1 – They Blog On A Consistent Basis
Successful bloggers are not on again off again bloggers. They pick a posting frequency and they stick to it no matter what. If you’re going to do a new blog post everyday, then make sure you do a new blog post everyday. If you don’t think you can handle that level of posting, then pick a number that you can handle.
It is better to post once per week on a consistent basis than once per day and then nothing for a week after. If you’re new to blogging, I recommend you start with one to three posts per week and work up to a level that you’re comfortable with. You should always work up the post frequency and never work down. If you do have to work down, then do it very slowly.
2 – They Are Passionate About Their Topic
If you’re not passionate about the topic you’re blogging about, then you’re going to have a really hard time growing the blog. Blogs attract like-minded people and they will see right through you if you’re just in it for the money.
Being passionate about what you blog about makes it easier to keep up with the industry – you want to find out what is happening in your niche because it’s your passion and not because it may make you money. I started this blog with no intention of making money from it. For the first eight months of the blog’s life, it made zero and its traffic was just a few hundred readers per day. Yet, I updated the blog an average of over two posts per day during that period. You cannot do that unless you are passionate about your topic.
3 – They Interact With Their Readers
A blog is not a one-way street. In addition to providing information, a blog is a communication tool between the blogger and his readers. Successful bloggers interact with their readers. They answer reader emails and comments and they ask for feedback.
Interacting with your readers build trust and loyalty. It makes you more approachable. My biggest fear is some readers would place me so high on a pedestal that they are scare to approach me. By keeping my blog on a light note and having fun with my postings, I feel I connect with the readers on a more personal level.
4 – They Give Out Lots Of Link Love
Successful bloggers don’t hoard their links. They don’t have a problem with linking to a PR0 blog. They put the concerns of their readers ahead of a Google ranking. If another blog has a good story or idea on the topics I cover, I don’t care what their PageRank is, I’m going to link to them.
Too many bloggers are caught up with SEO and link count. They only want high ranking blogs linking to them and won’t link to low ranking blogs. I’ve linked to hundred of brand new zero ranked blogs and who knows how many zero ranked blogs have linked to me. This blog is a PageRank 6. Some SEO guy told me if I would have been more careful about linking, I could have gotten a PageRank 7. My answer to that is, “People first, Google second.”
5 – They Know How To Brand Themselves
Successful bloggers know how to brand. Branding will separate your blog from the millions out there. The most unique thing about your blog is not the topic you’re writing about. What makes your blog stand out? The answer is simple – you! Your ability to promote and brand yourself will separate your blog from the pack.
Very few blogs have ever gotten big without some kind of tier one level press coverage. This doesn’t mean you need to hit the front page of the New York Times. You can turn any coverage into brand building material. I’ll have more on this in a future post.
Branding is one of the reasons I tell all bloggers to get their own domain name instead of going with a free service like Blogspot. You want to brand yourself, not them. Can you imagine Guy Kawasaki with a URL of GuyKawasaki.blogspot.com?
6 – They Are Good Writers
You do not have to be a great writer to have a successful blog but you do need to be good at getting your ideas across in an understandable manner. Most readers read blogs for information. They will forgive occasional grammar mistakes as long you can get your point across. If your readers are having troubling understanding what you’re trying to say then you need to improve your writing skills.
7 – They Read John Chow dot Com
This is 100% true! Successful bloggers read other successful blogger’s blog. I check out all the big name bloggers everyday to see what they are talking about. You are never too big to stop learning.
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