All bloggers, old and new, amateur and professional alike, only have one thought and one purpose in mind – to entertain their blog readers and keep them alive (what I’m trying to say is to keep them active, updated and always keep them coming back to their blog for more). And to do this, preferably the most obvious thing is taken into consideration – write about the most interesting topics, and to get off the post that hurts your readers and make your blog worth the read. Just like links being the fuel of SEO, blog readers are the life of a blog. And every blogger knows that, and every blog should take that into their minds. The concept is plainly simple; every blogger must take care of their readers and everything starts with just a single blog post.
But how do you do that? Basically, the steps are relatively simple ad reevaluation is a necessity – always. How? Okay, here’s how..
Know What Your Blog Readers Really NEED
Oftentimes, blog readers keep on reading the contents within simply because you’ve got what these people are really looking for. But how do we know what our readers really need? Simple. You just have to go on with the trend! If you find out that a certain post about “How to Make Your Salad to the Max” really works, then perhaps you should try and give it a follow-up. Most of the time, what readers really need are How-To’s and tutorials, and sometimes, posts with a pinch of entertainment.
Ask Questions and Let Blog Readers Figure them Out – Just Don’t Overdo It
In every blog post, it is somewhat essential to ask your blog readers and have them answer your question on the comment box below. Just always keep in mind that too much is too much, so avoid overdoing it – it could only hurt you in the long run. Basically, you can ask a question or two just to keep them guessing; perhaps the most ideal spot to place the question would be on the conclusion point of your post.
Evaluate and Reevaluate
Aristotle was once asked, “What is the cure for love at first sight?” Guess what the great philosopher answered in return? “Go on and take a second look, this time, much closer”. What do we learn from it? It simply means that a single evaluation of your post is not enough. You might think it's perfectly fine at first glance, but you can rest assured some minor flaws will be left behind. Check it once, and then check it once more. No writer gets a perfect write-up without any evaluation done, so it is definitely essential to take a second look and figure out which one’s went wrong before you hit the publish button and make it hot off the press.
Just be Yourself – Don’t Drag Yourself to the Limits
Sometimes, when we feel like we can bring it on to the next level, then we do it. But if you feel like you really can’t, then don’t push too hard. Being the you who you really are, I mean being genuine and true to yourself brings forth the confidence of writing a well-organized content that would definitely not hurt your blog readers. If you push way too hard, you’ll end up having a crappy blog post for sure.
REMEMBER: No one wants to read a blog post that would only be a pain for them, and I know you don’t want to as well. Somehow, it’s always important to think of your readers, what they need and what they really feel, most of the time.
So, have my idea paid off? Was it worth your read? Did it hurt you? I just hope it turned out well. You can give me critics if you want; I’m definitely open to all of them. Good day and God bless!!
Sometimes it’s hard. I know most of my readers don’t have an iPad, for example. But I do have reviews on iPad cases and apps/games. I try to minimize them but because technology is too broad (different mobile phones, operating system, etc), it’s hard to please everyone 🙂
Well, it happens most of the time. The truth that every reader has his or her own taste regarding the topic is inevitable. And most of the time, a lot of blogger just don’t have that needed knowledge on how to play with the odds.
Agree with Michael that most of my readers don’t have an iPad,so it’s hard to please every one. And I also think that know what your blog readers really nEED is a key for a successful blog.Thanks for your sharing
Yes you’re right with it. Every blogger must have the knowledge or the sense to know what their blog readers really need, or else they end up getting doomed. I guess what readers really need nowadays are those topics which are somewhat enticing and engaging – more unique in nature though.
Resonating with readers thoughts and needs is very important for running a successful blog. If your readers get bored or if they feel that they don’t get what they want from your blog, you and you blog will be in trouble.
Cheers,
Jane.
You’re definitely right with it Jane. That’s why every blogger must know and must do whatever it takes just not to hurt their readers. Readers are the life of every blog; without them, a blog might as well be dead. Thanks for sharing your thought about it.
Considering your blog readers when writing a post is very important. I’ve seen bloggers who do not do this and neither do they consider what the readers even say in their comments.
This is a post worth keeping for reference.
