5 More Things I’ve Learnt About Blogging
Last week I shared with you 5 thing I’ve learnt in 5 years blogging. Of course, the list could go on and on and so today I bring you 5 more things that I’ve learnt and that might help you if you’re just starting out…
Have a read and let me know what you think…
1. Use pictures
They don’t have to be great pictures, it can be good if they are your picture and if they aren’t your pictures then you really need to give the source. I love blog with pictures, they help bring emotion into the story – even when the picture isn’t directly relevant they can help set the tone for your blog and the way people feel about it. With so many great apps and filters available online, it’s not hard to wack up a photo as part of your post and it’s really worth it. Promise!
2. Don’t use dark backgrounds or quirky, hard to read fonts.
There’s not a lot to say about this one except that it’s part of a bigger blog “rule” which is make it easy for people. You want people who visit your blog for the first time to do three things. Firstly, you want them to stay, second you want them to engage with you in some way – perhaps via commenting or connecting with you on twitter/facebook and lastly, you want them to come back.
If they can’t easily read the posts, then they are most likely going to click away to the next blog…keep it clean, clear and easy to read!
3. Not everyone has an iPad, promise.
Sometimes it feels like everyone else is doing the latest thing or using the latest gadget. They’re not, I promise. Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’, you don’t need to.
4. Invest in your blog
Blogging can be entirely free but, like any hobby, the more you invest yourself emotionally into it the more you are going to want to spend money on it. Maybe it’ll be via a self hosted WordPress blog, or getting it professionally designed, maybe it’ll be attending a conference (or three!) Whatever it is, if it matters to you then be willing to invest in it. Save, sell or find other creative ways to develop a ‘blog fund’ that you can draw from for the things that you want to do.
5. Accept that not everyone will like you.
Well that’s not entirely right, people may like you just fine – they just may not like your blog. Be ok with that. I’ve made some great friends online and we regularly read each others blog, and comment. I’ve also made some great friends online and hardly ever read their blogs – there’s no real reason for this other than there are only so many hours in the day. Accept that not everyone who you know online will read your blog, and don’t feel pressured to read everyone else either. There is a wonderful world to experience offline, you’ll miss out on it if you spend all day reading and commenting on blogs!
What has blogging taught you? What lessons are you learning now, that you wish you’d always known?
Mummble
Stitch Baby + Kids
Some great tips – I especially like the last one, it’s so true.
The thing I’ve recently realised is that lots of people read, but don’t comment – especially with increased use of phones/tablets where it’s easy to read but hard to comment.
Melissa recently posted..This moment
That is very true, I read somewhere once and I’m going to run with it – that a decent “response rate” for comments is about 5% of the daily readers. Staggering really!
Off to find your first post on this subject, I have a lot to learn still. Thanks for sharing these tips. :)
Kathy recently posted..What a week!
No worries Kathy, hope they help a little bit :)
I find myself reading fewer blogs these days, but more diverse ones. Last year I stuck to my favorites all the time, but this year I’ve branched out a bit more. The faves still come to my inbox, but I don’t necessarily comment every time. I do like meeting new people :)
Jess recently posted..I Need Answers
Me too and I’m noticing that it seems bloggers are generally reading less, simply because there are only so many hours in the day and more and more blogs starting – it’s one of the things I’m really loving about twitter/fb/instagram – they let you connect with different people. Who/what are some of your current faves?
Love them, every single one is so true. I do need to remind myself of the third one though ;)
Ames recently posted..Hello, I Want To Go To A Workshop
haha! Fair enough :) I’m sorely tempted to ditch Apple and move over to Android…time will tell I guess!
Found your blog while cruising on a late night. This post has some great tips. I just moved to self-hosted. I would love to have a custom design, but not for 400-500 dollars. Have a great weekend!
Making Our Life Matter recently posted..Welcome To Making Our Life Matter
Welcome! So glad you found me :) Just popped over to your blog and it looks lovely! If you want to explore having it custom designed drop me an email hello@louisaclaire.com – I can make some suggestions that could be a better fit for you budget wise.
Great article about five things that you have learnt about blogging :)
I have learnt so much in the three years that i have been blogging – I have learnt that you have to find your blogging voice, and then be truth to yourself. There is no point in blogging and writing but not sounding like the true you :)
I have also learnt that you have to stick with your dream – blogging is not an over night success, but its a long time goal – and the rewards are so worth it!
Cheers
Lisa
Lisa Wood recently posted..Italian For Beginners
So true – it’s a marathon and not a sprint! Here’s to another 3, 5, 10, 20! years blogging :)
Hey Louisa.
Oh Ok, I can see all the share buttons on the bottom of your post :P hehe.
Nice tips btw!
Thanks for stopping by my blog too!
Cheers.
debut dad recently posted..Phantom Baby… The Ghost Who Walks?
Glad that makes sense – there are some great plugin functions available, it’s just hard to know where to find them all sometimes! Great to have “met” you!
I found this post super helpful – and it gave me some new things to explore (cheapish new design options, self hosting etc etc) I always thought that these were for people with bajillions of readers, but it is very interesting that when you make the effort to become active in the blogging community just how connected and supportive everyone is. :)
Lyndal recently posted..Just don’t give up, I’m workin it out
Hi Lyndal, glad you found it helpful! If you are looking for blog designer recommendations let me know as I have worked with a few Aussies so far and they have all been fab – would be happy to recommend! So glad to have “met” you recently!
Get Google Analytics. It will show you what posts are working and what are not. I used to just judge based on my blogger stats and comments but that can be misleading. Now I know (even if it is a tad depressing).
Great post. x
Madam Bipolar (@SawHole) recently posted..Five Things About Bipolar Disorder & Depression
Such a good point – have you used the “in page analytics feature”? it shows you how many people click on the various parts of your site so you can asses how well your whole site design is work for you :)