These days, the internet has provided people with some exciting ways to make money and blogging is just one of them. While it might seem easy putting the proverbial pen to paper and writing out your thoughts or specialized knowledge in exchange for cash, this industry works a bit differently than that, and if you are planning to make any money, you’ll want to ensure that you know how to go about this.
If you’ve come across a few great blogs in the past, you’ll notice that there are a few things that make them stand out. Firstly, you were most likely attracted by the appearance or even the promise of valuable information on the site, but you most likely stayed because it was well written. How do you go about writing a great blog of your own? You pay attention to what people are looking for in these sites.
New Codes for Behavior
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Spend enough time on the internet and you’ll come across sites or forums where chaos is the order of the day. While these sites can be entertaining for a few minutes at most, they are not useful or valuable and they tend to fizzle out very quickly. If you are looking to provide valuable information to the public, you shouldn’t be using the blog as a platform to air your grievances (unless you’re in a professional position where the public would be interested in hearing them).
Pete Babb of the PC Advisor puts it this way;
…you (should) rise above the fray – and help facilitate fruitful, lively discussions.
This is your job; someone who runs to get people thinking, talking and hopefully returning to your blog time and time again.
Pick a Topic and Stay on Subject
It can be very tempting to use a blog as a way to unload just about every thought that has crossed your mind over the last few months, but this isn’t a good idea. Your readers aren’t taking a philosophy class composed and written by you; they are there for snippets of information that will somehow contribute to their day, whether this is because it makes them laugh or gives them a new DIY idea.
If you start on one topic on a blog, it’s best to stay there, or alternatively allow your tangents to arise in the most natural way possible; don’t turn it into a 10 page essay that will have readers snoring away by the first couple of lines.
Find Your Voice
It is very rare that you are going to put something on the web that has never been seen before, but this can make it difficult to make your blog unique. In order to attract readers, therefore, you need to stand out in some way and you can do this by finding your voice and using it to your advantage. According to Brian Klems of Reader’s Digest;
Your content is what draws them in while your personality, or your voice in writing, is what will keep them there. Let your readers get to know you.
You might not be aware of it yet, but finding your “voice” will also help you in writing better, because it allows it to flow, instead of forcing you to think over every second word to try and figure out where you should be putting it.
Use Images
Images add to the appeal of a blog because they help get an idea across to a reader very quickly, as well as assist in emphasizing others. If you are writing a professional blog, it’s generally best to use your own images, since this will ensure that they are unique, but if you need free ones, there are many different options available to you online; you simply need to know where to search for them.
Don’t Just Do It for the Money
Of course you are most likely going to be writing a blog in order to either supplement or replace your income, but if you do it solely for this reason, you’ll most probably end up doing a sub-par job. Rushing this process or adding more content just for the sake of filling up your blog and attracting potential advertisers could end up alienating your readership and you will have sunk your ship before you’ve even set sail. When you’re writing because it is your passion and you think of the income as a bonus, you are automatically going to put more into your blog, and so you are more likely to get more out of it.
Pay Attention to the Comments Sections
Your comments section could end up having either a positive or a negative effect on your blog, depending on how you use it. Some writers find inspiration here, whether it is from negative or positive comments. If you suddenly find yourself being drawn into the drama, however, you could end up negatively affecting your blog. According to Tips and Tricks HQ;
If your blog is assaulted with ad hominem attacks, you’re probably not going to get much long-term success out of having a meltdown on your blog, but if you have insightful, engaging regular commenters who ask questions of you – or make you curious about something – address the commenter’s question or comment in its own post and elaborate upon it.
It can be easy to get demotivated by other people’s opinions, but just remember that this will only add to the discussions that occur on your blog, and hopefully some of them will get people talking and discussing your ideas. Don’t assume everyone is going to agree with you all the time; be prepared for disagreements every now and again and you should be fine.
Writing a blog can be a great way to communicate with readers and make money at the same time, but when you know how to go about it the right way, you’ll have a lot more fun and a much easier time accomplishing all of this.
