“Bloggers To Watch: Jen Bishop talks about how to become a full-time blogger” plus 2 more |  |
- Bloggers To Watch: Jen Bishop talks about how to become a full-time blogger
- 10 Hurdles I’ve Faced as a Blogger and How I Got Over Them
- Your Ultimate Guide to Creating Amazing Content that Draws Readers Into Your Blog
| Bloggers To Watch: Jen Bishop talks about how to become a full-time blogger Posted: 28 Aug 2013 08:57 AM PDT Jen Bishop is the creative force behind Interiors Addict, the leading Australian blog dedicated to interiors and home wares. She was made redundant a year into starting her blog and was accidentally thrust into the world of full-time blogging. I've loved watching her journey. She started off with a hobby blog on Tumblr and now reaches over 50,000 readers each month. In this interview, we discuss what she has accomplished since becoming a full-time blogger. You became a full-time blogger earlier than planned. Did the need for immediate income affect your blog strategy?Not really. I always wanted my blog monetization to be more display ads than sponsored content. What I did do earlier than expected was start working with an agency, who sell my ads on commission. That’s proven to be a good move. What have been your most successful methods of monetization?Banner advertising, without a doubt. Now that’s more established with bigger names on board, booking multiple times, I wanted to concentrate on the sponsored content side too. I also make money from social media consulting work with businesses in the interiors industry, and a little from job ads. Your blog posts tend to be more newsy, with the occasional in-depth feature. How much time do you spend actually writing the blog content?That really varies. I’m a very fast writer, after 14 years as a journalist, but I spend an minimum of 2 hours a day writing. Some days I’ll write from 7am to 3pm and suddenly realise I’m starving and have missed lunch! You've turned your passion into a full time job. Have you ever felt sick or writing about the same thing repeatedly? |
| 10 Hurdles I’ve Faced as a Blogger and How I Got Over Them Posted: 27 Aug 2013 05:03 PM PDT Last night while speaking at a small event here in Melbourne I was asked to identify the most common hurdles that bloggers face in building profitable blogs. It was a tricky question to answer – not because there are not many hurdles… but because there are so many and each blogger seems to face their own unique set of them. Here are a few of the hurdles that I’ve faced and some further reading on how I got over them. 1. Technical Know HowWhen I started blogging I was using the web for email and occasional research for essays for the study I was doing. I’d used IRC chat but had never created a web page, had never ‘coded’ anything, had no understanding of how to register a domain or get a site on a server and had no ability when it came to designing a blog. As a result I made a lot of mistakes in those early years with poor choices of blogging platforms, domain names etc. The big lessons for me in this was that while there was a lot I didn’t know about blogging and there was always something to learn (and there still is 10 years later) you really don’t need to know it all at once. Start simple and grow your knowledge and skills as you need them – and as you’re able you might also like to look at partnering with others or outsourcing to people who complement your skill set. Further Reading: I’m not technical enough to blog: Misconceptions Bloggers Have #4 2. Fear of Looking StupidAs a result of #1 one of the earliest challenges that could have held me back was looking stupid. I have distinct memories in the first few months of blogging where I would compare my very poorly designed and badly written blog (at least that’s what I saw) with other bloggers who seemed to know what they were doing – I remember wondering if people were reading purely for a laugh. Luckily I got past this fear and kept working on developing my blogging voice and skill set and in time the fear subsided. I think the other key for me in overcoming this fear was to focus my energies on creating content with my blog that attempted to solve tangible problems that I knew people had. I think by taking this constructive approach you create a useful blog that is pretty difficult to critique. 3. Finding a FocusMy first blog was one in which I talked about many many topics. It started out focusing upon my work (I was a minister) and so I used it to talk about Church, Theology and Spirituality but over time it broadened to talk about my other interests (movies, politics, photography, life in Australia and later blogging itself). The more topics I wrote about the more I enjoyed blogging but the more push back I got from readers who didn’t always share my eclectic mix of interests. It wasn’t until I started new blogs for different topics that I began to find my groove and my readership really began to grow. Further Reading: How to Choose a Blog Niche 4. Bloggers BlockA few years into blogging I had my first bout of bloggers block. The creative juices were not flowing and I would sit at my computer staring at an empty draft of a post and wonder if I’d ever come up with something to write about. The first time it lasted a week or so but I had numerous other bursts of it periodically over the years that followed. Following are some tips on how I overcame bloggers block. Further Reading: 11 Tips to Breaking Bloggers Block Through Solving Reader Problems Also Check out: 31 Days to Build a Better Blog to help you kick start your blogging if it has lost motivation. 