Blogging is a skill.
Don't let anybody fool you.
Some desperate or outright clueless bloggers may say that you can master blogging in 3 to 6 months but this is an absolute lie. What human being can master any skill in 3 to 6 months? Most of us take years if not decades to become highly proficient in any one discipline.
Thank goodness blogging doesn't require a heavy learning curve but you still need to spend 2-4 years at least to sufficiently practice your skills in order to become a full time, professional blogger.
After being a full time blogger for many years and observing other established bloggers these are 4 tips to follow to improve your blogging skills.
1: Write 1000 Words Daily in a Word Document
Write.
Then write some more.
Writing daily just for practice helped improve my blogging skills like no other daily ritual.
I recall submitting my first guest post here on Basic Blog Tips back in 2012. I was one part terrified, 1 part confident. But only because I had been writing 1000 words daily – or more – either in a Word document or on my blog or via lengthy comments I published on top shelf blogs. If I had not written 1000 words daily I would just be terrified, not confident, and would never have submitted the guest post.
Write in a Word document to:
- improve your writing skills behind the scenes
- find your writing voice
- develop a sense of detachment about your writing
Most bloggers struggle to drive traffic or to land guest posts on top blogs because they have poor writing skills. Few bloggers write unless they are publishing a blog post, which is insane in my book. How can you improve as a blogger unless you're writing 1000 words or more daily?
Write!
2: Comments Effectively on 5 Blogs Daily
Blog commenting is the core of my blogger outreach campaign.
Promoting other bloggers through social media and through your blog rocks but learning the skill of effective blog commenting can take you and your blog to places you never envisioned.
Through blog commenting I:
- appeared on Richard Branson's Virgin blog, Forbes, Entrepreneur and Fox News
- spoke about blogging at NYU
- gained 2 tweet eBook endorsements from a NY Times Best Selling Author
- circled the globe as a professional, full time blogger
Blog commenting has been good to me but I had to be good to blog commenting by patiently and persistently developing my skills in this area,
Most bloggers mindlessly blast through comments and wonder why they rarely make an impact and never build friendships through commenting.
Effective blog commenting requires mindfulness, practice and a commitment to sharing robust, thoughtful, personalized, polite comments on authority blogs from your niche over the course of months.
Practice commenting on top blogs from your niche daily. Share a 2-3 paragraph – or longer – personalized comment that fleshes out a point made in the blog post.
Be polite. Be pleasant. If you disagree on some point ensure you find a point to agree upon. You are a guest in a fellow blogger's cyber home. Take your shoes off and be polite or risk muddying up the house and getting kicked out for good.
3: Create 1 Live Video Daily
I am obsessed with live broadcasts. In a good way.
I broadcast a live video on Facebook, Periscope, Instagram and YouTube as of this writing.
Creating live videos is fun and freeing but also helps me develop my blogging skill set. Â Video is the wave of the present and the future. Readers want to see a talking head associated with a blogging name, more than ever. Toss in the fact that broadcasting live videos gives you a confidence boost that you can apply to your entire blogging campaign and you see how creating live videos augments your blogging skill set tremendously.
Create a live video 2-3 days a week for starters. Pick one platform. Broadcast. Or if you want to put things into overdrive broadcast a live video daily.
If you need a tutorial, watch Ms. Ileane's series called Learn to Live Stream with Ms. Ileane. She has tutorials for all the major live streaming platforms including YouTube, Facebook, Periscope and much more.
4: Learn from Skilled Bloggers
Practicing proven, intelligent and effective strategies helps you become a skilled, successful blogger.
Learn from skilled bloggers to figure out what you need to work on daily to promote your blogging success.
If you wanted to learn what skills you'd need to start a blog check out this post from Web Hosting Secret Revealed:
How to Start a Blog (Step-by-Step Newbie Guide)
Reading this article points you in the right direction for skills to practice regularly to become a rocking blogger.
Your Turn
How are you becoming a skilled blogger?
Hi Ryan,
Excellent points, I still remember how much terrified I was when I was pitching my first guest post on Problogger. That was long back, only after few months of blogging but I think getting it published on that gave me a lot of confidence to go and create a relationship on other blogs.
I think the key is to keep writing and making sure you learn as part of the process. So either you should use Word or tools like Grammarly to increase the chances of getting your mistake caught. What I like about Grammarly is their report which tells you about what mistakes you are making constantly and you can improve upon it.
See you around.
-Sanjeev
I too had a HUGE confidence boost when I was published on Pro Blogger Sanjeev! Amazing how it gives you clarity to place a guestie on a top blog.
Hi Ryan,
Great stuff.
Glad to know that you wrote your first guest post here at Basic Blog Tips back in 2012 (5 years ago, a long time dude!).
Coincidentally even my first guest post also got published here in 2012 that you can read here: https://basicblogtips.com/write-faster-blog-posts.html (glad that it generated over 130 comments showing how loyal Ileane’s audience are since then).
