With so many blogs already out there on the Internet, you might wonder if there really is a need for one more. Practically everyone knows how to create a blog nowadays, and the range of topics is vast and virtually limitless. Even within a seemingly narrow niche, there are probably dozens of blogs with the same basic focus and approach.
So why should you start one up yourself?
Or more importantly, how to make a blog stand out of the crowd and offer something different from the many other blogs already online.
Like all forms of personal expression–which blog sites most certainly can be–there is nothing to stop you from putting your own personal spin on things…or at least there shouldn't be. What makes a blog successful is your ability to provide value to your readers and connect with them in a unique and memorable way.
Imagine if no one ever made any new music or films anymore just because “its all been done before”. No matter how saturated your niche may be, there is always room for another fresh outlook, another novel approach, or a bold new voice.
Make a Blog That Stands Out
Of course for marketing purposes, it wouldn't be a good idea to start your blog in a niche already crowded with similar blogs. We’re going to leave the decision on what a good or bad niche is to other articles, and instead focus on what will make a particular blog stand out from a crowd of competitors. Here are a few tips on how to start a blog that will stand out amongst the crowd.
Decide on an writing angle for your blog
You will need to decide how to make a blog post on a broad overall topic from which to base all your content. You can't simply write anything that comes to mind…well you can, but forget about how to blog while attracting any kind of consistent reader base. If you want to become an authority and create your blog so that people will follow it religiously, you will have to decide on a niche and come up with a consistent approach to your writing and content. This will provide your readers with something they can latch onto, and will help your blog grow into an active and vibrant platform for whatever your goals are.
Find your voice with your blog
A blog doesn't have to be merely a bulletin board, and in fact it shouldn't be. Far too many blogs serve little purpose other than to be a sounding board or a billboard, which really sells short its vast potential. Internet audiences will be attracted to someone they can put a human face to and someone they can trust, and the best way to establish that is by letting your personality shine through. Whether you adopt an informal, neighborly tone or you keep things strictly business, you will have to develop a consistent approach. And there is no better way to that than by writing in your own “voice”.
Add Interactive Elements and Multimedia to Your Blog Posts
Grab the attention of your readers by embedding YouTube videos, attractive images, podcast interviews, SlideShare presentations, Infographics and other types of multimedia to your blog posts. If you don't have your own YouTube account or podcast, keep in mind that it's ok to find content from others to embed inside your post. Use a plugin like SEOPressor or Zemanta to search for related content without leaving your WordPress dashboard. If you need help with this, here's a video from Ms. Ileane that shows you how to do this easily on a WordPress blog.
How To Embed YouTube Videos, Podcasts and other Multimedia on a WordPress Blog
Make a blog post command attention
Although you don’t want to come across as an infomercial (many blogs do), you do want to be able to attract the attention of your audience. There are many ways to do this tastefully without resorting to cheap tactics that will likely turn off the more savvy Internet audiences. A particularly effective way to do this is by coming up with a compelling title. You don’t necessarily have to come up with an overtly descriptive title unless the post calls for it.
Some of the most effective titles are short, witty phrases or even puns that allude to the content of the blog in some way. You probably wouldn't want to be too obscure, but you might be surprised at what you can get away with sometimes. If you do decide to go with a more creative title however, you have to make sure that the audience gets a payoff in the content.
Utilize the power of social media
Like most bloggers, your blog is probably only one aspect of your online persona. If you are already have an account with the popular social media services, you actually have a pretty potent marketing tool for your blog right at your fingertips. Your accounts on social media services such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn can be used for everything from discussing certain specific blog posts to announcing new ones, and they may even be used to attract more people to your blog. If you are wondering how to promote your blog on social media, both Facebook and Twitter offer affordable options for doing so effectively.
How to blog while keeping it fresh
With all the content that you will be churning out, you will inevitably come across days when there seems to be nothing to write about. Don’t fret; this happens to the best of bloggers. But you do have to come up with how to blog with a fresh, new content frequently, so try to keep updated on the latest developments in your niche.
