65% of new blogs created are abandoned within a month of the first post. And less than 20% of the blogs are updated regularly, if at all. One of the reason people abandon their blog is low number of hits. How can you motivate yourself to write when no one other than you is going to read it? Another common reason is lack of time or work pressure. Some people quit because they don’t see any point in blogging once the novelty wears off. Well, assuming that you have decided to go ahead and keep at it, here are some points to help you along.
- Know why you blog: Some people blog ‘cause they just want to rant and get the load off their chest. Some blog to create a repository of their knowledge which they can refer to later. Some write about their experiences from which others can hopefully learn and avoid making those same mistakes. For some it’s a weapon to fight boredom. So before you start blogging, know your type. I started blogging to learn new things. I have to do a lot of research before I can post “How to” type of posts.
- Write from the heart: People come to your blog to read about a real person. They want to get to know the raw you, not some stuff PR laundered stuff. Be direct and write in first person. People want to see your emotional core, the person they would see if all the gurads were down.
- Be original: Give others a reason to come to your blog. Make their time and effort worthwhile. Don’t just link to others’ posts and don’t say what has been said thousand times before. If you don’t have anything to say, keep quiet.
- Give and take: If you want others to come to your blog, you have to go to their blog! And let them know that you’d been there. Best way to do that is to leave a comment. Don’t just say ‘nice blog’ etc. Write something creative so that other person feels like checking out your blog. Leaving a good comment can make any blogger’s day.
- It takes time: You are not going to become Robert Scoble in a day. Be patient. It takes time and a lot of it. Just keep writing. It took me about 6 months before my site was the first hit on Google for my name.
- Be consistent: I like blogs which get updated regularly. You don’t have to bang out a post everyday but maintain a consistent frequency. Strive for atleast 2-3 posts a week. See #3.
Popular or not, writing a blog is its own reward. Atleast you can tell yourself that till you start getting a million hits a day.