The Keys to Writing a Successful Blog

Bloggers are everywhere these days. Everybody and their cat has a blog, or had a blog at some point. While many people are turning to microblogging sites such as Tumblr and Twitter for their news, the good ol’ traditional weblog is still alive and well. There are still a large amount of people today that wonder how they can start their own blog. Whether they have a passion for a certain topic, or just a passion for writing, there are plenty of people out there who still want to blog. Here are a few tips on starting your own blog.

If you decide to start a blog, you need to find a niche. There are way too many already established blogs that write news articles on various broadly defined topics. If you decide to blog about a very general category such as “technology news” or “sports news” you will find yourself having to compete with the bigger, more well-establshed websites out there. No intrepid sports blogger wants to go up against ESPN. That’s a battle you just can’t win. So if you want to have a chance of your online articles being seen, then find yourself a unique niche.

However, it’s important to strike a nice balance between too general and too specific. A blog about something that is too specific won’t have an audience to which it can cater, whereas a blog that’s too general runs into the aforementioned problem of dealing with established blogs. Find something you’re passionate about and narrow it down to a niche in which your voice can be heard.

But finding your voice may be harder than it sounds. There are tons of blogs on the internet, and in order to stand out you will need to offer a unique perspective on your topic. Nobody will want to read your blog if you just regurgitate news articles all day. So instead of just copying what everybody else is doing, find your own voice. The first step in doing this is to write like yourself. Don’t try to sound like somebody else because you think that’s what people want to read. Just be yourself. That is the one thing that ultimately sets your blog apart from the millions of others. You, your voice, and your perspective are what’s unique about your blog. Don’t be afraid to let your personality show through in your posts.

Finally, you must write. Obvious advice, I know, but if you really want to see yourself grow and develop as a writer, you need to write as much as possible. But, and here’s the tricky part, don’t write just to fill space. Write when you have something to say. Don’t write some random news article on your blog just because you feel obligated to post something. Write quality content about that news that offers your own perspective and reactions to the events occurring. But the only way you will grow as a writer is to write as much as possible. So even if you aren’t posting what you’re writing, try to get in the habit of writing everyday.