If you ever sit down to talk with successful bloggers, you’ll find that they all have pretty close to the same schedule, the same method of writing, the same habits, and so much more.
You could almost view successful bloggers as twins, or clones, of each other. I’m not saying they copy each other, but there are many similarities. It’s not intentional for them to be like each other. They simply know what it takes to be successful and do it. Even if it means the next guy is following the same formula.
You to can follow the formula for becoming a more successful blogger. You simply have to be willing to work hard and realize that it’s not going to be fun every step of the way.
Here are the seven habits of highly successful bloggers, so that you too can follow their secret formula for success.
They Have A Consistent Posting Frequency
Successful bloggers don’t blog a couple of days in a row, stop for another day or two, then blog again one day, take two more days off, etc. They set a frequency of posting and stick with it no matter what happens.
Successful bloggers realize that by keeping a consistent schedule of posts, their readers are more likely to return over and over to quench their thirst for as much knowledge as possible.
When you randomly publish blog posts, you’re playing with your readers minds. They don’t know when to expect something new from you. For all they know, it could be one day or one month.
Their interest will eventually be lost and they’ll move on to another blog they can rely on.
I talk more about updating on a consistent basis in my previous post “7 Blogging Mistakes You Should Avoid“.
They Are Passionate About Their Niche
It’s hard, sometimes, to write about things in which you’re passionate. But if you aren’t passionate about the niche your blog covers, you won’t write for long.
In fact, you’ll soon become weary of writing all together. It’ll be harder to brainstorm new ideas. It’ll be harder to feel like you’re really getting anywhere at all. And you’ll soon find out, you aren’t getting anywhere at all.
Successful bloggers realize they have to be so passionate about their blog topic that it’s something they would write about for years even if they’d never make a dime.
This kind of passion is what it takes to be successful, and if you don’t have it currently… it’s time to re-think your niche selection.
They Interact With Their Community
Blogging isn’t one-sided. You can’t write content and expect to be successful if you’re not willing to interact with your readers.
That doesn’t mean you have to take them all out to dinner every night, although, I wouldn’t mind if you invited me out.
The small things are what matter.
- Reply to their comments
- Link to blogs that you find interesting, no matter what page rank Google has given them
- Be genuine. Your readers will know if you’re faking it. If you don’t “gel” well with a specific person, don’t force an attempt at trying to be friendly with them, but at least show your respect.
Interacting with your readers helps to build trust and loyalty. It helps to build your community. And you have to have a community based around your blog to be successful.
They Know How To Brand Themselves
Successful bloggers know how to brand themselves. It’s what separates the amateurs from the professionals.
Your writing style won’t set you apart from everyone else. Your blog name won’t do it, at least not by itself.
The only way to really brand yourself online, is to show your personality. Talk to others. Make an attempt at meeting and socializing with as many people as possible. Be creative in what you convey to others.
The absolute best person that I’ve ever seen at building a brand is Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. This guy runs a show where he sits at a table, drinks, and talks about wine. And people love it.
Why?
Because of his personality. Because of how he interacts with his viewers. Because he isn’t afraid to put all of himself out there, no matter what flaws may surface, and crush it.
You’ve got to stand out. You’ve got to give it your all. You’ve got to hustle. And you’ve got to brand yourself to be successful.
They Are All Good Writers
We all know how this one works. Some successful bloggers are amazing writers. But you don’t have to be amazing to be successful. You just have to be good at getting your point across clearly.
I’m not going to go over this because I cover the secret to being a good writer in my last post “How To Write Better Blog Posts“.
You Can Be A Successful Blogger
Anyone can be a successful blogger. You just have to want it bad enough, and hustle to get it. The above habits are great to have, but if you’re really serious, and you’ve got great motivation, you’ll soon realize you’re probably already doing most, if not all, of these listed here.
Do you have these habits? Do you have what it takes to be successful? Are you willing to put everything you have on the line, and crush it? If so, let all of us know by commenting.
Past Articles in the “Building A More Successful Blog In 30 Days” series
Get a Gravatar
Loading ...
My name is Steven Sanders and I'm a Professional Blogger, Izea Insider, Web Designer, Social Media Enthusiast, Dad, Husband, and Friend.
I need to work harder at branding myself. Personally, this is where I fall short. Love my topic, have my schedule (Mon, Wed, Fri, no matter what), reply to my commentors… Just need to put more of myself into my blog (that and better focus on some keywords). I’ve got a couple of ideas for some video posts, which I plan on having the next couple of weeks. I expect this to be a nice change from written word as well as helping build my brand.
Here’s an interesting thing about consistent posting frequency. You’re right in that it is needed for the new blogger who’s trying to make a name for themselves in a crowded field and who has yet to discover how to get consistent search traffic to their blog. Bloggers who target search traffic properly and/or build a good brand don’t need to knock themselves out posting on a tight schedule. Their traffic will remain the same, post or no post, because their information is valuable and well placed in Google search results and/or widely linked to by other bloggers.
For example, my first blog on a programming topic hasn’t been updated since 2007. It gets about 1000 unique visitors from Google every weekday because it is ranks between #1-#5 in Google for certain search terms. Good useful content and good SEO means good traffic, new posts or no new posts.
@Frank Carr – True, your programming blog may still get 1,000 hits a day thanks to high ranking in google but I think it’s important to also decide where you’re happy with stopping.
I mean, you could take that same blog and continually post and have 10,000 hits a day, instead! It’s great to be satisfied where you are and to be able to just let it ride the rest of the way, but some people want to keep making it to the next level – so, for them, it’s important to post regularly (although not necessarily on a really tight schedule).
@Ashley Nicely put! You beat me to my comment. We must share some kind of esp.
Love this post! You’re absolutely right. Too many bloggers start with the intention of making money and don’t pick a niche they know and love, don’t brand themselves, interact with their readers, or put personality into it. I’m not saying everyone who follows your tips will be a success, or everyone who doesn’t will fail, but it’s a great starting point and guideline!
It’s good to see you here Dina. You’re right… some people can prevail without following what works, but it takes a lot of talent. I think the majority of people need to follow the guidelines to make it though. It at least helps.
@Ashley – The thing is that within that niche the opportunity to expand in terms of earnings and traffic is limited. At a traffic level of 10k a day it would only make about $400-600 a month. Since my objective was to make money online I left the programming blog as it was and moved my active blogging to the blog in my sig along with numerous niche sites. Since these sites combined make me between $3000-5000 a month, with OpTempo accounting for about $1000-1200 of that, I’ve been pretty happy with that choice.
What if it’s hard to find other people in your niche?
First, take a look at Alltop. They have a category for almost every niche that exists. If they don’t, follow @neenz or @guykawasaki on Twitter and ask them to create one. They’ll use their network to help build that listing as well.
You can also search for keywords in your niche and add the word blog to it.
For instance I blog about how to make money online. So I’d type make money online + blog
You should easily find something by doing that.
I couldn’t agree more! The successfull bloggers are don’t copy! And they alway comment on many blog.
For example : ClickKT ^_^
That is a good list to start with. Once you have developed the discipline to maintain and continue to grow your blog you need to keep in mind what NEW Readers are looking for. Its just as you have continued to point out this month, you must set your goals and be persistent ~Laura