Sometimes, the hardest part about blogging is just getting started, right? It’s one thing to blog pictures of your sweet little baby all dressed up like a cupcake for your mom to see. But it’s quite another to blog consistent and quality content for the entire blogosphere to see! We get that. We know it’s overwhelming. But we also know that you can totally do it.
First and foremost, whatever you choose to blog about must be something you LOVE and are passionate about. I'm defining "love" and "passionate" in this context as: something you would be willing to do just for fun, without pay, and without attention.
Aside from finding something you are passionate about, I think there are two other significant points to consider in choosing a topic to blog about:
A) Your "something" doesn't necessarily have to be a thing. Does that make sense? So many people think that a blog can only be successful if it's about something tangible (like food or crafts). But there are zillions of successful blogs that blow this misconception right out of the water! These are some topics I've seen implemented in blogs that I repeatedly visit:
- Blog Design
- Social Networking Tips & Tricks
- Link Parties (Monday-Sunday, a new one every day with a new theme)
- Favorite Pinterest Finds
- Celebrity Gossip and Trends
- Parenting Advice
- Freebies on the Web
- Couponing
- Toddler/Kid Friendly Activities
- Date Night Ideas
- Online Blog Conferences... (ok, so I might not recommend this one for a starter ;)
B) Your "something" can very well be "somethings." The key to blogging about more than one topic or theme is simply organization and consistency. For example: Monday is a craft day, Tuesday is for recipes, Wednesday is for photography, Thursday is a DIY tip day, and Friday is a round-up post of your M-Thu posts! See? Easy!
If you already have an established blog and are hesitant to start adding new kinds of content now that you're "in the middle" of things, my advice to you would be: do it! I had been blogging about desserts for a year when I decided to start adding blog design tutorials once a week. I picked a day of the week (Tuesdays) to consistently post about blog design.
Eventually, I ran out of design material that I wanted to blog about, so one week-- I just stopped and went back to only recipes! And you know what? Everything was just fine. My stats were fine. My readers were fine. Adding in new content and then taking it away didn't do any harm at all. If anything, it was a huge help! It opened up a lot of opportunities I may not have had otherwise, and allowed me to stand apart from a lot of the other dessert blogs! Don't be afraid to shake things up a little! It won't hurt. I promise.
I'm assuming that if you're here at this conference, you're interested in blogging for people outside of your immediate family. And probably interested in making some money, right?
If that's the case, you need to ask yourself (and answer, obviously), "Who am I blogging for?" Of course, the idyllic answer would be that you blog for YOU, right? "Blog for yourself and the followers will come," is advice I felt like I received all. the. time. But I've never made a secret of the fact that making an income from my blog is a major factor in why I blog. And having said that, this is the advice I wish someone would have given me instead: find your target demographic and gear your posts towards them as much as you can without compromising your own voice and without giving up what you want to blog about.
I want to emphasize that I am not suggesting you only blog what other people what you to blog. Just that you take your target demographic into consideration when writing your posts. It's simply good business sense.
For example: Something I struggle with is my desire to blog for other dessert bloggers. It's fun to see the creative ways we all find to use different ingredients, and I enjoy the creative stimulation of experimenting with wacky dessert recipe. But while another dessert blogger may appreciate the fact that I could incorporate 5 different major ingredients into one dessert, a lot of other people might look at my recipe and think, "that is way too many ingredients for anything I want to attempt!"
I've learned that my target demographic are women, approximate ages 20-45, typically moms, and busy. They don't want to go out and buy 20 ingredients, create 5 different components, and then assemble a massive dessert. I've also learned that they gravitate towards recipes they're already familiar with, but that have a simple twist. The familiarity makes the recipe less scary, plus they already basically know they like it.
So how did I learn this? Mostly by paying attention. Take the feedback (and constructive criticism) people leave in your comments and on your social media pages. I've picked up a lot of information about my target demographic by perusing the pins sourced to my site daily. When they say things like, "This looks easy!" or "My mom used to make something just like this, I love it!" or "Oh my gosh. I LOVE nutella!" I know I've done something right, and I take note. On the flip side, I have found quite a bit of constructive criticism on Pinterest as well-- especially look for comments like, "I like this, but I'd change this..." Sometimes they have good ideas to help you understand what your target audience is looking for!
Different bloggers will tell you different things-- and the right answer will always be different depending on what your expectations of your blog are, and ultimately, where you draw the line on time spent blogging...
But, as a general rule of thumb, I think that your goal should be to eventually have a post up 5 days a week, Monday through Friday. Note: I said eventually. When you're starting out, it's a good idea to take a slow until you've got a handle on the actual process of posting (photo editing, creating any necessary graphics, and writing the post, etc.). Begin by posting 2 or 3 days a week, just be sure to spread them evenly through the week, and be consistent!
