18 Ways You Can Have One of the Most Popular Blogs

By: | November 5, 2017 | Tags: , , |

Most Popular Blogs have these characteristics

Today I celebrate 3 years of blogging. This article will be about my reflections at the end of my 3-year journey.

This article will share what I’ve learned about the most popular blogs during my time blogging.

By the end of this article, you’ll be able to pattern your blog after the most popular blogs by adopting the mindset and the practices of the most successful bloggers. Those practices include making money blogging.

Reflections on blogging:

How my thinking evolved:

Initially, I thought traffic was the be all and end all. That’s all well and good except for one problem: At midnight, our stats revert to zero.

What matters more than blog traffic?

What matters is exposure. Exposure leads to influence. Influence leads to opportunities.

How to get exposure: Promote everywhere.

If you are trying to make money blogging, what really matters is your influence. Your reach and influence will extend from your widespread blog promotion.

Imagine my shock when I had extended my influence so much, I was called an influencer. My reaction to being called “an influencer” was disbelief.

In addition to being called “an influencer,” in my 3 years I’ve:

  • Been nominated for having the Most Informative Blog at the Bloggers Bash out of only 13 nominees.
  • Became an ebook author.
  • Made thousands of dollars.
  • Hosted a Twitter chat.
  • Participated in over 30 expert interviews.
  • Been invited to participate in a blogging summit.

I experienced all these milestones without trying. This post will explain how these events occurred and what you can control so you can experience these successes as well.

Blogging guru Ryan Biddulph predicted people would seek me out. They did. He was right.

Why did it happen? How did they know about me?

  • People found me on Lifehack and offered me financial opportunities.
  • People discovered I have almost 14,000 Twitter followers and offered me financial opportunities. I have a paid writing gig I got without looking for it. The blog found me on Twitter. People have written that Twitter is a waste of time since the traffic to your blog might be minimal. However, the financial opportunities I received due to my Twitter growth is a great return on my time invested. Making money blogging is not always about having blog traffic.
  • People found me at MyBlogU and offered me opportunities.
  • People saw me in expert interviews and offered me additional opportunities. As a result, I received links from the biggest blogs on the Internet like Jeff Bullas’s blog.
  • I have a good DR score. People want a link from me and pay me to give them one. A link from a blog with a good Domain Rating gives you Google juice and increases your SEO.

What is your blogging goal?

Is it traffic? Exposure leads to traffic.
Is it money? Exposure leads to traffic which leads to money.

What are the secrets to success of the most popular blogs?

18 Lessons Learned: The most popular bloggers know the following truths about blogging:

  1. Blogging envy is normal. Don’t beat yourself up emotionally if you have it. Accept that there will always be bloggers more successful than you– who have more organic traffic, more subscribers…
  2. Don’t compare your journey to others. What works for you might not work for other bloggers and the other way around. For example, I know bloggers who have generated a great amount of traction from LinkedIn and Reddit and other bloggers who haven’t received any traction from those sites to speak of.
  3. Don’t compare your subscriber count to others. I work outside the home and don’t have as much time to network as other people do. They may have greater numbers if they spend all day in front of a computer.
  4. It doesn’t matter if other bloggers have more engagement than you do. Facebook groups exist where you can trade comment for comment and like for like. You don’t know if their comments and likes represent true engagement.
  5. Patience is a mandatory quality for a successful blogger. When I heard blogging is a marathon, not a sprint, blogging became easier for me. I am not the most patient of people. For example, I heard organic traffic can take months or even years to generate, so I bit the bullet and tried to patiently wait for my articles’ turns for search traffic.
  6. The philosophy, “Treat others the way you’d want to be treated” is true. If you want people to support you as a blogger, you need to support them. For example, if you want people to retweet your articles, you need to retweet their articles.
  7. You need an understanding support system. If my husband wasn’t supportive of my blogging, I can’t imagine how I’d have been able to push on for three years.
  8. Blogging takes money. Self-hosted bloggers have expenses. Your monthly host fees and your email service won’t pay themselves. You need money to maintain a blog.
  9. You do not need tech skills to be a successful blogger. Of course, that’s assuming you can afford to outsource your tech needs. (See realization #8.)
  10. Blogging can be stressful. For example, what do you do when your blog breaks? How do you stick to your editorial calendar and meet your publication deadlines when your offline commitments get in the way?
  11. You will meet more supportive and interesting people than you could ever imagine existed. My 2015 Thanksgiving post What No One Tells You About Blogging discusses my gratitude to the blogging community. Your blogging friends are your friends. Your online friends are as much your friends as anyone offline.
  12. Blogging will spoil you. How could you possibly be this lucky?
  13. There is more to social media than blog promotion. I know you’re busy and want to link drop when you promote your posts. Get in and get out, right? Wrong. People write me on Twitter to ask how my weekend was and wish me a good week. I write people on Twitter to thank them for supporting my blog. Social media was designed for you to be social.
  14. Blogging will exhaust you. You will lose sleep. How could you not? Creative ideas will pop into your mind as you toss and turn in the wee hours of the morning. You must record them immediately or risk losing them. You have editorial deadlines to meet, comments to return, photos to transform into graphics, and sponsored posts to write in order to pay your blogging bills. Also, somewhere in all of that, you need to find time to live your life offline.
  15. Blogging takes a great deal of time. In the comments section of a recent productivity post, bloggers reported that from start to finish, one blog post takes four hours. My latest expert interview of 7,000 words took four months.
  16. You will sacrifice time spent on activities and with people you made time for before you became a blogger. Something had to give. After all, there are only 24 hours in a day.
  17. Friends and family you have offline may not understand your blogging passion. They won’t. Don’t try to force realizations.
  18. It is possible to make money blogging. 

