7 Secrets to a Better Blog
Over at Copyblogger today reading a guest post from Dean Rieck, entitled "The 7 Secrets of Running a Wildly Popular Blog." And of course, since all us bloggers want just that, my eyes were glued to the screen.
Did I learn anything new?
Not really. But Dean wrote an amazing reminder for those of us who have been blogging a while. Even if you're a constant blogger like me, jump over and read it anyway. It's a great article! For new bloggers, it's spot on advice, too, and great to keep in mind when just starting out.
Number 1 is to have a conversation. Hmm… You'll have to tell me. Does it feel like I'm talking to you as you read this? If so, then, cool. I want you to feel that way. If you don't… I need to know! Not sure I can change my writing style (old dog – new tricks syndrome), but I'll have to think about that.
Number 2 is to "lighten up." Well… humor writing is difficult. If you knew me in real life, you'd probably think I was funny. Most people do, and I am — in a snarky Irish feedback humor kind of way that only a small percentage of the population can even relate to. It's in the genes. This is great, and I'm happy that my daughter got that gene, too. But…it's a whole 'nother thing to write funny. So, if you can't be funny, be light. Keep your language bright, rather than somber, positive rather than negative, and it will have the same effect. Of course, if you can be a little humorous, people tend to like you better, providing your humor isn't obnoxious. (Yet, watching some comedy today, I wonder.) Just don't be all business and all boring all the time. Then, nobody will care.
Number 3, as Dean says, is to, "Be yourself." If you're not funny, don't try too hard and come off as lame. That's not a good bonding mechanism. But, if you can't be funny, find some quotes from people who are funny and include them in your posts. George Carlin could probably give you a thousand quotes you could use and that people can relate to, and… he was very, very funny. You can use funny videos to illustrate a point, too. There are all kinds of ways to be yourself and still be interesting.
Number 4 is to be nice. You don't always have to be nice. If you've noticed, I'm not always nice. I rant here and there, but when I do, I'm not profane or mean spirited. You don't have to be either. People really prefer upbeat to negative. There's enough negativity in life, especially now with the world economy in turmoil. Give them a blog that they can read and feel good about… most of the time.
Number 5 is to "get over yourself." It think that's amazing. Get over yourself. You're not perfect. You're not the prime expert in your niche, so get over yourself. We all make mistakes. I have in this blog, and there are a couple of posts that will tell you to read other posts to get my updated information. So? Yeah, you feel kind of dopey, but well… own up. Don't try to hide your mistakes, learn from them. Your readers will relate to your humanness, and if they don't… they shouldn't be part of your audience, anyway.
Number 6 is huge. Dean says, "Help people." Absolutely! Since you're an expert in your niche, you can teach people things they need to know to solve problems they're having. Give them answers, and they'll love you forever. And realize that you may not be the #1 expert in a field, but there will always be people who know less about the topic than you do. To the people who follow you, you are an expert. Figure out which audience is the right level for your experience, and write for them.
And number 7 is to "stop trying so hard." Not every post has to be SEO perfect, though using some SEO on posts is a good idea. Just don't think that you have to do everything right all the time. Tellman always says, "Success loves speed." So, it's better to get your stuff out there than to wait until it's 100% perfect. Just do it! Taking action and writing posts every day is really important to your readers and so, it should be important to you.
So, those are really basic concepts, but if you put them together and just blog like you communicate in real life, you'll probably be quite successful at it. Thanks, Dean, for pointing that out!
