I started blogging about a year ago. In the beginning, I thought it was a cool way to chronicle my daily or weekly experiences, kind of like an online journal. For some, this is the extent to which they use the medium. For me, though, I quickly realized the blog format had much more potential. As such, I decided to begin a journey toward becoming a professional blogger.
Here’s 10 Things I’ve Learned about Professional Blogging:
1. Quality content must be your #1 priority. The determining factor for me when deciding to publish a post is quality. If you read popular sites about blogging, such as ProBlogger or Daily Blog Tips, you have probably heard that it is important to post quality content often, in order to maximize traffic and keep readers engaged. I agree with this theory, in most cases; however, I also tend to agree with DoshDosh (another popular blogging site) in that the quality of content must come first. I post to some of my sites every day, while others might only get one post per week. My reputation is at stake with every post, so I try to make sure that I always put my best foot forward. I probably lose some short-term traffic because of this but I believe the strategy will pay off in the long run.
2. Treat your blog like a business. If you look at Technorati, you will see millions of blogs, but the majority of them are published by people who are blogging as a hobby. The personal nature of blogging is part of what makes it so special, but you’re not going to make enough money at it to live on, unless you treat it like a business (and, even then, there’s no guarantee). If you’re like me and striving to become a professional blogger, then you need to budget time for your blog as if it were a job. You need to spend time creating quality content, working on site design, marketing, networking, advertising, optimization and monetization. You also need to spend time developing your own editorial skills and business acumen. If you’re really serious, you will create a business plan for your blog(s).
3. Network appropriately within your niche. What do I mean by networking appropriately? Make friends with bloggers whose site is at a similar level of traffic, subscriptions or search rank. Fellow bloggers at your level are more likely to provide moral support and be good sources of feedback. You can also help each other learn, grow and succeed. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t network with bloggers who have achieved a higher level of success, however the appropriate way to get to know them (and vice versa) is to subscribe to their feeds and leave quality comments on their posts. NEVER throw a link in a comment on an established blogger’s site. This is a sure fire way to kill any potential relationship. Finally, be generous in your actions toward other bloggers, and do things without an expectation of quid pro quo. As in life, it is better to give than receive, and the ‘givers’ in the blogosphere are often rewarded tenfold over those who take.
4. Don’t spend too much time on marketing yourself. You have to spend time marketing your blog in order for people to find you, but a common mistake many bloggers make is spending too much time on self-promotion. The social media and bookmarking sites, like StumbleUpon, Digg, Mixx, Reddit, Propeller and Del.icio.us, can generate hundreds or thousands of visitors to your site; however, you need to be careful about promoting your own content on them. In general, it is better for others to sell you than you to sell yourself. If no one has submitted your post in a day or two, then float it out there and see what happens, but make sure that you are also contributing to these sites in other ways (voting, submitting other bloggers quality articles, commenting on submissions). You may want to build up your content inventory, experiment with different design elements, and ensure that the site is optimized for success before you try to drive lots of traffic to your site.
5. Do spend time tweaking your site to make it more professional and user friendly. If you want people to take your blog seriously and view it as a trusted resource, then you have to take it seriously first. You need to choose or create a blog design that is both visually appealing and functionally appropriate. There are certain basic things that users are going to expect from a professional site, such as quality articles and graphics, clarity of purpose, the ability to contact you, a search function that works and ease of use. During your first 3 months, feel comfortable modifying the look-and-feel of your blog several times and gauge user reactions. You should also experiment with different plug-ins or page elements. Don’t change it so often that you can’t tell what is working or not – a good gauge is probably a week, if you actively solicit feedback and inform readers of your experiment. Once your blog becomes more established, you probably shouldn’t make major changes very often, as it will negatively affect your branding efforts.
