Pen & Ink

Today I will be sharing a post written not only by me but three other bloggers! Grace A. Johnson (from Of Blades and Thorns), Joelle Stone (from Sword of the Penmaiden), and Kayti Phillips (from Sisters Three and Writers’ Vision). I’m super excited to share this post with you because the information these bloggers are giving you is literally gold!

So today all four of us will share some of our favorite tips and techniques when it comes to blogging. This post is for new bloggers, veteran bloggers, or even people who haven’t started a blog yet but want to. If you’re a struggling blogger or even a blogger who isn’t struggling but wants to do things better, then read this post and hopefully, you’ll learn a lot.

So grab a notebook, a pen, and a cup of tea, and let’s get started!

Grace’s Tips

Oh, I think I could go on forever with blogging tips…but since Joelle, Kayti, and Annabelle have so much to share, I’ve settled on my two top tips—which are the ones I think will benefit you the most for many years to come!

The two things most bloggers—or any content creators, really—struggle with, apart from time management and motivation/inspiration—are growth and consistency. And, of course, these happen to be key to making your blog worth the time and motivation you put into it.

So, remember that consistency is key…and that consistency looks different for everyone. Your blog is your blog. Your time is your time. Well, we could argue that both belong to the Lord, but for the point I’m trying to make, you, the blogger, are in charge of your blog and how much time you put into it…not other bloggers. Not the internet (*coughs* including me, I guess). Not even your readers.

If you literally cannot post every other day, DON’T! But if once a week works perfectly, DO! If you prefer one looooong post a month, go for it! But if several short posts a week works better, great! Find a posting frequency that works for you. This ain’t Instagram, where you do have to post every. single. day. for the algorithm to notice your content. This is a blog, where you’re in control of what you post and how often you post it.

Consistency is not posting 1k-word posts every day. It’s finding a schedule that works for you and sticking with it. So instead of burning yourself out trying to follow someone else’s guidelines, do what you can and make the absolute best of it!

Second, the trick I’ve learned to growth is something I call investment. I’m sure you’ve heard about engagement before, where you get your readers to like and comment and answer questions and stuff like that…but as beneficial as engagement is, there’s another side to that coin. You see, readers can hang around your comments section all day long, but they’re not going to share your posts or read all the way through or buy your books or support your business if they don’t feel invested in you and your content. I mean, a question about whether they like apples or oranges better isn’t going to draw them into your work, cultivate a relationship, and inspire them to stick around.

Focus on producing content that is relevant and beneficial to your readers, posts that offer them value. Posts they beg to read, not the other way around. Whether that’s tips and tricks like these, or a deep-dive into a popular topic, or even sharing something they requested, get them involved and invested by actually reaching them with what you write!

I know it may seem like a marketing tip (*coughs* because it is), but not only will invested readers be more likely to buy a book, subscribe for more, or buy you a coffee, they’ll also be the most loyal ones, the ones who share about your blog and get excited about everything you do, and the ones who will become your best friends! And there’s nothing better than having an amazing community surrounding you as a creator—one that you pour into and that pours into you in return!

Joelle’s Tips

Goodness, Grace. How am I supposed to come even close to topping that? XD Well, since you stole my number one tip about writing for the readers (*winks*), I suppose I’ll have to come up with something else.

Be unique. This one isn’t always easy, but hang with me and I’ll explain. What kind of blogs do you follow? Writing help like Annabelle’s (clearly XD)? Peek-into-my-life kind of blogs? DIY projects? Blogs about art? Why do you like them?

For me, something I’ve found is that there are a lot of sites out there with teenage writers looking to share what they’ve learned with other teenage writers. I have my bits and pieces to share, yes, but I’ve learned that other people can and will do it better. So I’ve stopped posting merely articles and asked the readers what they wanted. And you know what I found? Many of my readers weren’t following me for the how-tos and tips-and-tricks. They were following me because they knew me, liked me, and wanted to support me. So use your stats: what are some of your most viewed posts? Posts with the most comments? If you want to get more engagement, try and write more posts like those. Maybe it’s sneak-peeks into your WIPs. Maybe it was that one random post you did about life when you couldn’t think of anything else to write about. Maybe it was a review or an interactive post. Your stats are your friends in this, trust me. 😉

Another way to be unique is to take articles themselves and flip them on their heads. For example, if you look up “strong female character trope”, you’re going to get a lot of articles and rants about “strong” female characters – some in favor, some against. Ooh, you say. You’re saying I should write an article about it but come at it from a different perspective! 

Uh… no.

Actually, I’m saying you shouldn’t write about that at all, unless you really want to and aren’t just doing it to have an article to fill the slot for the day. Instead, work on taking the common topic people write about (i.e. “strong” female characters) and write about the opposite. Maybe an article on strong male characters. Or being a “strong” person in real life. Or weak female characters. Don’t follow the crowd. Do your own, unique thing, and see what happens. ^_^

Comparison is a killer. Comparison is hard, guys. You look at the people who started their blogs around the same time as you and wonder why they’re doing so well and you seem to be struggling. You wonder if your writing is even worth it or if you should just quit and try something else.