Yes, I agree that writing daily is the surest way to hone your writing skills. It sounds like a daunting task but if you are doing it for fun (as you always do, fun = Ryan), it is a lot easier.
Leaving thoughtful comments on other blogs daily is also a great way to get in touch with other bloggers (I’ll be doing it regularly from now on). Just make sure to keep track of your comments on a spreadsheet so you’ll know how consistent you’re with your commenting part.
Doing live videos is where I’m still lagging. I haven’t done video marketing yet, I’ve a long way to go. Do you have any tips for starters?
Great insights Ryan. Keep rocking.
Just dive in and create the first live video Rahul 😉 Baptism by fire LOL.
To Ryan Biddulph
Thanks for the post it easily helped me to understand the important parts. I hope you keep posting.
I will John 🙂
Hi Ryan,
These 4 points are indeed necessary for becoming a good blogger. I used to follow two of them, but after reading this post, realized that there should be a balance among different activities like content writing, commenting, preparing videos (or live), continue follow up expert bloggers, promotion of blog, analysing what exactly our audience expects from us and more in order to improve blogging skills. Above all, there’s a need of patience as we can’t rise in a few days even if we practise all these.
Thanks for sharing these tips, I’ll start to follow what I was missing earlier.
I dig it KG. Find a nice balance between all 🙂
After creating short blog posts for about four years in a pretty hard niche, I realised that something is wrong in my work because my articles never ranked high, so I got no visitors.
After reading your blog, I’ve understood that if I want to rank high and get traffic from my work, I need to create longer posts (at least 1000 words).
Checking my competitors work, I see that they do the same, so maybe that’s why they get good rankings, while I didn’t.
Same here Dan 😉 A few years before creating Blogging From Paradise, I made that same realization too. Eye-opener bro.
Going through this right now.Will surely follow these tips to enhance my blogging skills and visitors on my blog. Thanx for theses tips
Hi Ryan,
Thank You for taking your time to put all these four rich points together and sharing them with us.
Oftentimes when we struggle, it’s usually those things we take lightly that really matter to our progress but we don’t know.
Before I read it here, I never thought commenting effectively on top Blogs can help land a guest post with them. I’m glad I know now.
Thank You once again.
— Ope Odunlami, problogteacher.
Blog commenting rocks Ope!
Hi Ryan,
You’re right, it’s not possible to become a blogging expert in just a month or 2. It takes time to hone your blogging skills.
The great news is that it’s not hard, especially when you learn from people who have already mastered the skill.
I’ve been putting everything you mentioned above into practice every day. Well, except live video, I still haven’t ventured into that.
I do create a new YouTube video every Wednesday, so I am doing videos my blog.
Practice, practice, practice, that’s what I’m doing to improve my blogging skills.
Thanks for taking the time to share this with us, I have no doubt that it will help others improve their blog.
Have a great day 🙂
Susan
Endless practice is the 1 way thru which we improve our blogging skills Susan. Working at our craft in public, and in private too.
Hi
This blog is very useful. Now I learn how to improve my blogging skill and the live video is also useful for me learn easily. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Ryan, So many good points for Blogger to implement and increase blogging skills.
And couldn’t agree more on this “Comments Effectively on 5 Blogs Daily! Writing play vital roll in your blogging skill as well as blogging commenting is a great way to connect with other bloggers.
Thanks for this great blog post.
Blog commenting is a powerful way to improve our blogging skills Saurabh.
Hi Ryan,
When I read your post about blogging, I just remember my old days, when I was started my blog and written my 1st post, That took around one week. Anyhow, I wrote 500 to 600 words but the 1st post really realized me, nothing is easy in this world.
Slowly Slowly, I started to write on my blog and practices my writing skills. Around after one year, I build a confidence and now I write an article minimum 2000 to 2500 words.
Maximum words and relevant information help me to stick the user on a post for a long time. You have guided very well for beginners, I really appreciate and thankful to all bloggers who taught new bloggers.
Thanks
The simple act of writing Rajiv helps us become super skilled, clear and confident in our blogging abilities.
Thank for your useful tips. I’m a PHP developer, i like to write, but my English is not good. So, sometime, want to share something, but it hard.
I know many developer like me, even i can read and understand most of English document (popular, not professional docs), but writing is really hard.
Feel like something stuck and cannot know which is right way!
Hi Ryan,
First, let me say this is epic!
It’s not easy building a skill in what one is not born for or with. Although blogosphere appears saturated this day, we have few professional bloggers who have mastered the art of writing via research YET we still need to take our time to rehearse.
.
Before coming up with a complete article that will leave no question unanswered, it actually calls for building up the skill.
Keyword research alone can take up hours
Mastering what your competitors have put in place to make them rank is another considerable factor. The master plan is WRITE consistently and doesn’t be so sure of yourself. Use Grammarly to correct mistakes and remove spaces in your articles.
Writing consistently has done more for me blogging-wise than any other practice. Only benefits flowing from regularly writing.
