Successful bloggers must be able to produce high-quality content that engages and provides value to the readers. Creating a great blog requires discipline, and forces a writer to understand how to connect with other bloggers. Opening a blog and designing it is important, but the most important part of blogging remains the quality of the posts. Here are a few writing tips for the fresh blogger.
Make Connections
One of the best ways to get your blog’s name out there is by making connections with other bloggers. You need to introduce yourself and your blog to other readers. Failure to do so can make it hard for people to know about your blog. One method bloggers often follow is called a roundup. This post will include a synopsis of your favorite blog content for the past few weeks and shares links with fellow bloggers. Send an email to the blog owner to let them know you are including them in your blog roundup. This is a great way to get them to share the blog post on their social media accounts and can provide you with a quality link in return.
Writing Tips: Share a Story
What makes your blog different from everything out there? As Neil Gaiman said, “Start telling the stories that only you can tell because there’ll always be better writers than you and there’ll always be smarter writers than you. There will always be people who are much better at doing this or doing that – but you are the only you.” It is important to show people why your blog is different from the others. Some of the best blog posts will come from a personal experience versus a list of tips for the readers. You need to know your audience and build connections with them. This is the ideal way to get people to read and share your content as they look forward to your personal stories.
Good Writing Tips: Stay in Touch
How many times do you find yourself struggling to come up with ideas for a blog post? The reason this can happen is often due to lack of information. Some people fail to read news stories pertaining to their industry. If you are not keeping in touch with the latest information pertaining to your industry, how can you expect to share advice with your readers? Like Stephen King says, “If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time – or the tools – to write. Simple as that.”
Video and Infographics
A great way to really boost your blog is by adding content that is unique. A great way to create something unique is to add a video or infographics to your blog posts. The infographics are great as they help to break up text, and they are easy to share. With a large percentage of people using their mobile phones to access the Internet, it is a wise idea to focus on optimizing your blog for mobile readers. Upload videos to YouTube to make it easier for your mobile readers to watch the videos on the go. Videos are a great addition to the blog as they help you to brand yourself as the person with all the knowledge in your industry. The other great thing about video posting is that it can help your readers to put a face to your blog. Everyone loves to see the person that they respect if they continue to read and share your blog with their network. Add a video to your blog posts occasionally to mix it up and give the readers something new to look forward to.
Include Readers
If you are struggling with blog post ideas, consider turning to the readers for advice. Your readers will be able to provide you with some topics, or they can guest post on your blog. Allowing a few days out of the month for guest posting is a great way to make stronger connections with your audience. If your reader has a blog, it can give you a legitimate link opportunity. The guest post authors with several connections can increase visibility to your blog when they guest post on your blog. These individuals often have a strong social media presence and will have an easy time making the connections you need to boost your blog’s visibility. “If writing seems hard, it’s because it is hard. It’s one of the hardest things people do. – William Zinsser” Don’t become too discouraged if you find yourself stuck when it comes to creating new blog posts. Writing is not easy for everyone, and sometimes you need to challenge your mind to come up with new ideas to keep the content fresh.
Writing Tips: Explore Opportunities
Some blog owners become stuck with a single idea. One of the best writing tips to learn is understanding how to write in different voices. This will require you to change the way you write as you can do some articles that are trending or newsworthy, while others will be friendly or storytelling. Trying some posts with humor or controversy are a wonderful way to include your audience as they often respond to the posts.
Conclusion
Good writing tips can help you get started, but it is up to you to focus on making your blog unique. Our writing tips can give you the creativity you need to branch out of your writing rut and move your blog forward. Just remember, as Lev Grossman said, “Don’t take anyone’s writing advice too seriously.” We are all learning how to connect with readers, and you will ultimately need to find your voice to build loyal readers.