Blogging Tips : 17 Things You Need To Know

#BloggingTips

Lists of blogging tips for beginners are everywhere on the internet. Chances are high you’ve seen a handful of them already.

The problem is, most of them are regurgitated lists of tips that simply don’t work or that work only for the pro bloggers who already have a huge following.

Today, I’m sharing with you, some of the blogging tactics I’ve lived by for some time now.

They’ve helped me tremendously and I hope you, too, will find them (or at least, some of them) very actionable.

 1. Have a niche. Don’t just write about widely unrelated topics. Pick a theme for your blog. This helps you build a community of like-minded readers.

2. Be unique. Don’t just copy-cat someone you admire. You can be inspired by them and pick ideas from them but don’t try too hard to be like them.

3. Be vulnerable. Don’t be that blogger who always shares how he’s awesome and successful but pretends never to fail or make mistakes. Tell the truth. Trust takes time to earn and is easy to lose.

4. Be outstanding. Stop adding to the noise or merely trying to fit in. Do something beautifully different from the others.

5. Be patient. Be patient. Be patient. The resource you need most to make it in blogging is time.

6. Don’t obsess over stats. Page views, daily visits, number of shares, number of comments… ha! It’s tempting to check these daily or even many times every day. Don’t fall into that trap, especially when you’re just starting. It’s sheer waste of time and can discourage you.

7. Make your posts easy to share. Be sure to have good sharing buttons on your blog. If you need some help, Google is your friend.

8. Write with conviction. This is very important. Whether you’re confident or not shows in your writing. You can’t explain how but you can feel it when you see it.

9. Embrace short sentences.  And short paragraphs. Blogging is unlike academic writing. Avoid complex sentences and heavy jargons.

10. Be chatty. Write like you talk to a friend. Use “you,” “I” and “me”. Avoid “we”. See blogging is a friendly conversation with a pal. It’s not a seminar presentation.

11. Write often. It’s best if you can do it daily. Capture ideas as they come and develop them later, or you may lose them forever.

12. Expect haters. A few mean people (wrongly) criticizing you  is a sign you’re getting something right. Many very ethical bloggers I know have been called names like “hypocrite,” “scammer” and “spammer”. Be prepared.

13. Nurture your mind. Find ways to regularly learn and get inspired. Read, watch, observe, meditate, consult and pick good brains. This is the only way you can continuously teach and inspire others.

14. Build an email list. Get people’s emails with their permissions and keep in touch with them. If you don’t do this, you’re an idiot. I don’t mean to be mean, but an email list is just that important. It’s the best and easiest way to promote your posts and sell your stuff.

15. Be generous. Generosity wins big time online. This is why I give some of my most valuable ebooks and courses away for free.

16. Monetize your blog. This is a must if you want to blog for long. But learn to do it properly so you don’t annoy your readers and screw up everything.

17. Pay attention to what experts do. What they say can make you good. But to be great like them, you need to peep over their shoulders.

Those are the cornerstone blogging tips I live by.

Put them to use. Whichever works for you, stick to it. Do it often.

Whichever doesn’t suit your situation, feel free to discard it. That’s part of being yourself, and not just a part of the crowd.

So what other blogging tips do you use or have you found effective? Share what works for you in the comments.