I’ve recently gotten a couple of emails from writers asking for tips on starting out with blogging, and gaining blog followers.
I’m definitely not an expert, but I’ll share what I do know and offer some tips that might help with starting out.
There are definitely some elements that you’ll want on your blog. The design of the blog doesn’t matter very much (except that some of us have trouble reading white words on black backgrounds). But there are some widgets and elements you might want to think about including in your sidebar.
Blog roll: Not only is this a great way to direct traffic to your blogging friends’ sites, but it’s also helpful to writers who are looking for other writing blogs to follow.
RSS feed button: RSS is basically just an easy way for someone to add you to their blog reader by just a couple of clicks. If you put it near the top of your sidebar, it will help encourage folks to follow you.
A follower widget. This could be Networked Blogs (a 3rd party application of Facebook) or the Google follower widget. People like to feel like they belong…I know I look for a follower widget as soon as I visit a new blog.
Are you on Twitter or Facebook? You don’t have to be, but if you are, then add a button to your sidebar to increase interaction with your readers.
Besides blog widgets and buttons, there’s another important area to consider—readers. Be sure to visit others’ blogs and comment. Many will return the favor with a visit to your blog.
I know that folks who participate in blogfests and blog carnivals also find new readers. It’s boggling my mind right now, but I looked for an online dictionary definition of blogfest to link to…and I can’t find one. Bizarre! I’ll give it a go myself, then—a blogfest is a group of blogs who post on a particular topic (usually on one particular day, unless specified for longer) and link to each others’ blogs.
A quick tip—don’t bite off more than you can chew. If you won’t be able to post every day, then don’t. Better to post once a week on a particular day (that you note in your sidebar) or three times a week and be able to keep up with the pace.
I’d also recommend having a good number of blog posts in draft form that you can pull from if you need to. It would be fantastic if you could have an emergency supply of posts before you start your blog, but it’s easy to do a marathon blog-writing session and build up a backlog of them at any time.
I learned a lot from the Blog Book Tour class that Dani offers…and she’s just about to start another one in February, I see. Here’s the info on the class (I got a ton out of it when I took it in 2009): http://blogbooktours.blogspot.com/2011/01/in-with-new-class.html .
Most of y’all who comment here have been long-time bloggers yourselves. Got tips? Please share!
Everything I do right in blogging, I learnt from you, Elizabeth, so I am pretty sure I cannot add to your list.
Except maybe one thing – pages that take too long to load put me off.
Building off an already great list I only noticed one thing was missing: cluttered sidebars can prove distracting from post content. That doesn’t matter though if the reader is using a reader.
Thanks for sharing your tips. I’ve been around a little while, but I’m still learning . .
……..dhole
Elizabeth – You have such a terrific blog, yourself, that I don’t think there is much I could add. I would say, though, that a nice, clean and professional look, and a focus (what is your blog really about) help, too. And Alex is right! Being an active part of the blogging/writing community is important.
Great post, Elizabeth!! It’s nice to have a guide like this on what can be a steep learning curve.
I would give more weight to ‘readability’ – that white on black sends me running for my mouse.
I got into things gradually, and really didn’t intend my blog to be a ‘writing’ blog, but it’s morphed into that, and it’s enjoyable–and I think that has to show through on your posts. That you like what you’re doing.
I’ve found using the truncating feature (whatever you call it) helps keep more posts up on my page, which means readers can find things more easily.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Following and commenting is the big one. You have to participate. And blogfests played a big part in the success of my blog.
That’s the kind of stuff I should have read before I started blogging, but now it’s water under the bridge
Cold As Heaven
I have learned a lot about blogging from you! These are exactly the things I would tell new bloggers.
CD
I’d suggest posts that are not super long and keeping the comment section easy for people to use.
You’re not an expert?!? Then who is? This is a very useful list, and yours is definitely the first blog I’d recommend to anyone starting up a writer’s blog. Keep up the good work :)
This is great advice Elizabeth. What a great resource this will be for new bloggers.
Rayna–Yes, especially if the connection is slow. And now I’m starting to read more about having sites that are mobile-friendly, so I may have to rethink some of that, too, with smart phones in mind.
