How to Be a Successful Blogger: 19 Experts Share Their Secrets

By: | February 21, 2015 | Tags: , , , , |

successful blogging

When it comes to blogging, who do you ask for advice?  Many bloggers don’t know other bloggers to rely on for help.

When making decision, it’s always a good idea to ask experts, so I put together collective wisdom from successful bloggers.  What is the secret to successful blogging?  This post will share advice from the experts that you can apply to your own blogging strategies.

If you could only give one tip to bloggers to be successful, what would it be and why?

 

What You are Not Supposed to Do

 

Teresa OlveraDon’t worry about what everyone else is doing.  Just be yourself.  

Teresa Olvera, Founder of California Mom Bloggers, http://nowimsimplyme.com/

Don’t try to quantify yourself.  The numbers are not what is important…

Melissa Lopez ReyesMelissa Reyes, author: This is the Sound of My Soul, life coach, host of Ten Minutes in Tinsel Town, http://mizmeliz.com/

What You Are Supposed To Do

Write With Passion

 

Find your blogging passion.  Make sure there is an audience for what you want to share, and pursue it because your passion will make it  easier to put in the necessary Intuitive Biz Coachpush to keep it moving forward.
Donna Ward, Social Media and Blog Consultant coachingbusinessentrepreneur.com

 

 

Write from your heart.  Be true to yourself.  Don’t try and emulate anyone.

Image result for carolyn westCarolyn West, head of the Southern California Bloggers Association, thistalkaintcheap.com/, campaign leader, social media manager, mentor

 

Write about what you are passionate about. When you are writing about something you really know and enjoy, the writing flows easier, you always have material, and your passion will be evident to your readers. When your passion and knowledge are evident to your readers, they enjoy the experience and will come back, comment, and share your posts more often.

 

 Images Matter Most

Have a pinnable image on every blog post for Pinterest and an Open Graph image for all other posts.  Visuals are needed for sharing.

fitzpatrickPeg Fitzpatrick Bio Rockin’ a positive attitude • Co-author of #ArtofSocial Media http://amzn.to/10aOzd4 • Speaker • Social media strategist • Pinterest and visual media pro

The Secret is Great Content

Suzie81blog I would say that content is key – you could be the best in the world at promoting your posts, but if the posts themselves…are rubbish or just full of inspirational quotes, it’s unlikely that a potential reader will visit again
Suzi  Creator of and #SundayBlogShare Teacher, Blogger, Hashtag Warrior
 
Jayson DeMers
Focus on quality above all else.  Sub-par quality only weakens your brand.
Jason DeMers, Writer for Forbes, Huffington Post, Founder and CEO of audiencebloom.com
Peggy Nolan
Download Jon Morrow’s 52 Headline Hacks and learn how to write killer copy. It will keep readers coming back for more!
Peggy Nolan, Author: Vanquisher of Fear. Slayer of Self-Doubt

 

Think of the Reader Before Yourself

Have a giveaway.  It’s not just about you.Traci Lawrence's profile photoTraci Lawrence, Moderator of Google+ Community Awesome Bloggers, author, editor, http://tracisebook.blogspot.com/
Glen Long
Don’t start blogging until you understand two things: who you’re writing for and how they will benefit from reading your blog. Too many bloggers write from inside their own heads instead of their readers and end up defining their audience as “people who like to read the kind of stuff I write about”. However, it’s much easier to build a reader-centred blog than a writer-centred one.

