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When To Take A Break From Blogging

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Blogging break

At some point this year, I took a month off from writing blog posts. My blog still got updated three times each week, and I responded to blog comments and tweets. Basically, it was an invisible, unnoticed absence that did not require me to sacrifice my consistency.

I pulled it off by scheduling numerous blog posts in advance because of my policy of always having one month’s worth of blog posts scheduled in advance. Having this many blog posts scheduled allows me to focus more of my time on writing the content and less time stressing about the deadline. I had over two months to write this blog post, but I still wrote it well before the deadline. If I wrote this blog post on the day before the deadline, I would have stressed, and the quality of my work would have suffered. When I take a break from writing blog posts, I make sure it is possible without the risk of me losing my audience or publishing subpar content.

 

Why I Took My 1 Month Break

The break I took from blogging was used to reassess my strategy and see what I could do differently to reach more people and generate more revenue. Part of the strategy was to take Udemy seriously again. After the first two months of creating my Udemy account, I created two training courses that did well. For some odd reason, I stopped creating training courses and didn’t update my old ones, and I lost a lot of ground.

Now, I update my training courses often, and I have plans for several training courses. I have created a course about productivity and several about social media success. I also devised a plan for publishing books in a more effective manner to get more sales and publish them in bulk. I will publish several books by the end of the year, and I have already published a couple of books in 2015.

I did my research in the same manner I started my research a few years ago to discover how I could get more Twitter followers. I read dozens of articles about getting more Udemy sales and even took several courses where successful Udemy instructors discussed how they got more sales.

Basically, my one month break was not one of those breaks where I avoided my computer and stopped working like an entrepreneur. I put in more work during this month than I put in most of the previous months. This one month break helped me catapult forward when I continued writing blog posts and started to take Udemy seriously again.

 

Was It A Complete Break?

I did not write a blog post for an entire month, but that doesn’t mean I did nothing for my blog. I outlined some of the blog posts that I knew I would write after the month was over. I wrote a list of key points I would write about. That way, I gave myself a foundation for when I wrote blog posts again. Creating an outline for a blog post takes as little as five minutes, but it saves you from a lot of thinking while you are writing the actual blog post.

It takes me anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to write a blog post, so only taking five minutes to create an outline saved me a massive amount of time. I used this extra time to do my research.

 

Would I Ever Take A Break Just For Fun?

I consider writing blog posts a fun activity, so I wouldn’t take a break just for the fun of it. The only two reasons I would take a break form blogging would be if I need to do extensive research on something or if I am on a vacation. When I am on a two week vacation, I like to embrace the vacation, and my productivity dips for obvious reasons. I can’t do any videos since I don’t bring the massive desktop with me (I don’t know the exact dimensions, but it is bigger than my suitcase, and it is fragile) and my microphone equipment is at home. That’s okay, and I don’t mind. I bring my Mac Book Pro with me to interact with people on social media, but that’s just about it. If I am at my house, then I am always doing something for my business.

 

You Never Know When You Need The Break

Some events may pop up, and you may not feel like writing blog posts for an extended period of time. It happens, but you have to be ready. Scheduling blog posts for at least one month in advance will allow you to take those unexpected breaks without sacrificing the consistency of your blogging. You may burn out one day and want to take the week off. Those small burn outs occasionally happen. Having blog posts scheduled in advance will allow you to take a break during the small burn outs without you worrying about your blog getting updated.

 

In Conclusion

There comes a point when writer’s block takes the joy out of blogging and a time when we must shift our attention to other things. We must be prepared at any moment to not write blog posts for an extended period of time. That is why I schedule numerous blog posts in advance. As I mentioned before, I always have over one month’s worth of blog posts scheduled. However, I also have a bunch of blog posts that I already wrote but did not schedule. In some cases, I could have as much as three month’s worth of blog posts scheduled at one time.

Having the blog posts scheduled in advance allows you to take a break without sacrificing the consistency of publishing a certain number of blog posts every week. Many dedicated bloggers may view taking a break from writing blog posts as sacrificing the commitment needed to become a successful blogger. However, if you write blog post outlines and make the transition back to a blogger (which is easy if you write blog posts often), then that won’t be a problem for you.

In some cases, the break you take from blogging can be more beneficial than if you were to continue blogging. When I did research to learn more about Udemy, I learned an entirely new method to generate revenue, and now Udemy is emerging as my top revenue source. I learned valuable lessons from taking the small break that I would not have learned if I was blogging at my rapid pace. Sometimes, especially in our busy world, a break every once in a while can be a good thing. With automation, you can take a break, and your audience still gets the content as if you never left.

How To Build An Authority On The Web

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Build Authority On The Web

Ever wonder how to build an authority on the web? I’m talking about the type of authority that allows you to become a credible leader in your niche, generate a full-time income, and help others. When you build an authority on the web, you become a beacon of excellence for others to follow. Building an authority on the web takes time, but a good portion of that time is spent searching for the blueprint. How can you do something if you don’t know how? You can’t solve a Rubik’s Cube unless you know the necessary steps. On the same token, you can’t become an authority on the web unless you know what it takes to become one. No more guessing. I’m showing you the blueprint.

 

#1: Provide Free Value

Providing value is essential for the success of your business and what you stand for. Many people understand this principle. However, some people have a natural tendency to skip over the word “free.” Some people believe they must only provide value in their products and that they can get away with haphazardly putting together the free stuff.

The problem with that approach is that customers nowadays look for the free value before they buy anything you sell. People are not visiting your blog or YouTube channel for the first time, eager to buy your product. They are looking for free value. Many of the people who buy my books read my blog posts first.

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@MarcGuberti” url=”http://bit.ly/1Oja7M0″]Customers nowadays look for the free value before they buy what you sell.[/tweetthis]

The free value you provide is so important because one of the beliefs many customers have is that the paid product is better than the free product. Another belief shared by many customers is that if the free content and videos are duds, then that person’s paid products can’t be that good either. Providing free value in your blog posts and your YouTube videos allows them to spread, reach more people, make your products look better, and ultimately lead to more revenue. Think of the most successful blogger you know, and ask yourself whether that blogger’s free content is valuable or not. I read Seth Godin’s blog posts for a year or two before I decided to buy most of his books and training courses.

 

#2: Build Relationships

Providing free value is critical towards building healthy relationships with the people in your audience, but starting the relationships requires more than just valuable content. Building relationships means emailing people, interacting with people on social media, and responding to comments on your blog. If you look through the comments on my blog, you will notice that I respond to them. I respond to comments to encourage more conversation, build relationships with my readers, and let everyone know that I am a person who responds.

What many successful people tend to do is ignore others. Many people in high positions look at their email and don’t always address the newbie asking a few questions. I make it a point to respond to them. Taking the time to leave a quick response allows you to help others, and the people you help will see you as a role model of excellence. In the first welcome email I send, I let people know that I respond to the emails they send me. Of course, if I see an irrelevant email or comment, I won’t respond, but that rarely happens.

On social media, the relationship starts when you follow someone and that person follows you back. The relationship continues when you both interact with one another. After interacting with each other over a long period of time on social media, these people may email you and have conversations with you one email at a time. As the relationships continue to build, these people may eventually buy your products, but the relationships don’t stop there. They keep building, gaining momentum, and leading to the symbiosis of you and the people you interact with.

 

#3: Create Products

When it comes to building an authority on the web, affiliate marketing only goes so far. Having your own product, being able to call yourself an author, and creating more products along the way will establish yourself as an expert and create a nice revenue for yourself at the same time. I have experimented with numerous revenue generating methods. I have done anything from social media ads to being an eBay affiliate. Creating your own products and effectively marketing them is by far the best and most reliable way to make money on the web.

Creating a product also gives you more respect in your niche. If you write a 100 page book or create a five hour training course, your audience will look at those products and realize that you knew enough about your niche to create those lengthy products. At this point, the products just have to be packed with value, and you must continue learning more about your niche. The products you create reflect how much you knew at the time, but learning more will allow you to create better, more successful products in the future. Better yet, you can update your products to reflect the new things you learn about your niche. Updating your products allows you to over-deliver to your current customers and provide a better experience for your new customers.