SM–Very good point! Sidebars can get really overwhelming.
Donna–I think we all are! :)
Alex–Being part of the community is the most important thing, isn’t it? I’ve seen some great-looking blogs, but the bloggers didn’t go visit folks…and they really just didn’t have the followers.
Margot–I think a focus is important too! I think having a niche can really help set a blog apart.
Cold As Heaven–You’ve got a good following anyway, so no worries. :)
Paul–Thanks for coming by!
Clarissa–Thanks so much! You’ve got a great blog–easy to read and use, great content.
Jane–Good points! No need for long blog posts. And I’ve encountered some comment systems that I couldn’t even figure out.
Terry–Ha! You and I are in the same boat. I think my eyes are just real sensitive. For white on black blogs, I’ll read the post on my Google Reader and then quickly go to the comment page to leave a comment.
Kerrie–Thanks so much!
If someone asked me point-blank who was the absolute best person to get advice about blogging from – it would be you, Elizabeth. And I would say that the main thing you exemplify is consistency – you visit, you comment, you link, you post and you don’t seem to tire of it – I always feel your comments are fresh and I value your view a great deal. I know that was helped me is to emmulate you as much as I can in my own more scatter-shot approach! I got caught in the beginning with contests and the like but I don’t find that works so well – visit – go to the sites of those who comment on yours – comment on theirs – play nice!
Back up posts? MAN that would have made life easier! And you know a LOT about blogging. I learned everything I know from you! (though I would never hold you accountable for all I DON’T know)
Thanks for the great tips. I’m new at blogging and trying to build a following. These tips will come in handy. I find it really difficult to balance my time between work, writing, blogging, reading/commenting on other blogs/twitter and still having time to have a life. Hopefully it will get easier once I’ve been at it awhile.
I just started a blog this week so these were great tips! Thanks for sharing : )
Jan–Thank you so, so much! Wow, you’ve made me feel wonderful. :) That’s what I’m hoping to do and sometimes my life gets so crazy on my end that I’m not sure if I’m following through. Thank you!!
Hart–Oh…good point! Backing up the blog just takes a minute and it can save so much grief. That’s a post in itself, but anyone can google “back up a Word Press blog” or “back up a Blogger blog” and there are sites that can walk you through it. It’s very easy.
Cruella–Thanks so much! :) Y’all are making me smile today!
Amy–One way to help you with it (at least with blog visiting and commenting) is to subscribe to the blogs in a Google reader and then organize them by days of the week, as far as visiting. So you could put some blogs in a M-W-F folder, some in a T-TH folder, etc. The world of blogging is really rewarding, but can definitely take a little time.
Plamena–Good luck with your new blog! :)
Elizabeth, Thanks for the tip about the Google reader. That is a great idea. Really appreciate it!
Amy–You’re so welcome! Hope it helps. :)
Its really great, this blog has got really very great article.
Here are a couple articles where you can learn more about blog carnivals (I LOVE blog carnivals, but I admit I haven’t found a good writing/poetry blog carnival to play with yet.)
http://sciencepolitics.blogspot.com/2005/10/convergesouth-blog-carnivals.html
http://natureblognetwork.com/blog/what-is-a-blog-carnival/
And I absolutely agree with you on spacing out posts over a period of time so that there is some regularity to posting, even if it’s just once or twice per month. I might also suggest that bloggers specify their typical “posting frequency” in the About section, which can help readers know when to come back (or review their RSS feeds) and look for new content.
And I double agree about visiting and engaging at other blogs – near as I can tell, successful blogging has a lot to do with conversation.
Thanks for the tips!
Great list! One thing I didn’t see on there is offering the option to subscribe to your blog’s feed via e-mail. I think it’s important to offer as many different options to read your blog as you can.
I’ve also found that sharing your blog posts on Facebook and Twitter is a great way to build traffic.
Hi Elizabeth .. great thoughts .. blogging is a two way process .. and we need to give readers good content as well as having everything there. I need to revamp my out of date site .. and start using social media. Thanks for these ideas .. Hilary