5. Bloggers BurnoutSimilarly I also went through times when I almost burnt myself out with the amount of work I was putting into my blogging. At one point I had over 20 blogs running at once and was trying to post to them all each day. It was a recipe for disaster and the quality of my blogging suffered – as did my health. The solution? I had to scale back. I decided that in order to be able to sustain my blogging I should have just a couple of blogs that I enjoyed writing and could throw myself into. This raised the bar in terms of the quality of what I was doing but also gave me more energy for those projects. 6. Personal AttackBlogging has always been a medium where you put yourself ‘out there’ with your ideas and will from time to time get people critiquing what you do and write. This is all a part of blogging – however there have been a couple of instances over the last 10 years where the ‘critique’ of others began to feel more like a personal attack than a constructive and genuine dialogue or critique. This takes its toll and you do wonder whether it is worth it all. This particularly was the case on one occasion where the attack became quite personal and physical in my ‘real life’. Not a nice situation but thankfully one in which things worked out in the end after a frightening encounter. There’s no real ‘solution’ to this one – I guess you get thicker skin over time when you blog for years but you also develop positive connections with others that help to support you when times get tough! 7. Building ReadershipWhen it comes to building a profitable blog there’s no escaping the need to build a decent sized readership. Every blog monetization strategy I can think of relies upon having people read your blog in order for you to make money and so this is something we all face the challenge of as bloggers. This is a particularly frustrating challenge and I remember many times where I almost lost hope after many many hours of writing the best quality content that I could only to find that nobody was reading it. Further Listening: Listen to the ‘Finding Readers for Your Blog’ Webinar for everything I know about finding readers for your blog. 8. Finding the Right Monetization ModelHaving readers is not enough. I know of many bloggers who have built amazing readerships only to find that what they thought would be the right monetization model simply doesn’t work in their niche and with the type of reader that they have attracted. For me I’ve found I’ve needed to be constantly experimenting with new ways of making money from what I do. I started with using ad networks and some basic affiliate marketing and as my blogs grew found that new opportunities would open up (such as selling ads directly to advertisers and creating my own products to sell). Further Reading: Here’s my 12 blogging income streams and how I added each gradually over 10 years. Further Listening: Listen to the ‘Monetizing Blogs’ Webinar There is no one way to monetize a blog and over time what works might change. It can be a real juggling act! 9. Time ManagementThere are just not enough hours in the day some days! Coming up with topics to write about, writing content, editing it, promoting it, answering comments, engaging on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Youtube, LinkedIn…. and more), commenting on other blogs… the list goes on of things you feel the need to do as a blogger. Add into this mix having a ‘real life’ and the challenge of doing all this between your ‘day job’, family, social life and the logistics of running a household and it is not easy. Time management is the #1 struggle I find most bloggers have – and it only gets harder as your blog grows! Further Reading: Check out BlogWise – our eBook on becoming a more productive blogger that features advice from 9 successful bloggers. 10. Scaling YourselfRelated to time management is the challenge of trying to scale yourself. With the right server set up a blog can pretty much have unlimited readership and reach and still keep running. The challenge of growing a blog isn’t so much a technical one – it often is more about how keep your blog personal and to stay accessible to your readers. In the early days its relatively easy to answer every comment and reply to every email and tweet while also creating blog posts… but as your readership grows it can become more challenging and something usually needs to give. The choice is either to just let some reader engagement go, or to bring someone on to help you manage it (and loose some personal touch) or to work longer hours (not sustainable in the long term). I still don’t feel like I’ve got this challenge right – but keep working at it! Further Reading: Making Yourself Accessible to Readers What Hurdles Have You Faced as a Blogger?As I wrote this post I realised just how many more huddles and obstacles I could have come up with (in fact I may just publish a post with 10 more). Which of the above resonate most with you? What would you add? Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger 10 Hurdles I’ve Faced as a Blogger and How I Got Over Them     |
| Your Ultimate Guide to Creating Amazing Content that Draws Readers Into Your Blog Posted: 26 Aug 2013 09:07 AM PDT This is a guest contribution from Ali Luke. Does your blog lack something? Maybe you post regularly, but your posts aren't getting many comments or shares. It feels like no-one's reading. What you need is pillar content. (Also known as "cornerstone content" and "evergreen content".) These posts get links, shares, and comments. They're posts that you're proud to have written; ones that readers can return to again and again. They'll often be longer than your usual posts. They may well be more carefully structured, and more carefully edited. And you might well be thinking… Where Do I Find the Time?! Image copyright Renee Jansoa – Fotolia.com There's a very, very simple way to make enough time to create really good posts: Cut down on the number of posts you currently write. You don't have to publish every