In this 3 part series on making it BIG in the blogging circuit we’ll discuss a number of key components any blog owner must know and implement for starting a blog to make money.
In the first part of the series we’ll cover how to write killer blogs that your audience will be sure to enjoy which means you’ll develop a ‘readership’ which then has the potential to translate into positive revenue!
In the 2nd part we’ll discuss how to get plenty of traffic to your blog posts ‘mostly’ for free… yes it takes work but if you’re at all interested in hitting the market with that latest & greatest article and being rewarded for it then you’re going to want to check that out (look for it in one week from the time this article was published).
Finally in the 3rd part of this three-part-series we’ll discuss how to tie it all together and keep the momentum going for as long as you’d like it to! No blog-burnout, no slowing down, just stomp on that gas pedal and speed to the next milestone in your earnings potential through killer blogging!
Part One: Important Things Every Blogger Should Master
There are a handful of things every prolific blogger must do well in order to really hit it out of the park in terms of “doing it right” each and every time. Now, although everyone has their own unique style and draws from their own pool of influences there’s no doubt that certain aspects of blogging do need a more technical influence to keep things rolling along smoothly… we’re going to cover some of the main aspects of that now.
Creative vs. Technical Writing
Most of us have learned how to write during our time in school. What’s usually taught there are creative writing skills, which will do fine in many cases but not in all. It’s important to have the essential balance between creative (filling the imagination with the appropriate narrative and desired imagery) and technical (illustrating the ‘point’ or idea of something through written word such as instructions, review articles, certain aspects of sales copy which tends to mix both creative & technical).
Depending on which industry, market, niche and etc your blog falls into you’re going to lean on one side a bit more heavy than the other. Sometimes it’ll make more sense to write more technical articles, maybe you’re in the affiliate marketing niche and need to write articles such as this one you’re reading right now… Though creative writing plays it’s part, you’ll no doubt need to get those technical aspects across in an effective manner.
Technical Writing:
- The concept of “show don’t tell” usually comes into play when technical writing. It’s necessary to illustrate with simple words in a clear and to the point direction so your readers can follow along and absorb knowledge. Usually when writing in a more technical fashion you’re doing so in an effort to teach something, so make it simple for your reader to learn and do your best to get to the point… getting the point across in style never hurts however.
Creative Writing:
- When writing anything in a creative fashion you’re usually trying to tell a story. Obviously this comes in handy with things like sales copy, where you’ll try to invoke an emotional response which can then be directed to an urge to buy your product. It’s also something usually done in “softer niches” which don’t usually involve people who are as ‘savvy’ as those found in the marketing niches. These are things like parenting, hobbies, arts & crafts and etc type niches… places where you’ll usually find a customer base that’s “just your average everyday user”.
We could go on and on about the differences between these two types of writing but it would extend the length of this article far beyond what it’s meant to be so you might wish to perform a Google Search for creative writing examples & technical writing examples then take a day or two of studying until you feel you’ve grasped the concepts.
The Logical Path of Conclusion
As a writer it’s easy to get swept up in your own thoughts and ideas which sometimes leads to skipping around the logical path to your conclusion, it makes things difficult for your reader to follow along with.
Don’t take for granted that your reader either does or doesn’t know something… they aren’t you and you might be leaving them in the dark about some very important details. This can lead to confusion on their part which will ultimately make them just not want to bother reading anymore of your material, this is not good!
A very good rule of thumb is to finish writing your articles, let it sit overnight and then come back to it the following day with a pair of fresh eyes. Read over the entire thing at a medium pace, even say it out loud to yourself (quietly if you prefer) and see how it ‘sounds’ to you. Does it flow in the right way? Do the points you’re attempting to make come across as intended? Do you find yourself going back over any of your own words saying “wait… what?” because if so then your readers will certainly do the same thing. Granted this process isn’t always necessary if you’re already a well seasoned writer. But for those of us who perhaps are not, this idea is a life saver.
If you ever find yourself stuck on how to write something you could always hit up Google with a search for blogs in your niche and see what some of them on the first two pages look like. Finding inspiration from others in your same field is a solid way to get your own ideas kicking off on the right foot.
Write About What Matters
This isn’t a suggestion to follow what you’re passionate about or anything like that, although it certainly wouldn’t hurt if you could find a way to do that and also earn an income at the same time. Instead, this part is to suggest that you should always be sure that your articles come across as inspired, write them as if they matter to you even when they don’t.
Your reader is going to feel your energy through the words you use so if you’re just throwing things up in a mechanical sense then it’ll come across that way. Put a little effort into writing as though you’re speaking directly to the reader, make them feel as though they’ve just engaged in a conversation of sorts. Of course this style may not be well suited for every type of article under the sun so it will be up to you to make that decision. But for the majority of cases, engaging your reader with your words is always going to make the experience for them far more enjoyable.
Use Relevant Images & Videos
One thing you’ll notice with this blog you’re reading now is the use of images. Granted we don’t use videos much (though it certainly wouldn’t hurt if we did) it’s still an excellent idea to use images embedded in the body of your articles to help break up the blocks of text as well as visually representing the overarching point of what any given block of text is talking about.
You’re going to want to use images which are meant for use without restrictions. This means either purchasing the rights to images through one of the many image banks such as:
- Shutterstock
- Getty Images
- iStock
The sites above can all be found simply by searching for them on Google. They are all premium “stock photograph” sites which means you have to purchase a license to use their images. There are different types of licenses granted for images based on where you get them so it’ll be up to you to reach that information on any stock photo site you decide to pull images from and them follow the rules laid out for you there.
Alternatively you can find free images which will often times grant you the same or similar use-rights:
- Stocksnap.io
- Kaboompics.com
- Freepik.com (they have vector & stock photos)
If you’re interested in using videos then you need look no further than YouTube. Just find something that fits well with your subject and embed it in the body of your articles where it makes sense. Not only is this a great way to keep people on your pages longer which help retention time which in turn helps with your SEO… it’s also a great way to “double dip” if you happen to produce your own videos as you can link to your own and do various forms of promotions that way.
Practice Makes Perfect
The more you write the better you’ll get at it, it’s really just as simple as that. You don’t necessarily have to write every day but it wouldn’t hurt if you did. The more you involve yourself in anything, the better you get at it. If you’re not a great writer, don’t sweat it… you’ll get better!
If you don’t have the typing speed you’d like then you can look into dictation software which will allow you to speak your words while the software types it all up for you. There are now a number of options open to you and though a suggestion would be nice it might be a good idea to look into this one for yourself also as the range is anything from free software to pretty expensive. Just look for “speech to text” and take a few minutes to browse through the results and see what looks like it may work for your needs.
In Conclusion
Writing and maintaining a blog is only one of many ways to generate a solid revenue stream for yourself. Something we know a lot about is generating revenue through affiliate marketing. If you’d like to check out the good stuff then head over to the main website for a look… The image below is a link, click it and we’ll direct you there.
You can find part 2 of this 3-part series right here: Click This Link