6. Make all advertising or paid reviews self-evident to your readers. Nothing aggravates blog readers more than getting scammed, and that is exactly how they feel when clicking on a link expecting to find a great resource only to be landed on a sales page. Many top bloggers recommend not monetizing your site until you become established and have enough traffic to warrant it. Personally, I feel like it’s fine to monetize your site from the beginning, as long as you don’t over do it. Most people start out with Google Adsense, but this isn’t a big source of revenue until after you build-up traffic. Affiliate ads or direct sales through Amazon’s Associate Program may be a better place to start. Although some may disagree, in-text advertising is fine with me too, as long as it isn’t deceptive to the reader. If you ever do a paid review, always state it at the beginning of the post. To learn more about effective monetization strategies, I recommend subscribing to the feeds of John Chow, Jeremy Shoemaker and Zac Johnson.
7. Variety is the spice of life, but keep it within due bounds. It’s good to mix-up your article topics, but it’s confusing to readers if you’re all over the place. If you blog about gardening, then your readers probably won’t appreciate a random article about politics. It’s better to write within your niche or closely related fields. This helps you to earn a reputation as an expert. For example, one of my blogs is in the parenting niche, specifically about parenting from a dad’s point of view. The majority of my articles focus on providing men resources related to fatherhood, but I occasionally post on other topics that are of general interest to men, such as sports, politics or money (I try to link them in some way to being a father though – click here for an example). The important thing to keep in mind is that your article should meet the expectations of readers without triggering the “WTF is this” reaction.
8. Comments are your greatest resource. Your readers will provide you with all kinds of good information and feedback. I try to let people know when they make a good point and positively contribute to dialogue. You may want to reward comments by displaying them on your blog, featuring them in future articles or offering prizes to top commenters. Analyzing comments will help you to discover new topics of interest for future posts. Remember that comments drive conversation, so don’t kill it by making someone feel bad for disagreeing with you. You will build loyalty by showing respect for readers comments and opinions. If you are successful at building a good relationship with your readers, then they will keep coming back, link to your post and recommend you to friends.
9. Always edit your content before you post it. Nothing screams novice or amateur or idiot like blatant spelling or grammar errors. Using spell check is a bare minimum. Simple mistakes undermine your credibility as a professional blogger. If it happens too often, readers will abandon the site. I probably spend twice as long editing a post as I do writing it. The most effective editing tactic I use is reading what I wrote out loud to see if it flows properly. If you’re really not qualified to edit, then make friends with someone who is and ask them to review your work prior to publishing. Your buddy may not care if you can spell ‘delicious’ right or not, but your readers will. I recommend subscribing to Copyblogger and Daily Writing Tips to help you improve in this area.
10. Be passionate and choose a topic that you love. I have a degree in Journalism from the University of Connecticut, and one of the things I learned early in school is how to write about any topic that I was assigned. I did the research, conducted interviews, included all the necessary elements of a good article (catchy lead, background information, substantiating quotes, engaging narrative, strong closing) and edited for proper spelling and grammar. I learned how to write about anything, but not everything I wrote connected with readers. Why? Passion. The things I wrote about with passion always received a better response.
When it comes to the blogging medium, people expect you to write articles with passion; otherwise, your posts seem like the same boring commentary of Joe Schmoe down the street. Professional blogging is very similar to professional journalism, and the greatest at both are often the most impassioned in their field. Some examples of passionate bloggers on the rise that I enjoy reading are Peter at I Will Change Your Life, Aaron at Today is that Day, Jim at The Busy Dad Blog and Mr. Lady at Whiskey in My Sippy Cup.
I’ve learned a lot about blogging over the past year, and the more I learn the more I appreciate the medium. I’m not quite to the point of being able to make a living at it, but I feel like I’m on the right path. The journey to become a professional blogger is an exciting one, but it isn’t for everybody. It takes a lot of work, time and dedication to do it right, but to me, it’s worth it.
Please feel free to share any of your tips or blogging resources in the comments. I’m always interested in learning from others what has worked for them or not. Also, your feedback on this article is appreciated too.
Related Posts:
Four Key Learnings for Bloggers from Fortune’s Most Admired List
Be a Better Blogger – Five Sites that Build Skills
Lead Inspectors – Blogging Tips, Social Media, Web Apps