You could even repost content from other people (with their permission and suitably credited, of course) and add on your own spin. You may also invite other bloggers to provide guest posts. These techniques will help maintain reader interest and give them something to look forward to even if you don’t feel like coming up with your own original content for a few days.
Your Blog Has Something Unique
Remember that your blog has one thing that is totally unique and that is YOU! Let your personality shine with each blog post and you will make a lasting impression on your readers and your blog will definitely stand out amongst a sea of copycat blogs.
Well, when I read the title on Ileane’s facebook news feed I’d in mind that it’s about writing fresh content but when I started reading the article my thoughts on this article that I’d at the time of reading title got change.
You, indeed, have covered everything that a blog needs to stand out of among all the blogs in blogosphear.
Hey Irfan,
Thanks so much for the kind comments, and I tried to give you all the information that I have experienced to be able to continue to stand out.
Ahhh! This is something fresh to my eyes! Your blogposts should be interesting and well juicy. That’s what kept me latch to your guest post. You gave out great tips and awesome insights. Thanks for the share in Bizsugar!
Awesome post and thank you for such valuable information. Love the part about putting your personal spin and adding value. Your right there are so many blogs out there that are usually just copy paste with no effort put into it. Thanks for the share… and again awesome post.
Hey Dave,
Thanks so much for the kind comments, and I am glad that you go so much out of it. That’s why I keep writing and trying to help others. This comment really encouraged me!
Thanks Eric for sharing this awesome post. Content is the king and it will remain always. And with the advent of social media it has become much more easy to promote the blogs as well as article. Presenting unique content and fresh content in your blog is very essential to stand out amongst the sea of copy cat blogs as well as stand high in Google SERP rankings.
first i would say awesome post title….it forced me to read this.i think when you attach yourself with your blog like you said about adding voice definately such things works.i will say adding your photo in about me section and all the othere places we must explore ourselves it also helps to build relationship with the readers.which makes your blog stand diffrent among the others.,
I am glad that you like the title, and I am firm believer in that title can truly make or break your blog post.
Also, another great picture idea for your about section is taking a picture with your pet. I recently read an article where just adding a cute dog or cat makes people want to click.
Thanks again,
Eric
Hey Eric,
That’s great content bro
Like you said, there is still space for everyone but we have to be unique in order to stand out. There are over 6 billion people on earth, each with a unique finger print. whatever the case, there is a possibility to stand out. All we need do is speak in ones voice. Just do your things naturally and do it well. You’ll stand out in your niche
Very True Enstine, There are still places for more blogs to come up.
Some self-proclaimed PRO-BLOGGERS are trying to discourage coming up more blogs.:)
Hey Eric,
So this post has the Answer: Its all about being Unique and Survive the competition.
Its Struggle for existence. One who stands out Unique will Survive.
Thanks for those beautiful tips.
It’s funny that you share this with so many people, because I recently did a blog post on how many bloggers are out there. The sad thing is with so many bloggers out there so many give up so early, and never make it fair enough to create a unique voice within the blogging community.
Thanks again!
I always update my Blog. I post FRESH content every day and make my site stands out from copycat blogs. Thanks for the Awesome Post 🙂
Anirudh,
That’s great to hear, I think Seth Godin says is the best, ” You talk everyday, so why shouldn’t you be writing everyday!”
I love that quote and how true it is! Keep up the great work and keep writing!
Sure. Awesome Quote. Thanks for the Swift Reply 🙂
lol so many things we need to run the blog… you know what I use “RSS footer plugin” so i get the credit first if copy cat are using scrape method and then use “Google alerts” < Always use when I create unique Title, if someone gonna use my all topics. and lastly use "DMCA protected" badge in footer. This way, I use one step ahead from copy cat bloggers 😉
I was recently in a SEO workshop, and they suggested once you post an article you should stamp it by posting it on your Google + account. This is a great way to have Google give you authorship for that article.