How to Make Money Blogging: My Discoveries

Consider these comments from a reader:

You are right, per survey a few years back, 81 percent of bloggers never make more than $100. ~ Peter Nyiri from https://blogging.org/blog/blogging-stats-2012-infographic/

I say that nothing that gives you exposure is a waste of time.

One of the most frequently asked questions by bloggers: “How do the most popular bloggers make money?” When I started, I wanted to discover those secrets as well. It turns out the answer does not contain secrets at all.

How did I make thousands of dollars blogging in less than three years?

  • People rent space in my sidebar.
  • People pay me to publish their links.
  • People pay me to publish their writing on my blog.
  • People pay me to publish my writing on their blogs.
  • People buy my ebook.
  • People hire me as a blogging coach.

Takeaways

  • Don’t compare yourself to others. Run your own race. It doesn’t matter what other bloggers are doing.
  • Influence is more important than blog traffic.
  • Do your best to create quality work.
  • Success will find you.

In closing, these are the lessons I’ve learned about the most popular blogs and so should you.

I still haven’t hit all my marks as a blogger. However, I’ve hit many of them. If you follow the strategies in this post, you can hit your marks too.

What are your goals? If it’s monetization, then focus on that objective. Use my ideas as a checklist.

If that is your goal, and you want to make money blogging, you need exposure.

Do you want traffic? You need exposure.

It doesn’t matter what your goals are. Whatever they are, whatever your fondest blogging wish is, exposure will bring it to you.

The ideas in this post should tell you how to achieve your blogging dreams.

The admins of the most popular blogs have mastered these blogging tricks that have taken me three years to learn.

If you adopt their mindsets and practices, you can have one of the most popular blogs as well.

Readers, please share so other bloggers know techniques of the most popular bloggers.

Veteran bloggers, did I leave out any epiphanies you can add to my list?

Newer bloggers, I look forward to your views in the comments section. Did I share any practices the most popular blogs have that were new ideas for you?

  1. John Doe

    Congratulations on your three year anniversary. I remember when I started reading your post when your site was called reflections. It is amazing how you evolved into the writer you are today. You have influenced a lot of bloggers in the blogosphere but now everyone can truly say you are and influencer Thank you for being there for the blog with unity and all the people who rely on you.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi John,
      What kind words– thank you. I remember you were one of the first (the first?) to call me an influencer. I still remember how much that meant since it still means so much. Thanks for supporting my blog and writing me today.
      Janice

  2. Donna DeGuglielmo

    Good for you Janice, congratulations on three year anniversary,,. you go lady!!! You have and do work hard. I have been with your blog for a few years now. Great post above … and yes info for all to see. So generous. Thank you blessings to all concerned with you success and bloggers 🙂

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Donna,
      I am so glad you liked my article. I appreciate you calling the tips and my reflection “generous.” I appreciate your support of my blog for these years. Thanks for writing.
      Janice

  3. Judy

    Wow Janice, you have done so remarkably well in three years. I am pleased for you as I know you have worked really hard to get where you are.
    I have followed some of your tips, but still have a very long way to go with my blog. Congratulations, and here’ s to your continued success 🙂 ??