Glen Long, managing editor at BoostBlogTraffic.com

Money is What Matters Most

Spend some time creating a good monetization strategy from the start so that you can financially justify spending time on blogging. A lot of bloggers don’t put a lot of thought into how they will use their blog to make money and think they can just throw up some ads or affiliate links. As a result, I’ve seen bloggers that succeeded in growing an audience, but eventually quit because they weren’t  brianlangmaking enough money.
Brian Lang, SEO of Small Business Ideas

It’s the Combination of Factors That Matter

The bloggers who win the most traffic are those that combine various content promotion tactics.
  • Search engine optimization – research keywords and pick your battles
  • Social media – network with influencers and share widely
  • Email marketing – make sure your list is growing thanks to a compelling sign up form
The best content doesn’t win. The best promoted content wins. That means doing everything you can to make your content visible, knowing that where there’s traffic, there’s hope. You have to win the visitor or you’ll have no opportunity to turn them into a lead.
No matter where the visitor came from, they land on a post of helpful, useful content. This is generally a blog post where you are helping them help themselves. They move to a service page where they learn how you can do the work for them. Next, they find an about page where they learn your purpose, your story and your values. Now that they know you, like you and trust you, they fill out a simple contact form and a lead is born.
 
Understanding the relationship between content, content promotion and lead generation is the key to being a successful blogger. Every action you take as a marketer must be designed to increase the number of visitors or the percentage of visitors who act! That’s my best tip for bloggers…
Andy CrestodinaAndy Crestodina, Author of Content Chemistry, Principal Strategic Director of OrbitMedia.com

Do your research to find out what questions your audience is asking and what resources they could use to make their lives easier. Create content that answers those questions or gives them those resources with a comprehensive in-depth analysis no one else is providing. Be honest and authentic to let your voice shine through your writing. Leave out unnecessary industry jargon, and don’t forget to proofread. Poor grammar and spelling hurt your credibility.

 Vladimir Gendelman, Founder & CEO at Company Folders

Networking is The Key

My one tip would be for people to really get out there and mingle.  Interaction is the key to networking and growing your own community.

Jason Cushman, (a.k.a. Opinionated Man), over 50,000 blog followers, aopinionatedman.com

 One tip I’d offer to other bloggers is the most basic tip I can give. Just visit, read, comment and engage on as many blogs as you can. It’s a great way to meet other bloggers. Grow and drive traffic back to your own blog. And inspire new blog posts or ways to repurpose your old blogs posts.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ik1CAESUckU/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAABJw/2PRld08B6BQ/photo.jpgLidy Wilks, author: Can You Catch My Flow?, iheartallstories.weebly.com/

Build an email list right away – it’s the most effective way to reach your followers and keep people coming back for more.

Adam ConnellAdam Connell, Founder of Blogging Wizard.  Has increased readers’ traffic by over 400%.

Bloggers need to practice outreach and interact via social media and commenting. Comments are the most personal way to make online connections.
Patricia Haag, Business owner focused on ecommerce and socialmedia,

http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-IueVEREdvAA/AAAAAAAAAAI/AAAAAAAAEy0/iCxqxsWbKuo/s512-c/photo.jpg

Promote, Promote, and Promote Your Blog Posts… With it being a statistically proven fact that the majority of traffic coming to a blog post comes within the first few days after being published, promoting each post right away is crucial for you to receive the maximum traffic possibilities. This is where social media becomes your best friend and at times your worst enemy. Immediately after publishing a new blog post, throughout that day, and the next few days, I post the link to Twitter, Facebook, Google +, Pinterest, Instagram, and LinkedIn. This is also where blog hops and link-ups really pay off, you get out of them as much as you put in them follow and comment, comment, and comment more.

Lysa Wilds, author, former journalist, http://www.welcometomycircus.com

The one thing I think many a new blogger overlooks, and is more important than any other tip I have read, is networking. And by that I mean getting to know fellow bloggers online, as well as getting in touch with influencers too. The online world is very much like Ashley Faulkes's profile photoreal life. Who you know often has a greater impact than what you know.

Ashley Faulkes MadLemmings.com

 

Wrapping Up

There you have it–the experts have weighed in.  If you think the experts’ suggestions could help other bloggers, please share.

I hope you found my first expert round-up an interesting interview.  As you can see, to a large degree, they disagreed with each other.  Whose advice has helped you the most to have the blogging success you have achieved?  I look forward to your views.