 

#4: Grow Your Audience 

Once you implement the first three methods, all you have to do now is get more people to know about you. When you grow your audience, you can build relationships with more people that eventually lead to customers and opportunities for more growth.

The most effective tool on the web to grow your audience is social media. Whether you use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or another social network, you must use social media. If you want to grow a massive social media audience, then you must take on one social network at a time. Imagine trying to learn five different languages at the same time. That’s what we do when we try to master Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and Google+ at the same time. I recognized this trap and committed all of my time to Twitter. Once I mastered Twitter, I started to master other social networks.

One thing to know about social media mastery is that all social networks follow similar patterns. If you master Twitter, it becomes easier for you to master Pinterest. If you master Pinterest, it becomes easier for you to master Instagram. Each time you master one social network, it is easier for you to master all of the others. If you master five social networks and have tens of thousands of followers on each of them, then mastering a 6th social network would be simple.

[tweetthis url=”http://bit.ly/1Oja7M0″]The more social networks you master, the easier it is to master others. However, master one social network at a time.[/tweetthis]

Growing your social media audience is an effective way to build an authority on the web, but where you lead your social media audience is just as important. You must lead your social media audience to your blog, and in particular, your landing page. You want as many people to subscribe to your email list as possible because that’s where the money is. I make more money sending emails to my email list than through any other method because communicating with the people on your email list and occasionally promoting products works very well.

 

In Conclusion

Building an authority on the web is only as difficult as we think it is. What initially looks impossible at first glance is quite possible, and the more work you put in, the easier it will become. If you want to view building an authority on the web as an easy endeavor, then you must take rapid action. Many things look scary because we don’t take immediate action. There are many things in life that don’t look as scary once we do them. Take the time to build your authority on the web, stick with it, and who knows, you may become the next success story others aspire to become.

How do you view building an authority on the web? Do you have any other tips for us? Please share your thoughts and advice below.

7 Tips For Using WordPress More Effectively

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WordPress Tips And Tricks

What started as an idea before 2003 is now a tool that allows people to create their own blogs. WordPress is also the top dog in the area, and if you browse through a few blogs, you’re bound to spot a blog powered by WordPress. Finding a blog powered by WordPress nowadays is just as easy as finding a fast food restaurant in New York City.

Despite the popularity of WordPress and how often we come in contact with it every day, WordPress provides many features that we are not fully utilizing. Some of these features are harder to find while other ones are right in front of us. In order to use WordPress more effectively and utilize its features well, follow these seven tips:

 

#1: Check Your Stats

Did I really have to say anything about this one? The answer is yes because some people don’t know how to check their stats (it’s in the dashboard, and for WordPress.org, your stats are in JetPack). Furthermore, some people glance at their statistics but then don’t do anything afterward. The key to checking your stats in an effective manner is to see where your blog gets its traffic, how long people are sticking around, and then using that knowledge to create an actionable plan to get more blog traffic.

Looking at my stats allowed me to realize that when I increase my tweeting frequency, I also get more blog traffic from Twitter. When I increase my pinning frequency, I get more traffic from Pinterest. With this information, I know what I can do to get more blog traffic. When you experiment with new methods to get more blog traffic, look at your stats to see if those new methods are helping. Looking at my stats allowed me to quickly realize that growing an email list and communicating with that email list led to a significant increase in blog traffic.

 

#2: Schedule Your Blog Posts

WordPress allows its users to schedule blog posts in advance. This is a powerful capability that few people utilize. Scheduling blog posts gives you the reassurance that no matter what time you wake up or when you start writing, a blog post will get published at the right time. Scheduling blog posts gives you the ability to schedule blog posts at the right time of day to reach the most people. Most people check their inboxes in the morning, and social media engagement is also at its peak in the morning (6-10 am eastern time). That’s why I schedule all of my blog posts to get published at 9 am.

Not only is it important to schedule blog posts at the right time of day, but it is also important to schedule numerous blog posts in advance. If I really wanted to, I could avoid all computers, tablets, and smartphones for an entire month—and my blog would still get updated at a consistent rate. I always have blog posts scheduled at least one month in advance and occasionally three months in advance. I don’t want to have more than three months of content scheduled at one time because I am fearful of too many things changing within that time, but scheduling blog posts in advance allows me to comfortably write long blog posts like this one without worrying about publishing it the next day. If I had the stress of writing a blog post “the night before,” I would rush the blog post, not proofread it at all, and then risk publishing subpar content. Since I schedule blog posts months in advance, I never worry about that problem.

[tweetthis url=”http://bit.ly/1zqHal4″]Scheduling #blog posts in advance allows you to focus more time on writing and less time worrying about deadlines.[/tweetthis]

#3: Create Pages

When you create a page on your blog, that page typically appears on your menu, but the important thing is that it doesn’t necessarily show up on your blog’s homepage. You can have a homepage filled with all of your blog posts and self-promotion pages that can be found through other methods. Pages are great for self-promotion, but they don’t ruin anyone’s experience on your blog. Since pages exist in the menu, the only way a visitor will get to a page on your blog is by voluntarily clicking the link to your page. These are the visitors who want to learn more about you or about what a particular page offers. You can also create pages with various functions (i.e. landing pages, sales pages, about me page, etc) to give your visitors more options and bring in more revenue for you.

 

#4: Download More Plugins

On WordPress.org, you have the ability to download plugins to enhance your blog. I use a variety of plugins for this blog and talked about some of them here. If you have a few plugins on your blog, I encourage you to look for more. There are plugins that help with SEO, social shares, blog speed, and more. However, do not download and activate too many plugins because they will slow your blog down. Only activate the plugins that are necessary and will have an impact on your blog.

 

#5: Use Categories

Using categories for your blog posts allows you to organize your content in a way that makes it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for. My visitors who exclusively want articles focused around Twitter can go to the Twitter category of this blog to only see articles about Twitter. My visitors who exclusively want articles about blogging can go to the blogging category and only see articles about blogging.

You can create categories and label your blog posts under individual categories by accessing the dashboard we use to edit an older blog post or write a new one. It is important to only use a few categories on your blog because they only have SEO value if they can consistently get updated. If you choose to create a category, ask yourself if you can write many blog posts that get put under this category or if the category is a one-time deal. It is better to have 10 highly focused categories than it is to have 100 categories with little to no content.

[tweetthis url=”http://bit.ly/1zqHal4″]It is better to have 10 highly focused blog categories than it is to have 100 categories with little to no content.[/tweetthis]

#6: Look At A Commenter’s Info

When a commenter leaves a comment, you get to see that person’s name, email address, and website URL. The name is important because when you respond to someone’s comment, it is good to reference them by name. The website provides you with a place to learn more about the person.

I intentionally mentioned the email address last and gave the email address its own paragraph. The email address a commenter provides is meant as a way for you to interact with that commenter if you choose, and never send a nasty email to someone who writes a negative comment. Remember to keep the email address private and to not subscribe anyone to your email list without that person’s permission. The email address is meant as a way for you to contact the person if you desire, strengthen the relationship, and then that relationship may lead to a sale, a returning customer, and/or a big opportunity.

 

#7: Create A Custom Menu

Having a menu display all of the pages on your blog is a mistake. There are some pages that should show up on your menu, but there are other pages that don’t belong at all. For instance, I have a page that welcomes all of the people who subscribe to this blog. I wouldn’t want that page to appear on my blog’s menu because people could then see the page regardless of whether they subscribed or not.

Not only does a custom menu help you hide pages that you don’t want to see, but a custom menu also allows you to create drag-downs. When you drag your mouse on some of the links in my blog’s menu, you get to see a drag down that reveals additional options. Creating a custom menu and choosing which pages go on it can be done by going to [Appearance —> Menus] and then creating the right menu for your blog.

 

In Conclusion

WordPress is filled with so many great features that it is easy to overlook some of the critical features or miss some of the cool ones. Utilizing these seven features will allow you to use WordPress in a more effective manner. Do you use WordPress? What other tips help you to effectively use WordPress? Please share your thoughts and advice below.

How To Get Back Into The Writing Flow

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Get Out Of Writer's Block

One benefit of scheduling dozens of blog posts in advance is that if I don’t write a blog post for an entire month, no one would ever know. While investing the time to create more Udemy courses and add more value to my older courses, I decided to write fewer blog posts. I only wrote three blog posts in one month, but if you look at my archives, you won’t see any three week absence.

I knew that no matter how many blog posts I scheduled at one time, I must continue writing blog posts or else this blog would eventually get outdated. After all of the time I committed to writing content for this blog, I wouldn’t want to see that happen, and I wouldn’t want to disappoint my visitors.

I never had any intent on giving up blogging. I just needed more time to create training courses. So, when I decided to return to writing blog posts at a consistent rate, I started off rusty. I wrote a few draft blog posts that I eventually proofread and got them back to my original standard. It was at this point when I asked myself how I could possibly get back into the writing flow so I could easily write blog posts and effortlessly provide value to my visitors. Here are the five things that will allow you to get into the writing flow.

 

#1: Create Outlines

Without question, this is the best way to get back into the writing flow. You must create outlines for your blog posts before you start writing them. When you create an outline for your blog post, the days of staring at your computer screen struggling to think of the next sentence will be over. I know that is a big promise, but I encourage you to give it a try. The more detailed my blog post’s outline is, the easier it is for me to write the entire blog post without stopping. If you know exactly what you are going to write about from start to finish, it will be easier for you to think of ways to enhance your content (instead of thinking about the content itself, you will think, “How can I make it better?”).

 

#2: Write Without Proofreading

When I write a draft, I never proofread it. When I am writing a blog post, I am in the moment, and proofreading while writing would dramatically slow down my level of productivity. By writing without stopping, I can think of ideas at a faster rate and not forget about any of the ideas I was thinking about. If I had to allocate some of my time towards proofreading as I wrote my blog posts, I would constantly forget the idea that I needed to write a blog post about. Of course, I never publish the draft as is. I proofread all of my blog posts at least once and will proofread some of them twice if I have some time left over. I only take the time to proofread my blog posts once I know I won’t be writing anything else for the rest of the day.

[tweetthis url=”http://bit.ly/1DJHLni”]Don’t proofread your #blog posts while you write them. Proofread them when you are done writing them.[/tweetthis]

#3: Write As Much As You Possibly Can

The more you do something, the better you get at it. Writing is no exception. It took me a while to get from struggling to write a 250 word blog post to easily writing a 1,000 word blog post. As you write more content, it will be easier for you to formulate your thoughts while you write. When I write a blog post, I don’t have a script in front of me that shows me what to write word for word. When I start to write blog posts that I properly outlined in advance, the rest of the words I type are on the fly. Just keep writing what you think about, but make sure it’s related to your blog post’s content. Don’t suddenly go on a rant about animals when your blog post is supposed to be about home design (unless you can connect the two together and talking about animals would be relevant).

 

#4: Read Books That You Enjoy

I know some people will feel some enthusiasm when they read this tip. Others will think, “Oh no, not books. I have to stay away from those.”

I believe that the people who don’t like reading books are the ones who haven’t read a good story in a while. There is a book out there for every person to read, regardless of how much a person claims that books are boring. When you read books that you enjoy, you get impacted on a mental level, and when you read books related to your niche, you learn more about that niche. More knowledge means more valuable blog posts which ultimately leads to returning visitors eager to buy your future products. If you are not willing to learn more about your niche by reading books, reading articles, and/or watching videos, then stop now. I know that sounds harsh, but the most successful individuals are the dedicated student-teachers. You better believe that the successful marketers making six-figure incomes from their training courses are reading book, reading articles, and watching videos to learn more about their respective niches.

You can only move so far with the knowledge you currently have, and to move further, you need to acquire more knowledge. All of this knowledge is also helpful for staying in the writing flow.

[tweetthis url=”http://bit.ly/1DJHLni”]The more you know about something, the easier it is for you to write #blog posts about it.[/tweetthis]

#5: Write In The Morning

Undoubtedly, the most productive time of my day is the morning, and that’s the same for most people on the planet. In the morning, I can write five blog posts (over 1,000 words each) without stopping. In the evening, it is difficult for me to write a single blog post. Part of the reason is that I run every day anywhere from 6-12 miles (if I run six miles or fewer, it’s in intervals, which aren’t easy either).

One day I came home from school at 6 pm, and I had to write a blog post. I also had homework to complete, and after completing the homework, I was too tired to write the blog post. Writing a blog post isn’t much of a physical activity (other than moving fingers across a keyboard), but when I feel tired after a workout, there are plenty of things I would want to do other than blogging. In the morning, I can effortlessly write blog posts, and not just because I didn’t run yet. The morning is a time when our willpower is at the highest and there are fewer distractions. Think of all of the things you do at 6 am compared to all of the things you do at 6 pm. Some people aren’t morning people, and if you fit that bracket, then create a routine that sticks with you, and then follow that routine. However, I believe there is a morning person inside of us all, so I encourage you to try waking up earlier and writing blog posts in the morning for a few days.

 

In Conclusion

Many people associate writer’s block with writing too much and then hitting a dead end, but you also encounter writer’s block if you don’t write for a long period of time. It is more difficult to formulate your thoughts and write in an effective manner. The best way to attack this problem is to attack it head on. Immediate action always solves a problem quicker than passively watching the problem grow worse.

Which tip was your favorite? Do you have any other tips for getting back into the writing flow? Please share your thoughts and advice below.

7 Ways To Connect With Successful Bloggers

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Connect with successful bloggers

Connecting with successful bloggers and building relationships with those bloggers can lead to long-term benefits. Some of these bloggers may decide to go on a joint venture with you that allows your products and ideas to be seen by more people. Others may leave a testimonial for your product. Testimonials from successful bloggers boost the credibility of you and your product.

How do these connections happen? How do successful bloggers connect with other successful bloggers? How do up-and-rising bloggers make connections with the top bloggers? First off, you should only try to connect with successful bloggers in your niche. The successful bloggers in your niche would be the most open to promoting your products and sharing your expertise with other people. With that established, here are the seven ways to connect with successful bloggers.

 

#1: Go To Business Events That They Are Speaking At

Going to businesses events that successful bloggers speak at is the easiest way to start connecting with those bloggers. At the end of the blogger’s presentation, you can interact with that person and start the connection. Hand the blogger your business card. Don’t ask for a joint venture or for the blogger to promote you right away. Relationships need to build before they reach that point.

 

#2: Email Them

If you saw these bloggers at speaking events, email them to continue the relationship. If you decide to email a successful blogger who you did not see at a speaking event first, then go for it. Send the email. The worst thing that can happen is that the blogger does not respond. When you email successful bloggers, make the emails human. You can thank the blogger for providing valuable content instead of doing a product pitch.

 

#3: Interact With Them On Social Media

Successful bloggers have a few things in common. One of the things they all share is ownership of their own social media accounts. Many of these bloggers use Twitter to promote their content and interact with their audiences. If you see a successful blogger interacting with his/her followers, then that successful blogger is someone who would probably interact with you if you take the initiative to start a conversation.

You can interact with a successful blogger by thanking them for writing a particular article or asking them a good question related to the niche you both are in. I would start a social media conversation with a successful blogger once every week, and as the blogger responds to more of your conversations over a period of a month, have one conversation every five days. Every month, increase the frequency of conversations you have with this blogger until you eventually have one conversation with this blogger on social media every other day. The time it will take for a blogger to respond to you is dependent on how active this person is on social media, so choose to implement this method with the bloggers who are on social media often.

 

#4: Know More People

Our world is more connected than ever, but it is also smaller than we realize. Some people you interact with may be friends with the successful blogger you are trying to interact with. It is a small world after all, and you never know who knows who. It is entirely possible that the person you recently talked to on social media knows a successful blogger in your niche and can arrange for you to have a quick conversation with that blogger. I use social media to reach out to more people. You never know what types of opportunities will come your way.

 

#5: Subscribe To Their Email Lists

When you subscribe to a successful blogger’s email list, you get all of their latest emails. Plenty of those emails will contain valuable content that can help you get better at your niche. One thing few people know is that you can reply to most of the emails a blogger sends, and that blogger will see your email. I use iContact to send emails to my subscribers, and if a subscriber respond to an email I send, I get to see the response. I also have the ability to reply to an email that a subscriber sends me. Many services are set up in this manner. If a blogger sees you in her inbox often, that blogger may respond to you, but only if you send emails to the blogger in the same manner you would have an in-person conversation with your friend.

