There isn’t one specific set of rules to be successful in blogging. When I started blogging, I had the opportunity to learn from experienced and successful bloggers in the industry.
One of the best lessons I’ve learned from them is to simply be me. I didn’t have to be too “professional” or use “big words” to impress others. I had to simply be me.
By being me, I enjoyed writing and the process more. It had me writing more than I usually would too. If you look at the the most successful writers like you'll notice that they are different and unique in their own ways.
Most bloggers have some sort of goal when they write their blog. Most have something they want to achieve. For some it is simply getting traffic, for others, it is communicating a message. If your goal is to communicate a message, then ideally you want a title and you want content that will hook the reader from the beginning so that they skim read your work . Here is how you hook your reader from the beginning.
1 – You are not going to please everybody and you shouldn’t
Novice and intermediate bloggers will assume their content should meet with approval across the board, but long-time and hardcore bloggers know that trying to please everybody is outright dumb. It is dumb because it is impossible. Instead, you need to concentrate on your target audience and forget the rest.
2 – Be prepared to alienate some people in order to hook some others
To hook some people, you need to alienate others. For example, if you are looking to attract very young and superficial women that think their image is the most important thing, then you need to alienate rational thinking women that want to compete in a man’s world.
3 – Outsource your writing research or editing
One way you can hook people is to outsource the work you need to do. It means having another party write your content or research your content. If you feel you have a good grasp on what your target audience wants, but you are still not making an impact, then consider a third-party editor and test the water to seeing if you get different results.
4 – Ignore your commenters
So many articles say you should listen to your commenters, and those articles are written by freelance writers, who are people that have never had commenters troll their work. The truth is that your commenters are only a tiny part of your audience. They do not represent your silent majority–your repeat traffic reports represent your silent majority.
5 – Build an idea that is relevant to your users
This should be easy enough if you know your target audience. You may have the most fascinating research about the migration patterns of the common garden slug. You may have discovered that they tunnel underground and warm themselves on liquid magma, but if you are posting it on a blog about Clash of clash (popular game), then people are not going to be interested.
6 – Make it enticing but detailed
The trend towards longer blog titles is here. Yes, they make your filing system and navigation systems look messier, and yes, they are harder to cram into clickable boxes, but Google likes them and so do your users. They flesh out the idea behind your blog post and set you apart from the rest.
7 – Do not try to hook people with mystery
Ever seen those adverts that have a picture and an enticing title that draws you in because it explains nothing but promises everything? You have probably clicked a few in your time because sometimes they are viciously interesting. However, most veteran Internet users are so sick of them that they avoid them like the plague, and that is why you shouldn’t try to hook people with mystery. On the image below, you can see examples of the adverts that people are sick of. They all use some sort of mystery or question to entice people in.
8 – Steal the titles other people have used
This is not a savory piece of advice, but it works if you are in a pinch. Simply Google the subject you are writing about within your blog and look at the titles other people have used. Tweak them a little and use them as your own. If they were good enough make you click on them, then they are probably good enough to get people to click on your blog posts. You do not have to make big changes.
Present a single idea, one at a time, and let others build upon it.
One of the best lessons I’ve learned from them is to simply be me. I didn’t have to be too “professional” or use “big words” to impress others. I had to simply be me.
By being me, I enjoyed writing and the process more. It had me writing more than I usually would too. If you look at the the most successful writers like you'll notice that they are different and unique in their own ways.
Most bloggers have some sort of goal when they write their blog. Most have something they want to achieve. For some it is simply getting traffic, for others, it is communicating a message. If your goal is to communicate a message, then ideally you want a title and you want content that will hook the reader from the beginning so that they skim read your work . Here is how you hook your reader from the beginning.
1 – You are not going to please everybody and you shouldn’t
Novice and intermediate bloggers will assume their content should meet with approval across the board, but long-time and hardcore bloggers know that trying to please everybody is outright dumb. It is dumb because it is impossible. Instead, you need to concentrate on your target audience and forget the rest.
2 – Be prepared to alienate some people in order to hook some others
To hook some people, you need to alienate others. For example, if you are looking to attract very young and superficial women that think their image is the most important thing, then you need to alienate rational thinking women that want to compete in a man’s world.
3 – Outsource your writing research or editing
One way you can hook people is to outsource the work you need to do. It means having another party write your content or research your content. If you feel you have a good grasp on what your target audience wants, but you are still not making an impact, then consider a third-party editor and test the water to seeing if you get different results.
4 – Ignore your commenters
So many articles say you should listen to your commenters, and those articles are written by freelance writers, who are people that have never had commenters troll their work. The truth is that your commenters are only a tiny part of your audience. They do not represent your silent majority–your repeat traffic reports represent your silent majority.
5 – Build an idea that is relevant to your users
This should be easy enough if you know your target audience. You may have the most fascinating research about the migration patterns of the common garden slug. You may have discovered that they tunnel underground and warm themselves on liquid magma, but if you are posting it on a blog about Clash of clash (popular game), then people are not going to be interested.
6 – Make it enticing but detailed
The trend towards longer blog titles is here. Yes, they make your filing system and navigation systems look messier, and yes, they are harder to cram into clickable boxes, but Google likes them and so do your users. They flesh out the idea behind your blog post and set you apart from the rest.
7 – Do not try to hook people with mystery
Ever seen those adverts that have a picture and an enticing title that draws you in because it explains nothing but promises everything? You have probably clicked a few in your time because sometimes they are viciously interesting. However, most veteran Internet users are so sick of them that they avoid them like the plague, and that is why you shouldn’t try to hook people with mystery. On the image below, you can see examples of the adverts that people are sick of. They all use some sort of mystery or question to entice people in.
8 – Steal the titles other people have used
This is not a savory piece of advice, but it works if you are in a pinch. Simply Google the subject you are writing about within your blog and look at the titles other people have used. Tweak them a little and use them as your own. If they were good enough make you click on them, then they are probably good enough to get people to click on your blog posts. You do not have to make big changes.
Present a single idea, one at a time, and let others build upon it.
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