Hey Eric,
Nice post and I really like all the points you mentioned above. Inserting a video is best option to attracts more readers to blog and it also helps to understand the content easily. Social media sites are also very helpful for promoting the blog. Thanks for sharing this post.
Hey Sudipto,
Videos are great! If you have not heard it yet, YouTube is the second largest search engine. So at least that’s what some of the experts say. Rather its 100% true or not, if your not posting videos and especially on Youtube than your missing out on some very nice traffic.
Hey Eric!
I really think, having a unique voice will help in being unique. Because, there are thousands of blogs (hundreds, at least) on every possible topic. And, we only know few because the authors make sure that their readers get valuable information in the most interesting way. Adding interactive forms to the post will help in decreasing the bounce rate, too. Great!
Thanks you.
Hi Koundeenya, yes i do agree with you. Now a days everyone is copying someone’s topics like rehash the same content and information. I also saw many ebook writers are also doing this and selling on amazon with different titles. But for a long term success give quality and importance to your readers and provide them what they want to read from you.
I think the idea of having your own voice helps a lot becuase there is only one you and no one else has your personalty so you might as well use it to your own advantage.I never thought about using different media but I might look into that
Hey Marty,
I would highly encourage to not only look into different media avenues, but to take action towards giving at least one thing a shot. It could be trying a video, vlog post, google hangout, podcast, or maybe it’s even just giving infographics a shot.
Be creative and start something new! Your readers will love it!
Not only copycat but lot of stereotyped bloggers have made it difficult to get prominence in blogosphere. Now people even don’t examine the quality of a blog if it is not very old.
Quality content is a must! I don’t think I have ever dealt with stereotype blogger.
Continue to be yourself, the best that you can create, and everything else will fall into place.
One should have a infographic or a video tutorial for the post. this are the best thing that one can do to make his blog stand out among the copycat blogs.
Umar,
Yes and there are so many quick solutions to be able to create both of those. It’s time for bloggers to start taking action to create these new types of posts that you suggested!
Inspire others while doing it!
Absolutely right on all the points. There are too many blogs and most of them are worthless. Unless you don’t stand out of the crowd, you’re going nowhere. Hence you need to be creative, innovative and think laterally to survive.
I would like to thing that blogging is an fun day on the beach and I enjoy watching so many others have just as much fun as I am having. But at the end of the day you want to be the most attractive one on that beach 😉
Though, I feel there is all kinds of room for so many bloggers to have fun and you be able to enjoy it as well.
nice article Eric,
the basic requirement for a blog to stand out of copycat blogs is to make your own writing style, then only people will choose your blog.,
you’ve given very nice points here.., I appreciate your research in this regard.. 🙂
As you mentioned you have to do the research as well to come up, create, and write your own style. Don’t every skip the research of the topics, keywords, and the audience your targeting.
Once you start creating giving valuable information with the researched shared above with the visitors come.
Fantastic post!!!
“Decide on an writing angle for your blog” – This is exactly what caught my attention most. I was once writing almost on everything on my blog (up to 6 different topics). Then I reduced it to just 3 topics, and it has really helped me differentiate myself from the lots of bloggers with blogs online.
Once again – nice post
Kingsley,
That’s so awesome to here that your not only narrowing your focus, creating a defined niche, and really working all that through your own personal angle.
Keep doing that and knock it out of the park!
Great content thanks for sharing the blogosphere still need more blogs and has places to everyone we just need to write quality content to stand out from the crowd
Yea just wait a few seconds and yes another blog has been created. So how are you going to stand out from that blog that was just created. That’s the question you have to ask yourself just about everyday.
From my point of view, a blog should stand out with superior content and a great design. Nevertheless, I totally agree with your point of view, as social networks are gaining more power every day.
Hey Julian,
Excellent and I don’t think anyone could disagree with superior content and a great design. Those are the two fundamentals that really will shape your brand. You continue to keep those two things sharp and your brand will continue to grow!
