As bloggers, we all have different goals.
Some may be to monetize your blog; some may be to get a book deal; some may be to become recognized as an expert in your field; others may be to share company news and updates.
Some may even just be to have a personal outlet where you can let your creativity go and see what works, and what doesn’t.
But no matter the goals you have for your blog, to succeed in them takes more than just setting up a blog and watching the success come rolling in.
While there may be early successes, to be a truly successful blogger you need to have the following three key tenets.
1. Patience
So many bloggers give up in the first few months because they’re not experiencing what they feel they should be, to be classed as successful. They’re not getting the thousands of subscribers, or visitors, or social shares, or sales.
The thing is, much like anything, blogging success is not an overnight success. To build a blog that has both longevity and solid foundations takes time.
You need to cultivate your community; understand who your audience is and what they’re interested in; what social platforms make sense for you to be on; and define your editorial voice.
You’ll make many mistakes in your first few months of blogging – but that’s a natural part of growth. Don’t let perceived “failure” put you off your game – be patient and your goals will start to happen.
2. Strength
One of the great things about blogging is that it allows the fostering of some truly great ideas and discussions. Sure, the blogger might start all this off with the original post, but then the following comments can really take the post into a rich and varied discussion point.
Of course, with discussions comes dissent – and many bloggers fail at welcoming this part of the discussion into their part of the web. Which is a mistake.
The very best bloggers not only welcome dissent, they encourage it and meet it head on – because they have strength in their convictions.
When you put something out for the world to read, you need to be strong enough to know that not everyone is going to fawn over your wisdom (real or otherwise), and that often questions will be asked.
Want to run a successful blog? Be strong when questioned, accept when wrong, and understand that the most successful blogs are the ones where the reader feels like they’re really a part of it, as opposed to just being a bystander to your soapbox.
3. Belief
One of the things I always notice when reading a blog is how much conviction is there. It comes through in the words being written or the video/podcast being shared, as well as the advertising partners on the site, and the products/services being recommended.
In other words, it’s easy to see when a blogger truly believes in what they’re doing, or saying, versus one that’s just mailing their posts in.
Blog readers are smart people – we know when you’re the real deal and when you’re just out trying to make a fast buck, or position yourself as something you’re not.
Instead of trying to fool us, make us believe that you believe too.
- Recommend products and services that you use, and would recommend anyway even if you weren’t getting paid to do so.
- Believe in the words you’re writing. Passion wins over boring wisdom every time.
- Believe in the wisdom of your readers – never take them for granted or expect them to believe your every word.
Simply put – if you believe, we’ll believe.
How about you – can you see the value of these three tenets, and what others would you add (or use)?
About Danny Brown
