Part Two: Blogging Tips
Click if you missed Part One: How to write a successful blog.
The second part in the blogging series pertains to a blog’s specific message or theme. When people ask me for tips on writing a successful blog, this is one of the things I stress: Make sure you have a clear understanding of your own blog!
Can you guess what my blog is about?
Did you say something along the lines of healthy dessert recipes?
Recipes such as my Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes.
What is your blog about?
1. There are thousands (millions?) of blogs out there. What makes your blog unique? What would make readers want to come back? If readers are unclear about your blog’s purpose, they won’t know whether or not they’ll enjoy future posts and thus might not feel compelled to return.
2. If your blog’s purpose is to hold yourself accountable for what you ate or to help organize your thoughts, and you therefore don’t care if no one else ever reads, it’s perfectly fine to post without rhyme or reason. However, even if you don’t want more readers, knowing your blog’s purpose can help you to understand what types of posts you love writing the most.
For example: In my own journey to find my blogging voice, I experimented with the style of “this is what I ate” posts. But I wasn’t having fun with it. When I took a good look at the posts I most enjoyed writing (the posts I couldn’t wait to publish), they were all dessert posts! So I decided, “If this is what I really love, why am I not only writing these posts? Why waste my time creating posts on subjects for which I have no passion when I could be publishing my favorite posts every single day?”
How to figure out your blog’s theme:
Ask yourself the following questions:
- What makes your blog unique?
- Fill in the blank: My blog is about __________.
- What are the reasons you blog? Why does your blog exist?
- What can people expect to find when they read your blog?
For example, when readers click on my blog, they can expect to find a good-for-you dessert recipe that tastes downright naughty.
Like Healthy Milkshakes.
Lately it seems I could write an entirely new blog based solely upon the theme of bean-dessert recipes.
Such as the Chocolate Chip Blondies.
What is your blog about?
Or, if you had a blog, what would it be about? Recipes? Fitness? Family? A “what I ate” diary? A combination of some of these? What are your favorite subjects to post about?
Once again, if you missed it, here’s part one: Tips for Food Bloggers
My blog is about chocolate – and that can be chocolate bars I taste, events I go to, get togethers that involve chocolate, recipes…whatever I want, as long as chocolate is there somehow. It helps to have a blog about a topic you Loooooooove
interesting things to think about. I agree that when blogs are too all over the place I tend to get lost or lose interest. That’s what I’m struggling with a bit with my blog. Mine really is snapshots of my everyday, with lots of recipes, photography, and nature. But it’s not super specific, I think I’m okay with that though!
Ooh but see? You know exactly what your blog is about! So I think you’re right where you need to be! 🙂
Katie these are great tips! Thanks so much for sharing. I too had a hard time with the whole meals post thing. I also had to figure out how to keep with my theme while working some insane hours here at my PR firm.
So, my blog is about trying to live healthy but embracing (and even laughing at) the slip-ups and the pitfalls on that healthy journey.
I blog because I am passionate about two things: writing and living healthy – thus my blog is the perfect solution to getting to do what I’m passionate about every day! 🙂
People can expect to find posts about my attempts at being healthy in everyday life but also posts about my failures at being healthy and how I learn to laugh at those failures, get back up and have some fun!
My blog is about my journey as a vegetarian who loves to cook, but is just starting out in the kitchen! I love to share my new recipe ideas and thoughts on all means with my readers and it seems like they enjoy it too!
Love these tips! My blog is about my life as a newlywed/soon-to-be lawyer and eating healthier and heartier by replacing store bought things with homemade food from fresh ingredients!
Mine’s a blog about my self-concocted/adapted fat-free and healthy dessert recipes.
Though I don’t eat fat free, I’m very curious about baking fat free and whether its possible or not! A few months after starting my blog, I found yours! I was super curious about how YOU could manage the amazing feat of healthy, delicious and simple dessert recipes! And quickly got “addicted” to your recipes.
I blog because I want to share what I have made and make new friends! 😀
Like I said on twitter, my blog is about veggie food, ecological living and gardening. I do like to write posts about food the most, but I love to take pictures from the garden and while I’m researching some good tips for ecological living, I might as well share them with the rest of the world (or those two readers my blog has :p)
Great tips!!!!!
My blog is about my life in Brazil, trying to eat healthy but delicious food and exercise!
If I had a blog… Oh it would probably be about chocolate, and all the CCK recipes I make! Seriously, I hardly ever open a cookbook anymore. If I’m hungry, I just go straight for your blog!
Great post, Katie! A very good point. I wanted to let you know I’ve given you a blog award–head on over to claim it! 🙂