Written By Nicholas Cardot35 Comments
7 Keys to Becoming a Prolific Blogger
Awesome Content: Set Up For Online Success
The word prolific means producing abundant works or results. As bloggers, we want to be able to produce a plethora of useful, meaty articles about topics within our respective niches.
I want to be able to produce well written articles on blogging and website design that are so dynamic that people flock from around the web to read them. I want to be able to produce article after article that meets needs, delivers information, teaches blogging and web design principles, and reaches out and grabs readers driving them to come back again and again for more.
Yet it’s so difficult to keep up with an aggressive writing schedule. One award-quality post per day is really what it takes to drive people to your site by the thousands but how in the world can we begin to keep up with a schedule like that. Sure we know a lot of information about our subjects, but that doesn’t mean that we know enough to keep pouring out an unlimited supply of information to our readers. More often than not, bloggers very quickly reach the end of their supply of wisdom and instantly begin scaling their article production rate back.
So what are the keys to producing quality articles on a consistent basis? What are the principles that the most proficient online authors practice in order to maintain a steady stream of posts on their sites? The simple answer is hard work. The more accurate answer…well for that you’ll have to keep reading.
Read expert blogs about blogging.
Each day I read several articles from others who blog about blogging. I read articles that cover every topic related to this subject including search engine optimization, professional design, creative writing, link exchanges, traffic building, and more. I have several blogs that I visit nearly every day in order to ensure that I am practicing every last principle that may influence the success of this blog. Here are a few blogs to get you started: Problogger, Daily Blog Tips, Copy Blogger and of course this blog, Site Sketch 101.
I highly recommend that you subscribe by either email or RSS to each of these blogs and that you devote time each day to read each article. These will fill your mind with ways to continue growing your blog into something that will reflect expertise in your field.
Read expert blogs in your niche.
I have heard it said that our mind is like a barrel with holes. As we take in information about a subject it is like pouring water into that barrel. As you pour the water in some of it begins to leak out just as we tend to forget things that we have learned or as we use that information in articles.
As you climb closer to having the barrel filled with water you have to increase the amount of water that you are pouring in to compensate for the increased amount that will be leaking out. The same is true with knowledge. As you increase the amount of information that you are pouring out to your readers, you need to increase the amount of knowledge that you take in so that you can keep up.
You need to keep learning enough about your subject in order to have enough expertise to continually write new posts and keep up with your readers questions.
The best way to take in information in your niche is to read and follow other bloggers. This is also a great way to build relationships and even further establish you as an expert throughout your niche.
Take lots of notes.
We all forget things. For most of us we probably forget more than we remember. Because of this it is vital that we write down everything that we read or think of related to our blog. If you are mowing your yard and you think of a great topic for a blog article, pull a pen and notepad out of your pocket and write it down. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, you should always write down information that can help you grow your site.
This principle goes hand-in-hand with each other principle in this article. As you read blogs about creating a successful blog, write down notes in a notepad. As you read other people’s information about your subject matter, write down and maintain organized notes. As you come up with ideas for your site write them down before you forget about them.
Always have your project in mind.
Keep your blog or website in mind as you go throughout your day. At every place that you turn you may find inspiration for your project if you are actively looking for it. Look at the designs on the cereal boxes when you are walking through the grocery store. Pay attention to the most appealing television commercials when you are watching TV. Look for inspiration for ideas in everything you do and everything you see.
Seek and accept criticism.
I have found that more often than not it is my critics who help me grow the most. I have received bitter emails complaining about something on my site or criticizing something I have done.
Always make sure that when they come after you that you don’t allow them to rile you up. Always keep your calm. Always work to see their point of view and try to give them the benefit of the doubt. When you are able to do that you will be able to learn from them and begin growing as both a person and as a blogger.
If someone criticizes the layout and design of your blog, don’t dismiss them. If someone critiques your writing style don’t just dismiss it with a passive “well that’s just the way that I write!” Be willing to listen, consider it, and change if necessary.
Dare to be different.
It’s pretty much a universal principle that the one who can set himself apart from the rest of the crowd in a positive way has the greatest potential for rising to the top. Do something that makes your blog different from all the others in your niche. The only limitations that you have in this principle are the limits of your own creativity. The sky is the limit so go wild. Be bold and original!
K.I.S.S. – Keep it simple, Stupid!
Don’t use a lot of jargon in order to impress your readers. A lot of people chase their readers away as a result of doing this in their writing style. Always make it your goal to put your information out in as easy a manner as possible to understand. Always imagine that you are writing your articles for a group of Jr. High School students.
