20 Top Tips for Bloggers

Sean, from The Logical Vegan recently asked me for some blogging tips. He wants me to help him with blogging? What do I know? But he was sincere, so I shared several things that came to mind.

As the day went on, I kept thinking of other tips and jotted them down as they came to me. By the end of the day I had a long list. I guess you don’t go from only your mom and hubby reading your blog to almost 500 followers without learning a thing or two.

This is not to say that I know everything. Still, someone may benefit from what I’ve discovered thus far, so I decided to share what I’ve learned.

20 Top Tips for Bloggers

1. Keep it short. I’ve read that people don’t want to spend more than a minute or so reading a post, so I try to keep my posts between 250 to 500 words.
2. Write short paragraphs. This makes it easier for people reading on small screens.
3. Post regularly. People will lose interest if you don’t post often enough. I try to write at least two substantial posts and several mini posts, like quotes and reblogs, every week.
4. Don’t stress! When I first started blogging, I watched my numbers like a hawk and got stressed if I didn’t get a lot of hits. I don’t care so much anymore. I have good days and bad days – so what! No one writes top posts all the time.
5. Read a lot of blogs. Find blogs that you’re interested in and read them. I’ve learned a lot from other bloggers about blogging, life and you name it!
6. Connect. You can write the best posts, but if you don’t connect with others they won’t care that much about what you have to say. So be sure to spend part of your blogging time reaching out to others.
7. Be a follower. It’s flattering to bloggers when you follow them, and more than likely they’ll follow you back. I follow everyone who follows me.
8. Comment, comment, comment! Commenting will make you known. You’d be amazed at how many people I’ve found and followed from a comment they wrote on a blog post.
9. Use people’s names. When writing a comment, I typically address the person by his or her name. I think this makes for a better connection.
10. Be personal. I’m not saying that you should air your dirty laundry, but people want to know who you are. Share a little bit about yourself in your blog.
11. Have a personalized “about” page. When I discover a new blog, the first thing I read is the about page. Some bloggers, however; leave this page empty. This always disappoints me. Use your about page to connect with your readers, and they’re more likely to read more of what you have to say.
12. Share your name. For various reasons, some people don’t disclose their names on their blogs. I find it harder to connect with these bloggers. And as I keep saying – connection is vital!
13. Say “Yes” a lot. Once you get known in the blogging world, people will ask things of you, like will you write a guest post for me or will you review my book. I’ve found that the more I say “yes”, the better things work out for me.
14. Say “No” sometimes. Despite the bennies of saying “yes”, sometimes it’s better to say, “No.” When my gut tells me to decline – I listen.
15. Personalize the look of your blog. For my first two months of blogging, I used a generic blog theme. It didn’t do my blog any favors, so I hired Natasha Basacchi to update my look. It’s made a HUGE difference in the interest in my blog.
16. Chocolate is sexy! If you’re a food blogger, or even if you’re not, write about chocolate once in a while. It’s the easiest way I’ve found to guarantee lots of hits.
17. Write catchy titles. I know that this is important, but I haven’t mastered it yet. So I’m going to defer to the link, How to Write Catchy Blog Titles.
18. Use great photos. A good photo will grab a reader even faster than a catchy title. One of my favorite places to get quality free photos is freedigitalphotos.net.
19. Invest in a good camera. Especially if you’re a food blogger, you can’t always rely on other people’s photos. Investing in a good camera can take your blog to the next level.
20. Become a great photographer! I’m  still working on this one, but I’ve come a long way. What really helped me here was taking an individual photography lesson. If you’re a food photographer, you might like 7 Simple Food Photography Tips, the post I wrote after my photography class.

That’s what I’ve discovered thus far, but I have much to learn. I still don’t know anything about SEO, having contests or how I can make a few pennies for all the writing I do. So I’d love for you to share what you’ve learned.

Photo courtesy of blog.brainhost.com.