PixelatedImage Blog

So you read the post about why you should(n’t) have a blog and you’ve decided to start one, or resucitate your current blog. Here’s ten non-canonical blogging tips for running a blog that is a solid resource for the community for which you are writing. In no particular order:

1. Pick a target.
Making some intentional decisions about who you are writing for and why you are writing will keep you focused. The best blogs appeal to a niche audience and serve that audience well. You won’t find me posting about my knitting circle here. I know who I am writing to and why, and that determines what I write and how.

2. Post daily.
The most successful blogs are the ones with the most consistent readership and you get that - in part - by blogging consistently. I haven’t always done that, but I notice a significant increase in traffic during those consistent once-a-day stretches. The more you post, the better.

3. Make it look good & easy to read.
You are a photographer - you specialize in visual communication. The better looking your blog, the easier it is to read and navigate, the more people will settle in and read the thing. My previous blog was harder to navigate, but it was still fairly easy to read. Space things well, give lots of white-space in margins, and don’t make your column widths too long. People tire quickly - so make it as easy to read as possible. Photos and graphics help too, but only if they’re relevant.

4. Edit your stuff tightly and use spell-check.
Trim the fat where you can, and give us hints that your grasp of the language includes a working knowledge of grammar and syntax. Readers can forgive much, but it’s unprofessional to hit publish without checking it over.

5. Interact.
Comments provide an excellent mechanism for exchange and conversation. Be sure to provide this level of dialogue for readers. You needn’t reply to every comment, but the more you engage your readers and make them part of things, the more readers will stick with you. Besides all that, you’d be amazed how much readers can add to the value of the blog for others. Foster that community and guard it jealously.

6. Link to others.
Be a giver, not a taker. The more links you have out, the more links you’ll have back in. I know, it’s counter-intuitive. The instinct we all begin with tends to be a protective one. Afterall, I just got them here, why would I send them out again? Because linking is part of the game. It’s part of what makes you a valuable hub on the information highway. There is a danger of linking too much - the moment you link to everything it’s impossible to wade through them to find the goodstuff and your credibility becomes suspect. Link to the good stuff and not just because someone else linked to you.

7. Write with your brain and your heart.
Wanna know why Scott Kelby is the planet’s best-selling computer-book author across multiple catergories for 3 years (4?) running? It’s because he writes with his heart as well as his brain - both of which are sizeable. People want to feel connected to you and they’ll do that better if you let them in a little. No need to share the deepest secrets of your life (please, please, no) but writing about the things about which you’re passionate will attract and hold more readers.

8. Engage with other bloggers.
Share the love, man. Connect with other writers, tip them off when their blog has a broken link or something. Be a positive part of the conversations taking place in their comments. In fact, leave some good comments and you’ll find people adding you to their blogroll. Kind of like going to someone else’s party, being your fun, easy-going self and meeting others - soon they’ll be coming to your party too. And inviting you to theirs. And soon you’ll have no time left to blog. So party responsibility and watch how far you allow your metaphors to extend.

9. Be You.
Bloggers with their own unique voice get read. Have an opinion and share it. But only be you if you’re a generally likeable person. If no-one likes you at all or you tend to start street-fights, you might want to adopt a persona and write from that perspective.

10. Write solid content.
Connecting people to resources and news, and writing solid content that educates or inspires is what brings people back. Resist the temptation to toss in filler. Not everything you publish will be helpful or appeal to everyone in your target audience, but most of it should.