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Brave and Reckless’Advice for New WordPress Bloggers– Part 1

It wasn’t so long ago that I was a brand new blogger at WordPress. I started my blog at the beginning of October with no real goals in mind other than making one particular piece of writing publicly available for sharing. I chose WordPress because we use it at work and several friends spoke highly of the community.  It wasn’t until I saw my first piece of original writing on my blog that I started thinking what next?

I knew nothing about blogging. But I did know that all communities have their own unique culture and through a combination of trial and error, generous mentors and reading several really good guides to WordPress, I found my footing here. This past weekend I hit 500 followers.  I remain just as flattered today that someone has read and responded to my writing as I did the first time.

Recently I have had numerous new bloggers approach me asking how to grow their blogs.  I have no magic insights but I am happy to share what worked for me.

  1. Read guides for new bloggers. WordPress offers some great guides but some of the most useful information is from other bloggers.
  1. Make writing a daily habit and post frequently. You will become a better, more confident writer and it will be easier for readers to find you.
  1. Subscribe and respond to the Daily Post. Responding to and reading the Daily Posts is a great way to find other writers who turn you on, push yourself creatively and bring new readers to your blog.
  1. Tag wisely. Good tags make it easier for people to find you.
  1. Remember that many WordPress readers are following you on a SmartPhone or tablet and reading you at lunch. Shorter posts are more likely to get read.  You can always divide a longer post into sections that you can publish separately if you have a lot to say.
  1. Look for writing that excites you/resonates with you/makes you smile/fits your interests and FOLLOW those blogs.  Reading good writing makes you a better writer.  Writers who write what you like to read have followers you have something in common with.  Check out their followers- very often these are also people you will want to follow.
  1. If a blog you love has the option of subscribing by email, do it. When I first started it was easy to keep up with new posts.  I am currently following a hundreds of other writers and I really appreciate those emails that keep me from missing posts from my favorites.
  1. Reply to blog posts that are meaningful to you.  There is no greater compliment to me as a writer than hearing that my writing resonated for a reader.  If you are shy or don’t know what to say, “Wow,” “loved this,” or “This spoke to me,” says volumes.  I have been known simply to reply “Sigh” to particularly beautiful writing.
  1. New bloggers tend to be very enthused about promoting their blogs. There is a fine line between posting “Hey, I’m a new blogger. Come check out my blog/follow me” and “Your writing really resonated for me.  I think we have a lot in common.”  If you ask me to check out your blog and you haven’t followed me, I tend to think that you are more interested in numbers than in my writing.
  1. I am a really busy person—I have a day job, kids, spouse, elderly dog with a bladder control problem and I am a managing editor for other blogs. If you say “Check out my site and tell me what you think” I may put that off until that mythical moment when I have more time.  If you say, “I would really appreciate your feedback on my post X” and provide the link, I feel less overwhelmed and am more likely to do it right away.
  1. Don’t think of this as a numbers game. We post our writing because we want to be read, but 15 really engaged readers can sometimes give you a lot more than 200 disengaged readers. Numbers are a funny thing on WordPress.  It took me a really long time to hit 300 readers.  It took about 6 weeks to go from 300 to 400 readers.  It only took 3 weeks for me to go from 400 to 500!
  1. Remember that when you reply to a post you are doing so in a public forum.  Sometimes the discussions we get into here are really not for general consumption.  It is always okay to ask to take a discussion offline.
  1. Unless someone specifically asks for your constructive criticism, don’t offer it on WordPress. Support and respect are the culture of WordPress.  Writers are putting their heart and souls on the screen here.  If you don’t like or love a piece of writing, quietly move along and find something you do to comment on.
  1. If someone takes the time to comment on one of your blog posts, RESPOND. Even if it’s just to say thank you. Most relationships on WordPress develop in replies.  I have met wonderful people here on WordPress and what keeps me here is the incredible community of writers.
  1. Learn where your Comment Spam folder is on your Dashboard and check it regularly. It is really good at capturing spam but sometimes it gets overzealous.

Other experienced bloggers: What important tips have I forgotten?

 

To read more blogging advice, visit:

Brave and Reckless’Advice for New WordPress Bloggers– Part 2

Brave and Reckless’ Advice for New WordPress Bloggers– FAQ

© 2017 Christine Elizabeth Ray – All rights Reserved

Posted in B&R Advice for New BloggersTagged , , , , , , , 1,466 Comments

1,466 thoughts on “Brave and Reckless’Advice for New WordPress Bloggers– Part 1”

    1. Most WordPress users are very respectful and only reblog, fully citing the writer. There have been incidents of others making use of someone’s work without permission. This happens most often to weel-established bloggers with huge followings. Most of the time it done out of ignorance and people will take down your work or cite you if you ask them to. If not, WordPress will intervene. I add the copy write stamp to most of my writing just to remind people that it is my property.

