8 Things To Think About For Effective Blogging

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Updated 4 years ago

Kia Ora from New Zealand WA friends and colleagues

Blogging

Although before coming to WA on 13 Jan 2020, I had been writing content, as a freelancer, for others for some years, I had never been a Blogger in my own right.

I did some research and reading to prepare myself and from all the articles and posts that I found on the subject I compiled my own checklist to keep me focused on my approach to commercial Blogging. I would like to share that with you all on my WA Blog today.

I suspect that most people at WA will have seen some or all of this in many other posts. But I make it available here today, mainly for any newbies who are struggling with some principles of blogging, and most of all for those brand new to WA, who have of their own volition joined my recently celebrated 800 strong network. This is my celebration gift to you all LoL!

If it is helpful to only one of you reading it then I would be more than happy.

That said I am pretty confident that there will be something here for many of you, either new, or as a reminder to some who have been here a while.

1. Is Your Blog Helping People

This is probably the most important ingredient above all others for an effective and authoritative Blogger. If you are truly helping people with an issue, an interest or an initiative then you will be read, which will in time lead to you gaining authority and a following. You may even find other Bloggers from your niche subject interacting with you; this is not at all unusual. Obviously the more interest there is, the more traffic you derive and the more opportunity you have to monetise your site.

2. Frequency and Consistancy

Shout me Loud writer, Harsh Agrawal, has said that “bloggers need to be self-motivated in order to get things done”. If you are a serious Blogger you need to publish to a consistent and regular cadence, otherwise you will frustrate and lose your audience, with all the woes that this will entail for you affiliate partners and your own revenue stream.

3. Be Different, Be Unique

There is a concept in business known as the USP or unique selling proposition. Ask yourself what yours is. Many readers are attracted to things that are different or quirky and off the wall. You don’t need to go so far as to shock, but finding a hook to hold the continuing attention of your audience is a good skill to have. If you resist the temptation to fit the norm and just push the boundaries a wee bit you are likely to get attention, again with all the benefits that this brings.

4. Paint Word Pictures

Whatever you write it needs to have the effect of bringing to life the essence of what you are writing about. Not everyone has this skill when they begin writing but everyone has the potential to develop it to some degree. There is a writers technique known staying at the moment (google it). This is how you focus on what is happening in a particular element in your story, or description, and then bring it to life in words, picking up the rich detail that animates the written word for your readers.

5. Careful Selection of a Niche

I have Blogged on here about this before(Steampunk a Niche - A Case Study - 27 Jan 20) It is my belief that anything can be turned into a niche but to successfully exploit it you have to think about a couple of key things; is there an audience and will you sustain an interest in the subject to fuel your writing, either because it is a passion or because it is something that you wish to develop knowledge and learning of.

6. Passion and Belief

If you are not invested in your Niche or in the way that you write about it in your Blog your readers will spot you for the impostor that you are and you will struggle to hold their attention and following. It is your job as a Blogger to hold their attention and to get them to return to your Blog again and again. If you cannot do this your Blog is effectively a ‘dead man walking’. So go back to the point above and choose your subject with care, make sure that is has legs that will keep you running and have others running with you LoL.

7. Challenging

An effective Blog will challenge your readers it will provoke thought and ideally it will invite comment and discussion making your Blog roll a rich interactive stimulating experience that readers will want to get involved in. this has the added benefit that your readers themselves are helping to provide an element of content that keeps your traffic coming to your site.

8. Rhinoceros Skin

What can be particularly difficult for inexperienced Bloggers is to deal with overt criticism in comments and discussion. So you need to be prepared for this. Actually for me controversy on a Blog I see as mana from heaven. It means that readers are engaging and discussion can be good as mentioned earlier for driving traffic. There a few rules though that are worth considering if contributors enter into a suave or prejudicial language then just don’t publish their comments. Don’t be scared though to publish comments which are in opposition to your own views and when you respond be professional and measure in your language being careful not to be drawn into emotional exchanges.

A Good Blogger

A good Blogger is ultimately one that has their readers in the forefront of their mind and who is at least thinking of the factors discussed above even if each one of them they cannot be incorporated all the time in each post.

The most successful Bloggers are those that see Blogging as an extension of their offline persona, assuming that they are driven by genuinely wanting to provide a service and a help to their target community or niche.

If your heart is not in it them my strongest recommendation is just don’t do it!

Though of course if you are here at WA that is not you is it?……….

As I said at the beginning of the post I hope that this will have been useful for old and new alike and I would welcome comment and discussion and advice particularly from those more experienced in the art of Blogging, who may feel moved so to do.

Kia Koha

Hamish 🧐