Interacting with your readers is probably one of the best thing to keep your blog alive. And to start with it, one must create a content which encourages others to leave a comment and to interact with others.
Very much true! I must commend you for your own speedy responses to each comment here on your blog – by far the fastest of any blogger I have seen. 🙂
Haha .. thanks for that compliment. Actually, I really love taking care of my readers. Interaction is one of the best thing to do just to keep them coming and stay on track – and its one of the most valuable tool every blogger must have.
Being yourself is the key to successful blogging. If you enjoy writing a blog, then only your readers can enjoy reading it. If they enjoy what you write, they are definitely going to come back for more.
Absolutely ! That’s why every blogger must keep in their thoughts whether their readers would be pleased or not with what they wrote before hitting the publish button. If they’re on the right track, then readers will definitely come back for more !
Nice post, Argie. And I agree with Shree – being yourself when you blog is key.
I liked your point about knowing what your bloggers need. I noticed in my analytics that people were using a certain keyword to find my blog. So now I’m trying to write more posts about that subject and it’s bringing in more readers every day.
You have a nice blog, BTW. I’m following!
Well, that would also be a great way to know what your readers and visitors are searching. And it’s a good thing to know that you are getting the hits anyway. We bloggers just always have to keep in mind that our readers would always be there for us just as long as we’re always there for them 🙂
Thanks for the compliment anyway..
I agree that you do need to spend some time reviewing your blog post before publishing. I’m just learning this, though I must confess to giving the post another “once over” after it’s published…!
You’re on the right track Matt. That’s why I’ve included in the post “evaluate and reevaluate”. Taking a second look is always a must more especially if you found yourself not confident enough to beat the odds.
Yep, and also to learn the discipline of NOT posting if you secretly know the post is not up to scratch – another learning curve they don’t teach you at blogger school!
However, it’s too sad to know that only a few number of blogger knows about this. I guess a majority of them don’t practice that discipline you’re talking about. Perhaps that’s because of the reason that they didn’t really know how to go along with the crowd.
Wel, if that’s the case then its really a great thing at all. As long as you keep your readers intact, having different topics on your blog wouldn’t hurt it at all.
Thanks for the compliment anyway 🙂
Hi Argie Monroy,
But sometimes pain is good! 😀 Well, to qualify that a bit … When you do a good workout, get the heart moving, the oxygen flowing through the muscles, it can be painful at first. But the benefits you gain — afterwards — is what you were after.
In the same way, some blog posts really push the pain element, in order to take readers to the level they’re after. So, instead of writing “feel good” articles, what they might give their readers are a kick in the pants — if that’s what they need (and want).
Good reading! 🙂
Well, if the game’s “no pain, no gain”, then it would perhaps be a better way off. Though I’m having a hard time figuring out what do you mean by pushing the pain element. Please let me understand 😀
Hey Argie,
No, I didn’t mean no pain, no gain. 🙂 Thanks for asking for clarification.
In terms of pleasing readers, some blogs are hard-hitting, tell-it-like-it-is type affairs. In this way, they motivate their readership to take the difficult steps, do the not-so-pleasant things that take them to the next level. Thus, some articles, posts can seem “painful” like having a coach pushing you onward. (But, that’s what the readers expect, and why they come.)
Well, now I know .. Haha !! Yeah it is indeed. Other bloggers would somehow taught their readers the hard way just to beat the odds. It’s as if they are deviating from the actual point of view, although they have their solid basis why they’ve done that thing. And that’s what motivate their readers to keep coming back for more.
Yes, you got it! 😀
Checking before publishing it is always a good thing to do. What I do is try to write more than one post at a time, spend 20 to 30 mins and move to the next, then when I come back to the other post I read it back and I always find things that I need to correct and I go back and forth until they are done. Last I wait a couple hours or until the next day to publish them but not before giving one last look.
Thanks,
Good thing that’s the case in you. Actually, when I do my post, it usually took me around 1 or 2 days before I finally come up with a decision. I oftentimes have some drafts in my queue, and it takes some time before I have them published. Well, as a newbie blogger, this kind of thing usually goes at hand. We all strive to bring our readers the best content possible with all the efforts we’ve put in place. That’s why, evaluation really is a must.
