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
Hi Katie! I love your blogging tips because I love your blog. My blog is about baking. Mostly healthy baking
I’m such a combo blogger! My blog kind of jumps from topic to topic.. whatever is going on in my life at the moment. It keeps me interested and it makes blogging fun to know I can change my posts any given day
Thanks for your great tips part 2, katie!! Totally insightful. I have really been thinking about blogging in a way that I really enjoy to do it like you said last time and now would like to keep that in mind while also caring a bit about what readers are getting out of it!
And i had my first blog comment today from someone who wasnt a personal friend! Milestone! haha.. totally thrilling!
Aww lol… I tried to give you your second comment, but your blog doesn’t allow me to post (without a google or wordpress account). So I’ll leave it here:
Haha after I read your comment on my blog about your first comment, I had to run right over here and give you your SECOND comment ;). And I agree with Olivia: the bread looks awesome!
Oh thanks so much!!!!
I would say that my blog’s tagline pretty much sums up what my blog is about–it’s about celebrating good health through food:)
Ha! This is too funny. I was just sitting here trying to figure out exactly what to write about tonight. My blog is a little all over the place (but so is my life). It’s a little fitness and exercise, recipe creations, healthy ideas for toddlers, weight issues talk, etc. I’m still a little new to the blogging world, so I’m sure I’ll figure out a system that works. It’s hard for me to focuse on one thing and it really shows in my blog. Oops!
Maybe I should add that my main purpose of my blog was to document my journey to balance everything in life. My friend told me today that she loves reading it because it makes her feel like she’s not the only crazy one who thinks about all this stuff. Hmmm…. I wonder if that was a compliment???? ha ha ha! Love your blog. Keep posting! I need to order some coconut butter and stevia drops so I can try some of your recipes!!!! 🙂 PS- I don’t know if you remember my comment on your post about not wearing make-up about my eyes getting a rash from using old eye shadow. Just wanted to update you (because I’m sure you’ve been thinking about it- jk) that my rash finally went away and my eyelids are no longer peeling (and the eye shadow is now in the trash). Ha ha ha! Now I just have huge bags under my eyes from lack of sleep.
LOVE YOUR BLOG!!!!!
Oh I do remember your comment! LOL I even remember my reply to it. I was comforted to know that I’m not the only one who uses old makeup… and then I was also thinking maybe I should throw mine away! 😉
(P.S. I hear you on the bags… there’s a bird outside my window this spring that is making sleep impossible! Ugh.)
Ha ha! Too funny. We had a mockingbird once outside our bedroom window. They are no joke. Hope you get some good sleep soon!
My blog is primarily about belly dance and performing, secondly about food, and thirdly as a sounding board for the random thoughts in my head! 🙂
My blog is about wholesome treats, nomen est omen 🙂 They are 99% vegetarian, sometimes vegan, always tasty. I don’t publish dishes which look good but didn’t impress me with the taste. Also I don’t post eats which look bad but taste fine – I’d rather wait to get another, better picture and then publish it. I rarely write about running but this is going to be a topic to add in July 🙂
Bean recipes are so great! I love making dishes with white beans, soy beans and garbanzo beans – I hide them in dishes instead of wheat or grains. I profit fibre and protein and the taste is great too.
I don’t have a blog but could certainly see myself doing one in the future. If I had a blog now it would probably focus on all different types of food from healthy salads to dessert since I enjoy it all 🙂 I made you Tiramisu Fudge Babies for my mom yesterday and they came out delish. I realized after I started making them that I’d run out of almond extract so I subbed hazelnut extract. Hmm, maybe they were more like Ferrero Rocher Babies…haven’t had one of those in years. Also am following your instructions to cook a Kabucha squash since last time I made one it came out really dry. Pretty sure I overcooked it, oops! I plan to make Kabucha soup with it as soon as my Vitamix arrives. It is on the truck just waiting to be delivered to me, woohoo!!
It’s probably not your fault! Some kabochas are just super-dry! It’s annoying, actually… you never know when you buy it if it’ll be good or not. I’ve had really awful ones and really terrific ones. A good rule of thumb is to get one that feels heavy for its size, but you can still end up with a not-so-good tasting squash. But its worth it, because they are SO good when you get a good one!
And Ferrero Rocher babies sound incredible!
hey katie! i just started a blog and i was wondering….how do you make a link back to another website? like say i post one of your delicious recipes and want to write “thanks to chocolate cover katie!” so that people can click on it and take them to your website?
Hi Karina,
It looks like you have a wordpress blog… so when you’re writing a post, there’ll be a little icon at the top of the page that looks like a chain link (next to another one that looks like a broken chain link). Highlight the words you want to link, then click on the chain icon, and just paste whatever url you want into that icon. 🙂
I like to think my blog is mainly about body image with a little lifecasting thrown in. I really like having an outlet for the part of my mind that notices things and wants to help people that are struggling with body image.