27 Blogging Lessons

It’s been nearly 6 months since the first post was published at Pick the Brain. Over the course of 97 posts and 1602 comments, traffic has grown to over 3,000 unique visitors a day, over 2200 readers have subscribed to the RSS feed, and several articles have been featured on the popular pages of Digg, Del.icio.us, Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Netscape. It isn’t the most amazing start (there have certainly been bumps along the way) but I’m proud of what I’ve built and optimistic the site will continue to grow.I want to share what I’ve learned, but it’d be pointless to try explaining it all. Rather, I’ve compiled a list of the 27 most important lessons.

1. Just in case you don’t get past number one, my two most important points are a) help people solve a problem, it’s the most powerful way to keep them coming back, and b) differentiate yourself. There are so many blogs that if you don’t stand out, you’ll get lost in the crowd.
2. Blogging is not a great way to make money. I don’t care what Pavlina says his earnings are. It takes talent, effort, and patience. Only do it if you love to write and have something to say. Be prepared to invest 2-3 years before seeing any serious returns.
3. Make it as easy as possible for people to subscribe to your RSS feed. Subscribing is the best thing a reader can do.
4. Offer a full feed, even if it means people visit the site less often. A person reading you is always better than a person not reading you. Make it easy.
5. If you aren’t sure a post is good, sit on it for a day. If you still aren’t convinced, delete it. A bad post is worse than no post. Bad posts make people question if your blog is worth reading. When you make a bad post (and you will) learn from it and move on.
6. Be prepared to completely run out of ideas after the first 3-4 months. Do your best to stick it out and refrain from posting anything that’s absolutely lame. The inspiration does come back.
7. It’s not always what you know, who you know is important too. Content brings people back, but in the beginning you need a group of “internet friends” to network with. Don’t be shy about emailing bloggers in your niche, you’d be surprised how receptive they are when you share your best content.
8. Write catchy headlines and list posts that will be popular with the social sites. It’s the best way for thousands of readers to discover you.
9. Do everything you can to make your headline and opening paragraph as compelling as possible. If people aren’t drawn in early, the quality of the rest of the article is irrelevant.
10. Courteously encourage friends, family, and casual acquaintances to vote up and link to your posts. It may seem like cheating, but believe me, your competitors are doing it.
11. Don’t write every post for the social sites. It isn’t genuine and people get tired of it. My favorite “A-List” bloggers rarely make the front page of Digg or Reddit. Although these sites are the easiest way to get a huge burst of traffic, it’s important to remember that they only represent a tiny fraction of the internet population.
12. Listen carefully to every piece of feedback but don’t be a slave to it. Most people don’t know anything. Your blog is your brainchild. It won’t work if you try to satisfy everyone.
13. Experiment. Take chances. Piss a few people off. Do things to stand out. If your writing doesn’t have an edge it might as well not exist.
14. Always look for a different angle. Even if what you’re saying is valuable, there is no point in reading if it doesn’t say anything different than the popular opinion.
15. Don’t participate in every meme or trade links with everyone who asks. If linking doesn’t provide value to your readers it’s a bad idea.
16. Write about your life in a way that’s relevant to your topic. People relate to meaningful personal experiences and it’s a consistent source of material.
17. Make people think. It doesn’t happen very often and they won’t easily forget it.
18. Don’t be anxious to plaster Google Ads all over the place. Before you have a ton of traffic readers are much more valuable than 20 cents a click.
19. Design matters. If your blog looks terrible, people won’t take it seriously. If it’s too cluttered or difficult to read, people will get frustrated and leave. A great design gives people a warm fuzzy feeling that makes a site worth visiting for its own sake.
20. Posting comments on other blogs is overrated. Writing a quality post and politely emailing a dozen bloggers in a relevant niche can do wonders.
21. Respond to your commenters, especially the ones who disagree. It’s the best way build community and it shows readers that you value their time and effort.
22. Obsessively reading other blogs and checking traffic stats are not productive activities. Your time is better spent doing things that actually increase traffic like creating content, doing research, and posting to relevant forums.
23. Once you have a bit of success don’t flaunt it but let other people know.
24. Make use of blog carnivals. They’re the easiest way to build links and find readers before anyone knows who you are. They’ve helped me crack the Technorati 5000 just today.
25. Display your best posts on every page in a prominent location. You want readers to find your best content and get hooked. Why bury your best work in the archives?
26. Read blogs about blogging. They’re a great source of knowledge, especially about the technical aspect. Don’t follow all the advice. If you do, chances are you’ll end up somewhere in the middle. Sure you won’t make a bad impression but most readers will forget about you.
27. Do what works for you. Be completely genuine. Trying to promote a fake persona isn’t sustainable. People will see through it.