15 tips to help you blog like a rockstar

With one year under my blogging belt, I can honestly say that I have enjoyed the ride. I have made some great blogging friends and learned so much along the way.

Here are 15 blogging tips and rules that I live by.

1. USE APPEALING FONTS, COLORS, AND THEMES

Try to have your blog look as clean as possible, making it very easy for readers to find your subscribe or follow button and your comment section. If your blog theme makes it hard to navigate, or if the fonts and colors are harsh on the eye, your readers will not stick around for very long.

2. INTERACTION

Building relationships and making friends is something we are taught to do as a child. It is an essential part of survival. There is no difference in the blog world. Interact with other bloggers. Say hello, like a post or two, read their posts, and leave comments. Try not to leave thoughtless one-liner comments like, “nice”, or “cool”. When commenting, take the time to write a concise comment that shows the blogger that you actually read their post. You build blog friendships that way, and might even make a real friend out of it :).

4. POST REGULARLY

Your readers are following you for a reason! They might actually like what you have to say. Most frequently, that way, when your readers stop by, they will have new content to scroll through.

5. BIO

Have an “about me” section on your page. Even as a blogger, that is the first thing I go to when I visit a new blog. Take the time to write a well-written bio. Your readers want to know who you are and the purpose of your blog. I know I do!

6. DON’T TRICK YOUR READERS

Let’s say that somewhere on your blog, bio, or about me page, it states that your blog is about book reviews, movies and cars. If I’m into that, I will follow the blog and look forward to those kinds of posts. If you start posting about random things like the news, a sale on tuna at your local supermarket, and a new song you heard on the radio…. you put yourself at risk for your readers to lose interest and unfollow your blog.

7. WRITE WELL

Misspellings and grammatical errors are a turn-off to many. Proofread your posts and use spell check. Make it easy for your readers to actually read your posts. Even after you’ve published it, read it again (and maybe one more time after that 🙂 ).

8. JOIN OTHER BLOGGING NETWORKS

I’ve joined blog lovin’, mom bloggers club, black bloggers connect, style bloggers of color, and more. In doing so, I’ve been able to interact with other bloggers and talk about all things blogging. A lot of those sites offer blogging advice, workshops, and support. I’ve also gained new followers that way, and have great conversations with some seasoned bloggers.

9. RESPOND TO YOUR COMMENTS

If someone leaves a comment on your blog, take a moment to respond. A simple “thank you” goes a long way. Now, if your blog is very popular, and you get an exorbitant amount of comments on every post, kudos to you! Understandably, you cannot respond to hundreds of comments. Clearly, you’ve done your due diligence, built your audience, and earned your stripes.

10. MAKE TIME FOR YOUR BLOG

People have asked me, how do you find the time to blog? I just don’t have the time to do that. Life is hectic! The days and weeks zoom by so quickly. I get that. My answer is, I make time for my blog. I find that scheduling time really works for me. I currently dedicate a few hours each weekend to typing up as many blogs as I can get through. I also blog during my lunch break, and even on the go. I utilize my iPhone to the fullest. If you don’t have the WordPress app on your phone, download it now! I save all my unfinished blogs as a draft and continue to work on them until they are complete.  With several completed blogs in tow, I am covered for many weeks, and will not fall behind in posting.

11. PROMOTE YOURSELF

With all the social networking sites out there, I am sure you are signed up to at least one if not all of them. Promote your blog on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Youtube, Tumblr, Google plus, and wherever else you can think of. Ask your friends and family to tell all of their friends about your blog. Tell your coworkers. Don’t underestimate the power of self-promotion.

12. GIVE YOUR PICTURES A NAME

Give your picture a descriptive name, like “red car” or “blue diaper bag”. That way, when someone is searching for that particular thing on the web, your image and blog name will likely come up in the search engine, thus, sending more traffic to your blog. Leaving your pictures with the name image12345.jpeg will not help you.

13. BE SPONTANEOUS

If something awesome happens, or if you have a brilliant idea and you want to share it with your readers, go for it! Spontaneity can be a wonderful thing. My last spontaneous post was my finger coils post. I snapped a photo of my hair, though it was a nice picture, typed up a few sentences, and hit publish without putting much thought into it. To my surprise, it was a pretty successful post. If you missed it, please click here. 🙂

14.GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK

Give yourself a break from blogging (not too long though). Take a blog-free vacation. A little rest and relaxation are essential to avoid burnout.

15. DON’T GIVE UP!

If your blog is not doing as well as you’d like it to be, don’t give up! Do some homework. Who is your audience? Make sure you are blogging about something you are passionate about. People can sense authenticity. You have to believe in yourself to be successful. Change your blogging strategies. Post at different times of the day to see what blogging time works best for you and your readers. Try something different, a new theme, or new colors on your blog.  Listen to music when you are blogging. Try to be creative, but please, don’t give up!

If you have any blogging tips that work for you, please share! Sharing is caring.

Xo,

Nicky