    • Janice Wald

      Thanks Judy– for writing and for your compliments. If there are any blogging-related questions I can answer, I am always happy to help. Just let me know.
      Janice

  4. Robbie Cheadle

    I find your posts about making money out of blogging very interesting, Janice.

    • Janice Wald

      Thanks Robbie! Your compliments are appreciated! Thanks for coming by to tell me you enjoy my monetization tips.
      Janice

  5. Farrell

    You need to have the passion for your blog to succeed. I have been blogging for a few years now and I have realized that if you are not happy with the contents you are making then most likely, the readers will also feel the same way. All the tips you listed here are on point and I have learned new things that I am excited to try on my latest blog. Great stuff!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Farrell,
      Your comments are much appreciated! I am glad you feel the tips and observations I made in the post have validity. I’m glad you found them helpful. Let me know how it goes.
      Janice

  6. Susan Velez

    Hi Janice,

    Congrats on your 3rd year blogging and all the success that you’ve had. I agree with you, blogging does take a lot of hard work.

    When I first started it was extremely easy to compare myself to others. I mean we’re human right? Most of us are harder on ourselves than others.

    I’ve also found myself losing sleep because there’s always so much to do. I’ve gotten better because I am getting better at turning off my thoughts at night. But sometimes I just can’t help it.

    Glad to hear that Ryan was right. I am following his teachings and trying to be everywhere as well.

    Oh and here’s to much more success that comes your way, you deserve it.

    Have a great day 🙂

    Susan

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Susan,
      Thanks so much for the hearty congratulations! I appreciate your thoughtful comment and compliments as well.
      In regards to what you wrote about sleep deprivation. I think over time we learn to cut corners. For example, now I use the same photo with a different template as a graphic. At first, I would never think to reuse the photo.
      We also get quicker the more practiced we get. Those are my experiences, anyway.
      Janice

  7. Ryan Biddulph

    Congrats Janice. You are a star. And a bigger star in the making. You have “it”; the generosity, the help, the drive, all of it is there. Your community, your commitment to publishing helpful content in prolific fashion. Just keep at it, with your awesome energy. Everything in blogging – or life – is scale, and when you keep at it with the right energy, the scale always increases, as will your success. The reason why folks know people like Tony Robbins and Gary Vee more than they know us is because those guys stuck at it longer than us, with greater clarity….but we will soon be at it as long as they, with immense clarity, and we will soon have a greater platform too.

    Not comparing yourself is my fave takeaway. When you honor your path, and worry not about others, your light shines even more brightly as you gain popularity.

    Thanks for the shout out.

    Ryan

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Ryan,
      Thank you for your influence over the last few years and your kind comments on my reflection post. I agree running your own race is important– it helps keep us focused.
      I liked your hopeful comments that we may be as big as the most successful bloggers some day. Here’s hoping!
      Janice

  8. Jones Around The World

    This post is super helpful! I only recently started making a full-time income from my website, and it’s been the greatest thing in the world. I’m looking forward to figuring out more ways to increase my passive income. Thanks for this!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Jones,
      I am glad you found my reflection post so helpful. Congrats on becoming a full-time blogger. I make passive income as an ebook writer. If you need articles about publishing ebooks, let me know and I’ll return with links to them. Thanks for writing.
      Janice

  9. Emma simpson

    Happy three years blogging!!! This post is so informative and helpful thank you! My aim when I started blogging was to make money but I don’t have enough traffic to make any money from it yet! I’m hoping your tips in this post will help me! Thank you
    Emma

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Emma,
      Thanks for the warm wishes on my blogversary. I’m glad you found my article informative and helpful. As I explained, people make money without traffic. I heard you can sell to your email list with as little as 15 people on it. Thanks for writing.
      Janice