day. In fact, you probably shouldn't. (And just in case you're not convinced … Michael Hyatt agrees, and even Daily Blog Tips no longer publishes content daily.) Think about it. Have you ever unsubscribed from a blog that provided amazingly valuable content … just because they didn't post every day? I haven't. But I have unsubscribed from blogs that kept putting out content day after day after day – even if it was good stuff. I just couldn't keep up. (If you're writing in a fast-moving newsy niche, it might be harder to cut back. You could narrow your focus a little, or you could pick a particular day of the week to focus on longer-lasting content.) Your Objectives and Your Post IdeasBefore you write any pillar post, think hard about what you want to accomplish with it. Don't just write a post for the sake of it. Depending on your broader blogging objective, the aim of your post could be one or more of these:
By having a clear aim in mind before you start writing, you can tailor your post toward it. For instance, let's say you blog about parenting, and your goal is to encourage readers to buy your ebook Help Your Teen Pass Any Exam. You could simply tack on a paragraph about your ebook at the end of a post on any topic – but ideally, you want the post to get the reader into the right frame of mind to buy it. In this case, posts like these will probably work well for you:
Posts on other aspects of parenting won't bring in the right readers, or get readers thinking about the right things. You might want to rethink topics like:
Those might well be great, valuable posts – but they're not ones that will help you sell your ebook. It's often useful to come up with a whole bunch of ideas at once. If you can, set aside at least 20 minutes to brainstorm – often, once you get past the first 10 or so ideas, you get into some really interesting and valuable ones. Keep your ideas somewhere safe, and turn to your list whenever you start a new post. Think about what goal you'd like to meet – and choose a topic that fits well with that. Crafting Your TitleAlthough many bloggers write their title after writing their post, it's a good idea to come up with a "nearly-there" title before starting on your post. If you just have a topic in mind, it can be tough to figure out how best to structure your post, or what to include it in. Your title should:
For more tips – including advice on personalising titles, using keywords, using power words, and much more – see How to Craft Post Titles that Draw Readers Into Your Blog. Jon Morrow's Headline Hacks is a great resource, if you want some ready-made ones for inspiration. You could also look at any popular blog or magazine and borrow from them – take a title you like and switch around a few words so that it works for your blog. Structuring the Main Body of Your PostOne key aspect of writing that many bloggers struggle with (or don't understand the importance of) is structure. If your posts are poorly structured, they'll not only be hard to write, they'll be hard to read. You'll spend too much time staring at the screen, wondering what to write next … and your readers will often click away after a few paragraphs because they're struggling to find the value in your post. One basic structure that you're almost certainly familiar with is the list post. Even if you think these are overdone, get to grips with this structure, because it can be used as a basis for many others. Here's how a basic list post might look: Introduction #1: Subheading Paragraph #2: Subheading Paragraph. … and so on until … Conclusion / call to action A how-to post looks almost identical in structure. In fact, the only real difference between list posts and how-to posts is this:
It's a really good idea to number your points, because it helps readers orientate themselves – they know how far they've got through the post and how far they still have to go. Using SubheadingsOne of the best ways to structure your post, whether or not it's a list, is to use subheadings. This is especially crucial in longer posts, where readers might be dipping in and out, or skimming for information. (You can see plenty of them at work in this post!) Some bloggers simply use bold text for their subheadings, but it's better to use the Heading formats built into your blogging software. This makes the text larger so it stands out more – and you can also use different levels of subheading to split long sections into several parts. If you want to try something a little different from a standard list post or how-to post, use one of the fool-proof forumlas below. Three Fool-Proof Post Formulas (Plus Examples)Start with one of these formats, and you'll find it easy to come up with a great post. These ideas will all produce a post that's great for linking to in your guest post bios, highlighting on your About page, including in your sidebar, and sharing on your social media accounts. Idea #1: An A-Z GuideExample: 26 Essentials for Blogging Success: What You Need to Know, Social Media Examiner These types of post are fun to write, they suit almost any topic, and they have a ready-made structure. They're also a really good way to tackle a big topic that might normally be too much for a single blog post. Creating an A-Z post is simple. Just come up with a topic (like "the A-Z of vegan cooking" or "the A-Z of board games). List the letters A to Z on a sheet of paper, and think of a word or phrase that goes with each. Then all you need to do is write a sentence or paragraph for each item. Idea #2: A "Why and How" PostExample: Why You Need to Create and Sell A Product Now (And How To Do It) Going beyond a simple "how to", these posts work brilliantly because they help readers understand why something is important. It won't necessarily be obvious to readers why they'd want to do something unless you spell this out. You'll structure your post like this – make the subheadings specific to your topic:
