Man, it’s cold here in Toronto! I can’t believe I left sunny spring weather in Vancouver to freeze my butt off in hog town. At any rate, I’ve been getting a lot of requests asking how to get started in blogging. I guess people don’t want to read this blog from start to finish to find the answers. Here are some beginner blogging tips to get you off on the right foot (or whichever foot you step off on).
Pick a Topic That You’re Passionate about
The worst thing you can do is blog about a topic because it pays the most. While keywords like Asbestos Cancer may pay a lot, they’re really boring to write about. This blog covers topics that I’m passionate about – cars, fine dining, technology, Internet, finance, and money. I never get bored writing about this stuff. When you’re passionate about your topic, it shows through in your writing and readers connect with it.
Blogs attract like-minded people together. Chances are really high that the person reading your blog is passionate about the topic you’re writing about. If you’re not passionate about your topics, the readers will see that and won’t stick around.
It’s All About The Content
There is no magic formula to creating a successful blog. Pretty much everything hinges on the content. If you were to ask why my blog got so big so fast, I have to say it’s because of the content. Why else would someone read a blog? You content needs to be good and it needs to be unique. You need to write about stuff that other people are not writing about or put a new spin on an old idea. You won’t be very big if you just repost the local news.
Good content will get you readers and links from other blogs. Good content will get on the front page of Digg and other social news media site (unless you’re on auto buried).
Don’t Worry About The Money
Your number one concern should be producing good content. Don’t worry so much about making money. The money will come if your content is good. Content is the foundation your blog is built on. Without content, nothing happens.
Too many people put the cart before the horse. They want to see the money but they’re don’t see the level of work it takes to get there. Producing unique content day after day is not easy. This is why you need a topic that you’re passionate about. If you’re not interested in the topic, then chances are you won’t be producing much content.
Build Relations With Fellow Bloggers
Get to know other blogs in your niche. Not only is this a good way to get your name out in the community but it’s also a good way to find new topics to write about. I have gotten many story ideas from reading other Internet moneymaking blogs. Link to those other blogs that gave you the story idea and send them a trackback. That will make them check you out. If they like what they read, they may link to something you wrote about. However, if you don’t build the relationship, there won’t be much link love.
Have Fun At This
If you’re not having fun blogging then you’re in the wrong business. When I get up in the morning, the first thing I want to do is read all the comments from the night before. I enjoy blogging because it’s fun. This really is a fun business and you shouldn’t take it too seriously.
Did you enjoy this post? Get John Chow Dot Com updates via email...
Stay up to date with all of John Chow’s tips for making money online and blog posts by subscribing via email. Your email will be kept private and never shared with anyone.
One of the most common complaint (or excuse) I hear from potential new bloggers is they don’t know how to install WordPress. Terms like FTP and CPanel are like a foreign language and setting up a database might as well be setting up the space shuttle for a launch. Because of the technology barrier, many would-be bloggers never start their blogs...