Blogging Tips

I was asked recently for some advice on writing a blog. Granted, I’m pretty new at this myself…but I did learn a few things that I thought I could share and I wanted to leave an open request for comments from all you wonderful people out there who have been at this a lot longer than I have and would be willing to share their advice with everyone.

*I should add that any technical advice I give is based on the iPhone app. I have not yet used a desktop to post anything nor do I know if the android version of the WordPress app differs at all.*

Technical Tips:

• Add Tags and Categories – Adding these will help people find you!
• Tags: these are used when someone searches for posts on a particular topic. So say I want to find posts on depression…if you have tagged your post with depression it would show up in that search. This is one of the best ways to draw people to your blog. You can use multiple tags, so try to tag anything that you feel your post is about. Put yourself in a strangers shoes, if they wanted to find that post, what words would best describe its content. Don’t be too specific and stick with one or two word tags.
• Categories: these are a way to sort your posts. Again you can use multiple categories per post. These can be a bit more specific if you want. These are a way for your readers to find all posts on one topic. This is especially useful if you post on lots of different topics.
• How to: when writing a post you will see a gear icon in the upper right of your screen. This gives you various options for your post. The first two listed will be categories and tags. The categories you have to create and once done you will have a list to choose from. You add new ones by pressing the + icon in the upper right. Then just make sure there is a check mark next to each one you want associated with your post. For tags, you type each one separated by a comma.

Design Tips:

• Add photos – breaking up a lengthy post with photos makes it more attractive to look at and easier to read. You can use a source like Pinterest or Google image search. There are also lots of websites that specifically have lots of photos for people to use.

Writing & Other Tips:

• Make reasonable expectations – some people pre-write a group of posts before even starting their blog and have a rigid posting schedule. While I think this is fantastic, for me (and those of you reading who might also share my struggles) I had to give myself permission to not have a schedule. That it was okay to post whenever I could and to allow myself to have days where I didn’t even open the app. Also don’t start a blog with the expectation that you will become popular overnight. Take each person that looks at your page and every post you make as a Victory.  Write what you feel, be true to yourself and people will come.
• Get out there: find other people whose blogs you like, admire or who share your views and topics. Like,comment, follow and share posts…these are the best tools for gaining followers. It takes a bit of time and work, but people like to know that you are involved… respond to comments you receive. People who see your likes and comments in their blog will be likely to take a look at yours too! If someone follows your blog, make sure to take a look at theirs, chances are they are writing about similar topics as you.

I hope these tips help. I didn’t want to get too far down the “technical” road, how all the buttons work and what each feature does, as it would have become an epically long post.

If you have a specific question that I didn’t cover, please ask… either in the comments or by contacting me directly.

 

Now I open this up to anyone that has tips or help they would like to share.

 

Good luck to all and Thank You!