Idea #3: Top Experts Answer…Example: The Experts' Views on Content Marketing Even if you don't have a lot of experience in your topic area, you can produce a great, in-depth post that readers will want to share and link to … by using experts in your niche. The key to doing this is to choose one question that you want lots of people to answer. Most experts are really busy, and they're much more likely to get back to you if you ask one question instead of ten. (This is sometimes called a "one-question interview".) You don't even have to approach experts directly. Instead, you could write a post that collates lots of ideas on a particular topic, quoting from and linking to posts that these experts have published. These three ideas aren't the only possibilities, of course: there are dozens of other post formulas that you can use too. (Whenever you come across a great post, see if you can break it down and figure out how it's structured.) How Long Should Your Post Be?Some bloggers will say "how long is a piece of string?" – but I'll give you a proper answer. Aim to make your posts between 600 and 1,500 words. If they're under 600 words, it'll be tough for you to deliver something really valuable. If they're over 1,500 words, you'll struggle to keep the post structured and coherent. Of course you can write shorter posts and longer ones – but stick to a standard post length until you're comfortable there. Writing Your First DraftSome bloggers love coming up with ideas and planning posts – but they struggle when it comes to getting words onto the page. Here's how to get your first draft written:
Great Beginnings…Your introduction has to do a lot of work – almost as much as the title. It needs to hook the reader, making them want to read on. It also needs to pave the way for what's to come – you could write an amazing, attention-grabbing introduction that falls flat if it doesn't really have anything to do with the rest of your post. Some easy but powerful ways to begin your post are:
For lots more ideas for your post introduction, check out Darren's in-depth post 11 Ways to Open a Post and Get Reader Engagement. …And Great EndingsAlthough it's clear that introductions are important, endings might seem less so. However, they have a crucial role to play. In fact, if you end too abruptly, you're missing out on a great opportunity. As Darren writes in Calls to Action – 12 Tips To SNAP Readers Out of Passivity: The vast majority of visitors to your blog are paralyzed by passivity. They never comment, they don't vote in polls, they won't subscribe to your feed or newsletters, they won't buy the affiliate products that you recommend, they won't email a friend about your blog, they won't vote for you in social bookmarking sites and most of them will never come back. Let's say you've written a ten-point list post. Don't just stop at the end of item ten – add a couple of sentences beneath the list to round off the post. A list post is a great one to use to get comments, because you can ask something like: Do you have a tip to add to this list? Share it in the comments below (or let us know which of the existing tips you liked best). A "call to action" simply means asking (or telling) the reader to do something. It might look like one of these:
Some bloggers worry that calls to action sound pushy or even desperate. The truth is, readers are used to them – and will often welcome them. After all, if you visited a new blog for the first time and read a great post, wouldn't you appreciate a link to another relevant post? It might seem a little silly to ask directly for comments – surely readers know the comment box is there! – but some readers, especially shyer ones, will be much more likely to comment if you specifically invite them to do so. Editing Your PostIt's often a relief to get to the end of your post … but don't hit publish just yet. Your first draft probably needs a bit of tidying up before it's ready for the world. In fact, you'll probably want to run through two separate edits – a "big picture" overview and a "zoomed in" look at the details. Editing the Big PictureBefore you get too caught up in changing words or checking your use of commas, focus on the bigger picture. Read through your post and look for:
You might also want to show your draft post to a friend or trusted reader – ask them if there are any major changes they think you should make. Editing the DetailsOnce you're happy that your post contains the right information in the right order, it's time to make every sentence pull its weight. At this level of editing, you're looking out for:
Most writers find it really hard to edit their own work – so even if other people's typos jump right out at you, go slowly and carefully when editing your own work, or ask a friend to help you. Don't get too anxious or caught-up here, though. Yes, spelling and grammar matter – but readers will forgive the occasional slip. If you do spot an error after hitting publish (or if a reader points one out to you), it's easy to update your post. Formatting Your PostLooks are important. You could write a brilliant, useful, entertaining post that doesn't get readers simply because it looks hard to read. If you have long paragraphs in a small font, readers may well not bother making the effort to read your post at all. In case you're not convinced, take a look at these screenshots. They show an identical post, formatted in two different ways:  Post formatting example 1 The second version instantly looks more interesting and attractive. It's easy and straightforward to add formatting in your blog editor. Some great ones to use are:
