Blogger: Rachel Kent
A Books & Such client asked a great question on Facebook this week. She wanted to know what some experienced bloggers wished they had known before starting their blogs. The majority answered that they wished they had a focus, or direction, for their blogs before they started writing. Many of the bloggers started out blogging about whatever came to mind and weren’t focused on anything specific. When they finally found the right topic, the blogging became easier.
Focusing your blog should also help to build blog traffic. The same people will want to come back to read your other posts and they will know what to expect. I read a few “mommy blogs” and I know that when I go check in, I will be reading a clever, relatable, mommy post. Here on the Books & Such blog you know you will see a publishing or writing-related post. We hardly ever (never?) post about what we had for dinner. And I try to refrain from writing about my silly kid–unless I can find a sneaky way to mention her while still talking about the publishing world.
A blog is a tool and it is most useful if you use it correctly and consistently.
Finding the right focus for your blog can be tricky–especially if you are just starting to build a platform. If you write nonfiction, your blog will likely match the topic you are writing about. Fiction blogging is harder to focus and you really have to profile who your readers are and write to their interests.
What are some tips you might have for those who are just starting out?
What is one thing you wish you had known before you started blogging?
What would you like to do differently on your blog in the future?
TWEETABLE
Finding a focus for your blog. With lit. agent @RachelLKent Click to tweet.
I am a reader. It comes easily to me. For one of my sons, reading is a struggle. I sense God’s challenge to write for folks like him–to put big devotional thoughts in as few words as possible. Blogging is the perfect forum. My goal is less than 100 words, the complete post on the screen with no scrolling. For me, blogging is more format than topic. I didn’t know how hard that would be–which is a good thing. If I’d known, I might not have started.
What a great focus Shirlee! My brother has dyslexia as well as my niece and nephew. I always notice good Hi/Lo books (high interest low reading level) and appreciate it when people take the time to put a killer plot into simple and charming language. Way to go! I love it.
Shirlee, Ruth Bell Graham was wonderful at writing short but packed inspiration. I love that you’re listening to a nudge from God. My favorite blogs to read tend to be the shorter ones, because I need to save my reading time for all the wonderful books piled up all over my house. ❀
Shirley, I never considered targeting struggling readers. Great idea. I checked your blog to compare it to mine. I also write devotionals, and I keep them under 300 words. I haven’t run into other devo-bloggers who keep them short, so it’s nice to meet you!
Rachel, thanks for the reminder that I need to remove a bunch of early posts that have nothing to do with my focus now. House cleaning time, for sure.
It is so much harder than I expected too! Coming up with topics is hard for me.
I have that exact problem, despite maintaining four blogs of my own, and being a paid staff writer for two more. In all, I reach an audience of approximately 30,000 readers every month in the field of finance and the economy.
I have written a book that’s original and timely, but have failed to find an agent due to the standard “lack of platform.” Following advice here, I started getting an author blog together, but, just like you said, it languishes in the doldrums because I haven’t found that elusive “golden thread” yet. Will I write about the journey of “becoming a writer?” Will I duplicate content I’m writing elsewhere? Will I write “meaty” posts of 1,000 words or more, or simply “thought of the day” posts of 300 words?
How will I divide content between the blog, the Facebook page and all the other things, like Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest?
Then there’s the question of frequency: will I write daily? That puts a lot of pressure to find a steady flow of engaging material. (Which, in passing I admire y’all for: I am amazed every day to see how you’re able to come up with one meaty post after another, day after day. Good quality, too.)
You know what the Lord said about not building a tower before you count the cost. Choosing between unfocused and irregular posting and not launching it at all, I’ve settled for the latter evil, because of exactly what you said: it’s tricky! 🙂
I’m so glad that we have a team of bloggers here at Books & Such! If I was responsible for every blog I would go crazy.
Your blog life sounds very complex! That’s a lot of blogging. 🙂 I would never be able to find enough to write about.
I wish I had answers to your questions, but I don’t know that there is a “right” answer. There are so many variables.
For me, there were a couple of keys to blogging success for me. First was finding my passion. I discovered that if I wasn’t passionate about my topic, I wouldn’t be able to stay the course. That leads to the second, diligence and consistency. A lot of blogging success comes from staying diligent, consistent and being patient. Third is finding a schedule that works. Start slow, maybe once a week. Be consistent with that before moving on to more times a week. A blog is like a business, if we expect people to visit regularly, they have to know we’ll keep regular hours.