  10. Mind Over Meta

    Congratulations on your blogversary! I’m just coming up to my one-year and it’s amazing how time flies!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Mind Over Meta,
      Thanks for writing me to wish me congratulations. Congratulations to YOU on your 1-year blogversary!
      Janice

  11. Mehedi Hasan

    Wow Janice, you have ended so remarkably proficiently in three years. I am in favor for you as I know you have worked in fact hard to acquire where you are.
    I have followed some of your tips, but yet have a intensely long mannerism to go as soon as my blog. Congratulations, and here s to your continued completion

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Mehedi,
      Thank you as always for your support of my blog. Thanks for following my blogging tips. Thanks for your comments and your kind words on the anniversary of my third year as a blogger.
      Janice

  12. Pospi Otuson

    This is such a brilliant article Janice

    I totally agree when you said “Don’t compare yourself to others. Run your own race. It doesn’t matter what other bloggers are doing”.

    Thanks for the great tips

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Pospi,
      Thank you so much for calling my article “brilliant.” Your high praise means a great deal.
      I think the challenge to avoid blogging envy is one of the greatest challenges for a blogger. I’m glad you felt that tip was valuable.
      Janice

  13. Leanne

    Well done on three years of blogging and achieving so much Janice. You certainly show that putting in the effort will pay off. I am always so impressed with how much research and application goes into each of your posts. Who knows where the next three years will take you? I’ll be saying “I knew her before she became famous!”

    • Janice Wald

      LOL! 🙂 Thank you LeAnne for the compliments and the great prediction.

  14. Carol Cassara (

    You’ve done very well for three years. Super well. Focus is everything and you are generous to share.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Carol,
      Much appreciated. Thanks for coming by to congratulate me. I agree. Focus, being regimented, is everything when you’re a busy blogger.
      Janice

  15. Thrifty Campers

    Very fascinating and interesting tips, some of which I would have never thought of. Thanks for sharing your insight.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Thrifty,
      Now I’m intrigued! Which tips were new? I’m glad I could share new insights. Thanks for writing to tell me.
      Janice

  16. Lea

    Congratulations on three years Janice!! And congratulations also on being an influencer.

    I found your blog a few months back, not sure exactly when or how (I think a google search maybe.) I’m so grateful for all of the information you share. Thank you.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Lea,
      Thank you for coming by this week to wish me well on my third blogging anniversary. How exciting to be found on Google! I always wonder how people find me. I’m always happy to help. Thanks for writing.
      Janice

  17. Larry Holmes

    Hey Janie, congrats on your three years of blogging. I can’t believe you have had such great success in just a short amount of time. One thing that you said that is so true is, don’t compare yourself to other bloggers. I noticed that this hinders you and future success. Thanks for this article Janie! It’s awesome to be able to watch your journey.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Larry,
      Thanks for coming by to congratulate me. Of all the 18 tips I shared, the one you commented on is the tip that seems to have resonated the most with readers. Interesting! I think avoiding blogging envy is truly difficult.
      Thanks for writing.
      Janice

  18. Peter Nyiri

    Congrats Janice on your 3 years! The stuff you wrote is really true!
    People wonder why I stare at the computer so much…
    I just had my 4 month blog anniversary and I am officially out of the 81% that never make $100 with their blog. I just got two $125 affiliate commissions. I have learned a lot in the past couple of months and I document everything I research in a post on my blog.
    I have been researching things like the Google sandbox, which prevents new bloggers from succeeding, how to write a blog post that will hit the first page on Google and of course, how to monetize the post once it’s on the first page.
    i am actually thinking about a challenge – writing a post for your blog that will show up on the first page of Google…And monetize it. Do you think people would be excited about something like that?

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Peter,
      Yes, I know they would be excited, and I would certainly be excited! Thank you! I’m excited! I will start email communication between us to discuss the post further.
      Janice

  19. Carol Graham

    I remember when you started and I have loved everything you have done. I started my podcast around the same time and as I was reading your post I realized so much of what you did in blogging I did in podcasting. And…….it just happened. I am now number one in unpaid Google searches in my niche of never ever giving up hope. I feel like we gave birth together, Janice.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Carol,
      You feel like we gave birth together– yes, of our babies, my blog, and your podcast. Congratulations on your success!
      It’s also like we were born together.Twins? LOL! Thanks for writing on the anniversary of my 3rd year blogging.
      Janice

  20. Ahmad Imran

    Janice, congratulations and well done. You are inspiring and I often look at your blog to gain tips and techniques to increase influence and traffic. You are very right when you said, do your best work and success will find you. You don’t need to copy others, run your own race.

