10 ways to be a blogger people will want to follow
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The title says it all - here are some tips for being a blogger that people want to follow.
1. Be yourself.
I can't stress this enough - there's not much point trying to be someone you're not. I act the same online as I do offline - it's good to be genuine.
2. Be unique.
This goes hand in hand with #1 - nobody is exactly like you. But when you blog, you don't have as many ways to show your personality. You don't have hand gestures, facial expressions, or the tone of your voice.
You need to find your writing style, as this gives you a unique voice.
3. Be focused.
What are you going to write about? Aim for a specific niche - you need to give potential readers an idea of what your blog is about.
4. Be honest.
Don't write what you don't agree with - it'll be a lot harder to defend your post if people disagree with it. If you're not sure you've got your facts straight, do some more research before your post. If you make a mistake, correct it and apologise - don't try to bury it.
(Bonus tip: be responsible for your actions. What you write is on your shoulders - take responsibility for the things you say and do.)
5. Be interesting.
Have an opinion - don't just report things. And don't worry about people disagreeing with you! Here's a quote from Winston Churchill that is worth remembering:
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life.
6. Be approachable.
Encourage people to comment on your blog. Comment on their blogs, too. Be friendly and civil, even if you disagree - common courtesy goes a long way.
7. Be responsive.
If someone asks a question, answer it. You don't have to reply within 5 minutes, but in most cases you should aim to reply within a few days. For lengthier queries, you could send a quick note to say you'll reply as soon as you can.
8. Be proactive.
Don't wait for other people to post things that you use as the basis for your own posts. It can be good to write a follow-up, but not all the time. Go in a new direction - approach your niche from a new angle. Seek opportunities. Find guest writers. Meet new people on blogs, forums and other networking sites.
9. Be available.
We can't be online every moment of the day, but we can check our emails regularly. Maintaining an online presence is important - so don't stop posting on your blog, and don't stop using networking sites such as Twitter.
Ensure there's a steady flow of activity - you don't have to post for the sake of it, just don't let people forget who you are (but don't be annoying!).
10. Be thankful.
Building bridges with other bloggers is a very important thing to do. Help people; if people help you, thank them; contact other bloggers privately just to say hi (not only for blogging reasons); link to the people who have helped you.
Don't expect to be best friends with everyone - but do be thankful for the friends you have.
What do you think? What else would make a blogger someone you'd want to follow? What do you find off-putting?
Comments on 10 ways to be a blogger people will want to follow
2
Excellent post. I credit all these reasons for the success of my blog, particularly #10. Everyone who comes to The Junk Drawer knows I'm thankful for their visits.
I also ask myself "Would I want to read this?" whenever I write. It sounds like such a simple thing, but I find some bloggers aren't thinking of their readers when they write. They're thinking of themselves. My job is to entertain people and if something isn't written with that purpose in mind, it won't get published.
3
Thanks for the thought provoking post. What evidence will indicate that I am a blogger that people want to follow? What evidence will indicate that I am not a blogger that people want to follow?
If you would be willing to have a look at my blog and give a honest opinion in regard to this post I'd be grateful. If you're too busy that's fine.
There's a Contact link in the sidebar if you prefer to use that.
4
Excellent tips!
5
Awesome stuff! Yes - BE YOURSELF
6
great post and great tips. basics of blogging that a lot of people either forget or choose not to follow
7
[What do you find off-putting?]
Them bloggers who write with a kind style that sort of implies that they have some authority over the subject that they are writing about.
Then again it does not matter much if I do not dislike that particular blogger much.
After some thought, I believe those who post forcefully fake comments are the ones that are most off-putting.
Okay I need to sleep, posting comments while tired does not seem like a good idea. -_-
8
This is good advice that should always be repeated every now and then. It's easy to lose sight of the techniques that make blogs more successful.
9
You got really good advice! Im new to the blogging activity and I will try to put these in action!
10
Oh Ben... Your the only blog I am subscribed to... :) I love it.
"You don't have to reply within 5 minutes"... I do this! ;-D
11
The one thing I do find off putting is someone who is a "know it all". You can have extensive knowledge on a particular subject but when you're pointing the authoritative finger at your readers, that is a huge turnoff for me.
12
Hi there. I'm new to blogging and I just wanted to say thanks for the good advice. There is a lot of information out there for the new blogger to wade through, and it seems that most of it is not very helpful, but your post has definitely given me some things to think about.
13
Thanks everyone for the comments. :)
Kiwi - if you follow the tips then you should be on your way. Were there any particular points you wanted to know more about?
As for authority blogging - I'm not an authority on that subject ;) but I know someone who is. I'll see what I can do to answer some of those points further.
14
Following up everything and being proactive about commenting on other blogs takes up a huge amount of time. It often comes down to posting or commenting or promoting the blog in some way. Some days I can do all three but I spend the day on it. Other days I just have to pick which of the three I will do. For me the blogging itself comes first cause that is what I love and the reason I put myself through all of this in the first place. So maybe I won't be a blogging superstar, I'll still be enjoying blogging another 10 or so years from now. Most of the others bloggers I have known in that time are gone. I'm still here. I don't pressure myself to fit into anyone's mould of what a blogger should be. I know your posts are not geared to personal blogs. But, I think everyone who wants to stick with this should understand that you can't stick with it if you don't still love it after all the fuss is gone.
15
This is a valuable combination of posts and comments.
The only one I'm not fully convinced on is No. 3 - I think this 'specific niche' idea can be overplayed. I reckon that if you develop your own style of blogging then that style can pretty much be all the niche that's needed and then the subject-matter can veer around pretty wildly so long as the style maintains a standard. With ultimate respect, I think Kathy's Junk Drawer blog is a very fine example of this.
16
Aw, thanks Ken! You're right. A humor blog has a niche, but the topics I'm able to cover run far and wide. In fact, Junk Drawer wasn't always strictly a humor blog. I tried covering unrelated topics in the beginning, such as tech tips and linguistics. But I quickly found that I'd run out of material that I liked to write and that wasn't repeated elsewhere. Humor won out. It gave me a lot more wiggle room. And it also gave my blog an identity. It really didn't have one when I was all over the map with topics.
17
@kathy great point. Im still trying to figure out my blog's identity. it started as a true-crime blog which is one of my passions but I eventually got bored of it and now its kind of a mish-mash of tech, web2.0, true crime and whatever else I feel like writing but I feel I need to still have some direction.. maybe one day
18
These ten points are right on the money. Be yourself is a great piece of advice. There are way too many bloggers who are just trying to copy others to make it big. Be personal...good stuff!
19
Thanks, Nicholas! :)
20
@lyndi, precisely my thought as well. I would want to know information from the bloggers, the information is precise and in layman terms, nice post.
21
thanks, Unoblogger - and welcome!
22
Well, Ben,
As a new blogger, when I asked my social network who's blogs I would be wise to follow, You were number ONE. I can see why.
Thank you
Stephanie
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I tend to compare bloggers to the columnists writing for the newspapers. The hard facts are published on the front page but the opinions and background to the facts are normally handled by the columnists. That is what I expect from reading an article on a blog. I want to know that bloggers opinion on whatever the topic might be. I expect a blogger to offer me something different. Be witty, be serious, make me laugh, make me cry, just be different.