It's also helpful to incorporate different types of post throughout your week. That way, you don't feel so much pressure to come up with a craft, recipe, etc. every single day of the week. Some great "filler" posts ideas are:
- Link Parties
- Themed Round Up Posts
- This Week's Favorite Pins
- Weekly Re-Cap of your Posts
Monday: Favorite Pins from the Weekend*
Tuesday: YOUR post (your recipe, craft, DIY tutorial, etc...)
Wednesday: Round Up Post*
Thursday: YOUR post (your recipe, craft, DIY tutorial, etc)
Friday: Weekly Re-Cap of your posts
This schedule has you posting your own material twice a week, so it's hopefully more manageable, but still posting every weekday. As you progress in blogging and have more of your own material to blog, you can change this around to include more of your own stuff.
Also, remember, this is just a guide. It may not be the best option for every blog!
*I'd suggest that you try to keep your "filler" posts relevant to what you blog about if you have a theme or topic. For example, if you blog about desserts (ahem), it would be a great idea to post about dessert-related pinterest finds, and maybe not pins from your "Celebrity Style" board... but hey, that's your call :)
You've probably heard bloggers talk about "voice." And you're like, how do I get that? But that's the beauty of it...you already have it.
 |
| {via} |
"Voice" is not something you have to invent. If it is, you're working too hard. Unless you're writing a fictional character for a novel, you don't need to create a voice. You just need to hone the one your mama gave you.
In other words, just be you.
When I started my blog, I thought I had to have a certain "way" of writing. I thought I had to write about the food and be all UP! and THIS IS FANTASTIC! and then give my readers a recipe. It's not surprising that I had all of, like, two readers back then.
It wasn't until I started reading more blogs and seeing that people actually talked about life or made jokes or said OMG! that I realized I could actually write like I think. Because I really do write that way. I basically brain dump into a post.
Once I was able to find my blogging voice (which, by the way, grows and changes all the time) I realized that I was getting more readers. I was comfortable in my own skin, so to speak, so my readers were too. Which then, in turn, let me be even more of myself. Which is where I am today.
And, I think that letting that brain dump happen actually helped me in my real life. Because as I realized what I thought was okay to write...I figured it was okay to say out loud too. I'd always been afraid of speaking my thoughts in public. Blogging is a great way to work on that!
So, basically, "voice" means that voice in your head. Write what it tells you too. The rest comes naturally!
You probably have those days where you wonder, why the heck am I doing this? Or maybe you wonder, is this worth all the effort? Why do I want to sit at my computer all day and write for who-knows-how-many people?
 |
| {via} |
I bother because I love it. I love it more than any other job I've ever had. On most days, I can't wait to get to my computer to see what's happened in the blogosphere while I've been offline. I love the interactions I've made, the friendships. I love that I have something that's mine, that I've built. Also, I've learned that the more I put in - the more I get out. When I started posting more? I got more followers. When I started visiting more blogs? I got new readers. When I started spending time really brainstorming ideas for recipes and paying attention to photography? I started getting features on the big blogs...which led me to get new readers, and new friends. And hey, I get paid in food products sometimes. That's a pretty good perk, if you ask me.
So, in summary...start a blog. Find content to write about that you're passionate about; something you love. If you love it, your writing will reflect it. If your writing shows your passion, the readers will come (as long as you put yourself out there...which will be talked about over the next few days). And as long as you consistently post using your voice and your ideas...the readers will stay.
Blogging has been one of the most liberating experiences of my life. It's allowed to me to grow and develop so many talents and characteristics I didn't even know I had inside of me.
I love that a blog gives me something to create-- and I'm not talking just about the desserts. I'm talking about this gigantic thing called a blog. From the blog design to the photographs to ways in which I network, Something Swanky is something I created from scratch. Nothing was just handed to me on a silver platter. I've had to teach myself how to write, how to photograph, how to make my blog look nice, how to make business contacts... all these things I never knew I was capable of doing!
And all of that gives me a feeling of identity and accomplishment. While nothing supersedes my roles in life as a wife, mother, homemaker, and friend-- my identity as a blogger is something I'm tremendously proud of, because of the work and effort I put into it. We all need that, don't we? Something to work at and something to feel proud of. When I think of my feelings for blogging, I often think of this quote by a man named Dieter Uchtdorf; he said..
That is why I say you should bother to start and maintain a blog. If you have the passion for it, it can bring you great fulfillment as you stretch to reach the new goals that you will be constantly setting in a never-ending process to be a little better."The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty..."
We are so excited for this conference. Thank you all for registering! Put on your bunny slippers and grab a cup of coffee, throw in a Disney movie for the kids and let's get going! Posts will run throughout the day. Enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment