The good news about blogging is that anyone can do it. The bad news is that anyone can do it. Many new bloggers start out enthusiastic and well-intentioned, but quickly find that blogging isn’t meeting their expectations. You can avoid that disappointment by taking note of the top ten things that new bloggers do wrong and taking steps to prevent the mistakes with your blog.
1. They don’t know what they want to accomplish – It’s important to know why you’re blogging. Is it to express yourself? Make money? Irritate your mom? Knowing early on what you want to get out of your blogging will help manage expectations.
2. They expect easy money – Everyone and their brother is promoting blogging as an easy path to riches. Blogging is just like any other undertaking. It requires work and effort. Expecting a quick payday is a recipe for discouragement.
3. They don’t market their blog – If you want your blog to have readers, you need to market your work. You should probably plan to spend just as much time getting your blog out there as you do drafting its content.
4. They don’t network with other bloggers – Whatever niche you’re blogging in has a community or tribe of other bloggers writing about the same topics. Comment on their blogs, link to their work, and watch your audience grow.
5. They’re boring – If you’re writing about the same things you’ve read about on countless other blogs, it will be hard to get traction. Do something to make your blog stand out. Express an opinion, write about something cutting edge, or put your own spin on a tired idea. Attention spans on the internet are short and, if the content isn’t compelling, readers will click away.
6. They don’t have a voice – Most memorable blogs are written with a particular style. Elements of voice include how much personality the writer includes, how lengthy the posts are, and even the tone of the writing. Early on you’ll no doubt experiment with voice, but you should be working toward developing a consistent one.
7. They’re inconsistent – You don’t have to blog daily, but many a promising blog has gone neglected for weeks or months on end. Readers can’t be expected to be that patient. If you like to write in spurts, schedule some posts for future dates instead of inundating your readers and then abandoning them.
8. They don’t break up their text – Blog readers are in front of their computer screens a lot and they’re quickly clicking from place to place. They not likely to read large blocks of text. In fact, they probably won’t read them at all. Use bullet points, numbered lists, and lots of line breaks to make your blog easy to read.
9. Their blogs are too broad – Not many readers will be interested in running a 5k, installing a rain barrel, and searching for jobs in Dubai. The more focused you can keep your topics, the more likely you will have a blog that will catch on with a certain readership.
10. They don’t have fun – Readers can tell writing that has passion and energy behind it. They can also tell when something is written out of obligation. When you enjoy writing your blog, your readers will enjoy reading it.
This article is a follow up of Ten Fatal Flaws of a New Blogger – Part 1
Nicole Rodgers has been in the tech industry for 3 years; she currently blogs about how using a website template can drastically save time for a blogger and the affects of a/b testing for text advertising.
