Eleven and a half years ago when I hit publish on my first ever blog post, I had little idea what I was doing and what was going to unfold for me over the coming decade.
As I prepared for a recent mini ProBlogger event event in Perth, I created a little list of some of the ‘dos and don’ts’ of blogging that I wish I’d known back in 2002 when I started. As it’s Beginner Week here on ProBlogger, I thought it might be appropriate to share them here on the blog today:
Note: these are MY dos and don’ts, and reflect my own style of blogging. I am not putting them forward as ‘rules’ that apply to all. I’d love to see your dos and don’ts in comments below.
Do create a blog that is meaningful to youDo set yourself some goals and objectives for your blogDo ‘write’ something every day (note that I didn’t say ‘publish’)Do as much as you can to get in your readers shoes and understand who they areDo use surveys and polls to help you understand your readerDo create content that meets your readers’ needs, answers their questions, and solves their problemsDo write in an engaging voiceDo start an email newsletterDo pay attention to the design of your blog – first impressions count!Do communicate clearly what your blog is about into your designDo spend time ‘off’ your blog engaging in the places where your potential readers gatherDo go to the effort of registering your own domainDo create visual contentDo model the kind of community that you want your blog to haveDo install analytics and track the results of what you doDo find some blogging buddies who you can bounce ideas off and have mutual support withDo make sure you have ‘real life’ friends too – they’ll ground youDo become hyper-aware of problems (yours and other people’s), and obsessed with solving themDo create something to sell from your blogDo think beyond what you’ll write today – develop an editorial calendarDo set aside time to learn the skills you lackDo set aside time to brainstorm topics to write aboutDo read other people’s blogs – you’ll learn a lot from themDo share your opinion – it is what often differentiates youDo share stories – your own and other people’sDo back up your blog!Do blog with passionDo look for ‘win/win/win’ relationships with brands where you, the brand and your reader benefitDo show your personality – be yourselfDo pay attention to what is energising you and do more of itDo pay attention to what is energising your readers and do more of itDo spend time refining and perfecting post headlinesDo think about what ‘action’ you’re calling readers to take in your contentDo make peace with the fact that there will always be more that you can doDo learn how to prioritise and focus upon activities that take you closer to your goalsDo pay attention to your archives – update and promote them regularlyDo push through bloggers blockDo spend time analysing what types of content are being ‘shared’ in your niche – publish this kind of content semi-regularlyDo use social proofDo take breaks from blogging – weekends and vacations are important!Do ask your readers a lot of questions and listen to what they sayDo treat your blog as a business today… if you want it to be one tomorrowDo create content that Informs, Inspires and InteractsDon’t be afraid to hit publishDon’t feel you have to publish something every dayDon’t publish when angry (or drunk)Don’t become a comment spammer on other people’s blogsDon’t publish just for the sake of publishing contentDon’t use other people’s stuff without permission and creditDon’t focus so much about the readers you don’t have – have a big impact upon the ones you do haveDon’t stretch yourself too thin (too many posts, too much SM) – do what you do really wellDon’t become too promotionalDon’t hit publish without one last proof readDon’t write purely for search enginesDon’t sell outDon’t engage in every type of social media – analyse where your readers are and do those mediums wellDon’t look for a ‘blueprint’ for successful blogging – forge your own pathDon’t publish large chunks of text – break it up and make it scannableDon’t hide your mistakes – be transparentDon’t feed the trolls – be polite, kind, and firmDon’t let the negative things people say about you sink in – it’ll pull you downDon’t let the hyped praise people give you sink in – it’ll over-inflate your egoDon’t expect to get rich quickDon’t compare yourself to others – compare yourself to you when you startedDon’t spend all your time ‘learning’ about blogging at the expense of actually bloggingDon’t think there’s just one way to monetize your blogDon’t become so obsessed with blogging that you forget to have a real lifeDon’t give up too quickly – building a blog takes timeOf course I’m scraping the surface in this list but I hope for those of you starting out it gives you a few starting points. Also keep in mind that these are not ‘rules’ and that the do’s don’t guarantee success and the ‘don’ts’ don’t guarantee failure. In fact I’ve written many of the don’ts as a result of my own mistakes but things turned out ok in the end for me despite those failures.
If you’d like to go deeper on some of these themes check out the recording and slides of my webinar – 10 Things I Wish I Knew About Blogging.
Also don’t forget we are having a 50% off sale on the ProBlogger Guide to Your First Week of Blogging during Beginner Week. Simply enter the code BEGINNERWEEK at the checkout.
