Mastering the Art of Blogging

art of blogging

There are many reasons people choose to blog. For many, it is with a view to promoting a business or a cause. Others use it as a tool for Internet marketing. But for many, it is simply used as an online journal, to document family events, post family pictures and record their thoughts and feelings.  Whatever your reason for blogging, there are certain key elements to mastery of the art of blogging.

Whatever your reason for blogging, a “blog” or web log is a very public way of expressing yourself. Since you have chosen to put your thoughts out there in so public a venue, obviously you want people to read them. To ensure that happens, you need to certain take steps to maximize the traffic to your blog. There is a strategy or skill attached to doing this.

How to Draw Traffic to Your Blog

With such sites as Facebook and Twitter it is not all that difficult to get that traffic. If you browse through other people’s blogs you can easily see who has managed to capture the interest of their readers. A good marketer knows how to plant intriguing teasers to rouse interest in the subject about which you have blogged. I saw a tweet recently asking: “Do you still have your old love letters?” It very effectively linked to a blog about the art of letter writing. Needless to say. It worked on me!

Another key is to get people commenting. That not only stimulates interest in your blog, but legitimizes it as well. Comments are evidence that readers are interested. In fact, you should encourage people to subscribe to your blog. That way you will build up a cache of loyal followers who look forward to reading each and every new entry.

Allie Brosh who created the blog “Hyperbole and a Half” was so skilled at the art of blogging that people lived to see what she would write next. She developed such a following that she now has her own book of the same title. Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, is equally skillful, if not more so, with her down-to-earth blog about family, cooking and life on their Oklahoma ranch. People ate it up (no pun intended) to tune of three books and counting!

Post Entries on a Regular Basis

This is another key to successful blogging. You can’t build up all those loyal fans and then leave them dangling in anticipation of a new blog that never comes! You need to be regular in posting new blogs. Give them a reason to keep coming back. If you have a theme, such as Dog Training or Life in the Country, it should not be too difficult to come up with new ideas for blog entries. If your blog site is more general, still, you need to blog at least once a week  to maintain the interest you have developed.

Sincerity

Readers tend to respond best to people who are sincere and open in their blogs. Humor too breeds loyalty and draws readers in. Talk to your readers as if they were right there in front of you and as if they share the same or similar thoughts and experiences.

The above is the “nutshell” version of mastering the art of blogging. But as you build a base of loyal readers and blog on a regular basis, you will find yourself getting the “hang of it” and the quality of your blogs will continue to get better and better. So jump in and start blogging. You’ll love every minute of it!