I came to a pretty successful format through trial and error – the advice I read when I started out a few years ago was either wrong, or I did not see that it did not apply well for me.
Getting into marriage blogging was an accident, but one that suited my background (marriage, divorce, intensive therapy, remarriage to the same lady) much more than my professional qualifications (negotiation via Leupold optics).
What I would suggest for those starting out is this (and please look at these as written from an amateur’s viewpoint) –
* Blog what you love, even if you feel unqualified. It’s like writing; if you try to write in a genre you don’t enjoy, you’ll hate the process after awhile, and unless you’re very highly motivated, you’ll quit.
* Don’t pretend knowledge you don’t have. Ever. Losing credibility is one of the worst things that can happen.
* Blog on a schedule, and only deviate in an emergency. Random-day blogging isn’t a good idea, because your readers typically build their schedule to include reading your blog; for instance, I know that this forum will generally go up at about 2000 MST on Sunday, and at about 0000 MST for the rest of the week. Beth Vogt posts MWF at 0000, and Jeanne Takenaka Tuesdays and Fridays. See? I REMEMBER this stuff, because it’s consistent.
* Be consistent in content. You can allow an occasional deviation – but identify it as such, and wait until your general theme is established.
* Reply to all comments, with as much heart as you can. A blog is ideally a conversation, not a lecture.
* Unless you’re wildly interesting, don’t make it all about you, because it gets boring, and you’ll begin to lose points of contact.
* Don’t rant. Ever.
* Don’t make it an ad platform for your books. Mention them but don’t be pushy, unless your blog is primarily a web store.
* Link to other blogs. One great one to develop writing skill is Kate Motaung’s “Five Minute Friday” (www.katemotaung.com), in which she gives a keyword on Thursday night, and you’re to write on that keyword for five minutes. It’s quite a challenge, especially if you’re also trying to make that word fit a “themed” blog. (Most of the participants are Christian women; from what I’ve seen I seem to be the rogue male, but I wear a kilt when I participate to blend in.)
* If you’re writing fiction, what is the underlying theme that drives you to write? Blog about that. If it’s salvation through meeting Jesus by way of crisis (think “Unbroken”), why not consider a weekly series on real-life historical anecdotes that tell that story?
And that’s enough.
Andrew, you made me laugh out loud with the kilt comment. And for what it’s worth, I love that you’re a part of that community. 🙂
Also, great suggestions here! Of your thoughts, I think I still struggle with staying consistent to my theme. Or maybe I need to define it more. 🙂
Anyway, I’m glad you added your wisdom here!
One last thing –
For a fiction writer, what is the message or ‘feeling’ you want your readers to get when they read your books? What is their “takeaway”?
There’s the road to your blog topic, I think.
Great advice, Andrew.
“Don’t rant. Ever.”
Andrew, you know that gets my dander up! Oh no. Did I just rant? 🙂
Well, yes, Cindy, you did, but it was an ENCOURAGING rant.
🙂
I have to disagree a teeny, weenie bit on this. Ranting (respectfully) upon occasion and on a topic that will relate to your target audience could let people feel like they are not alone; and in the Christian world make people realize you are an imperfect person just like they are.
There is a friend of mine who homeschools some of her seven children. She is always posting about what a blessing her children are and how much she loves homeschooling. I had to admit it made me feel guilty for my less than loving thoughts toward my children when they are at their crankiest. I wrote this post about how those posts from seemingly perfect moms made me feel: http://christianchildrensauthors.com/2014/05/16/confessions-of-an-imperfect-christian-mom/
Cheryl, good point.
What you wrote in your link doesn’t look like a rant; more of a respectful rebuttal.
What I meant about rants was “I hate (insert name of politician or cause)!”. Something that gets in-your-face offensive, a virtual loss of temper.
In my current blog post I mention the case of Beau the Dog, whose death is avidly sought by a town for killing a duck that didn’t, actually, exist.
Is it a rant? I hope not, but I did speak strongly, if briefly.
Andrew, I’m happy to see you list “blog what you love” first. It really is the most important advice, since the blogger’s passion will shine through and draw in anyone who has a similar interest.