Hey Argie,
This is a great post remind us to step out side and look at our posts from the readers point of view and to answer you quest no reading this was not painful!!!
I think it is very hard to find exactly what your readers want especially if you cover a broad area like blogging where there are so many things to talk about. Popular posts or most commented posts generally give a good indication about what the majority of your readers need.
I’ve seen lots of blogs which cover only not just a single field of interest but multiple ones as well. I guess just as long as the fields on interest are somewhat related, then it won’t affect your blog the way it should be. If we say we blog about blogging, then more probably we would add up some related topics like search engine optimization and some useful stuffs from technology as well..
Making blog post with over keyword density will hurt readers too. Its like writing for Search engines not for readers,
I liked your points and its really informative.
That’s why, if you really want to make an edge of blogging, making a content intended for readers is a must rather than for search engines.
We may have a lot of readers,from a lot of countries,of different interests.
one may get our website for different kind of content so it is really difficult to track the intrest of your visitors.i dont know how to rack them.but i really want to know what content my viewers like the most…as people are really less intrested in commenting and passing their suggestions and advices….
anyways well said argie…
Abhi, I guess for you to find out which contents buys the most, you should try looking at the statistics you’re blog is getting and making it a basis for your next blog post. Let’s say if you got some queries on your blog in the search term “how to make a blog post that rocks”, then I guess you should make a plan to it in the future time. And also, you should make use of Google adwords to know how many really are searching a particular term.
thnx for your suggestions argie,i m keeping this in my mind,and using my stats to get more traffic..thnx again..
There is a very thin line about blogging. Though it is meant for you to air your views, you should never forget the fact that you are going to air your views in front of an audience and those are the ones who are really interested in what you say. Therefore, you should take care that they do not get hurt, else they’ll leave you, as simple as it sounds.
First impressions last forever. So in the case a first time visitor stumbled upon your blog, the chances of stay and comeback depends entirely on the way you build it. As what you said, there is a very thin line in blogging. We won’t know if our readers would come back the second time if you’ve already showed them something not worth their time.
Yes exactly! Everyone needs content well worth their time, and most of the times its indeed your first impression that counts for a comeback. Its not just about blogging anymore, its about people- people with whom you interact via your blog!
There is a very thin line about blogging.
Good points you raised here, thanks. I know of one sports blog that routinely publish posts that always poke fun or diss some athletes with known following. I used to visit them a lot but not anymore as I soon realized that they were simply “baiting” the sports fans. I’d rather visit the more authoritative and unbiased sports sites with intelligent analysis.
I am working on the news niche and it’s easy to figure out what I need to write about.
This is extremely hard when one is running a “General” blog with many different topics that may not be of interest to all users.
Yes, I agree to that. Bloggers need to think it over before they decide to post their certain blogs. Thank you for sharing your idea.
It is good to be very careful about your post and many people read it and recommend it.Your written words are actual marketing.
Yes, I agree, that all Bloggers can read first before they post their blog.
before hitting this post, i was thinking of bring some changes in my blog niche, what people din’t like actually, and it really helped me.. will work on it. Happy Blogging 😀
This is so much true. One function of the blog is to engage and entertain the readers. I discovered this the hard way ….
I had a site on stock market investing. I covered the introduction, general stuff, how to go about it and things like that. Using the strategy there was hardly any new stuff to be covered. But I still used to get a lot of repeat traffic even though there was not much new content. When I started explaining the same concepts by relating my past experiences, the entertainment value shot and I got much better response from the readers.
Not painful at all Argie.
The way I see it, you either have to write about what people want to read, or persuade them that they want to read about what you write.
Usually, it’s far easier to do the first of the two.
I like the points you made here, and not hurting your readers is a pretty important key for a successful blog 🙂
You do know what you are talking aboout, great stuff.
Bloggers aware before posting read your article first, so that we can’t hurt everyone! Thanks
I think for most niches the most important thing is to stay enthousiastic and passionate. Then you will always write great posts that are interesting for your readers. If you don’t really care about the subject then it is difficult to pull the reader in and they will get just as bored as you are.