Being a blogger myself, I found these tips to be extremely useful. There is always a question of whether writing is a skill one is born with or a skill that can be developed over-time. I think this post shows that no matter whether you are a natural or not, your skills can be honed.
Amen to this Sahib.
Ms Ileane is a gem! I recently discovered her on Anchor. She is one of those skilled bloggers that I engage regularly to gain from her wealth of knowledge. Although I’ve been blogging for over 10 years, I’m ever growing and honing in on my message and how it best serves others. If the framework for these four tips you’ve shared is attainable for a homeschool mompreneur, it is attainable. It helps to have a plan fueled by clear, sustainable goals, with a side of patience and consistency. One of my practices is to include journaling in my writing.
Good stuff Mohawkmomma. Glad you enjoyed the read. I guest post here quite frequently so keep an eye out for more, and for Ileane’s inspired posts too.
Hey Ryan,
Another epic post you have shared. All these 4 methods are really useful for any blogger. I used to write 2000+ word per day and take writing ideas from watching relevant video of my content. But, yet not create any video. I will try to go with it. Thanks again for sharing this great content.
Thanks for reading TI.
Hi Ryan,
It’s really a helpful article for every new blogger. I am also a beginner. I have a question that from my experiment l learn that blog comment can make your CF(Citation Flow) high but it’s not working properly for increase TF(Trust Flow). And google can mark as Spam your site for doing more comment. So which type of comment is more effective for increase TF and stay away from Spam. I am waiting for your reply.
Regards,
RON
Hi Ron,
Just post a 3-4 paragraph helpful comment on sites and only accept legit, thorough, personalized comments and you will be OK.
Good one Ryan
Hi Ryan,
Great stuff.
Glad to know that you wrote your first guest post here at Basic Blog Tips back in 2012
Yep it was eons ago Vicky.
I will never be a full time blogger, but I really appreciate your tips on how to work properly and your perseverance. Awesome job and great blogger !
G thanks so much for reading and commenting.
Hello Ryan,
A great article this is.
Like you said, no one can master blogging within 3 months. I’ve seen Prosper Noah write such blog post titles. But the gospel truth is: It isn’t pratical.
Growing a blog requires skill but writing a 1k post daily is what I cant imagine. Instead of doing that, I take my time to read a lot so that whenever I write, it’ll be a BOMB.
Blog Commenting is another skill that has been working for me. I learnt about you through blog commenting. When done in the right way, it brings you traffic and builds strong relationships.
Thanks for the nice article.
Do have a nice day.
Golden
Blog commenting does wonders for all parties involved Golden. Thanks bro.
Hello, Ryan!
Thanks for putting your efforts in this blog post. This post is very informative and helpful. I request you to share some tips for offline marketing as well as sources like trade show display etc if possible through your blog.
Keep Posting…
Really not my expertise at all Shant. Although maybe Ileane knows some offline marketing pros.
some are great advice here and it is really awesome and very helpful for me, Practice makes everything perfect. Great read 🙂
LK it certainly does.
Hi, Ryan. I’m running into you all day today. ^_^
As always, great tips. That’s not a sloppy comment either. I know they’re great tips because I see you daily either on twitter, Periscope and on other top blogs. You DO what you teach.
I was just over on Donna’s blog and she too mentioned Video as a way to enhance blog content. I took her challenge to post a video in an upcoming blog post.
Now, I’m debating whether I should add a short Live video. Not sure daily but maybe 2 -3 times a week. That would really push me off of my comfy couch. ^_^
It’s been a few years since I was comfortable doing live. Back in 2015, I did a 30-day Periscope challenge which helped make me not so self-conscious.
One thing I think needs to be highlighted is that when you recommend commenting you also recommend “blogs in your niche”.
Commenting and connecting with those in your niche is important for lead generation. Traffic is good unless it doesn’t convert. Right? (also read your guest post on traffic and leads on Julie’s site)
Enjoy your day and thanks for the great tips and for challenging us to move beyond the normal text content.
Sara that is great. I look forward to seeing your live videos soon and hey, you can even do them from your couch…although it may not be as comfy at first 😉
Hey!
IT is awesome to read your article about blogging skills. I found many helpful things in this article. I hope many people will get the benefit and improve their skills for better blogging so they can earn more than now. Keep up the good work. I will get back to read more to get some more knowledge.
Thank you 🙂
Hello Ryan,
Great informative post over here 🙂
Amazing list and helpful to newbies. I am a new beginner and i always seek for these great idea, which you recommended to help me out from these. Thank you so much for this. Indeed i always want to leave good comment, which i really feel from my point of view, i deliver valuable comment to all you guys.
I started learning how i should comment that everyone could be satisfied with my words and still in the Que. I was not so good these before but when i started to work on it, i feel my skill is developing and i leave not that perfect, but trying to manage at least some sense and valuable comment.
I’ll definitely follow your great tips and it will help me for being a better from, as i was before.
Thanks for the share
Aman