I absolutely love blogging but oh my it can be tough at times. It is so easy to compare yourself to others. Feel demotivated and there are times that you can completely lose your way. It has so many highs and lows. There are plenty of times when I want to just to stop all together. Then there are days when I look at what I have achieved and feel so proud of myself. It can be hard at times but definitely worth it.
If I had one piece of advice to people thinking of starting up a blog or maybe feeling a little lost with their blog. It would be to remember why you started. It’s so hard to not get obsessed with stats and followers to the point
where it can completely take over. I went through a phase when I was constantly checking how many people were reading my blog. Or getting upset if I lost followers on social media. It took me a while to realise that this is not why I started blogging. I started because I wanted to document my children’s life. I started because I wanted something for me. Because I love to write. When it all gets too much (and it will at times) you just need to remember.
I have teamed up with a bunch of lovely bloggers who have shared some of their simple blogging tips:
Write as yourself.
Write in your own voice as you would talk in real life. Let your personality show through. People talk about finding your niche, the truth is, YOU are your niche – your voice, your opinions. No one else is you and no one else thinks exactly like you. Use that to your advantage by showing readers the real you. www.myrandommusings.co.uk
Create Useful or Helpful Content
Some really successful bloggers primarily use their blog as a journal, charting everyday life etc, and that works well for them. But personally, I would rather write, and read, posts that focus on either a specific topic, are opinion-led, thought-provoking or helpful to readers. For example, if you switch up the post “An update on my baby’s weaning.” to “Ten Steps For Easy Weaning” it becomes much more interesting and useful.
www.thebutterflymother.com
Join lots of blogger groups on Facebook.
This is where you will garner info about linkys and good places to share your content. Don’t just sit back and wait for people to read your posts. You might be waiting a long time! Promote wherever you can. Get over your shyness early on and appreciate your creativity. You write for people to read it so don’t be ashamed to promote it! www.thehippychristianmum.com
Get organised and be consistent!
Keep a notebook or some way to take notes, with you at all times.You never know when inspiration for a blog post might strike. Plan well in advance for things that will send you off track (such as school holidays) so you can stick to your posting schedule. www.mychaoticallyeclecticlife.com
Know your audience and write with them in mind.
When I am writing my blog I usually try to visualise the people I am writing for: you can see who your audience is from Google Analytics. I often think of a few friends (who are the right age, gender, stage in life) who would be interested in what I am writing about and I try to write as if I was talking to them. I find this helps my writing as I am directing what I am saying at real people, but to keep a little distance there I pretend that they have brought a friend or two along that I’ve not met before so I explain things fully. If you want to
branch out your audience a little start including a man in your imaginary audience (if most of your readers are women) or someone older or younger or with different interests. www.alittleluxuryfor.me
You may have your target audience in mind, but many people, including those with disabilities, may stumble upon your website. And this is a chance for you to be as inclusive as possible. Alt text is the blank area for you to give your reader a visual representation of what is in your photo or image. Many bloggers unknowingly believe that it’s for keywords within your post. This is the most important tip I can give to anyone: describe your your images, photos memes and pins so you’re blind and other disabled readers can be included and not confused. www.thinkingoutloud-sassystyle.com/
Some great tips! I think the blogging groups are not for everyone though, I found them quite depressing and a bit bitchy at times. Felt much better when I stopped following them although I’m still in a few to glance at occasionally.
Nat.x
We started with the same reasons as you. We wanted something to look back on and document our lives. Blogging should be for you first and the followers and stats can wait xx #DreamTeam
some great tips sometimes you can really forget why you started and get stuck on numbers #Dreamteam
Hi Natalie, great tips! It is easy to become obsessed by stats, but remembering why we started blogging is a great tip. I started just because I wanted to write and keep my brain active, I never imagined that anyone would read my blog let alone comment on it.
It’s not always easy going though, and sometimes it’s good to step back and take a breath. The blogging community is a friendly bunch and are always there.
xx
These are great tips, I’m really trying to work harder on my blog at the moment so I’ve saved this post to refer back to! x #SharingtheBlogLove
Really great tips here Nat. I consistently fall into this trap of comparison and feeling a little overwhelmed by the whole thing. This week I’ve realised that I am spending far too much time on photography when it really isn’t my forte! I want to showcase interiors and fashion but I’m not really good at photographing them. I love writing and I think sometimes I get so bogged down with getting the pictures right that the writing gets a bit lost. Anyway, it’s good to constantly evaluate why we are doing this and getting back to basics is important too. Thanks for sharing this xx
Some sensible tips. I think it’s key to remember why you blog. If you’re blogging for business then they might be very different posts compared with personal blogs.#sharingthebloglove
Great tips. As a newbie I’m never without my notebook or phone for when things pop into my head. Just need something to jot notes on the shower wall as this is just about the only place I get time to think by myself.
Great tips. My top tip would be to engage with the blogging community, they’re an incredibly friendly and helpful bunch. When you’re new you can be a bit intimidated and feel like you can’t just start a conversation with a bigger blogger, but you totally can x
#SharingtheBlogLove
Oh lovely these are some great tips. I think it’s good to sit back for a bit and remember why you started it in the first place #TheListLinky
I think it is so easy to compare and I think realising everyone has up and downs is really important x #sharingthebloglove
I always enjoy reading blogging tips – they keep me on the straight and narrow. Some lovely bloggers here giving some great tips, thanks x #SharingtheBlogLove
These are great tips for bloggers new and old. Thanks for sharing. #sharingthebloglove
Great advice. I need to up my game on FB #SharingtheBlogLove
My tip would be never burn any bridges because you don’t know what’s coming in the future… #thelistlinky
Some great tips. I started my Rhyming Mum blog for many of the same reasons as you. I know how hard it can be to stay focused on blogging so I made the first page of my notebook a list of reasons I wanted to do it. I’m hoping it’ll help me remember when/if I’m struggling to stay on track #SharingtheBlogLove
Some fab tips, completely agree about targeting it to your own audience and not try to cater for everybody. I write about early years education and try and get a piece of that into every blog post that I write #sharingthebloglove
I used to get so caught up with stats but once I started to forget them more, blogging became so much more enjoyable x x
Great tips, I am part of lots of FB groups that are all really supportive #sharingthebloglove
Great tips! My biggest tip would be, be true to who you are. I see so many bloggers follow the money rather than follow their hearts. I truly believe that you can have both! #sharingthebloglove
Some great tips here. I find it sooooo overwhelming sometimes! Definitely helps to remember why you started and then it takes the pressure off for a bit. #SharingtheBlogLove