7 Keys to an Extraordinary Blog

This is a guest post by Maren Kate, of Escapingthe9to5.com.

There are millions upon millions of websites and blogs in the world, so in the beginning it can seem like there is an overwhelming chasm between your blog and true success.

I struggled with the overwhelming nature of the blogosphere for awhile when I began blogging, feeling like my voice was lost in an echo chamber.

Then I began spending lots of time reading and watching other’s success which led me to gather together these 7 keys that, time after time, seem to contribute to extraordinary blogs. All you need is motivation, passion and the gumption to pull it together.

So if those characteristics ring a cord with you then cut the stumbling around in the dark and get to the place where you love your blog and your blog loves you.

1. Defining a vision. Before you even start your blog, it is key to have a solid ‘vision’ of why you are taking this path and what the end goal should look like. Say you are obsessed with food and wine, it wouldn’t make any sense for you to start a bland blog on the topic of ‘blogging’ per say. Firstly because you don’t know enough about it yet to lead others and secondly because it doesn’t fit your passion. Once you have your vision it will make every choice you come across related to your blog and your online brand easier, in essence it gives you a road map to “mattering” within your niche and if you stick to it you’ll hit upon great success.
2. Find your voice. Nothing is more boring than blogs written in text book style. It is okay to go outside the box of the traditional written word and find your own voice within your blog. I encourage it because it wasn’t until I found my own voice (which brought humor, wit and sarcasm to the realm of entrepreneurship) that I started seeing a spike in my readership. So think about how you talk, think about your best qualities, think about what makes you you and then translate that into your writing style.
3. Get pumped. To me blogging is like going to the gym. Firstly if I don’t go to the gym on a set schedule I start missing sessions and soon you’ll find me eating pizza poppers in my jammies in front of the TV. So set a specific number of posts you’ll put out and a general time period in which you’ll put them out, this regularity will help your readers know when to tune in for new content and help you because it sets a deadline. Secondly when I first go to the gym I feel insanely lazy, just like when I first start to write a blog post (yes, even this one!). This works the same with blogging, you must push through the first few minutes of boredom or laziness and get into the groove, soon you’ll be pumped and writing 500  more words than you meant to!
4. Get branded. This coincides with finding your voice, I find it pertinent to ‘brand’ myself online so I can stand out from the droves of people who blog on entrepreneurship, business and blogging. Thus my ‘Maren Kate/Escaping the 9 to 5 brand follows me from my blog to my Twitter account, to my Facebook, to the comments I leave on other’s blogs. It is very essential for you to stand out in a heavily populated space and the best way is to define your brand and splash it all over everything you do. Get ‘bloggercards’ which are really just business cards with your info, your site and maybe an awesome graphic on them…then hand those puppies out wherever you go.
5. You must give to receive. For a few months when I started blogging I never responded to comments others left (the few I got that is) and never ever commented on other people’s blogs. In retrospect I don’t know what I was smoking, because as soon as I started interacting I saw the number of daily visitors to my site skyrocket and the interaction within my site quadruple. So be sure to not stay isolated on your blog, get out there, read other people’s stuff (it gives you great ideas), comment and reach out to other bloggers and people within the online community.
6. Dress for success. This is good advice in real life and for your blog, it is important to ‘dress up’ your blog so it looks nice to those visiting. Nothing turns me off like an ugly blog and I think many people agree. So spend the extra money on a design from 99designs.com or find a free theme if you use WordPress but make sure your site is functional, easy on the eyes and set up to be successful. Other tips that go along with this is to keep social media buttons within view and make sure people have easy access to your email opt in box.
7. Write for the blog you want, not the one you have. Write not for the audience you have now but for the audience you imagine in your wildest dreams. You’ll find you write better if you imagine 80,000 people are going to read your post vs. 80. This single tip has helped me transform my writing into something much better than it had been, effort really counts! Just because you are a blogger doesn’t mean you should ignore all journalistic rules. Another great way to write for the blog you want, not the one you have is to read the stuff great bloggers write.

Now go out there, armed with these 7 keys and take your niche by storm! Blogging is a delicate art, but when done well can be incredibly fulfilling, enjoyable and in the end profitable!

Maren Kate is a young entrepreneur out of Las Vegas, NV and blogs about her upstart escapades at www.Escapingthe9to5.com. You can follow her on Twitter @marenkate.

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