    Thanks again for sharing your journey, something you should be feeling proud about. Best wishes going further and achieving more success and fame.

    Ahmad

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Ahmad,
      I so respect you, your talent, your knowledge… that your praise means a great deal. Thanks for coming by to congratulate me on my third blogging anniversary and again for all your kind words.
      Janice

  21. Kyla Matton Osborne

    Congratulations on three years, Janice! You’ve done very well for yourself in a short time 🙂

    • Janice Wald

      Thank you so much Kyla! I appreciate you coming by to wish me well.
      Janice

  22. Ramit

    Hello,
    A Very “Rewarding” and “Fulfilling” Journey for You as a Blogger.
    Congrats! for completing three glorious years.
    And Wish you all the very best for coming years.
    Lots of takeaways in this post.
    It’s always useful to know the “right” things.
    Thanks for sharing with us.
    Best Regards to You!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Ramit,
      What kind words! You make me feel appreciated, and I thank you.
      Janice

  23. Sue Ready

    I must say in three years you have had some amazing success rates-good tips hopefully I will be able to apply and increase traffic to my blog site. .

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Sue,
      I appreciate you coming by to offer these kind words. If there’s anything I can do to assist you, please let me know.
      Janice

  24. Caroline

    Hi Janice! I found your blog thanks to Blog Party and I am so glad about it. Your tips are so helpful and I will definitely be checking for some more. Looks like you have an amazing knowledge about this area and you know how everything works. Have a good day and see you soon.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Caroline,
      Thanks for letting me know how you found my blog. I always wonder. Which blog party, may I ask? Thank you for your compliments and for writing me. I’d love to have your readership.
      Janice

  25. Deborah

    Hi, congratulations! I started reading your blog 2 years ago. I wanted to try everything you suggested but I didn’t know how to get an email list going when I don’t know anyone. I want to be a VA and have a blog for educators. I haven’t found anyone who is doing it and how to get in front of educators. I know there is a ton of information about growing your blog if you are in certain niches.

    Anyway, I appreciate your blog, the information you give, and the support you share for fellow bloggers. I wish you much success and I will continue reading your blog.

    • Janice Wald

      How Deborah!
      I appreciate your loyal support of my blog over the last two years.
      You indicated you didn’t know how to start an email list.
      I learned how to start a MailChimp email list by watching a YouTube video. Resources are available. Please consider me a resource. If you have questions, my email is on my Contact page on the MostlyBlogging.com homepage.
      Did you see my recent article about how to use SendPulse?
      I am leaving the link here since it’s more affordable than MailChimp and SendPulse has tech which helps boost open rates. I’m not an affiliate.
      https://www.mostlyblogging.com/sendpulse-review/

      Once again, thanks for your readership, your congratulations, and the kind words about my blog.
      Janice

  26. Elise Cohen Ho

    Your tips, insight and true sharing of your experiences will help so many reading this post. I think that the one that most spoke to me was… actually I do not know. There were more than 18 marvelous points that I agreed with.

  27. Martin Lindeskog

    Janice: Congrats to your milestone! I have soon been blogging for 16 years! 😉

    All the Best,

    Martin

    • Janice Wald

      That is quite a milestone in itself! Congratulations to you! I have been blogging for 3 1/2 years.
      Janice

  28. Penelope Silvers

    Amazing post, Janice. Thanks for the reminder that it is possible to make a living from your blog but takes a huge commitment as well. Your links are all open all the way across the top of my screen! Need to file them now. Have a great day! 🙂

  29. Kasman

    I really must start paying more attention to your blogs. As always, you offer great advice!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Bill,
      Exciting to see you here! It’s been a while! How have you been? How is Scottland?
      Thanks for reading what I write and your nice compliments. Truly great to see you.
      Janice

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    Comment Luv today are the boomarang to the bloggers in increasing backlinks. Every blogger should have. Simply awesome dude.

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