Blogging

Must or Should? Dissecting 3 More Blogging Rules

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Last Updated on January 27, 2017

If there were only one way to blog, there’d be only one kind of blogger. There would also be a seemingly endless series of blogging “experts” who’d all be on the same page. There’s a reason why neither is the case.

Last week, I took on three so-called blogging rules often recited by self-appointed blogging experts who are convinced their way is the only way to blog. Here’s my take on another trio of “musts”.

1. You must find a niche for your blog.

One of my all-time favorite blog workshops ever happened at WordCamp Atlanta back in March. It was hosted by Wade Kwon, who runs Magic City Post, a website focusing on Birmingham, Alabama. Birmingham’s nickname, as you could probably figure out on your own, is the “Magic City”.

What made this my favorite talk was that Kwon admitted that he started his now-successful, lauded blog without a formal plan. Yes, you read that correctly.

Instead, he devised a three-step informal plan:

  1. Don’t Have a Plan
  2. Cover Everything
  3. Measure, Measure, Measure

Though Kwon’s niche was certainly understood to be highlights of Birmingham, there were no limits in terms of what would be covered until his team had a good idea of what would resonate with his readers.

But sometimes your passions aren’t immediately clear. Sometimes what you assume will be the topic you’ll want to write about forever will give way to a different topic that you become even more passionate about.

Sometimes, passion may not have much to do with it: you may just have a lot to say about one topic (or a few of them) and those opinions, tips or tricks might be the ones that attract a crowd.

A niche will definitely help you keep focused; there’s no question about that. Ideally, you’d have either a niche, an About page explaining what you blog about or easy navigation to help readers more easily find topics they are interested in.

Checking your analytics can help you discern what your readers are liking and what they’re skipping over. But if you’re entertaining enough, it is possible to blog without a narrow niche.

2. You must split up a longer post into a series.

Recently someone suggested to a blogger who was battling a long post that the answer was to start a series. I hear this one a lot.

I’m not against doing a blog series, which should be obvious since this post is a “Part 2” to last week’s “Part 1.” There will likely be a few other parts to come at some point. A series is not a bad idea in and of itself.

That doesn’t mean it’s always a good idea.

One problem with a series is that you’re expecting your readers to come back intentionally to pick up where they left off. That means you’re making a request of their time that they may not be able or willing to give, which, in turn, means that you won’t necessarily get your entire point across.

That’s fine if your most important point comes in part one and that’s the part they happen not to miss. But if the thing you really, really want to communicate doesn’t come until part three, you failed to deliver if they don’t remember to come back for it.

When I raised this concern, the “expert” countered that if a reader isn’t interested in a topic, she won’t sit through a long post, anyway, so what’s to lose?

I’m not a rocket scientist, but the answer seems to me to be so obvious that the question shouldn’t even need to be posed: if a reader isn’t interested in a particular subject, isn’t it better to get that “uninteresting” subject over with in one post rather than spreading it out over multiple posts?

You should understand what your readers like, and you should definitely make sure each part of a series can standalone on its own yet have links to the other parts. But there’s no law that says a long post must be split if that doesn’t make sense to the point you’re trying to make at that time.

3. You must build a presence on every social media network.

This is a really nice idea. The more places you are, the more chances you have to find potential readers. Makes perfect sense to me.

Trouble is, there’s Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram and others waiting to soak up every spare moment of your energy. Meanwhile, when you’re interacting on each one, adding followers, friends and circlers, promoting your blog as hard as you can, when, exactly, will you find time to actually churn out new content for your blog?

You should definitely branch out into social media. It’s a great way to increase your community beyond your blog itself while still being able to promote your blog to people who haven’t already found it.

But is it better to be everywhere at once? Not in my book. I’ve focused on Twitter and Facebook primarily. Instagram and Google+ are my second-tier platforms.

I’ve tried Pinterest. I want to like it. Really. But I just don’t have time, yet, to devote to it and truly build it up the way I need to. So I’ve put Pinterest in the 2014 column for goals. Most of my social media-originating traffic comes from Facebook and Twitter, which isn’t a surprise.

But because I make sure to include share options on my blog that allow readers to share via several platforms — even ones I’m not yet focused on — I have a chance to have a presence there, anyway.

Must you be everywhere? No. But you should make it easy for yourself and your readers to get your content everywhere you can.

Which “rules” of blogging are your biggest pet peeves? Have you found success in reducing a “must” to a “should”?

the authorPatrick
Patrick is a Christian with more than 30 years experience in professional writing, producing and marketing. His professional background also includes social media, reporting for broadcast television and the web, directing, videography and photography. He enjoys getting to know people over coffee and spending time with his dog.

2 Comments

  • I don’t think you have to have a specific niche at all. My “niche” is college students – but I’ve written on finance, health, video games, music, branding, study tips, DIY, computer tips, and even listed my favorite fan fiction. You don’t have to stick to one particular thing.
    However, I believe that in order to be successful and make a name for yourself, you have to at least be REALLY GOOD at one thing, and be incredibly helpful at it. If you’ve got the definitive post on a certain subject, it doesn’t matter if some of your other posts cover your other interests. Lots of people will come to your blog for that big, definitive post, and some will stick around to geek out about your other interests with you.
    Speaking of that huge, definitive post… I completely disagree that you need to split long posts into series. Yeah, yeah, doing so makes each part of the topic more digestable, more easily shareable… whatever. A series isn’t epic. A huge, 8,000+ word post that covers literally everything? Now that’s epic.
    The reason I have a podcast is because Pat Flynn put out a gigantic post, complete with 6 videos, on how to create a podcast and get it on iTunes. Start to finish. I didn’t have to wait for the next part to come out – I was able to go through it and get the whole thing done in a day. It was wonderful! 
    That’s why I’ve always stuck with writing huge, definitive posts. They’re so much more remarkable, and I pay more attention to them.
    As for the last rule… social networks are a tool, but you shouldn’t think too hard about them. Focus on building something you’ll become known for, and have your social networks set up to support that – but don’t let them take over your life. I think Twitter and Facebook are essential to be active on, and LinkedIn/Google+ are things everyone should have. Pinterest can be useful depending on your niche. Other networks will be niche-specific as well, and again, I wouldn’t think too hard about them. 
    Remember, Seth Godin didn’t have a Twitter for the longest time. His following came from his work, not an active Twitter feed.
    That’s my 3 cents!

    • Thomas Frank Great points, Thomas. I’ve been considering a podcast for a while now, but just haven’t worked up the nerve to pull that particular trigger, yet. But that’s a great point about long posts. My blog reading time is limited, so I’m a lot more likely to read a blog series after it’s over rather than try to follow along in the middle. But then once it’s over, it’s harder to find unless it’s promoted really well.

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