Thanks again for sharing,
Eric
Hi Eric,
Welcome on board again as this is your second post on this blog we all love.
I see blog posts as means of chatting and not a situation where the blogger will carry his or herself as ‘all knowing’.
Hey Emmanuel,
You make an excellent point that blogging is very relational, more conversational, and just talking with a friend. That’s the fun part about creating a blog and building strong relationships with your readers. It’s always a great way to connect and I thank you for the comment.
Thanks,
Eric
P.S. This is an awesome blog that we all love!
Very true.Making a blog is easy but separating it from crowd is hard and the main task.Thanks for this awesome post.
Yes thats where all the hard work comes in and separates the business bloggers to the average bloggers.
I absolutely agree with all your points. But the problem is finding a good niche. Whenever I decided to a niche, I came up with thousands of blog on the same niche. I decided to choose the same niche, but I am trying to make my posts unique and in such a way that they are liked by the reader. I don’t know if it is a good trick or not but it is the only way that I found to make my blog stand out between thousands of other blog.
Hey Usama,
You bring a great point, and picking a niche can be a difficult at time. A few things that I can think of off the top of my head is make sure your getting into the right niche. Be creative enough or offering a different enough twist to separate yourself from all the others out there.
Lastly, be the first to create something new in that niche. It could be as simple as offering a new service, new type of advertising, or even a new digital product of some sort.
I hope this helps,
Eric
For being unique, I plan on having web apps on my blog that visitors can play around with. If it’s catchy, they’ll probably share it.
Hey Leslie,
That’s such a great idea! Also, along that same lines make sure you that your site or blog is looking really good on mobile phones. Don’t miss out on huge and growing traffic of the mobile visitors!
Hey Eric,
Great tips! It’s very informative and very helpful. All the elements that you’ve mention sure helps to have a successful blog. But in the end, it’s still up to the writer/blogger on how to make a new and unique article out of many competitive blogs within the same niche. I guess confidence still holds the key for successful blogging. Combining confidence with these informative tips can mean something special. Thanks for sharing this post.
Yes confidence does play a role, but you have to just dive in and keep writing. Once you start writing for yourself and no else the confidence just comes.
Also don’t over look the factor of researching and really digging deep to get the information that your audience dying to read.
Thanks,
Eric
We bloggers must always see ourselves as a storyteller and each storyteller has his own unique way of narrating a story. Like you have mentioned, finding your own voice is paramount in blogging. It will separate you from all the other bloggers. That’s why I will always write using my own “way”. 😀
Hey Tekkaus,
I really like that idea of bloggers = storytellers. That’s great stuff man!
Not only are we storytellers, but we have to discover those stories to be sharing with others as well.
Great comment!
I like the last conclusion most Eric Pangburn.YA every blog have one unique thing that is the writer or blogger himself.What a thought.It should be a main aim of every blogger to maintain his/her blog fresh and interesting.This is very important .Thanks for sharing nice tips for making a blog unique.
yes i completely agree with you mahendra that it is always good for a blogger to maintain his blogger look fresh and informative…
it will only help him inhance his reputation over there…
there is no denying in the fact that now -a-days, there are so many blogs out there that we can not regard any of the information to be unique or that has not been copied…
but still what we can try for is going for a niche that has been explored a bit lesser comparativery.
that will help to make our blog look slightly different and newer than that of the others.
Hey Mahendra,
I have always said that the person that works the hardest for your blog is going to be YOU! So go out there and make yourself shine!!
That’s all that we can do!
Good advice! Blogging is hard but it can definitely be done well and a lot of benefits can come from blogging. Always make sure to remember that the only thing that can make you stand out in the blogging world is yourself. You are unique so use your knowledge, skills, personality as much as you can.
Marko,
You have said it ALL! The benefit of blogging is countless, and I have never thought that so many opportunities have came about just from a simple blog. Only if others would see the benefits and really stick it out with blogging.
