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
Good tip!
I’m still working on my theme, I recently did a complete 180 in the theme of my blog.
Now, it’s about art and music, and on occasion maybe I’ll post a recipe, but it started out as a health food blog featuring art and music.
I’m glad I changed it though, I like it much better that way.
you’re such a sweetie and so encouraging to peepz Katie!! 😀 This is a really interesting series actually~and although I’m not crazy focused on one subject, I’m pretty sure I know what I like to write/post about…? Basically, my thoughts and words from God (spiritual), fun or healthy recipes (food), and some fitness. I always say that to be fit in every way possible, we first must be transformed within our hearts. Hope to learn a lot from you Master Katie! hahah just kidding.
I meant JK about the “master” bit 😛
Aww YOU’re so sweet!:)
Hi Katie,
Thanks for the post!
My blog is about my life as someone who has adopted a vegan diet; FAQs, ingredients, recipes, challenges, rewards, etc. Stop by sometime! http://itsbeenrealfood.wordpress.com/
Have a great day,
Aly
My blog is Scrumptious Gruel. It’s the food I make which rarely looks amazing(like gruel!) but tastes great(scrumptious!) I almost always cook from cookbooks and write about how I adapt the recipes to fit my tastes. The blog is still finding it’s groove, but I have fun playing in the kitchen and try to keep my posts funny.
As an avid blogreader, I’m just having fun reading all these comments, seeing what OTHERS’ blogs are about! I’ve discovered a few new ones today, just by being interested in what they say their blogs are about :).
My blog is about Balance: Balance in my life, Balance with myself, and Balance with food.
I LOVE YOUR BLOG KATIE!!! 😀
I like blogs that have a bit of variety, as yours does but are fairly focused. The only downside to posting a lot of desserts is that people accuse you of eating nothing but dessert. Or, well, not eating them. But they do get a lot of attention.
yay i LOVe your tips!! what is mine about?… VERyyy difficult! its not a recipe blog… not a food blog… i just share my life really! focusing on my workouts and eats isuppose!!
Nice post! I think there is much to think about when starting a blog and I like how you got your great points across. Good guidance and you are right, you are the healthy dessert queen. 🙂
My blog is about Health, Fitness, and Amazing Recipes that are good for you but that taste amazing too. I started it for my Clients mainly but now it is for the whole world! hehe. 🙂
I started my blog so that my family and friends could follow my adventures my last year of college, especially as I moved for student teaching and started job searching. It has become an outlet for me and I found that cooking/baking is a stress reliever for me and I love sharing what I found or experimented with. I am still working on what my blog voice is and am okay with that. I am a little random so why wouldn’t my blog be? I am excited to see what happens over this summer and fall as I get ready and start my first teaching job 🙂