  1. Wysjoyfulcompany

    Reblogged this on WysJoyFul Company and commented:
    It is as writing has always been for me a way of Wellness so these doctor’s orders to be followed

    • Janice Wald

      Hi!
      Thank you so much for the reblog! I worked hard on the post. I hope your followers enjoy it and get a benefit from it. Thank you again so much for the increased exposure to my writing.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Suzi, I respect you as a blogger and like you as a friend. (Awww….) It was my pleasure to include you.

  2. Carolann

    All wonderful advice! I’ve only been blogging since last March, but I loving my journey. Will be sure to share this informative post!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Carolann, I am a relatively new blogger myself, so I appreciate your offer to share my post and spread the information. I’m glad you found the advice (such a diversity of it since they disagreed with each other) valuable. Janice

  3. lindasblogs

    Perfect timing! Someone has been insisting that I post a particular sad story on my blog. While all of it is true, it does not mesh with the existing tone and content. Today’s post makes me feel vindicated.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Linda, Based on the engagement you get from your readers (yes, I am still impressed by that,) you SHOULD go with your gut. Your instincts have served you well so far. By the way, my husband read and liked your smiley face post =) Janice

      • lindasblogs

        Thank you, Janice, and I’m glad your husband liked the smiley post as well!

        • Janice Wald

          Someone just wrote me and said they liked your guest post so much they are looking forward to the series! LOL–the very day I read that you said we should do it again. Seriously, I write for bloggers, many of them new. Any thoughts?
          I’m getting excited,
          Janice

  4. blondeusk

    Great post (again) Janice! Do you ever do posts that are not very good?

    • Janice Wald

      Hi, I was thinking of making some sort of infographic with the percentage of responses. Due to the small number (19,) I didn’t. However, I believe the majority by far said networking is the key to blogging success.

  5. Opinionated Man

    Reblogged this on HarsH ReaLiTy and commented:
    Thanks for including me with such a great list of bloggers! -OM
    Note: Comments disabled here, please visit their post.

    • Janice Wald

      Jason, Thank you so very much for the reblog. It really does mean a lot. You have a warm community; I’m glad they were able to see my writing and the experts’ advice. Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi,
      I just wanted to thank Jason again for his thoughtfulness. In addition to reblogging my post, he turned comments off on his site, so I can read them on mine.
      He is a nice man who deserves his success.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi, I laughed when I read your comment. Hey, it’s just 19 people’s opinions right? LOL. Thanks for reading what I wrote, writing, and giving me a good chuckle.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Damita,
      I’m glad you could find it helpful. Did you notice the majority of the experts favored networking? It reminded me I should network more than I do. Thanks for checking in with me today.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Thank you. I thought it was ironic that they disagreed with each others points. I was hoping it would still be helpful to bloggers despite that. It sounds like it was. It’s received a favorable reception. Thanks for writing.
      Janice

      • stormiesteele

        There is so much advice about blogging to consider. It behooves each writer to genuinely respect their voice and intent for blogging.

        Thank you for sharing…:) ~Storm

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Derek,
      I just wanted to make sure you got my comment on your site thanking you for the reblog and welcoming you to my site.
      Janice

  6. 韩瑞雅 (Hán Ruì Yǎ)

    Thank you so much for sharing these great advices.

  7. Diane Brander

    Reblogged this on Diane Writes stuff… and commented:
    Some great advice to take onboard 🙂

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Diane,
      Welcome to my blog. Thank you so much for the reblog. Thanks as well for the kind words about my post. There was certainly a variety of answers from the experts. I hope your followers enjoyed the post and found it valuable too.
      Janice

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  10. Ask Coach Donna

    Hey there, Janice – You already know I re-blogged this and I’ve seen that it is being shared on FB and other places already – thank you again for allowing me to be a part of your ’19 Experts’ – I am honored! And, yes I also saw your comment on my site – big hugs and smiles 🙂

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Donna,
      I hope it was okay I went into your site tonight. I am so excited with the interest in my interview, I wanted to see what everyone was saying. There were 53 comments there! You are lucky to have such a wonderful community. Thank you again for reblogging it and giving my interview exposure. Thank you as well for participating. It was my most successful post to date.
      Janice

