I have been blogging for a couple of years now and at first I was just doing it for the fun. I enjoy typing and writing and I didn’t even know what exactly I wanted to write about. As I networked I paid attention to what bloggers were consistently growing and what bloggers weren’t. I paid attention to the habits and things successful bloggers did and I implemented a lot of those habits and watch my blog grow noticably. I have watched it grow increasingly ever since and picked up on the things that were not working for me.
If you’re new to blogging this post is for you. If you aren’t new to blogging but are struggling with your growth… this post is also for you. I do not blog about blogging but there are key commonalities I have noticed successful bloggers do and I wanted to share them with you guys!
Things Successful Bloggers Do Differently
They commit to their goals. They know what they want from their blog whether it is to make some side income or be able to do it full-time and they stick to it until that goal is reached. There isn’t a such thing as giving up. It can be discouraging when you don’t grow as fast as you want to, but like anything else everyone’s path to success is different and they make sure they held on until their success was reached. I am not a full-time blogger yet myself. I have not made enough income from my blog to quit my 9-5… but I can guarantee you that I will not be giving up until I am a full-time blogger, youtuber, and entrepreneur working from home.
They never stop learning. I feel like this is the key to success no matter what you are wanting for yourself. You have to continue to grow and get better at your craft. Times change and since we are doing this online thing, things are changing even faster. Social media algorithms change. The best sources for traffic change. The best methods and platforms to host change. Rules for legalities change. Don’t stop learning. You may think you know enough… but you can ALWAYS learn more.
They use Pinterest. I was LATE on the Pinterest train. If I am being honest, I thought I got perfectly suitable traffic from just Twitter alone and that didn’t include Facebook and Instagram. However, when I did decide to use Pinterest and took EllDuclos’ Pinterest E-course I saw my pageviews skyrocket and I was amazed! Now I understand why so many bloggers say to use it because it works! Now, I include Pinterest management in my services offered (all because of my willingness to learn more). I notice ALMOST every successful blogger I have come across uses Pinterest.
They have an email list. I was late on the email list train as well. However, in order to really engage with your blogging audience it is important to have somewhere exclusively for them where you can do that engaging. Having an email list helped me increase retention my blog as well as affiliate sales. It also shows you that people are continuously interested in you and what you have to offer.
They self-care. One major thing I learned is to not let trying to grow your blog run your entire life. I work hard on my blog, but if I have to choose between taking care of myself an writing a blog post… myself wins hands down. The truth is, you can’t do your best work on your blog if you’re not at your best in general. A lot of bloggers do their planning ahead and bulk writing so they aren’t stressed and can take breaks when needed.
They build a brand. They get themselves officiated and branded which basically just means they have a recognizable logo, mission, and morale for themselves and something that represents their blog because to be a blogger professionally is to basically be an influencer/entrepreneur. You may need help with this part (Lord knows I did), but it is definitely worth doing so that brands know that you’re for real.
They are engaging with their audience. Reply to comments. Answer Dm’s. Have conversations with the people that follow you and your blog. That matters and makes a big difference. I notice when people reply to my comments and it makes me reappear on their page and look around a little bit while I am there.
They pre-write and schedule content! Getting behind on doing exactly this is why blog posts were so inconsistent for awhile. I was struggling with motivation and tried to focus on my YouTube Channel and next thing I knew I had no content scheduled and got ridiculously behind. When I schedule blog posts, I pre-write and prepare up to a month of posts and make sure that throughout the month before it is time for me to bulk write I am spending time outlining future posts and planning. I schedule my tweets up to a month in advance where I can and it keeps me from worrying about these things. Scheduling makes your life easier and keeps you consistent which is what both your audience and brands love.
They reach out to brands themselves. A lot of successful bloggers have told me that before they started getting tons of brands attention, they were reaching out to the brands. They were sending emails and DM’s letting companies know they exist, they love their product, and they’d be a good choice for a sponsored post or affiliate program. You have to market yourself if being a successful blogger is what you want and show these companies initiative and drive that you love THEIR company and are interested.
They learn about SEO. I won’t lie to you. I love writing. I love the writing process and I love the sound of my fingers clicking away at a keyboard… but I HATE SEO. That is next on my list to outsource, I kid you not. However, it is important for getting yourself on google’s algorithms and getting the right people looking at your blog. It puts you high on google’s search and while it is tedious… it is worth it. I noticed a lot of bloggers talking about it and so I did my research and started implementing it and it did make a huge difference.
They know their blog will be successful. Your thoughts are powerful. I am learning this more and more. One of the things I noticed in bloggers is that from the very beginning they were convinced that whatever they needed to do to make their blog a success would get done. They moved with that knowledge and acted accordingly and it made an astounding difference. Once I started implementing manifestation and pushing positive thoughts, I noticed a difference too. In both my traffic and my motivation! Just visualize what you want from your blog, decide that’s how it is going to be, and then walk in those footsteps as if it already is. I believe this is something that works for everything too as are a lot of these other tips. It isn’t necessarily easy, but it DEFINITELY makes a difference.
So, these are the habits I noticed in successful bloggers. These are the habits I decided to imitate and try out for myself. These are the habits that I saw make a huge difference in the way that my blog grew and even in my period of absence and lack on consistency on this blog I STILL noticed growth and I believe these things had a lot to do with that.
What are some things you notice that successful bloggers do? Do you think you were missing any of these habits and will start trying them out? Let me know in the comments below!