Well, I don't know how, but I’ve hit my 40th blog post! I have now hit a total of FIVE THOUSAND VIEWS. Thank you all SO much! I started writing in April, but I NEVER thought I would hit 5,000 views in those few months. This is a milestone for me since I only started writing a few months ago. For those who have considered writing, or just want to know my "secrets," I have provided 10 effective ways on how to write a successful blog, from my experience. FYI, this was kind of last minute. I got my wisdom teeth taken out last Friday, and couldn’t move from my bed for a few days. But here we go!
- Be passionate about blogging. I know this seems like an obvious tip, but it's the truth. After attending Will Witt's speech at UF, I felt a burning passion to become involved in politics. Knowing writing is one of my strong suits, it was a no-brainer to write a blog. If you're willing to spend time each week creating new content, spend time "perfecting your craft," then blogging is right for you!
- Know exactly what to going to blog on. You need to have a topic that stands out to you. As I mentioned in my first tip, politics (specifically conservative politics) are my area of interest. I take pride in how I write about these topics.
- Content is key. You want to pull people into your blog and the posts you publish. Have interesting, quality content in what you write that will keep readers saying, "I can't wait for next week's post!"
- Have the time to write; update in a regular time frame. Don't be the person to either update irregularly, or rarely post something. Over the summer, when I wasn't stressed from my schoolwork, I would update twice a week. Now, I try to keep it at one a week. When it comes to time, depending on your topic, you can be done quickly! Or if that doesn't work, just work on it little by little. Have a set day (mine is Thursday) to publish your post.
- Have a good blog design. This may seem odd, but I think an interesting design makes it more worthwhile to read someone's blog. I love the design of mine, and I've had people say it's very well done. Have good graphics (memes!), a good title for your blog, and add any gadgets for the design. For me, I have a subscription link, a "most popular posts" section, a list of blogs I follow, an about me section, “search this blog” section, header, labels section, and a message linking my Twitter accounts.
- Be interesting. I love writing on different political topics. Most people see that, but I try to "shake things up" to keep my readers engaged. So what do I do? I write about other things! For instance, I wrote a book review on Milo Yiannopolous’ Dangerous, I did a side-by-side comparison of Rocky and Rambo, as well as a movie review of Last Blood. I even wrote about my pain of having to put down my dog, Happy. In my case with politics, I like to let you guys see I'm not strictly politics, there's more to me!
- Use social media. Social media has highly improved views on my blog. I know social media is bad for conservatives, but when it comes to sharing your blog, it's great. I use all social media platforms, but the one that gets the most views for my blog is Twitter. I would recommend Twitter and Facebook for sharing your content. The other thing I want to mention is how often you should share. From what I've read, sharing your content daily increases traffic to your blog, and that's exactly what I do on Twitter.
- Engage with fellow bloggers, and follow their blog! Keeping up with fellow bloggers, particularly bloggers who share the same interests as you, will help increase traffic to your blog. Recently, I did a guest post on a fellow blogger's page, and that was a fantastic way to gain traffic to my blog, and she did the same vice versa. Having that connection with bloggers only increases your blog's popularity. Comment, subscribe, and share their blog, and they'll usually do the same!
- Be original. Be yourself. Don’t be afraid to express yourself. Everyone says they can see the passion behind my writings. Don’t act like all the other bloggers; write in your own way. When I started writing, one of the main things to know is write in a way that pleases you. This isn't a college essay! BUT I will say this: make sure your readers understand what is being said. I’ve come across a few blogs that don’t proper grammar, and I have no idea what they’re trying to say!
- Know how wordy you need to be. When I first started writing, I didn't pay attention to how "wordy" I was. I was probably hitting between 1,500-2,000 words on each post. In my mind, the more words the better. But some followers and personal friends said that I should use less words. Conciseness is key. One friend said, "If National Review can keep their articles 500-750 words, so can you." Now I try to keep my articles 1,000 words or less. Certain topics may require more words, but if you can keep it less wordy, the better off you'll be.
Excellent blog post! I try to keep my posts at my blog between 700 to 1,000 words. That's easy for me to do. In fact, I typically end up deleting words to get my posts within my desired word count. Yes, social media has been great for my blog. I put my focus on Twitter. With my focusing on just one social media outlet, I can work it to my advantage. As far as how often I blog, I blog every 10 days. My blog, as you know, is a book review blog, and 10 days gives me enough time to read whatever book it is that I need to read for the next review!
ReplyDelete