It's my absolute honor to welcome Emily Tjaden back for another guest post today! I was really impressed by her first post on my blog a few months ago, and I'm so excited that you get to hear from her again. I'll also have you know right off the bat that Emily Tjaden is a fellow writer and blogger who I really admire. Seriously, guys, she's awesome.
Her tips on creating a healthy blog are fabulous, and she totally practices what she preaches! While blogging she incorporates all of these tips and always goes above and beyond. You can check her adorablely-titled blog out here.
And now, without further ado, Emily! Take the floor!
Do you ever get the idea that blogging is more work than you signed up for? Do you ever feel like nobody is reading your stuff—or if they do, they don’t really care? Is blogging even worth your time?
Blogging
is a great idea for writers of any sort. It’s also great for
people who don’t consider themselves to be “writers”. Blogging is great for
people who have something they need to talk about: a message they need to share
with others. And that’s what I want to help you do.
So get ready to go to work on your little corner of the interwebz. Let’s polish up your blog and make it shine.
So get ready to go to work on your little corner of the interwebz. Let’s polish up your blog and make it shine.
There’s a reason this tip is #1. Consistency is king
when it comes to blogging. If you neglect your blog, your readers will too. The
first thing I do when I check out a new blog is glance at the date of the
latest post. If it’s a month old, my expectations for consistency dwindle to
nothing. I probably won’t return. Or if I do, it won’t be often. I’ll probably
forget about it.
If you want people to notice and—more
importantly—continue to read your blog, you must be consistent with your
posting schedule. It takes patience. It’s true that you’ve got to do the work,
sometimes for quite a while, before you see any return. But I promise you;
consistency pays off in the end.
Being consistent doesn’t mean posting every day. It
doesn’t mean posting three times a week—or even two times. Once a week is fine,
and just about the minimum consistency readers will return for. Know what that
means? You only have to write 1,000 words per week, minimum. Not too shabby.
So pick a goal.
It’s okay to start small and bump things up once you feel more comfortable. Do
what works for you. You don’t have to feel guilty if you don’t put out new
content every other day.
We live in a visually-oriented culture. People love
pictures. Naturally, this a great way to boost the health of your blog. Good
images are often a selling point for readers. If you don’t include them (or if
your photos suck), readers will be less likely to return.
And it doesn’t take ages. It takes some practice,
but again, dedication in this area will ultimately pay off. (This is something
Chloe excels at, by the way.) Finding good, royalty-free images is a
well-worthwhile time investment for your blog.
I’ve seen bloggers who write super long, ramble-y
posts with little to no format, and I’m gonna be frank with you: They aren’t
fun to read. Good bloggers know how to keep things simple. You don’t have to
pack tons of information into a single post. This is a blog, after all! You can
always write a second. Keeping your posts concise, easy to read, and on track will
help your blog to stay healthy—and more people will read it.
Blogging Tip #5: Think about your audience
Successful bloggers always write with their audience
in mind. They are always asking themselves, “How is what I’m saying going to
help my readers?” People often read blogs to get advice. It helps to build
trust and loyalty when the blogger is mindful of their audience’s wellbeing. So
each time you sit down to write, think about how this post will help your
readers.
Blogging Tip #6: Use social media
Lots of bloggers hate the idea of using social media
because they feel self-promoting. (I’ve been there, too.) But here’s the deal:
as one of my favorite bloggers, Michael Hyatt said, if you don’t exist on the
web, you flat out don’t exist.
The reality is, if you want people to read your
blog, you have to put it out there. You might not feel comfortable with it at
first, but successful bloggers learn to use social media with tact.
Readers like to feel appreciated for reading your
blog. When you engage them in the comment section, they feel special. They feel
like you actually care about them. (See tip #5.) Encouraging people to comment
is great, but if you don’t follow up, don’t expect them to keep investing their
time.
If you have links that are relevant to the topic of
your post, include them. Readers like to have other resources at their
disposal. Lots of bloggers get lazy when it comes to including links, but the
fact is, readers appreciate the extra five minutes it takes to link up other
posts.
One of the most important things about blogging
successfully is remembering why you do it.
What is it you want to say? How do you hope to help your readers? Focus on why you do
what you do, and see if that doesn’t motivate you
to keep your blog healthy.
Emily Tjaden is a quirk-filled blogger, speculative author, and freelance editor. In her spare time, she can be found with a book and a cup of tea, or out at a local coffee shop, working on a new novel idea. She is fascinated by humanity, imperfection, and the unseen. Add a fair (okay, huge) dash of bookish nerdom and you’ve pretty much got the picture. You can find Emily on her blog, Dreaming Hobbit, as well as on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
26 comments
I love Emily's blog! So great to see her here, too:)
ReplyDeletexoxo
Grace Anne
http://totallygraced.blogspot.com/
Aw, thanks, Grace! (:
DeleteI agree with Emily's advice, especially the links part. :)
ReplyDeletexoxo Morning
I love when posts have links to other posts. It helps the subject feel more complete.
DeleteThat was actually my take away from this post as well. I don feel like I use links enough in my own writing so this was a great reminder!
DeleteThese are awesome tips! Thanks Emily and Chloe!
ReplyDeleteThanks! (:
DeleteHey absolutely;) I was very lucky, I got to sit back and let Emily do all the work hehe ^_^
DeleteThanks for the tips! Maybe I should start with #7... :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! (:
DeleteSooooo helpful. I will starting implementing all of these tips ASAP. :)
ReplyDeleteHey, I'm so glad it helped you! (: Good luck with your blog!
DeleteThese are great tips. I mostly struggle with the images part. I agree that good quality photos are super important to a nice blog post, however I am ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE at photography. It doesn't help that the nicest camera I have is an iPhone 4. I guess I haven't thought enough about royalty free images on the internet. It isn't cheating is it?
ReplyDeleteNo, it's not cheating. Royalty-free images mean that anyone can use them. They aren't copywrited. I don't have time for photography for my blog either, so I use royalty-free photos.
DeleteHelpful post! Reminds me to push aside this busy week and write a post! And I agree with the images point and work on improving my own pictures, but I wanted to ask if you (Chloe or Emily) had found any good sites for royalty free photos?
ReplyDeleteFavim is a good site, but not 100% kosher. That's where I get most of my images.
DeleteI would definitely second Emily on Favim, although you do have to be careful what categories you look at on it;) I actually wrote a post with my favorite free photo sites if you want to check it out! ;) http://curiousramblingsbychloe.blogspot.com/2014/11/8-free-photo-sites-every-blogger-needs.html?m=0
Delete(Shameless advertising is shameless)
Thank you so much for this incredible blog post! I need to step outside of my shell and write about the things I'm passionate about. I've really been in need of some blogging inspiration, and this makes me want to sit down and write something right now! Which I think I will do... (-:
ReplyDeleteThis makes my day, Elizabeth! I'm so happy it inspired you! (: Good luck, and have fun!
DeleteThis is so helpful. Thank you! I will definitely be using these tips.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. (:
DeleteGreat tips, consistency has been the hardest thing for me.
ReplyDeleteConsistency can be difficult to master, but it is so worth it! Don't set the bar too high; just take what you can handle. Once you get into a groove, things get much smoother. (:
DeleteThese are awesome tips! I've never checked out Emily's blog, but I will do so right now!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Lauren! I hope you enjoy the blog. (:
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey! Person commenting! Yes, you. Wanna know something?
You're kinda awesome.