Great list–great advice.❀
Thanks, Wendy!
Wendy, I’m glad Andrew mentioned this as well. I’m leaning toward a very thematic blog focus that I think will touch a place of passion in my prospective reader. Still so much work to do to get the site up and at it though.
Wonderful list! I am sure this will be helpful to many. Thank you.
Great advice Andrew. Thanks for also sharing Kate Motaung’s Blog.
Great thoughts, Rachel. After reading your post, you’ve got me wondering if my theme is too broad. I started with it broad so that a number of topics would fit into it, but now I’m wondering if it’s too broad. I’m definitely going to be thinking on this idea. After my first cup of coffee. 🙂
For what it’s worth, Jeanne, I think you’re spot-on with your blog.
You connect your faith walk with the life questions all of us have, and make them three-dimensional through your photos.
Thank you for that encouragement, Andrew. It means a lot!
You don’t want to be too narrow either, otherwise you won’t be able to find topics to write about. It’s a tough thing to figure out.
I know my blog theme is too broad. I write a lot of book reviews…and a lot of random thoughts. 😛 I started my blog 2 years ago, and I’m still trying to figure out exactly where I want it to go.
Originally, the purpose of my blog was to get an author website going for the novel I’m working on…But then I started doing so many other kinds of writing that my book got put on the backburner–which I hate. So sometimes I wonder if I should even continue trying to keep up with my blog. I do still plan to finish my book–eventually!–and I kind of want to keep it going for that reason…
I know how hard it can be to balance everything!
Don’t give up on the novel though! You will be happy to have it finished!
Love this post!
Too many times fiction writers make the mistake of writing/blogging about…well…writing. There are thousands of experts who do this very well, but some bloggers seem to wander all over the map.
While sometimes my blog themes center around the writing life, I focus primarily on these: encouragement, nostalgia, and slice-of-life vignettes inherent to the Ozarks. Hopefully, folks know they’ll always leave uplifted and encouraged after having visited. There are plenty of Downer Dans and No-No Nancys in this ol’ world. I don’t want to be one.
I focus on the three Ts–truth, tact, love.
Now, that being said–I’m fallible. I fall short. I have off days. I sometimes miss the mark. But at the end of the day, here’s the takeaway I pray visitors get: they matter. They’re loved.
And that’s just how the pig ate the cabbage, as I like to say.
Happy Weekend! 🙂
I’m giggling. Who caught it??? A gold star if you did! 😉
Love it :^)
If you could’ve seen the quirk in my brow you would’ve known I got it right away. Thanks for the giggle. 🙂
As long as your map leads to the Ozarks and encouragement, Cindy, if you want to wander all over it, I’ll tag along.
I love that you pray for your visitors! That is wonderful.
That’s such a good point…I need to pray for my blog readers more. Thanks, Rachel and Cynthia!
Rachel, I love today’s topic since I love blogging. And I think it’s wonderful when a writer sneaks in a little family flavor into a post.
I tweeted an author’s blog yesterday because I was touched by the mother/daughter connection in it. And in my latest post my readers seemed to love the goofy pictures of my daughter and I over my nature pictures (who knew?).
Love is the key. Write about what you love. And love your readers. One way you can love your readers is to make sure it’s easy to leave a comment. I was on a blog today that had way too many hoops to jump through. So I left. I love how easy it is to comment on Books and Such (Sorry for the rant, Andrew). 😉
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Wendy, I agree with you. When I can’t find the comment link or have to take too many steps to leave a comment, I don’t usually bother.
And I LOVE this! Thank you, Wendy. I agree. Love is the key to blogging. And good bloggers do love and care about their readers. The community is important.
Wendy, I’m glad you mentioned the importance of injecting family flavor. Not sure how I’m going to do that around my chosen theme yet. Maybe I’ll have to pick your brain at some point. 😉
Jenni, I think we’re all learning from each other. Here’s a link I found on Twitter this morning that might be helpful. I discovered it because I was checking out a Tweet Janet Grant had posted. Twitter is great for researching about social media and platforms.
