11 Hot Tips for Writers With Blogs

December 20, 2007

Blogging for Writers There are bloggers who write, and then there are writers who blog. What’s the main difference?

Bloggers are immersed in the technology and community that is blogging, while writers’ expertise is in word craft. Sure, the two make for a successful marriage since bloggers must write, and writers can reap great benefits from having a blog. Still, there’s a lot to master in both of these worlds. Here are ten things you, as a writer, can do to make your blog a little (or a lot) more successful:

Subscribe to Problogger. Darren Rowse will teach you everything you need to know to run a successful and profitable blog. Since he earns over six figures a year as a full time professional blogger, he’s certainly got the information you need! At first, a lot of it might seem like mumbo jumbo, but after a few months, you’ll be talking about CPMs right along with the best of them.
Break it Up. Writers are used to reading and composing long strings of text, but this is not the world of print. Unless your blog post is relatively short (250 words), break it up by using sub-headings, images, and lists.
Open up comments. I recently visited a blog that was asking for feedback via comments, and when I went to oblige the request, I found that I had to register in order to leave a comment. Who needs another ID and password? And who wants to go through three security steps just to leave a comment?
Ads. Don’t be shy about wanting to earn money from your blogging efforts. Some folks bury ads way down at the bottom of the page as if they were shameful. If you put a lot of effort into your blog (otherwise, why have it at all?), there’s no reason not to display your ads in highly visible areas (they will perform better if they can be seen), but…
Don’t overdo it. Don’t clutter up your site with too many images, ads, or widgets. Keep it simple, and if you’re not sure which blog community widget or ads you want to display, try each one for a couple of weeks, track the results, and settle on the best. Oh, and never insert ads into the middle of your posts. This just makes your blog confusing and difficult to read.
Be tough. Expect copyright infringement. People will steal your content, so be prepared, and don’t flip out. Blog about it, discuss it, and handle it. Also, be prepared to receive negative feedback. Eventually someone will give your blog or a post on your blog a negative review, either on their blog, in your comments, or on one of the many social networking sites. When this happens…
Listen. If you do get negative feedback, take it graciously. Even a harsh criticism will probably hold some kernels of truth, so use it as a learning experience and figure out how you can apply it to making your writing and your blog even better.
Make sure your blog connects to any other web site you have, especially anything connected to your blog’s topic. Whenever you mention your other site(s), include a link. This makes it easy for folks to find out more about you and what you have to offer. There’s nothing wrong with self-promotion!
Make it easy for readers to subscribe. The whole RSS thing might be new to you, or, maybe you’re familiar with it but you still don’t really understand it. Nevertheless, it’s important. I recommend Feedburner and placing subscription options near the top of your page.
Be an active participant. If you want people to come to your blog, you best become a blog visitor yourself. Make sure you leave comments wherever you go, and these should always include a link back to your blog (I use a signature link as well). To make it easy on yourself, get set up with a blog subscription service, which will help you manage subscriptions to all the blogs you like. I use Bloglines and love the way they let me organize blogs in different folders.
Link love - give it! Links are how blogs get higher ratings. Don’t be stingy with links. Include a blogroll, and make an effort to mention other blogs (both those with higher and lower rankings than your own) and link to them. I recently read somewhere that you can use some special code to include a link that won’t register on Google. That’s not nice! If a site is good enough to link to, let them reap the benefits!

Bonus: Keep it fresh and focused. Don’t regurgitate everything that’s circling the blogosphere, especially in your own niche. Try to come up with unique and interesting posts. Subscribe to Copyblogger, where you can get some great ideas for generating original content. As for focus, nobody wants to come to a writing blog only to find posts about the antics of this writer’s kitten (you should see him, he’s so cute!). If you want an open-topic blog, start one up, otherwise, keep the focus on zoom.

How do you rate?

Do you practice most of these things already? Are there any other tips you’d add to this list? Do you think writers are Internet and technology savvy? Have questions of your own about being a writer with a blog? Let me know!