 

#6: Talk About Them On The Web

Some bloggers choose to get notified every time they get promoted on someone else’s website. Other bloggers check their notifications tab to see who mentioned them on social media. There are also a handful of bloggers who do both. By linking to these bloggers’ blogs and mentioning them on social media as you share their content, these bloggers will notice. Some may reply to you.

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@MarcGuberti” url=”http://bit.ly/1b36yrn”]Promoting successful bloggers on social media may lead to you getting a response.[/tweetthis]

#7: Comment On Their Blog Posts

Some bloggers make it a point to respond to every comment their blogs get. If you go through the comments section for my blog posts, you will see that I respond to everyone’s comment. It’s simply the right thing to do. If you leave a meaningful comment on a blogger’s blog post, that blogger may respond to you. You should leave a comment regardless of whether the blogger responds or not, but if you want to know the chances of getting a response, look at the blogger’s past blog post comments and see how many comments the blogger responded to.

 

In Conclusion

Building a strong relationship between you and a successful blogger starts with the first interaction. This is your first appearance—the only thing a blogger knows you for during your first encounter. Once the first interaction is done, you must continue interacting with that blogger, but only in a meaningful way. Remember that successful bloggers are people with emotions just as we are. They want to be treated respectfully, and starting a conversation just to ask for more exposure doesn’t fit in that category. Promote the blogger’s content and social media posts. Ask good questions and leave thoughtful comments on the blogger’s blog posts.

Which of these tips was your favorite? Do you have any additional tips for interacting with successful bloggers? Please share your thoughts and advice below.

10 Tips To Write Blog Posts That Visitors Will Want To Read

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How To Write Better Blog Posts

Do you know which blog you visit the most? Have you noticed the amount of time you spend reading the content on that blog? Not all blogs are created equal. We spend hours of our time on some blogs while we only spend a few minutes on other blogs. The blogs that grab most of our attention are the ones that have optimized blog posts—the type of blog posts that we have a strong desire to read. In order to optimize your blog posts so more of your visitors read them from start to finish, follow these 10 tips.

 

#1: Write Irresistible Headline

The irresistible headline is what gets people through the door. Before someone reads your blog post from start to finish, that person needs a desire to read the article. That’s where an irresistible headline comes in handy. Irresistible headlines grab attention and encourage people to click the link in an email or social media post and start reading your blog post. Once you get someone to visit your blog post, the other factors become important.

 

#2: Start By Asking The Right Questions

Asking questions at the beginning makes your visitors think about answers that relate to your blog post’s content. Visitors who think about the answers to questions you write are engaged visitors. When I ask questions like, “Do you know which blog you visit the most?” I am asking questions that make my visitors think and have the right mindset for going into the blog post. I could have started this article by saying, “How much traffic does your blog get?” but that wouldn’t have made as much sense. I typically ask 2-3 questions at the beginning of every blog post.

 

#3: Turn Your Blog Posts Into Conversations

When was the last time you left in the middle of the conversation? Was that an awkward feeling? When we are engaged with conversations in real life, we typically stay in that conversation until it ends. Then, we look for the next conversation to be a part of.

If your write your blog posts like conversations, it will be more difficult for your visitors to stop halfway. That’s just like leaving in the middle of a conversation you are in, with you doing most of the talking (and then suddenly walking away). Look for more ways to include I, you, me, we, and us in your blog posts. Having a conversation with your reader makes that reader feel welcomed. It is this feeling that encourages a reader to read your entire blog post.

 

#4: Use Pictures Throughout Your Blog Post

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, and I say that an infographic is worth 2,000 words. Pictures are especially valuable right now because we are visual learners. That’s why infographics are so attractive (and that’s why some go viral). I encourage you to use multiple pictures in your blog posts. Start with one picture in every blog post and then see how you can incorporate other pictures in other parts of your blog posts.

An additional benefit to using pictures is that your blog will get more traffic. Including pictures in your blog posts makes it possible for people to pin your blog posts (according to a study done in 2013, Pinterest has over 70 million users, so allowing people to pin your blog posts is a big deal), and if you use alt tags, your pictures will also get more visibility in the search engines.

