Should I Start a Grief Blog, Instagram, or Podcast? 7 Considerations

The new year brings with it new goals and projects. We’ve heard from many of you who share one particular goal: that is, to start a grief instagram, grief blog, or grief podcast. That’s great; it’s so important to get more people talking openly about grief! But we’ve noticed a trend: People launch their grief instagram, grief blog, or grief podcast and everything’s going well… until it isn't. Suddenly it becomes too much and they have to take a break or stop altogether. But don’t get discouraged. With the right considerations, you have the potential to create a very productive online grief platform!

Consideration #1. How early on am I in my grief experience? 

Many of the people who struggle to sustain a grief instagram, blog, or podcast are those who launched their page really soon after a loss. While it feels great to have a space to express one’s emotions, it can quickly become too much. Are you ready for the “commitment”? 

Consideration #2. How will I feel if I stop?

We put “commitment” in quotation marks because starting a grief instagram, blog, or podcast doesn’t have to be a commitment… at least not a long-term one. It is entirely okay to choose to stop your grief instagram, blog, or podcast at any time. Perhaps it became too much or perhaps you said all you wanted to say. The critical consideration is how will you feel if you choose to stop… Will you judge yourself? Will you feel guilty? Are you prepared to experience those emotions?

Consideration #3. Am I doing this to distract from my grief or to avoid difficult emotions?

Oftentimes when we experience difficult emotions, we want to solve them. We view emotions as problems that need fixing. Sometimes the mere act of creating an instagram, blog, or podcast feels like a quick “fix” because it shifts our attention away from our own grief and on to helping others instead. In reality, it’s crucial to be able to sit with our own discomfort before we can start helping others.

Even if avoidance has nothing to do with the reasons why you want to start your blog or page, it can quickly become an issue. When grief-related things happen in real life, you may be taken out of the moment thinking, “How can I document this or share it with my audience?” It’s good to be able to share your experiences, but you also want to be sure you’re experiencing your experiences.

Consideration #4. Am I considering a grief podcast, grief blog, or grief instagram for myself or for others?

This brings us to Consideration #4. As we’ve established, it’s important to know your intentions. If you want to start a grief blog, grief instagram, or grief podcast, you should be doing it for the right reasons: to help yourself (and then, perhaps others down the line). How can you be sure you’re doing this for yourself? We recommend starting your instagram, blog, or podcast and not sharing it with anyone for three to six months. Sounds ridiculous, we know! But this way, you can say what you want to say without relying on the input of others.

Consideration #5. Am I ready for the criticism and judgment of others?

When you finally do share your grief blog, grief instagram, or grief podcast with others, you’re opening yourself up to the possibility of so much support… but also some criticism and judgment. What you publish might not agree with everybody—and that’s absolutely okay! 

Consideration #6. Am I ready for the administrative work that goes into maintaining and growing an online platform?

It often looks easy to run a grief instagram, blog, or podcast when you’re not actually running one. There are many enjoyable parts of managing a page, but there are also some parts that can feel like a chore. This is particularly true when you have expectations about the number of people who should follow, like, or share your work. This is all the more reason to keep things private initially, and perhaps to intentionally choose to grow slowly. We love these simple tips from problogger on how to stay focused and not get discouraged.

Consideration #7. Can I embrace the uniqueness of each grief journey?

Once your instagram, blog, or podcast is open to others, it’s possible that people will start looking to you for advice. They may assume that what you found helpful will help them and that following in your footsteps will allow them to heal. However, you must embrace the uniqueness of each grief journey—and by that, we mean you need to accept that what worked for you might not work for others. Check out our post on grievers supporting grievers for more thoughts on this.

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