If you are a blogger and follow other bloggers in the blogging niche on being a better blogger, then you already know who Neil Patel, Darren Rowse, or Brian Dean is.
Moreover, somewhere in the back of your mind, you also dream of being like them as well. At least I do.
My journey as a blogger is fascinating. I like to blog, but I love programming as well. So I am always more of a freelancer than a blogger. However, over time, I enjoy blogging, as well.
So let me share everything I have learned being a freelancer and a blogger on how to become a better blogger. The outline will be pretty the same as what you may have already read on numerous articles on Darren Rowse’s blog or books about blogging. However, I like to highlight points that have helped me become a better blogger in due course of time.
I think every freelancer should blog, and every blogger should consider freelancing.
The reason why I think everyone should blog is – it allows you to connect.
As a blogger, one can evolve as an individual in whatever you may be writing about.
Let me share with you an example of blogging and sharing my views on investing at shabbir.in.
It helps me so much better at investing in myself. As an example, when my blog reader asks me questions on specific topics, I read about it and then write a detailed article on it. I have built a comprehensive glossary out of it, but more importantly, there are so many things that I learned in the process to make me a better investor.
I can say the same thing about writing on freelancing and blogging for BizTips as well.
Even in this article, I am writing to help you become a better blogger. However, as I read and re-read other bloggers, it is, in turn, making me a better blogger for sure.
When we start as a blogger, we want to be making money blogging but take blogging as a journey. Take it as a marathon, not a sprint. It won’t deliver quick results or money. But it will generate long term connections for you. Besides, a blog is an excellent tool to create brand awareness from scratch.
I am sure now you are confident why I think every freelancer should blog. It will help them become a better freelancer. You don’t need to blog about freelancing, but one can blog about anything one is doing.
Having said why you should blog, now let me share some key ways that I think can help anyone become a better blogger.
Prepare yourself to take on this beautiful journey of being a blogger for a long time.
You won’t become a better blogger overnight.
Moreover, there is little to lose, but there is a lot more to gain.
And there is only one way to become better at things – Just keep doing it. Smaller things make a substantial difference and gradually adds up to big. Start writing what’s on your mind.
Don’t think about what others will think. No one cares what you have published in your first post on your blog.
Moreover, it is your blog, and if you think there is a lot more you can add to your article later, you can always add. Additionally, if you think some of your articles don’t fit into your blog, feel free to remove them.
The critical aspect is to keep blogging. Additionally, it will improve your writing skills. That’s a bonus point.
As an example, I had so many articles in the past that had so many grammatical errors. Now when I am using Grammarly, I know I need to correct them, and I am regularly doing it.
Do whatever it takes to blog daily. I don’t mean you should publish daily but blog and write daily. It is tough to feel motivated about blogging when you and your mom are the only readers. However, every blogger has to go through it, and that is what differentiates the wannabe blogger and a pro blogger.
A blogger must be a storyteller. In the context of blogging, storytelling is the art of conveying your thoughts. You talk about real-life experiences with your audience.
However, people do like this approach, and they instantly correlate with it. Images, engaging words, phrases, and videos elevate the magnitude of the story.
In short, stories allow readers to establish an immediate connection.
The vital attributes of a successful blogger are to take his/her readers from one point to the other. If you come across a blog post that interests you to the core, then the blog post has a compelling story in it.
Some key points I like to highlight:
Finally, give credit where due. Like in this article, I gave credit to Darren Rowse of Problogger. Blogging isn’t about links and SEO, but more so about community & respect.
The average attention span of a reader is less than that of a goldfish – close to 8 seconds or less. It means you have less than seven seconds to convince your reader.
So when you managed to grab the attention of a reader, make sure you also give them the focus.
Let’s be honest. Blogging isn’t easy. Writing, editing, and publishing content when no one is reading can be nerve-racking. There will be times when you will be in a self-doubt mode. Things won’t work as planned.
Your readers will help you stay focused.
In the digital world, people are scanning more than reading. So, After the title, the next best thing people read is the opening lines. Compel them to read along and build a readership.
More and more people are working from home and trying to become better bloggers. If you aspire to blog, now may be the right time to start a blog.
It’s a slow-bo thing. You need to gradually build the authority and take things to the next level. I do believe that consistency plays a significant role here.
Finally, if you want to build an authority blog, don’t start with a sell-out in mind because then you are focused on the destination (selling out) than on the blogging journey.
When you learn marketing, you will automatically become a better blogger.
As an example, when you want your readers to read your article, you will write engaging content and to the point. Often new bloggers get it wrong when they read that the article should be detailed.
There is a difference between proper research-based detail article and an article filled with fluff to make it longer. Be concise when it comes to writing.
Follow the Pareto principle of writing and marketing. Spend 20% of the time writing new content and 80% of the time promoting and marketing it.
Don’t concentrate only on Social Media or SEO only but create an email marketing strategy for your blog from Day 1.
I see writing and blogging as a process to empty the brain.
Reading rejuvenates the brain with more ideas.
For an individual to be a better blogger, reading is necessary. Read other bloggers in and out of your industry. It will fetch you more ideas and help you to outline an article the way authority bloggers do in the niche. It is one of the most important traits every blogger needs to have.
I read and follow many bloggers and even analyze and adapt to their style of writing and conveying the message.
Unless and until you read, you won’t know how successful people write. Failing to do this will evade your blogging dream overtime.
Before you plan to blog on a topic, develop an outline.
Keep in mind, drafting a structure helps understand how the post may help the potential reader.
It will contain the sub-topics that you want to explain along with the sub-sub level of topics included in each of those subtopics. So on and so forth.
Here is an example of the outline that I prefer for BizTips. If the topic is “Blogging in Pre and Post 2021 (Topic as H1),” here is how I will outline it.
The first thing I will do is Google the topic and read everything I can.
Once your outline is ready, it is relatively easy to write because your list of changes that are on the topic helps you write the article fast.
You can see the outline in my article How to Overcome Writer’s Block.
When I have an outline of sub-topics along with the points for the sub-topic, it becomes relatively easy to compose a detailed article and yet remain concise without any unwanted fluff to make it useful to the readers.
Modern-day blogging is all about sharing your thoughts, ideas, and experiences. People love to connect with the unique perspective of the blogger.
Read, write, scrap, grind, delete, hush, hustle, and publish is what you need to do every day.
Invest your time in reading good stuff (in Mark Manson style “good shit”). Forget about pleasing the search engines and critics. They aren’t under your control.
The only thing under your control is to write. Hence, write daily, and eventually, your readers will find you. Like I did.
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