My Top Blogging Tips | A Guest Post by Kate from Reading Through Infinity
Today’s post is written by the very lovely Kate from the popular book blog Reading Through Infinity. Read on to find out how you can up your blogging game.
Running a blog can be such a fun and fulfilling hobby. Creating content about things you love and finding a community of like-minded people is incredibly exciting. That’s why so many of us do it. For the love, fun, and passion of talking about things we’re invested in.
But it can be tough too. Writing takes up a lot of time and constantly trying to think up fresh, new ideas can be tricky. (Just when you think you’ve got a really original idea and are about to hit publish, you realise that someone has already done it. Oh.)
Between writing, editing, creating graphics, and promoting posts on social media, blogging can also feel like a full-time job (and for some people, it is).
But there are ways to make sure working on your blog stays fun and enjoyable without becoming a chore, and without you burning out. I’m by no means an expert (I still finish posts at midnight and my graphics are passable at best, terrible at worst), but I’ve been blogging for over four years now and I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks along the way.
So I’m sharing seven blogging tips to help you keep your content fun and your organisation on point.
Blog About What You Love
For me, this is fundamental to running a successful blog and ensuring that you don’t get tired of creating content. If you’re writing about something you enjoy, your passion will shine through. It’s also easier to motivate yourself when you’re working on something you care about.
If you love books, then blog about what you’ve been reading. If you love films, blog about what you’ve been watching. Even if your interests are niche, there are always people out there that will be interested in reading your thoughts.
Don’t be afraid to switch things up
If you’ve been blogging about a particular topic, but your interests have changed and you no longer have passion for said topic, don’t be afraid to change your blog content. I have a friend who used to blog about books but is now moving towards making her blog a film blog, and I’m still going to read her content (as I’m sure many of her other followers will) because I enjoy what she writes.
If people follow your blog, the chances are they come for your voice and personality as well as the content itself. So, if you change your content, but continue to write with the same flair and creativity, many of your followers will stay for you.
If they don’t, well, you’ll gain new followers who weren’t interested in your previous content but are interested in your new content. For example, if you ran a Star Trek fan blog, but have now changed to a Marvel fan blog, the Star Trek fans may leave, but the Marvel fans will find you. And I would still follow you because I love both.
Let your personality come through in your writing
I touched on this before, but your voice and personality are so important in blogging. With millions of other blogs out there, they’re what make you unique.
When I first started blogging, I thought I had to write in the style of a professional magazine or newspaper reviewer if I wanted to be taken seriously. So all my reviews were written in third person, with very objective, serious thoughts and opinions on books.
Which was fine. But it wasn’t very me. There was no sense of my personality in those reviews and, if I’m being completely honest, they weren’t very fun to read.
What I soon realised was that I wasn’t writing for a newspaper or a magazine. I was writing for my blog. For the people that followed me. For me. And my writing style could be whatever I wanted it to be.
I also noticed that the reviews getting the most engagement were the ones where I used a personal, fun tone and was a bit extra in my style of typography and formatting.
It’s fine to write in a serious tone and style, if that’s what you want for your blog. But you don’t have to write seriously to be taken seriously. Find a tone of voice that suits you and that you enjoy writing with.
Plan and start writing your blog posts a week before you want them to go live
This is something that I’ve been trying to do recently to hold myself more accountable and better organise my time. If I can start writing a post a week before I intend to post it, then there’s a good chance it’ll be finished within a day or two and I can schedule it in advance.
Even if you don’t finish the post until the day before you want it to go live, by starting it in advance, you’ve given yourself more time to think it over and plan what you want to say.
As a chaotic blog post planner, I need this kind of organisation in my life. So I’ve given it a go and so far it’s helped a lot. I have actual posts scheduled in advance (?!) and more time to think about what I want to write next, instead of hurriedly writing posts on the day they have to go out.
Make the layout of your post as readable as possible
You’re probably rolling your eyes thinking ‘Kate, I know this’, but hear me out. Posts that have shorter paragraphs and plenty of images or photos are more readable than posts with large paragraphs of text.
Studies on our reading have shown that if we see a wall of text, we’re far more likely to read the first few lines and then skim the rest. But if paragraphs are one or two sentences, readers stay engaged for longer.
When you’re writing a post, check on your paragraph size and sentence length. If your paragraph is more than three lines, consider breaking it up into smaller bites. Your readers are much more likely to read your whole post and stay on your page for longer.
Every time you get a new post idea, WRITE IT DOWN
The amount of times I’ve thought of a post idea right before bed and then forgotten it the next morning DOESN’T BEAR THINKING ABOUT. (Oh god, I’m thinking about it and now I’m in emotional pain.)
If a random post idea comes to you, jot a note down in your phone. Even if you don’t end up using the idea right away, making a note of it means you can consider it later on.
You might not end up using the idea at all, but that one idea might lead to another you do end up use. So please don’t do a Kate and fall asleep without writing it down.
Engage with other bloggers in the community as much as you can
When you’re not writing your own posts, take some time to blog hop and comment on other people’s posts. As well as making friends and finding inspiration in other posts, you’ll likely increase your blog’s engagement rate and visitor count because people will see your comment on someone’s post and come check out your blog.
When I was a baby blogger, I noticed that the more I engaged with other people, the more they engaged back and it often ended with us becoming friends. Being an active member of the blogging community and chatting with people on social media has meant I’ve made amazing friends and discovered new blogs to follow.
So, those are my seven tips on how to stay organised and keep creating content that’s fun and enjoyable for both you and your readers. I hope you find them useful when you’re coming up with new posts or managing your time. Happy blogging!
Thank you so much Kate! Make sure that you check out her wonderful blog here.