Stop. Just stop.

God created you with your own beautiful writing style and your own readers who will be touched by your words. Comparison isn’t going to help you. Instead, maybe try cheering those other bloggers/writers/what-have-yous on. Build relationships with them (like Grace, Kayti, Annabelle and I have here) and see where those lead you. Writing is a lot more fulfilling when you stop writing for the numbers, stop writing to be “better”, and just write for that one reader who needs it. (Again, write for the reader. XD)

(Side tip that kind of ties into the comparison one: define success. Some say success is follower numbers and view counts. Honestly, I used to think that way too. And it made it a lot harder to fight comparison. But maybe it’s time for you to take a step back and ask yourself what success really means to you. Does it mean a horde of half-invested followers at your back, or a few dozen all-in people who would do anything for you? Define your success and go from there. (Yes, this one is kind of like Annabelle’s tip about goals, but it’s got a slightly different nuance. Trust me. ;P)

Kayti’s Tips

Wow! So many awesome tips already. I’m not sure I’ve got much to share, but here goes nothing! My top two tips are…

Write what you are passionate about. Or in other words, write what you feel called to write by God. Never veer from what God has laid on your heart to write, because as tempting as following a trend, trends fade and God stays the same. (Pretty sure I saw that somewhere…)

For me, what I’m passionate about, and often blog about on my site, is books and writing–YA and MG literature for the most part. My whole goal is to revolutionize the way people view the content in these books. I’m passionate about bringing clean content to these genres and exposing the bad that is in so many of the books. I can get pretty worked up about the topic, I’m passionate about it and that helps to make the post both intriguing and informative.

As Annabelle’s tip below says, find a goal for your blog…what I’m saying is…make it something you are passionate about! Because if you are passionate about your content your readers will feel it and know you are genuine.

Be real. I know this seems like a no-brainer but I’ve been on blogs where it feels very distant. There is no reader/writer connection. The writer writes about things they have done but doesn’t invite the reader in or only presents info but doesn’t share their own experiences or mistakes.

So, be real. That doesn’t mean telling your whole life story on your about page, it means when you write a post be vulnerable and put part of you into it. Write out your mistakes for others to learn from and be honest and real. Being genuine is important, people want to connect, want to know you are a real and flawed person just like them.

Let them see that…don’t make it all about you, as Grace said it’s about your readers, but let them know you can relate. You’ve been there, you’ve made a similar mistake, you know how it feels, because that creates connection and connections matter.

C.S. Lewis was and is known as one of the most influential writers, not only because he was smart, but because he was real. He didn’t act like he knew more than you but was vulnerable about struggling with the same things with which he was talking or teaching. Because, the truth is, you can deliver the best content, but if you are not real, not personable, then your platform will remain stagnant.

I hope my somewhat scattered tips were helpful! 🙂

Annabelle’s Tips

First of all, I want to say that I agree with everything everyone else has shared so far. Grace, Joelle, and Kayti all have some amazing tips!

Some of my best advice when it comes to blogging is to create a goal for your blog. What do you want to accomplish with blogging? Do you just want friends and family to be able to keep in touch with your life? Do you want to advertise your books through your blog? Where do you want to get with your blog?

This is a super important part of blogging because it gives you a game plan. And planning (for me, at least) is super helpful. I’m able to know exactly what to do next, what to write, and what direction I want to head in. If I didn’t have a plan for my blog, I would always have to be thinking of what’s next, and ultimately, I might give up because I don’t have anything to accomplish with my blog.

So get that game plan. Come up with a goal, and stick to it.

Also, as Grace also said, make your blog about your readers. Think, how can I help readers with this post? What do my readers want to read?

Sometimes that means taking requests for posts. Sometimes that means just experimenting with different kinds of posts and seeing which ones get the most views or the most comments. This also comes back to creating a goal for your blog. What do you want to give your readers through your blog? How can you do that?

So create that goal. Think about how you can benefit your readers. And you’ll find that your blog becomes a lot more valuable.

Your Turn!

Wow, we talked about lots of ways to improve your blogging skills! Let’s do a quick recap of our main points:

• Consistency is key, and consistency looks different for everyone. Pick a schedule that works for you.
• Focus on creating content that is relevant and beneficial to your readers.
• Be unique and don’t always follow the crowd.
• Use your statistics to determine what your readers do and don’t like, and learn from that.
• Don’t compare yourself to other bloggers; focus on the ways you have been successful (using your own definition of success).
• Write what you’re passionate about.
• Be real. Don’t be afraid to show your true self and your mistakes.
• Create a goal and stick to it.

And that’s all for today! If you haven’t already, definitely check out Kayti, Grace, and Joelle’s blogs, because they are amazing!

What was your favorite tip shared in this post? If you’re a blogger, what are some of your top tips? Join the discussion in the comments!