Great tips for making a great blog stand out of many copycat blogs. We should use social media as a tool. Thanks for sharing it.
Good one Eric, you have covered helpful points and the video is awesome.
Grabbing attentions is a very important thing, You cant just become a blogging rock star just by doing good in search engines. You have to make your presence everywhere , be it youtube, slideshare or anything similar. Thank you for this wonderful post
Great post Eric,
With the amount of blogs out there these days it is crucial to make a blog stand out if you want to get anywhere ! find social media works well and using multimedia.
Thanks for the post 🙂 lots of useful tips.
Eric, it’s always tough to get a blog to stand out… I think we were fortunate in that a lot of our writers are cartoonists and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words 🙂 That principle can be used for most blogs actually… avoid dry plain text para after para… liven it up with some infographics or cartoons or failing that some relevant/ attractive photos.
Leon,
Your right creating content in any form written, imagery, video, podcast, and the list continues to grow. Some of the best things are created by you and sharing that with the world!
Keep creating Leon!
Be unique and publish different and quality content and you will automatically stand out with less efforts 🙂
All we should do is create a blog that helps other, if we do so it is the only better thing in the blogosphere.
@Wonkie – I agree with you about the use of images to make a post stand out – the first thing I noticed about this one was the photo with the little sailor duckies!
Eric, I’ve seen SEOPresser mentioned quite a few times on these posts… will definitely give it a try on one of my blogs.. thanks
Hey Steve,
Thanks for the comments and the pics are always a great bonus to add!
Also Steve I would highly you check out this awesome review of SEOPresser I don’t think and one can offer a better review than Ms. Ileane.
https://basicblogtips.com/seo-pressor-review.html
Thanks again Steve!
The power of social media. I agree with the use of facebook and twitter to increase traffic to your blog. When I check my blogs dashboard, 50% of my traffic comes from those social media sites.
The first and foremost question about blogging in recent times has been answered here. Setting up a successful blog is not easy these days but the points mentioned in this post can really help bloggers to understand the focus while blogging.
Great tips. I think building relations with fellow bloggers, expanding your reach via social networking, video sharing sites via podcats and others are great way to drive more direct readers your your visitor. And for me personally direct traffic is really important since I usually post less than 2 times in a week. But you times have gave me some great idea.
Great post. Another thing to add is to just be yourself. Some bloggers will do anything to get traffic and end up looking like they sold their soul to get it. What ends up happening is they sell out trying to be and look like another blogger and forget what their purpose was. We all follow, network and talk with one another and that’s fine, but it is your voice, and your story that I want to know.
It is very difficult for newbies starting out to find their way, but there are a select few that get it right off the bat and blaze their own trail as a result. For some it may take years (myself included) to get there, but now I have something to say and I would rather be me, than try and sound like someone else.
Thanks so much for linking to my Slideshare post, Ileane and Eric! Right back at you: http://www.trafficgenerationcafe.com/weekly-marketing-skinny-april-13-2013/
Hey Ana,
Thank you so much for the sharing this post with your readers!
I really appreciate that!
I believe we are all individuals, no one is the same and everyone has formed their own opinions. Therefore if you write like you act and speak with your own opinions or expertise on a chosen subject then you will keep your blog individual and stand out. If your copy from others then you will become the same as others.
Hey Prabhat,
Reading comments like this keeps me motivated and inspired!
So thank very much!
Eric
Hey Eric, nice article dude. Adding extra elements and video to the blog is an excellent idea. I’ll definitely try this out…
Hi Eric,
I think excellent feature of adding video in your blog. It will very helpful for visitor to understand. It make good relation with each other.
thanks for share with me informative article!!
your conclusion is clear up everything
every person have their own style
same as blogger all bloggers have their own style
it just they think if they want to be a big blogger they should follow one of the big blogger
i think we should be our self to make us stand out
Good, very great! You know even if you write a copy, I mean copywriting the idea from someones blog, this contest has to be qualitative in any case.
great article as usual keep going thanks for the share
Eric,
Good read you’ve presented here and I appreciate the ideas you’ve offered!
