are just doing it in a way you are comfortable with – which is important too!

Did you start off blogging anonymously when you first started blogging?

Would you go back and skip the “anonymous” stage if you could?

Do you prefer blogging anonymously?

Let us know in the comments below!

Speak soon!