Today I’m combining two prompts floating ‘round the internetz this week.
From the fabulous ladies at A Belle, A Bean and a Chicago Dog and Four Plus An Angel for the #SummerBlogSocial:
If a friend approached you and said “I want to start a blog. Can you give me a list of helpful tips?” What would they be?
From Mama Kat’s:
If you were to go back to the moment you decided to start a blog, what 10 blogging tips would you share with yourself?
Purchase your own domain. It’s easy – I promise, and inexpensive if you’re on a budget like I am. I’ve blogged for years (Live Journal – what!?) and just recently did this awhile back for this blog. It makes a huge difference in your traffic and shows people you are serious about this bloggin’ stuff. If you can afford to be self-hosted, do that, too. (I’m still trying to figure that out financially…but one day soon I hope it will happen!)
Don’t be afraid to experiment with content. I know, I know, everyone says to find your niche. And while I agree, I really like to vary my content because it stretches my writing abilities and attracts different audiences. My personal favorites are my heart-filled posts. Those always seem to bring people who have never commented out of the woodwork.
Do your research. Read blogs before starting a blog. I was lucky because I did that for my job before starting my own. But with that said, I wish I would’ve dug a little deeper to find some of the fab gals (and a few guys!) I’ve learned so much from. Also, find the bloggers you can turn to for inspiration (I have several that inspire me each day to keep plugging along).
Utilize social media. Everyone in my world seems to love Facebook, therefore I wish I would have started a page from day one of blogging. It’s silly, but there are just some people that will utilize Facebook and never comment on your blog, and that’s OK. Have a space for those folks. YouTube is also a HUGE one – get a channel and make videos when possible…it’s a search engines’ best friend. Twitter, well, Twitter is just plain fun and is just amazing sounding board for anything and everything.
Be genuine and thoughtful in comments. I am starting to see how commenting truly is an art form. When I first started blogging, I’m pretty sure I was the gal that said “wow, nice post!” and that’s it (sounds spammy in hindsight). Now, as I’ve learned from fabulous commenters here, I try to put a bit more thought into my comments, and only say something if I have something to add…or feel the need to crack a joke.
Don’t shy away from memes. When I first started blogging, I was afraid of using memes (writing prompts). For some reason, I thought I would look uncreative if I used them. Boy, was I wrong. Memes stretch the mind, provide great blog content and are a great way to make friends.
Connect in real life when possible. Not everyone can afford conferences (*cough* me!), so find other ways to connect with bloggers around you. It’s so fun to chat with people in real life about your blogging questions and concerns – and I’m quickly learning bloggers are some of the kindest people and so happy to help others trying to achieve similar goals.
Post regularly. This is where my past blogs have failed. I posted maybe once a week and wondered why only 5 people read it. Not everyone can post every day and it’s not always possible. But, if you’re serious, pick a schedule of 2-3 days and try to stick to it.
Blog about your passion. There are very few bloggers who make good money. And being a good blogger takes up a TON of time. If you’re not passionate about what you’re blogging about, there’s no point in even trying. You’ll drive yourself nuts!
My final tip for myself and others: Constantly learn. Explore new blogs. Stretch your creative writing abilities. Have fun!
If you would like more tips, be sure to visit the #SummerBlogSocial link-up. There is some GREAT advice available, and it’s all for free.
Let’s get writing! What tips do you suggest?
I need to buy a domain. But I want to drop the hyphens now, and I can’t 🙁 So I don’t know what to do exactly. (Not to hijack your comment, sorry!)
I like your tips, especially because they are budget conscious. There are so many things I would LOVE to do if I could sink more money into it, but I can’t right now. I like to see that a tip like “experiment with content,” because I’m working on finding a balance between “mom” posts and other types of posts, but it can be tough.
Can you buy the domain and just have your site redirected? I’m pretty sure that’s an option too, but I’m not sure how Blogger works with that stuff.
Yes, budget is a huge concern in my world. It stinks because I know exactly what I’d like to do, but can’t afford it right now! I may ask to switch to WP.org for Christmas. Is that pathetic? 😉
All great tips! The last one is so important. Just when you think you have it all figured out, something else is thrown your way!
I think you hit the nail on the head with – especially the one about commenting. I’m very big on thoughtful commenting. I think I spend more time writing comments than my blog posts, haha. But I feel that if someone took the time to write something, I should take the time to comment respectfully and meaningfully.
I instantly thought of you and Galit when I discussed commenting. You two are FAB commenters. Thanks so much for always offering up a unique perspective!
Really good advice here, Laura! They’re all true, especially the one about blogging taking up a ton of time. Thankfully, my hubby is supportive of all the time I spend tapping away at the keyboard.
I enjoy your blog so much, and am glad to have found you!
I’m not a huge niche lover. Not that I think they are bad, just that they aren’t necessary.
Maybe that’s a convenient thing for me to say since I blog about parenting and life in general, and just about anything fits under the “life in general” heading. 🙂 Either way, I agree with you that you need to experiment. I think a consistent voice trumps all when it comes to content. If readers can still find the *you* in your posts, they’ll go along with the experimentation of different types of posts.
LOVE that logic, Liz! You have such fab advice – look forward to learning more from you 🙂
As a “baby blogger” (my blog is only a month old) I really appreciate this list. I had never even thought about purchasing my own domain, I’ll have to check it out!
I too blogged about this prompt this week. I agree that doing meme really helps you inject content into your blog and it too has helped me grow my blog.
And the best part? They’re actually really fun!
These are really, really great tips. I wish I would have come across them before starting my blog!!! I need to do some of these. I’m just still really trying to balance the time without losing my job!!!
Yes, the job is important to keep 😉 Just do what you can, when you can. DON’T let your blog run your life…or work for that matter!
Wow! Nice post!
Just kidding. Well, no, it’s a great post, but you know why I’m saying that. I would agree with the niche comment and what Liz said. I think as a mom blogger, you really can stretch your wings. Since I post about food on Sunday, I can tie it in because obviously I feed my family and I try to have fun in the kitchen. It doesn’t make me a food blogger, but it is a little way of branching out. I feel like you can take a niche and really stretch it to be able to cover a lot of ground if you really think about it. A lot of things fall under the umbrella of “mom.” The blog about your passion is so true. If you don’t enjoy it, you’ll be miserable. It takes a lot of time, experience & sometimes sheer luck to make the big dollaz. Doesn’t happen for everyone, even most, so it’s definitely something you have to like doing.
Love the thoughtful response, Elena!
I respect your opinion a lot, so I’m glad you agree with the niche thing. I really struggled with that at first, but relaxed after I made an agreement with myself that I wouldn’t let blogging stress me out. This is for fun, not money. If money comes though, I wouldn’t complain 😉
I like that everyone is doing the tips, I might end up banging my own top 10 out before the night is over. They’ve all really opened my eyes to what I should/shouldn’t worry about and secures the fact that I am stressing over THE WRONG THINGS. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled!
That’s great to hear. It’s so nice that the blogger community is all for sharing best practices 🙂
great tips. i’ll check out the social too!
Twitter is crucial I tell ya!
Awesome post, Lauren.
Amy, over at Blogging with Amy just did a post about this. She had some great tips, too (http://bloggingwithamy.com/15-basic-blogging-dos-and-donts).
Love these, Bree! Love her site too.
I just started blogging, again. Thank you SO much for these tips – you rock!
Buying my own domain is a pretty liberating feeling! It’s mine… all mine. The name, the content (this is most important), design, everything… I’m only limited by what I can or can’t imagine!
Fantastic advice!
I bought my own domain and moved to WP.org recently and am so happy I did!
You hit every point perfectly!