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
Aw, this is fun! Thank you for doing this…it’s so true…we need to be blogging what we love! I can tell you pour your love into your blog too! Love it!
Great post, Katie!
I think finding a blogging voice and finding out what sets ones blog apart from the millions of blogs and websites out there is key!
What is my blog about? = good question 🙂
I post recipes but also life/family tidbits, and some fitness/yoga too. I cannot keep up with the sheer workload of being a recipe blogger, i.e. recipe development, making all that food, photographing/editing it all, posting it all…each and every recipe post I do takes HOURS as you well know there is sooooo much involved.
So that’s where the life stuff posts come in 🙂
I love your blog, Averie!
Thank you 🙂
!!! 🙂
My blog is about finding my way back to be happy with food 🙂
BTW, I really want you to do one of those “what I ate today” post. Just one. I am so interested 😛
Me too!
Maybe someday
Awesome post, Katie! As you know, *j’adore* your blog and recipes — you’re such an inspiration! My blog is about my life as a Texas girl in California — I’m a new attorney and a new wife, and I’m trying to eat clean and figure out my food intolerances without depriving my body of what it needs. Whew, that’s a lot to cover! I’m just having fun with it for now, and hopefully over time it will take a more definitive shape. To me, the key is enjoying it and connecting with people who inspire me. You inspire me, and I LOVE writing posts — so I’d say things are going a-ok so far. 🙂
Thanks for always inspiring, Katie!
My blog? Sugar-Free Recipes!!!! hehehe….
Mine’s definitely more of a healthy living kind of thing. Daily food, recipes, random musings..anything goes!
thanks so much for continuing the blogging tips series! i’ve been struggling finding my own voice and establishing a clear, or more focused, direction for my blog. I know I shouldn’t do it, but I keep comparing mine to others that I see, and then feel like mine is just lame. I’m too boring to post cool life things, I’m not able to come up with amazing recipes, and I don’t want to just posting up what I ate every day. I do know I love to write about health, fitness, and running and I also love art. So I’m still sort of trying to hone down the focus, thanks for the questions and i’ve got to do some thinking! 🙂
Terrific post! I’m just in the process of starting a blog, and this is going to be really helpful. Your awesome, Katie :).
This was immensely helpful, especially for someone who is new to blogging, like me! Thanks for the tips!
Thanks for the great tips! I think my focus on my blog has been shifting lately. It used to be all about healthy eating, now it’s more focused on yummy food!