Congratulations! You started a blog. You have now joined the ranks of a hundred million other people, all of whom, like you, are vying for the public’s attention.
Blogging is the best avenue for writers these days, but there’s a lot of competition. If you want a shot at standing out among the masses, you’ll definitely want to avoid these five mistakes.
1. Thinking People Care About You
You are not important; at least, not as a writer.
For the most part, readers care less about who you are and more about what you have to say—a hard truth for the starry-eyed blogger to accept. But like it or not, that’s the reality. So put your ego aside, and focus your energy on your content.
What you write should be geared towards your audience. Cut the personal, introspective blabber and write something the people want to read.
2. Writing Too Much Text
Effective blogging gets to the point.
You’re not writing a manifesto or Master’s thesis. If your post is made up of ten, lengthy paragraphs, people are going to bounce, no matter how well written it may be.
The truth is, blogging isn’t the time to show off your literary prowess. If you’re looking to really flex those creative muscles in long form, write a book. Otherwise, say your piece, and get out.
3. Lack of Focus
A good blog needs focus—both on the audience and the topic. A lot of fresh faced bloggers tend to be chock full of ideas, which is great…until they try to fit every one of them into their blog. Then it’s just confusing and ineffective.
You’ll find significantly more success if you hone in on a single topic and then present it to those most likely to consume it.
4. Not Publishing Enough
Once, when asked about how he writes, poet Charles Bukowski said, “Don’t try,” meaning, wait for the inspiration to hit you, and then write.
Don’t listen to Bukowski. He gave bad advice.
One of the biggest mistakes new bloggers make is blogging only when they feel inspired, which can often lead to long gaps between posts, causing them to lose relevancy and trust with readers.
Set a schedule, and stick to it. Be it two blogs a week, bi-monthly, or every other day, have a reliable posting schedule. A stream of fresh content keeps readers hooked and grows your audience.
So try. Try really hard.
5. Skipping the Editing Process
Looking at some of the blogs on the web today, you’d think proofreading is a lost art.
Whether it is overconfidence, apathy, or inexperience, some bloggers just don’t seem grasp the importance of editing and proofreading.
No, it’s not fun, but it’s necessary if you want your audience to take you seriously. Before you hit that publish button, proof your content. And don’t just check for grammar. Make sure your writing reads well and that it makes sense.
It will save you so many headaches in the future.
