someone talk me through getting blog traffic?

Sure. Short version of what's worked for me: Find questions people actually search where the results are weak. Google your topic and look at who ranks. If you see forum threads, small blogs or thin pages in the top results, you can compete there. If it's all big brands, skip it for now. One post per question, and answer it in the first couple of paragraphs. Link related posts to each other so they support each other. After 2-3 months, open Search Console and look for posts with impressions but few clicks. Those are your quick wins: rewrite the title, add the bits people are searching for, update the post. And be patient. A new blog usually takes the better part of a year before traffic picks up properly.