You have a blog in your website, but does that make you a “blogger”. Owning a set of paintbrushes and some canvas means you can paint, but it doesn’t make you a painter. In the end, you can know you’re a painter if people desire to look at and appreciate your work. If you decide to pant stuff from your head that holds no connection or interest for other Humans, then don’t be surprised when hey ignore your artwork.
ASK YOURSELF
1- Does your blog help someone “do something” or just make them think?
2- Do you think, “I need to send this blog to my friends…it’s really useful”?
3- Will readers recognize the topic as current, or obsolete.
4- Do you have more than a few sentences with opinion? Beware!
1- Is there actionable information?
If your blog doesn’t invite, encourage or help a reader do something, then you have most likely missed the mark. An article that doesn’t lead a person to take new more effective action, is most likely only there to impress readers with the Author’s cleverness. Of course there many exceptions to this. Opinion pieces are fantastic and I read them everyday, but the Author has the reputation to interest me in their opinion already.
2- Do you have something others are interested in?
Successful blogging is all about serving your readers. If you start to write a blog because you suddenly had a clever idea, this will not fly. That only works when you are so popular that people want to know the contents of your head. A blog needs to serve the needs of your readers. Help them get THEIR job done, better THEIR life, summarize valuable information for THEM.
Bottom-line: If you have an axe to grind or a cool thought to impress with, don’t count on anyone reading that content.
3- Universal = Viral
If you were the reader what type of information would you want? What additional features, what summaries, what graphics would really make you say “that was really helpful”
3 – Comment on a current topic
If you find an article covering a recent topic, let your imagination run and then look up a couple more related points. Combine this information into a new article to create real value for your readers. Help them see a bigger picture and save time by not having to hunt down the research.
4 – Facts verse opinion
If you have more than a few sentences of commentary or opinion, your article will generate very little interest among your anonymous readers. If you don’t have a recognizable name (on other words, famous) then stick with creative synthesis of information, data and facts. You will know when it’s time to unleash your opinion.