Month: January 2016

If you are reading this you probably either have a blog already or are thinking about starting one. I started this blog over  5 years ago, but it’s only been in the last few months that I finally started blogging consistently. I decided to compile a few tips for other bloggers based on what I have learned from my own blog.

1. A good blog post is essentially an essay. Now I don’t mean that your blog post has to be boring. And it doesn’t have to have an introduction paragraph, 3 (or more) supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph like you were taught in school. Of course, if you want to use this format go for it! It’s a great method that is taught in schools for a reason. When I say that a blog post is an essay I mean that it is a collection of ideas about a specific subject. It may include research or links to other websites. It takes time to write well, so don’t expect to just slap a few sentences on a page and have a successful blog.
2. Writing a blog post tends to be easier when your content is more or less unified around a single theme. That way your readers know what to expect, and your possible blog post ideas are limited (most people find it easier to brainstorm when they have limits to work within). My blog’s theme (at least recently) has been about knitting: What I’ve knit, the yarn I’ve bought, patterns I’ve used or want to use. Now that doesn’t mean that I never post about anything that isn’t related to knitting. A blog is also a story of things that happen in your life –  you might post about a vacation you went on, or the funny thing your friend did, or anything that strikes your fancy. But try to make sure that the majority of your posts are about the same kind of thing and that that thing interests you enough to keep writing about it.
3. Consistency is key. If the number of views your blog gets matters to you at all, you will want to post regularly. This doesn’t mean you have to post every day. My goal for my blog is to post 3 times a week. Some bloggers post only once a week. Some bloggers post several times a week, but the number of posts is different each week. Once people find your blog and decide they want to keep reading they want to know how often they should visit so they don’t miss any content.
4. Proofread everything. More than once. Every time you make a change. There is little that annoys me more than misspelled words and bad grammar. With word processing software as advanced and readily available as it is, no one should ever misspell a word ever again. Taking 2 minutes to reread what you’ve read gives you a chance to reflect on the quality of what you’ve written and to change any glaring mistakes.

If you follow these suggestions I’ve given the quality of your blog posts will improve (or start out great! Yay!). Of course there will always be exceptions to the rules. Some people never write about the same thing twice. Sometimes I “write” a blog post that only contains a picture (hey, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?). Some bloggers post only once in a blue moon. Some never proofread (and it is almost always evident). But my favourite bloggers to read tend to follow these steps I’ve outlined for you. Good luck, and happy blogging.