Blogging is a paradox of sorts. On the one hand, it is a free tool that allows you to express yourself online for millions of internet users to read and join with you in discussion. On the other however, it is a saturated medium that makes it hard to get noticed and easy to be plagiarized, while not always providing you with the utmost respect that you deserve from your journalistic peers. But blogging has quickly taken over as one of the most prominent formats for news content—whether breaking news or editorial content—and as such proves that it is a medium that is here to stay, which is more than we can say for its print equivalents. When done right, blogging can be a powerful tool, so the main question is, how to you do it right? Practice Through Freelancing You might have a strong educational background in writing, or perhaps your passion has only been expressed through writing for fun, but either way, the internet has its own language and before you can become fluent, you will first have to learn the ropes. A good way to discover what kind of writing you enjoy, what you can be passionate about, is to write for other blogs through guest posting. This will not only give you good practice, but good exposure to an audience that you may be able to take back to your own blog. It will also help you to discover what things people like to read. Find your Nook Once you have done a fair amount of freelancing, you will start to notice that some topics interest you more than others. This will help you to find your niche. To find your niche, you have to follow your passion, as you cannot hope to provide good content without feeling passionate about it. Whether it is politics, sport, music, cooking, exercise, or something else, think of a way to build a blog around it and you are likely to be far more successful.
Find a Platform Now that you know what you want to blog about, it is time to find a platform. This does not matter as much as good content, but the platform that you use can make a slight difference for you. For example, entertainment or popular culture blogs tend to do well on Tumblr. Opinion thrives on WordPress, and Blogger is a good beginner tool that can help you with getting your blog seen on Google searches. Offer Something New The internet these days is full to the brim with unoriginal, recycled, and downright plagiarized content. So if you want to bring readers to your blog, you will have to offer them something completely original in terms of content. If you want to join in popular discussions, do so, but offer a unique spin on them that people will not be able to find anywhere else. When it comes to creating a successful blog, original content is a must. Take a few big corporations for example. Vivint’s The Neighborhood is a great example of what you should do to get solid readership. This security company’s blog has nothing to do with their business. All of it’s content is based on what people want to read about. From ‘life hack’ tips to homemaking advice, this is a solid blog that connects smartly with people. Graco has the same philosophy, except their target is mothers. They offer advice on babies, child care, and reviews of products: something every mother would love. Budget Direct Insurance out of Australia has monthly posts that are not related to insurance, but are based around their motto “Simply Smarter”. They realize that they need to conform to the wants and needs of their target, instead of trying to talk about insurance the whole time. Get Social The best way to bring readers to your blog is through social media. Get active online in terms of promoting your content. Reach out to others specifically who you feel may be interested in your articles. Of course, there is a fine line between good publicity and unwanted spam. Make sure that you do not irritate people online or they will soon cut you out. Social media is one of the best marketing tools that we have now, and you can see how much it has helped start-up companies grow, with good examples being companies such as Zappos and Vivint Reviews. Get Paid Once you have built up a successful blog, you can finally start to make a living out of it. It might be slow at first, but as you build up a strong readership, you will be able to receive money from advertising and other promotions. David Glenn is a freelance writer and retired business owner with over 30 years of experience in the construction/home improvement industry. He enjoys spending time in the outdoors with his family and traveling to new places. David loves writing about his experiences in life, business, and family, and hopes his writing can benefit his readers in any way.
Originally posted on August 26, 2013 @ 12:00 pm