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      2. This is very good advice … where can the copyright stamp be found on the keyboard? Or is it something you download at the end of your piece? Thank you …

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  6. Hey, thanks for this putting this together. This is an article I’ll have bookmarked and no doubt I’ll read the second piece. A lot of people are clearly going to find use out of this so I really do appreciate the effort you put in to it. I’ve recently started my own personal blog on here. I run another blog as part of my professional life – drastically of two different interest, but having my own which is personal to myself is one I intend to grow. And I’ll be taking your advice from here.

    If you do have time, naturally I’ll appreciate you taking a look at mine. Either way I’m keeping this info on standby so thanks.

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  9. Totally loved this and agree on everything! I love blogging the most for all of the connections I’ve Mae personally. This network cares about each and every bone of us! If I am MIA I actually get comments making sure that I’m okay? Shit, my family could care less!! I’m a potty mouth too 😍

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  21. Thanks for sharing, Christine,
    As a freshman blogger myself, I am always on a lookout for a good advise from more experienced writers.
    What do you think is the most important single piece of advice that you’d offer to a friend that is a beginner blogger?
    Thanks!!!

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  22. Thank you! This is genuinely useful! This community is so inspiring. It’s intimidating to be vulnerable and let the public read your thoughts aloud. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on keeping motivation when there are sometimes negativity in response to a post? I think that is one of my biggest fears.

    Thanks!!

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    1. I have actually found that very few people leave critical comments on WordPress. Its is simply not the culture. I moderate my comments (more to stay organized and make sure I don’t miss anything) and on occasion I have chosen not to approve comments if I felt that they were made just to be deliberately provocative or were mean-spirited. Mean spirited comments say a whole lot more about the person leaving them and their need to belittle others to feel good about themselves that it does about the writer or the quality of their work.

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  23. It’s funny because I don’t blog daily, sometimes not even weekly. I only blog when I have something to contribute.

    Sometimes I tell myself to post more often, that it would be nice to have more than 8 followers, but I tend to get more enjoyment from posts that get read and viewed repeatedly (a few of my posts are popular). There are times when it feels like my view on blogging isn’t the norm.

    I’ve read a few posts about becoming a better blogger, and this one was nice because it didn’t focus on the numbers. For me, that was refreshing. It also reminded me that I should try to post more often.

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    1. I think that people use WordPress is many different ways– I have been here 14 months and I am not sure I know what the “norm” is. There are no hard and fast rules about how often to post. I am struck though by you saying that you only blog when you “have something to contribute.” Sometimes we are so self-critical of our writing that we don’t see its worth.

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      1. The possibility of being too self-critical is something to think about. I’m not sure if that’s something that’s holding me back, but I have been thinking about blogging more often. The blog has always been about tech stuff and publishing, which I don’t often post about. I’ve been thinking about writing more about publishing to even things out. Maybe I should set a goal of one post per week and see how that works.

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  25. I’ve been blogging for seven months and periodically, like a turtle, raise my head and look around for advice. Yours resonated. As others have said, it was nice you didn’t focus on numbers as the only rubric for measuring success. I also related to your description of yourself, right down to the dog with bladder control problems. I recently blogged about trying to collect a urine sample from my guy. To say he wasn’t pleased is an understatement! Thanks again for this post and best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year!

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  28. I am feeling lucky to found these and the tips are very useful for the new blogger like me who know nothing about blogging..Thank you.

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  30. I am struggling a lot if I’m honest, partly because I think I am an instant gratification persons but also partly because when I write I feel that I put all my heart and soul into it and it’s hard for that to go unnoticed, I guess most people feel this way and I am not alone. I will persevere and what you have said has inspired me. Xx

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  32. Thank you for this post. It really help boost my confidence. On problem I have being a new blogger is confidence, even in my own writing. But your article made me understand that it is not yet bad until no one has read it.

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  35. Thank you so much for the tips and your
    Real Ness! There’s soo much info out there that it can make your head spin. Almost to the point that makes you forget about why you were writing in the frst place. I will definitely read more of your articles and hopefully I’ll find more inspiring writers as well through Daily Post and maybe be one also. Be well.

    Val
    Gardenofluv

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  40. Thank you so much for this! I’m new to blogging but struggling to find my neich (is that what it’s called?) All I know is I love writing and speaking my mind. But this post really let me take a step back to relax and get a better idea of how to world of blogging works.
    Thanks !!
    thatsallshewrote.co

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  41. Thanks alot for the insight. I love reading and writing and most of my friends advised me to start blogging instead. I am an on and off person but generally i love keeping abreast with current happenings. My question is if there are any topics to keep off(of course politics and religion aside). This is because i tend to focus on the current issues then find a way of shedding more light using my own perspective.

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    1. Hi Papai-
      I approach blogging the way I approach life- I am not tacos and I am never going to make everyone happy. Therefore, I blog about what’s important to me, and sometimes that includes politics and religion. I think it is important that we are true to ourselves. Readers will either relate to that or find someone else to read.

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    2. Thank you so much for this! I am new as of yesterday. I’m not sure what I am doing but there is so much in my head that I just need to get it out. I have to be very careful though because some is just hard truth and I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings but I can’t let if fester.

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