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    • Janice Wald

      Thank you so much. I had fun compiling the answers because they disagreed with each other. Thank you for reading what I wrote and writing.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi,
      I can’t remember if I wrote you back Heather. If I did, please forgive my “senior moment”. My pleasure. I’m glad you enjoyed them. Which one do you think is the best ingredient for successful blogging?
      Janice

  12. The Cold Texan

    Thanks for the tips Janice 🙂 There are a couple new ones I haven’t seen before, so I find that refreshing. Networking has worked the best for me, so those that had something to say about networking are spot on!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Ashley!
      I love how we, the readers and myself, are debating which of the tips have merit, just like the “experts” themselves disagreed over which tips have merit. I do know that every time I interact with Jason Cushman, I get new traffic and followers from his site for which I’m grateful. Others too through reblogging and guest posting. I’m trying harder now to network. The experts inspired me.
      Janice

  13. adrianscrazylife

    I was interested to see that so many of them talked about networking to build your following, but I don’t know if I agree with that. I network my butt off – I just attended my TENTH blog conference, plus a blogger’s cruise just within the last month. I have a wonderful time and I’ve met some really terrific people, but my numbers aren’t what they should be. I think it’s more in the promotion – the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. I need to do tons more of that. And I’m also looking into some new things like videos podcasting. I don’t know – maybe each person has to find what works best for their particular blog.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Adrian,
      Thanks so much for writing. You’ve been on my mind. Thanks so much for inviting me to your Pinterest boards. When I have time, I want to put lots of pins on them. I overbooked socially this week. Sadly Pinterest which is so much fun is taking a back seat.
      Regarding podcasts, did you know I made a YouTube video? I stopped making more since I heard that they don’t transfer to blogging.
      While I feel networking has gotten me far, (John Morrow reblogged this post, and I got almost 20 new followers as a result. Granted, he has 50,000, but I’m pleased).
      However, I agree with you about networking to a degree. I went to my first bloggers conference. The best I did as far as getting new followers, was one new Twitter follower. Let’s network and tell each other what works. I started Hootsuite. Some days I get lots from Twitter and I think it’s helping other days not so much… Saturday, when people are home, I get most of my traffic and Sunday. Thanks so much for writing and again the Pinterest and the Facebook connections and Twitter too.
      Janice

  14. balmtomysoul

    Great roundup. Thank you for sharing. Nice to know so many bloggers responded and helped promote your final product!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi!
      Is “Welcome” in order? I don’t think we’ve interacted before. I love your name–balmtomysoul.
      At any rate, you are welcome. I just noticed yours is the 50th comment on the post. I’ve never had a post with 50 comments on it before, so thank you for that.
      Fortunately, I had President Day home from school (I’m a teacher) which gave me the day to compile the information.
      I was told only half would say yes to me. All the experts I asked said yes!
      Response to it has been incredible. Thank you for the nice words and for writing me.
      Janice

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  16. annepm2015

    Thanks for the post. I just figured it takes time to get out there to other viewers.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Anne!
      My post coming out at 2:00 am California time is about how to easily network. Would you like to be the first to have the link? Here it is http://wp.me/p5jxvv-zO Remember, though, it won’t be live until 2:00 am California time early Friday morning. Hope it helps. I’ve never given out a preview copy of a post before, LOL. Thanks for writing.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Anne,
      You are right. It does take time to network and build a community. I’m glad you found the post helpful. Most of them did say networking was the key. Thanks for writing!
      Janice

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  19. Jitendra Vaswani

    Hey,

    This is a must read article for all the new and rising bloggers out there. Content will be the king. No matter how many times your blog is being hit by Google Update. A Great content will always help you grow.

  20. Mr & Mrs Gist

    There’s some great tips here, thank you for sharing. We launched our new blog this week so the advice is very helpful!

  21. Taljinder Singh

    Hello janic wald please help me for promote my music blog on your sites i am from India And I want to promote and share all indian music and music instruments blog for all details about my country so please suggest mr right way for blog submissions.

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