How does it feel when posting short status posts? That’s the question on my mind. And I’m willing to explore them.
After all, blogging was not restricted to only one format.
~ PBW
7 HARD TRUTHS ABOUT BUILDING A BLOG
Writing a blog is work.
Building a blog takes much more of your time and other resources.
You have to think about your headline, the introductory part, the main message, and the conclusion. You also have to think about the format you’re going to publish your post.
Leaving it at your drafts won’t do you or your audience any good. And so it is important to have an idea of the realities of building a blog.
Having these tips in mind will re-write your expectations to fit your current style of blogging – and also, the niche you’re operating.
SEVEN HARD TRUTHS ABOUT BUILDING A BLOG
1. Building a blog audience takes time
And I’m sorry to be in your face with this fact. You shouldn’t expect immediate results in weeks or months – i.e. if you want to gain a significant sized audience.
Building a sizeable, real audience really, really takes time.
This is good in one sense. It affords you the opportunity to know more about your blogging niche – the competitors, the topics, the plugins needed and the remaining essentials that will help your blog to stand out from the crowd.
2. Building a blog requires dedication to the blogging craft
You have to keep showing up until it hurts.
And when it starts to hurt, you know you’re doing something worthwhile. The reason is because building a blog is just like building a business. You have to really be weird to come to success.
The work will eat into your extra time. And on certain days, your blogging gigs will eat into your night sleep. It’ll be hard to sleep when you keep thinking about your next blog post.
The feeling can make you anxious. But it’s part of the signs that show people that you are dedicated to your craft.
3. You will have to tell people about your new blog
Telling people about your new blog takes courage.
And the reality is that all successful bloggers are courageous. They are not afraid of failure. They are not afraid of what people will say about their efforts.
In fact, they recognize the fact that their blog is a continuous log of work-in-progress. It doesn’t matter if you video-blog, image-blog or text-blog.
What matters is that you are not afraid to tell people that you’re a blogger.
4. You have to complete your unfinished posts
There is this situation I got stuck in. Today, I also really feel that many top bloggers have also experienced this at one point or the other. And that problem is the problem of the unfinished post.
What causes it? I’ll say it’s your desire for perfection.
You want to finish your blog post is a perfect way. While there is no way to gauge the perfection in a blog post, it is possible to gauge the quality of a post. And a post that helps a blogger’s audience is capable of being rated as awesome.
So, stop abandoning your blog posts, and stop (I mean it), being afraid of publishing your own blog posts. Do work hard to finish them. The process is quite straight forward.
If I may add, try using an editorial calendar. It will really help to push you forward to meet your blogging goals. This will truly reduce your need for leaving an unfinished post the way you did in the past.
5. You have to promote your posts
Whether it is sharing them on Twitter or Google+ or Facebook or any other platform, you have to share your posts.
Promoting your blog posts is one share way to get significant traffic to your blog. Visitors will click on the links to you blog from other platforms and head over to read the full content of your blog posts. And this is best done after you hit the publish button on your latest blog post.
6. You have to build connection with your readers
Building connection with your readers is essential if you have to grow your blog readership. It is also an important strategy in building your blog’s engagement with your readers.
At the end of the day, you have to realize that it is people –not bugs – that do the actual reading of your blog.
Building a connection with your readers will encourage your readers to spread the word about your blog. Who knows? You may be nominated for a blog award.
Even though the result takes quite some time, but in the end, it is all worth the effort.
7. You are free to embrace other blogging formats
Blogging isn’t restricted to words alone.
As much as it’s a good thing that you blog predominantly in the format you enjoy, blogging isn’t restricted to one format.
On a platform such as WordPress (for example), you can blog in the following formats:
- Text
- Video
- Image
- Quote
- Link
- Status
- Gallery etc.
You can also blog about articles, events, styles, objects, luxury, people and poetry etc.
The choice is yours.
You are free to use whatever format that interests you on your blog.
In essence…
Your blogging journey is meant to be fun and exciting. Occasionally, there are the situations that make the hair at the back of your neck stand. Still, building a blog is not a one day activity.
Over to you…
How long have you been blogging? And what’s your experience like? Share it with us in the comments.
