If you want to make a successful blog - say one that has hundreds or even thousands of regular readers/subscribers - you've got to solve a limited number of problems:
*starting a blog
*topics to blog about
*building a readership
*keeping motivated to blog
STARTING A BLOG:
- Figure out what is the purpose of your blog.
- Know your passion - not what merely interests you. You'll need to write about what you're passionate about to stay motivated to keep a blog. Choose a name/URL for your blog that reflects that passion.
- Get signed up with a blog host site that fits with your needs and HTML skill level.
- Install a free stat counter.
TOPICS TO BLOG ABOUT:
- Your passion.
- Develop many interests. You can use those varied interests for quick posts when you're pressed for time.
- Observe the world around you.
Expand your view. Browse. Look at lots of different things briefly.
Rifle through a newspaper, magazine, click and surf around other blogs and websites.
Flip through a book. Channel surf. Go on a walk - down alleys, in new places.
Seek the new - it's novelty that inspires and excites. Ideas are never just going to pop into your head. You've got to actively put them there.
- Choose one story to tell.
HOW TO BUILD A READERSHIP: # 1 - Create great content.
- Post often.
If you're just starting out, aim for every 2-3 days. Once you get rolling, ratchet that up to once a day, 6 days a week. Later you can add more, maybe post twice a day or several times. You're only limit is time.
- Tell a story.
The best stories are told with good, basic writing. This means correct spelling and grammar, tight sentences that are to the point, transitions between ideas, and descriptive adjectives to create imagery.
Even better blog stories are illustrated with photos.
- Embed images.
HOW TO BUILD A READERSHIP: # 2 - Promote and market.
Once you've got the content part nailed down, you've got to help people find it.
- Comment on other blogs.
You'll get people to click back to your blog more often if you leave comments on blogs that get a lot of comments. It means they have more readers who could potentially click back to yours. Leave insightful comments, even questions — and if you're feeling bold — pointed ones, aka the snarky comment. That will get people to click back faster than anything. Just don't be a jerk, and whatever you do, don't leave spam comments.
You'll also generate more back clicks if you leave comments on blogs that write about similar topics. Soon, you'll be reading & commenting on a network of similar blogs. After a while, you get to know a blogging community this way. My network, and readership, is mostly academics and artists. I could expand that by searching for other like-minded people, such as gardeners.
- Put links to your blog in your emails, other websites and online communities you participate in.
HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED
You will have days you don't have anything you think is worthy of a post. You'll have days you think you don't have time to. Although it's true that those are the only 2 legitimate reasons not to post, they aren't good enough reasons to file a story. If you want to have a successful blog, you have to be productive and keep the quality high.
Readers, loyal ones especially, will forgive you if you have crappy content days. But they will not forgive you if you don't even publish.
Can you imagine if your town's newspaper just didn't put out the paper one day because none of the stories were 'good enough' or the reporters didn't feel they had 'time to write a good enough story' that day? It never happens.
Now think of all the stories that are in the paper. They aren't all universally interesting or well-written, and most aren't even illustrated with photos. But they're there. All the news that's fit to print. Rubbish! It's all the news that fits, prints.
You should adopt the same attitude with your blog. Decide how often you publish (your readers will figure it out and adjust their visits). Decide the minimum length of a story you'll write each day (space your posts will fill). Then — fill it. Even if it is just a photo. At least put a caption in that explains what the photo is. I'd bet before you know it, you have a post.
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That's basically all you need to know to make a successful blog. Just remember to blog about your passion. Tell a story well and with photos. Do so regularly, and save some time to read and comment on other blogs. If you set aside just enough time each day, and turn these tips into habits, you will have a very successful blog indeed.
27 comments:
Great tips!
Very informative and great ideas.
Very informative. Thanks!
You've motivated me to rethink the purpose of my blog! Thanks!
I saw this when you originally posted it in the Etsy forums, but for some reason, didn't come check out your blog. I'm glad I stumbled upon it today in the Official Blog Love thread.
You not only give great tips -- you've obviously used them all yourself and they work...your blog's fascinating. I love the mix of shop stuff (which isn't all about product, product, product), posts about your other interests and about your adorable dogs.
Bookmarking! for sure.
wow your blog is so helpful! thanks for sharing all this great info it's really inspiring i want to favourite your blog i will just have to try to figure out how!
Great information, thanks!
Thanks for the tips,very helpful, now i just need to stick to the good advice. I just started my blog recently and am trying to stir up some self motivation and outside interest. So far I'm enjoying it, and it's a pleasure to be writing again as my day to day life does not require it.
Wow. There's a lot to think about in this article. I definately am going to implement some of the ideas.
Thanks!
Great tips! Thanks for the interesting post! I definitely agree posting multiple times a day helps keep readers coming.
Thanks,trying to get mine up and running better. Great reminder for the extras.
Thanks for the great tips. Trying to get mine up and running well.
Thank you for sharing so many wonderful ideas!
I have felt great about the information and inspiration I try to share on my blog but absolutely clueless as to how get people to know it exists!
Now I know another reason why the commenting button exists ;-)
those are great tips. I just started blogging and I'm trying to figure everything out here. You were very helpful!
I have more ideas than time to write them all down. It's so addictive once you get the blog ball rolling! To have 50 readers per day is amazing...200-300 is astouding, good for you.
Travel, photography, music, film, art, life, food...like I said, plenty going on on my blog. :-)
Thanks for this organized helpful list of tips.
Thank you very much for all your great useful information. I am very new to blogging and this really gave me lots to think about!
I enjoyed this. I've not been blogging long and I appreciate good solid tips!
Thanks so much for sharing these well-written and valuable tips!
Thanks for the great tips. My blog is new but I'm really enjoying posting there! I mix product posts with posts about my life. Since it's new I don't have much of a following but hopefully if I follow your tips that will change!
thank you for this! (=
yay, thank you for this =)
I've been wanting to add a good counter to my blog, and I'm glad you pointed out a good one!
now to start working on the rest...
i have been bloggin since 2000 and before that the old school way of just doing it on my webpage...this is definitly good for all the newbees out there. :) thanks for writing it up. its refreshing
Ok I am trying this stuff! some I already do, some I need to keep up with, thanks.
Thanks for this great information!
These are all really helpful tips and lookit me, I'm commenting just like you said ;)
Great tips, thank you so much! You've helped get me motivated to post more frequently : ) and I've forwarded the link to my sister who is preparing to begin a blog of her own!
Fabulous tips! Thanks! I just finished my first blog post (on pet photograpy and dog models)!
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