A year of blogging: The Lessons

I say a year of blogging and yet that isn't quite true. Although I've had my blog for a year, it was only last October or so that I starter taking it seriously and wrote my first post. Oh, the memories. Any who, these past ten months have taught me some valuable lessons when it comes to blogging and I may not be famous or well known just yet but I have confidence that the things I have learnt will help me reach my goal by the end of next year.

Lesson 1. Persistence and consistence is key.

As annoying as it can be to continuously shove your URL into people's direct messages on twitter and share your Facebook pages and any other social media network site you have linked with your blog, it is necessary if you want them views to bump up. Once they're flowing in daily, you need to keep your readers attention by uploading posts, videos, pictures and so on as much as possible. Stay in touch with them. ask questions, request feedback, all of these things will help you build a community with dedicated readers who come by every couple of days, or, if you're lucky, every day.

Lesson 2. Don't expect too much.

I still average around only thirty readers a day and that's if I've posted but I know that I have to be grateful for that because I started with none and I remained view-less for quite a few weeks before I started  the Misssophiablog twitter account. You can't expect to blow up straight away, or even get lucky. There are thousands of great blogs and great writers out there, you have to do something different in order to stand out.

Lesson 3. Organisation.

Since my first e-mail from someone asking me to write for them, I have kept a sort of diary of when I'm going to write, what I'm going to write about and whether it will fit into one of the pages I already have on my page. Staying on top of things can be difficult, especially if you're juggling your blog around work, education and a social life. My best advice is queue, queue, queue! Most blog hosting websites have the option to post your article on separate days so I suggest you spend a few hours every other night writing a post or two and then queuing it so you don't have to stress so much about time keeping.

Lesson 4. Aim for a big audience.

Whether you have five readers or ten readers, write like you have thousands, it comes across as confident and professional. Also, do not limit yourself to one topic. Not everyone wants to read about just fashion or just make up or  just sports. Try and add a variety to your blog, even if it's just two subjects, that is better than one and that way, you'll get different kinds of readers and as a result, learn more from each other.

Lesson 5. Connect with people.

The more people you talk to, the more doors you open. Networking is key if you want your blog to be found and read, the right people can get you places so talk. For all you know, one of your reader's grandmothers best friend's nephew is the editor-in-chief for some huge magazine in the heart of New York. Stay in touch via e-mail and social media accounts.

Lesson 6. Write to inspire and interest.

You're probably thinking that I don't really write to inspire or interest when it comes to my Wreck This Journey's or favourites but if you think that then you haven't looked  into it enough. The reason I purchased a Wreck This Journal was because it was all over Tumblr, people were decorating these amazing pages and I figured I would give it a go. I was inspired to get creative. With my favourites, they could be seen as encouraging people to try new things after hearing good word about it. What I'm trying to say is, don't focus on just something that interests you that you don't think would interest others, try and answer the important questions, infuse your opinion in your posts because this is an invite for people who agree or disagree to add their input.

Lesson 7. Grow.

You're not going to be great straight away, you need to accept any mistakes you make and ask why if someone says they do not like your blog, one of the worst mistakes you could make is rejecting constructive criticism completely.

Lesson 8. Scratch backs.

A follow for follow? Give someone else a shout out rather than hoping someone is going to give you one. You never know, maybe they'll return it, maybe they'll suggest your website to their friends and maybe you'll get somewhere. Be kind and you'll be rewarded. Make sure you help others in the way you'd want to be helped and it could end up in collaborative blogging or a joint youtube video or them retweeting a few of your links.

Lesson 9. Your readers are your friends, treat them like it.

Don't talk down to them, that's a pet hate of my own. When I read posts rather than wrote posts, I instantly lost interest if the writer took on a patronising tone throughout their article. It made me feel inferior and it isn't going to boost your ratings. Keep it friendly and chatty, that way, your readers feel like they have a sort of personal connection with you.

Lesson 10. Catchy headlines.

It's the first thing everyone will see and if it doesn't sound interesting, quirky or dramatic, then no one is going to want to read it, that's just common knowledge. It isn't hard to find a fun and enticing headline, try using a metaphor, simile or even some simple alliteration might do the trick.

 

I hope the lessons I've learnt will help you with your blogging as well and I wish you the best of luck.

I'd love to hear your feedback on Twitter and/or Facebook or even just chat!