I love what you do on Facebook (By watching you I’m learning to ask fun questions too). I look forward to following your Twitter. ❀
http://www.jeffbullas.com/2010/05/05/22-secrets-of-power-bloggers/
Great advice, Rachel. I wish I’d had more of a focus when I started blogging over three years ago. I’ve been praying over my blog for the past several months and finally felt that nudge (which lined up with other happenings in my life) to blog more about the classics of literature. So far, I’ve found that it’s a terrific way to have endless content, and I haven’t lost any readers.
Nice! I’m glad God provided you with direction.
You’re doing a great job connecting with your blog readers, Meghan.
Excellent advice, Rachel. I definitely wish I were more focused in the beginning. More than seven years into blogging, I continue to love it.
I still feel like an amateur, so not sure I should be giving advice. If I suggest one thing, though, it is to be sure it’s something you enjoy doing–at least to some degree. Blogging should be a creative outlet; something that inspires you and draws in your readers. If you can’t have some fun with it, then it becomes a chore and you won’t stick with it.
Now that my middle grade novel is getting closer to completion, I want to blog about some of the characters to build excitement for my readers. Not sure if that will work, but I will try anything once.
Great advice!
Great post! I’m a guest blogger on ENALR, write 2 personal blogs and am starting a third in a totally different direction. Focus definitely helps bring more readers but it helps me with ideas for the blog as well.
Wow! That is a lot of blogging! I’m glad you have been able to find the right direction for each.
Thanks for posting about this, Rachel.
For those of you who blog, is your topic more personal or thematic? Or have you found a balance in both areas? Conversely, which topics do you receive the most engagement on?
On the flip side, what blogs do you return to repeatedly and why? No need to mention this blog since we all know it’s one of the best in the business.:-)
Definitely thematic.I don’t think I could write personal, but there are some great ones out there (some by regular commenters here).
I tend to get the largest number of hits on PTSD-related themes (still within the marriage theme). But my highest-grossing post was called “How To be A Vulcan”; I guess Trekkies still rule.
Blogs I follow – there are a lot. I follow many of the contributors here, Steve Laube, Joe Pote, Dave Hamlin, Messy marriage, The Generous Husband, The Romantic Vineyard, Journey to Surrender, JoyReturns…that’s a small part of the list, but it’s pretty well divided into theology, writing, devotionals, and marriage.
I’m new to the social media. I don’t blog, tweet,etc. But am realizing it’s what authors have to do. I haven’t a platform, limited sales, and am curious, how do you get readers to go to your blog site? Which, by the way, I’m trying to set-up through word.press. If there’s any easy way, I’d sure appreciate hearing about it. – Jeane
For what it’s worth, I have had the biggest increase in traffic through linking with other blogs that have a similar platform (Christian marriage / Christian living). There are quite a few out there; the linkups are easy, and you can meet some terrific people that way.
Second is probably the use of #hashtags on Twitter.
Also, when visiting others’ blogs I try to always publicize them through FB or Twitter.
And as far as I know, there is no easy road to WordPress.
I have a question. I write poetry so my blog is usually a poem with a devotion or my thoughts after it. Is this a focus or do I need to write poems specifically about a certain thing all the time? Thoughts?
Thank you so much for this article! I have recently narrowed my blog focus to write about faith. My concern is that there are a million faith bloggers so how can I be unique?
When I started my On Words blog about five years ago I didn’t think I’d be able to think of anything to write about after the first few posts, but I haven’t missed one yet. I post about words, books, and kids (though today was a rare exception) and there are always more children’s books to review. I rarely mention my own books. Since most of the people who read it (usually on Facebook) are other authors I don’t think blogging has helped much to sell my own books, but social networking is a pleasure.
I’m popping in almost a month late on the off chance people are still scrolling through this stream of comments. I started my blog as an encouragement for women facing infertility. That was 2 years ago and its evolved into an online journal of faith and my life in the new york city. I don’t know if that’s specific enough. I have a weekly linkup, my blog has definitely grown and I write regularly for a few other websites. I still post about infertility through a series on my site called Last Girl on the Hill. I generally make space for that in November for National Adoption Awareness Month, April for National Infertility Awareness Month and in May for Mothers Day.The Christian blogging community has graciously made space for me but I still wonder if I’d do better with a more focused topic. Hmmm. Would love some feedback if anyone’s out there, particularly from people who don’t read my blog or know me. Thanks