The best policy for using pictures in your blog posts is to use your own pictures. Using your own pictures is better for SEO than using someone else’s picture (especially if the other person’s picture is already established on the search engines).

[tweetthis twitter_handles=”@MarcGuberti” url=”http://bit.ly/1BdRdOm”]The best policy for using pictures in your #blog posts is to use your own pictures.[/tweetthis]

#5: Make Your Blog Posts Bite-Sized

I could have made this entire blog post one paragraph, but I don’t think my readers would stick around for a long period of time if I did that. The way you display your content is growing in importance. We can’t read big paragraphs on the web. They need to be tiny.

3-5 lines per paragraph is the sweet spot. If any of your paragraphs are over six lines long, then you are approaching the danger zone. Making it easy for your visitors to read your content is just as important as writing valuable content.

 

#6: Make Your Blog Posts Unique

No matter what you choose to write about, there are thousands of other blogs like yours. My blog is not the only blog about digital marketing. There are plenty of others. In order to stand out from other blogs in your niche, you need to develop a unique writing style and over deliver in value.

One of the most successful bloggers in the SEO niche is Neil Patel with his Quick Sprout blog. You’ll only have to read three blog posts on his blog to understand why he is dominating the niche.

 

#7: Do Your Research

Conducting research about your niche will make you stand out as an expert in your niche. Each time you write a blog post, do some research about your blog post’s topic. See what facts you can get from the web that would support your content.

If I write another article about why Pinterest is a big player in social media, I could mention that Pinterest pins have a half-life of 3.5 months which is 1,600 times better than Facebook posts. Providing this type of evidence would support the message I am trying to send with that particular article. It may take some time to do research, and the research may only add up to a few extra sentences, but you will know more about your niche and write a more valuable blog post at the same time.

 

#8: Put In All Of Your Effort For Every Blog Post

The amount of effort you put into your blog posts determines how long people will stick around. If you are only putting half of your effort into your content, then your visitors will know that. Many of your visitors have read thousands of blog posts before encountering your blog. They know the difference between a valuable blog post and a dud.

You must put all of your effort into each blog post you write because you never know what piece of content your visitor will read first. When I think of which blog post a first time visitor visits, I think of a huge spinner that will land on a random blog post on my blog. I don’t know where it will stop, but wherever it does stop, that is the new visitor’s first impression of my blog and maybe even my content.

Having a strong first impression is critical towards getting returning visitors and getting those returning visitors to read through your blog posts from start to finish. Some returning visitors won’t have to read your article to know that they are good. It is at this point when you know a returning visitor is actively engaged in your content.

 

#9: Build Your Authority In Your Niche

There’s a blog post written by someone with 100 Pinterest followers and a blog post written by someone with 10,000 Pinterest followers. Both of those blog posts are about getting more Pinterest followers. Which one do you read first?

Building your authority gives your blog posts extra leverage. People relate strong authorities to more valuable content, and in many cases, that’s how strong authorities on the web work. The most successful bloggers are often writing the best content. Growing your social media audience, writing more valuable content, and creating products are three great ways to build your authority in your niche.

 

#10: Show Your Results

Every informative blog post gets some leverage when it shows results. After many get quick rich schemes filled up the web, customers have turned into cautious buyers. Visitors are cautious when visiting a blog. When they hear things about a blog post getting a certain number of visitors, they want proof. They want to see your results.

Showing your results lets your visitors know that you speak the truth. Showing your results boosts your credibility and makes people believe what you say (this is a special privilege. Use it wisely). Pictures that prove certain earnings, traffic, or any other desirable result is possible are the pictures that often spread far and wide on the web.

 

In Conclusion

The most successful blogs are the ones that attract attention for a long period of time. In order to establish yourself as a top blogger in your niche, people must visit your blog, and those visitors must read through numerous blog posts on your blog. Write blog post headlines that make your blog post content sound valuable, and then live up to that expectation. Look at other blogs in your niche and see how they do it. The best way to learn is through examples.

Which tip did you like the most? What do you think makes up a blog post that visitors would want to read from start to finish? Please share your thoughts and advice below.