I think the biggest thing you can use to stand out from the crowd is simply your own ‘voice’ and opinions with a dash of insight!
It would be awfully difficult for other bloggers to mimic the person rather than the blog itself! People are like fingerprints insofar as they’re unique so this is probably the best ‘point’ to emphasize, your own unique self!
Thanks for the info ….
TJ
Very nice topic to tackle. With so many bloggers coming out every now and then, we can’t really avoid having the same topic with somebody else. Your suggestions will surely help a lot to stand out among the rest.
Hi Eric
Found you again atlast! You just shared again another informative post. Everyone can write a blog, but only those bloggers who put their heart with what they are doing have all the chances to influence readers and excel in this venture.
Great tips! I’ll surely keep this in mind especially when I’m feeling frustrated..Thanks!
Hi!
Since blogging is getting common now-a-days and people start thinking that it is an easy job and unexperienced ones start copypasting things and spoiling good work of professional bloggers. so there comes these points specially useful to make your blog stand out. Thanks for the tips and It will surely help to keep in mind how to cope up with copycats.
Hi eric, this is nice topic.
The most easy way if our link do not want be copied, ask them for do not copy. Write that at the bottom of post.
It’s work for me.
And make sure you have relevant internal link in that blog post and that internal link can not be leave.
i agree with you Eric Pangburn that there are many a blogs out there for the technology related niche. Thats why i opted for something else such as the general knowledge and offtopic content as the astronomy but they are not paying me that much amount of traffic which the tech related stuff can provide. I guess this is the reason why many blogs write about the technical advancements and choose a niche in that.
First important thing is quality content which is liked by not only reader but also by search engines. then it comes to SEO and design of blog. these are my views only which i am sharing here. anyways it is a nice post to read. good job.
🙂
Jess
As a reader of so many blogs its important for me that they have something good to say, that they have a clean structure and that the have an attractive design, I hate cluttered blogs! So this is my aim for my new blog- to give the readers all my best, so that they love to come back.
Yes, i do agree with you Eric.Almost 70 % blogs are in the blogging niche.I think its time to move on to other niches. And i had started embedding Youtube videos in my blog, which is getting positive impacts. Thanks for this special post ..:)
I think it’s important to make it as easy as possible for your audience to connect and get involved with your conversation. Providing as much multi-media as possible will ensure nobody leaves without a comment.
Hi Eric,
Its true that newbie bloggers are worried about how they are going to make it to the league of successful blogs with so many blogs already in place. But creating our own voice and offering something different from others will definitely pave the way for success. Writing compelling titles is one of those tricks. Great post.
You know what’s up and do know how to stand out Eric. 🙂
It is always the way a person uses his blog to show his unique perspective on everything her does on it.
Have your system of creating your own unique content and how you market that content. That’s the way!
Hello,
Yeah i agree with all your points regarding the blogs and the blogging crowd now days. Its becoming very hard to make our blog to although all the mentioned tips are really help.
thanks
Early on in my blogging I was nervous not to offend anyone. I didn’t want to be the “angry blogger” so I wrote bot side to everything on a post. This limited post responses because there wasn’t anything left for the user to respond too. Once I started to let my opinions come through, people started responding and following.
hi Eric
i found your post very useful for beginners as i am also a beginner. I wanna thank you for the encouragement that no niche will ever be saturated and remind us that their may be their is lot of competition on a niche but their is always a room for you if you have the potential.
i found many tips of do’s and don’ts while writing a post i will surely apply your tips in my writing.
Yes, there are a lot of blogs out there today – most of them crap. But even if your content is good, you need a professional-looking blog to keep people on your site. Go with a self-hosted site and stay away from “free” blogging platforms. That is the only way you will own your blog content and have complete control.