Author: Darren Rowse
How to Decide Where to Spend Your Blogging Time
The post How to Decide Where to Spend Your Blogging Time appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 65 of the ProBlogger podcast. A lot of people ask me how I manage to fit everything in – blogging, social media, speaking appearances, product development, family life, and so on. Well, the truth is I don’t get to do everything I’d like to. But over the years I’ve developed skills and habits that have reduced the amount of overwhelm and stress about how I spend my time. And today I’d like to share what I’ve learned, and help you focus on where to spend your blogging time to make your blog a success. Opportunity knocks And it’s not just the things you do regularly – create
How to Edit Your Blog Posts in 7 Simple Steps
The post How to Edit Your Blog Posts in 7 Simple Steps appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 168 of the ProBlogger podcast. We often talk about being a great writer. But most great writers are also great editors, because chances are their first drafts were far from perfect. So here’s how to be a great editor of your own work and have people think you’re a great writer, too. Step 1. Plan what you’re going to write Okay, so this isn’t technically part of the editing process. But planning what you’re going to talk about before you start writing will make the editing process a lot easier. It’s far easier to set up a good structure at the beginning than to rearrange entire
7 Ways to Build a Community Around Your Blog
The post 7 Ways to Build a Community Around Your Blog appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 61 of the ProBlogger podcast. Last week I talked about building a community around your blog, and how it can benefit you as much as it can your readers. Well, this week I’m going to give you seven practical tips and strategies on how you can go about building that community. But before I do, I need to clarify a couple of things. Firstly, what I’m talking about today is more than just engagement. Don’t get me wrong. I still think you need engagement on your blog. But ultimately I’m after more than just comments, likes, shares and votes. I want to give my readers a sense of
9 Reasons Why You Should Build a Community Around Your Blog
The post 9 Reasons Why You Should Build a Community Around Your Blog appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 60 of the ProBlogger podcast. One of the most common questions I hear from my readers is “How do I get my readers to interact with me?” Of course, there are plenty of answers I could give to that question. But for the next couple of weeks I want to talk about one particular method: building a community. And I’d like to start by giving you nine reasons why you should build one around your blog. (Next week I’ll show you how, I promise.) 1. It increases your blog’s usefulness I’ve always believed that the way to build a successful blog is to build a
15 Ways to Keep Readers on Your Blog
The post 15 Ways to Keep Readers on Your Blog appeared first on ProBlogger. This blog post is based on episode 35 of the ProBlogger podcast. With so many websites out there all competing for people’s attention, you need to try to grab people’s attention quickly and keep it for as long as possible. But how exactly do you do that? Well, here are 15 ways to keep readers on your blog that you might want to try. 1. Give people ways to subscribe, follow, or connect You might think this is pretty obvious. But it’s amazing how many people haven’t really thought this one through. First, you need to work which option will work best for you. Personally, I find email works best. Social networks can also be
8 Tips for Busy Bloggers – How to Make the Most of Your Time
The post 8 Tips for Busy Bloggers – How to Make the Most of Your Time appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 82 of the ProBlogger podcast. Finding time to blog when you’re already juggling work, family and other commitments is one of the most common challenges bloggers face – including me. So this week I want to share eight tips and strategies you can use to make the most of your time. 1. Work out your life priorities Time management has a lot to do with sorting out your priorities. But before you look at your blogging priorities (which I’ll get to in a minute), I think it’s important to look at your life proprieties. As a young adult I once did a time management
Should You Timestamp Your Blog Posts?
The post Should You Timestamp Your Blog Posts? appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 58 of the ProBlogger podcast. As you know, I have two blogs – ProBlogger and Digital Photography School. But that’s about all they have in common. They cover different topics, and cater for different audiences. But there’s another way they differ from each other. ProBlogger posts include the date they were published, whereas Digital Photography School posts don’t. Which begs the question: Should you timestamp your blog posts? And like so many questions about blogging, the best answer I can give you is “It depends”. The pros and cons of dating Timestamping your blog posts (even with just the date) lets your readers know when it was written. It helps
13 Tips for Promoting Yourself Without Sounding like a Jerk
The post 13 Tips for Promoting Yourself Without Sounding like a Jerk appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 55 of the ProBlogger podcast. So you’ve been blogging in your niche for a while now. And the more you’ve written about it, the more you’ve learned. You’re now considered somewhat of an expert in your field. And your archive backs that up, with lots of great content that can really help those looking for answers. But how do you spread the word about your content (and your expertise) without sounding like a jerk? This is a question I’ve been asked a lot, particularly by Australians. (I think it has a lot to do with ‘tall poppy syndrome’, where people don’t like to boast about their achievements.
21 Mistakes Bloggers Make (and How to Avoid Making Them Yourself)
The post 21 Mistakes Bloggers Make (and How to Avoid Making Them Yourself) appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 46 of the ProBlogger podcast. When people interview me about blogging, I’m often asked about mistakes I’ve either made myself or seen others making. And the hardest part about answering that question isn’t coming up with them, but rather deciding which ones I should mention. Because believe me, there are a lot of mistakes bloggers make. Today I’m going to talk about 20 or so of those mistakes. But this is by no means the complete list, and I’m sure you can think of plenty more. (If you do, please share them with us in the comments.) 1. Not starting a blog in the first place A