~ PBW
3 Inspiration Tips for the “Unfeeling” Blogger
It’s very easy to start a blog and wonder off.
The tech industry isn’t waiting for anyone anymore, more innovative platforms are being coded out each year.
The confusion is on…
Newbies are stuck. Many people are finding it hard to stick to a schedule – not because they don’t want to. But because of the competing platforms and tools that need their eyeballs and loyal patronage. And the interesting part is that you and I are among the potential customers in these tech markets.
The reality is that…
As a blogger (or writer), it can sometimes be a struggle to do what you do best.
Instead of getting stuck, feeling you’re tired of blogging (or writing), use these 3 tips to keep on pulling down the clog.
1. Embrace your limitation.
Being a blogger means that there will always be time when you have to choose between your blog and alternative items on your to-do-list. Understanding your limitation will help you trim down your to-do-list to fit your blogging schedule.
2. Search for productivity tools and use the ones that fit your lifestyle.
Blogging can be stressful. If you attempt to do it in a haphazard way, such methodology would leave you hanging without much to show. As a good blogger, you have to find and make use of tools that can help you be more productive. Examples of such tools are reminders, spreadsheets, editorial calendars, break time alarms, calculators, web based estimators etc.
Note: Hey! Google is here for you. And the interesting part is that it is FREE for you to use.
3. Never forget why you started blogging in the first place.
You had a reason to start your blog. Write it out. Paste it somewhere where you’ll always see it.
It’s very easy to wander off. Don’t let it out of your head. Always, keep in your heart that one no b.s. reason you started your blog. When times are tough, you’ll find yourself still moving forward to achieve your blogging goals.
Let’s talk about your blogging workflow and challenges in the comments.
What blogging topic are you still trying to wrap your head around? Which productivity tools do you use? Which ones do you recommend?
Let’s help each other learn more – especially the newbie bloggers and writers.
You’re also free to include not more than two links to useful resources or your own blogging products in your comment. And, hey, spammers and sploggers are not welcomed to participate.
Now, let’s begin the chat.
~ PBW
BE Courageous and Kick Ass!
What is it that you want to do? If it’s bigger than you, then you’ll need courage to win.
With courage you’ll win big.
Stop trying to be like others. Just fill your mind with life-giving thoughts that improve your health and joy.
In this way as you continue, you’ll notice that the goodness in you will overflow and spill out into the life of others.
Be courageous!
It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran writer or newbie blogger, courage is a necessary ingredient to how people with big tasks won in the past. And it’s how everyone with mega plans would win in future.
~ PBW
PAY DAY BLOGGERS: Look forward to blogging that your ass off
The world of blogging is filled with a lot of unique people. There are those who blog for freedom of expression. There are also those who blog to earn. Then there’s the group that blog to do both – freedom of expression and getting their efforts rewarded come pay day.
We see many of’em blog for different reasons. Some blog to make their unique voices heard (hahahhahh! This is the founding reason of modern day blogging). Other bloggers do it to let go off the day’s stress; while the rest do it to improve their writing talents (of course that’s what I’m using this blog for).
Whether your using Typepad, WordPress, or Blogger to vent off your steam, it is important for you to be yourself.
Being yourself doesn’t mean you won’t offend anyone
You don’t need everybody’s approval to be happy. You also don’t need everybody’s approval to discover yourself. For you to blog well, you need to have something to say.
This also means you need to have a life. Blogging needs you to come to the realization that you ARE and always WILL BE a work-in-progress.
How? You may ask me…
The answer is simple: ”All bloggers are learners.”
It doesn’t matter whether it’s your past experiences or your current living condition or your imaginations of the future you want to live in. Blogging requires you to improve your skill to the point where you can churn yourself – past, present and future. And then weave it into a chewable node that your audience can pick two or more valuables that benefit them in some particular ways.
This positions you to kick ass
Say your mind. Keep learning. Keep dreaming. Keep discovering. Keep connecting the dots.
Then one day will come when you will have to smile as you look back and see…
- You committed to your craft.
- You stood your ground
- You paid your dues
- You sacrificed
…and all paid off.
~ Prosper B. Wealth