Some bloggers add formatting as they're writing, others add it at the end. Whichever you choose to do, always have a quick look at your post in "preview" mode and check that everything looks OK. (For instance, make sure all your subheadings are the right size – it's easy to muddle up H2s and H3s.) Adding Images Although it's not a hard-and-fast rule, you'll find that most major blogs include a large image at the top of their posts … and there's a good reason why. Images grab our attention. They draw our eyes, and ease us into the post. Usually, they help create a professional, polished feel on your blog. In some blog themes, they also get picked up as thumbnails on the front page, alongside the excerpt – and they appear on Facebook if you link to your blog post. There's really no reason not to enhance your post with an image. You have plenty of sources, like:
Even if you use other people's images rather than your own, you might want to come up with some simple guidelines for choosing them perhaps you always use black and white shots, or always use colourful, fairly abstract ones, or use illustrations rather than photos. An important "don't": it's not OK to use images that you've found from a simple Google search. Unless they're licensed under Creative Commons, you need to get permission from their creator. Getting and Using FeedbackYou can easily strengthen your blog posts if you get feedback and use it. A good way to do this is to ask someone to read your draft post, and get them to tell you how they think you could improve it. You might not be able to do this for every single post – but doing it even occasionally can help give you a new perspective on your blogging. The best people to ask are:
Don't approach top bloggers in your niche and ask for feedback on your draft posts. Yes, they might well have great advice to share – but they're unlikely to have the time to do so, and attempting to begin a relationship by asking for a favour isn't a great idea. You don't have to use all the suggestions you get, but pay particular attention to anything that didn't come across clearly, or that your reader misunderstood. Even if it seems obvious to you, rewrite it. If you're not sure about a particular suggestion, get a second opinion. It's also a good idea to wait overnight before implementing (or rejecting) feedback – you may find that a break from your post helps you see it in a more objective light. After You Hit Publish…Your post is out there for the world – but your job isn't done. Unless you have a huge audience, hitting "publish" almost certainly isn't enough to draw lots of readers to your post. Although some bloggers like to believe that truly great content will be found and shared, the truth is that you'll almost certainly need to give it a helping hand. (Of course, it's crucial to write great content in the first place: aim to find a balance between creating content and promoting it.) Promoting Your Pillar PostThere are plenty of ways to promote your post. These are some basics that you can do for every post:
For really good pillar posts, you might go further, and:
Answering CommentsOnce your post is live, set aside time to answer comments. Lots of readers who don't leave a comment will still scroll down and take a look at the comments section, so this counts as an important part of your post. You'll ideally want to:
If you're struggling to get comments, you might email a blogger friend (or a loyal reader) and ask them to start the ball rolling. There are plenty of other great tips on getting more comments in Want More Comments? Let ProBlogger Help! Your Action PlanI'm aware there's a fair bit of reading here! What matters is that you have a go at creating pillar content for your blog – and here's a simple action plan to help you do that this week, in just 30 minutes per day. During those 30 minutes, turn off distractions and set a timer. Tell yourself you'll concentrate until the time is up – so if you get the sudden urge to check Facebook, ignore it! Day 1: Come up with several ideas and choose the strongest one. Plan out your post (you might want to scroll up a bit and check the advice on structuring). Days 2, 3 and 4: Write your post. Get as far as you can in 30 minutes each day. If you get stuck at any point, imagine you're replying to a comment or sending an email to one of your readers – write as though you're talking directly to them. Day 5: Edit your post, focusing on the big picture. Cut any tangents, rearrange paragraphs and add in new sections if necessary. Day 6: Edit your post again, this time focusing on the details. Watch out for typos, grammatical mistakes, and other slips. Day 7: Add formatting, including an image, check your post in preview mode, and hit publish. Of course, some pillar posts will need a bit more time for some of these stages. An A-Z post, for instance, might well take an hour or two to plan, and a post that rounds up lots of expert views could involve a lot of emailing and waiting for responses. But this plan should get you up and running with a great post quickly – and hopefully you'll find the results well worth the time you spent. I'd love to hear how you get on with writing pillar posts: share your experiences and tips in the comments below. If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer them too. Ali Luke runs Writers' Huddle, a community / teaching site for writers and bloggers who want to take their craft further. Along with lots of seminars and other resources, Writers' Huddle includes her Blog On e-course, which takes you step-by-step through the process of creating great posts and pages for your blog. Find out all about Writers' Huddle, and read what members say about it, here. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger Your Ultimate Guide to Creating Amazing Content that Draws Readers Into Your Blog     |
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