Putting these principles to work for you at your blog will lead to amazing results. Although these principles create a beautiful foundation for developing yourself as an expert in your field, they are only just the beginning.
If I were to ask you what the number one principle to growing as an expert blogger would be, what would you answer? Would it be something on this list or is there something else that you would mention?
Nicholas Cardot
Nick uses his blog Site Sketch 101 to express his passion for helping bloggers and webmasters connect with real people through brilliant designs, unique content, and genuine creativity. Nicholas Cardot has 187 post(s) at Site Sketch 101
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Jay Philips said:
Great tips. I especially like the concept of K.I.S.S.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Jay Philips >> Thanks. Way too many people skip over that one.
nelson said:
great list nicholas .
but i guess i would have to say it must be passion . i know , i know … not exactly a principle … but you know what i mean .
and then there are the 3 basic rules BEFORE deciding to start a blog ( your rules apply after starting a blog ) :
RULE #1 : NEVER , and i really mean never , ever , ever start a blog just to live the ‘idream’ – making money from blogging .
RULE #2 : ( and i can’t stress this enough ) PEOPLE , get it in your heads , THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GET RICH QUICK GUIDE . forget everything you read on various posts like ‘make thousands of dollars in 2 months’ , ‘get thousands of visitors in just a week’ and so on . i don’t mean to step on anyone’s toe’s here .. but that is not possible . unless you get your hands on a video of president obama dancing in a pink dress on ymca that simply won’t happen .
RULE #3 : be real about what you can do . there are literally thousands of blogs starting up every hour ( last time i heard ) and only about 2-3% of them last more that a couple of months . why ? because people forget those 2 rules that i mentioned above . and this is where passion comes into play . know what you can do … and know what you could do . and know what you CAN’T do .
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
You’re right, Nelson. You’ve always got good insight and I always appreciate your comments. Great addition to our conversation.
Blogging is not a science. There are no absolute rules that you have to follow in order to be successful. There are only general principles.
Instead, blogging is a passionate art and only those that approach it as such are going to do well at it. I think those with the overnight millionaire mentality are a dime a dozen and unfortunately they all seem to fail at it.
You have hit the nail right on the head!
Blogging Made Simple said:
[...] Visit link: 7 Keys to Becoming a Prolific Blogger [...]
teratips said:
Hi, Nicholas, i am admin of Teratips.com, today you dropped comments in which you said that you upgradded to 3.5 firefox but some plugins aren’t working, tell what kind of plugins, may be i help you!!!
any how great article
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Thanks for stopping by. I went back over there and let you know which plugins I was talking about. I’m looking forward to your help there!
alex – unleash reality said:
hey nicholas!!
i agree with nelson about passion.
i’ve been blogging for around 3 months now. getting a great following (roughly 50 comments average per post) and i can definitely testify to what you’ve said here. specially about differentiating yourself. both in writing style and content.
i think for me; it takes a certain kind of person to keep blogging and become successful. a delusional drive. the ghetto mentality. call it what you like…
but above all else – passion included – people either give up or they don’t. quitting can be a great strategy, but keeping something up, in spite of not having reached the “iDream” (love that term
) is a character trait. and you can develop it. but no amount of passion speak or other rules will make somebody who has a tendency to quit things change.
the best way to spark that passion, to make somebody really stick with something and make the legend happen, is to get them excited about life. excited about everything they’re doing. get them to enjoy everything they’re doing – blogging or otherwise – for the simple feeling of doing something. that awwwsome feeling you get when you really make something happen. when you build something. i used to be into web design so i’m sure you’ll relate to the feeling of finally getting some little part of your site to work. (for me it was recently using custom fields to show photocredits – haha geekspeak deluxe)
hennyways. gave it a stumble and tweet. glorious
really cool site all round. specially like the uncliche, fresh design. made me want to stay here when i clicked over.
keep well and in touch
alex – unleash reality
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
alex – unleash reality » First off, thanks for the tweet and the stumble. That’s always a huge help! Also, great points about just sticking with it. That ‘ghetto drive’ that you talk about is absolutely essential. I was reading the other day that book Problogger by Darren Rowse. In that book, he says that if you check out the top 100 blogs on Technorati, that there is a definite relationship between their success and their age. Great blogs have been around for a while. They’re the one that have just stuck with it.
P.S. I just visited your blog and subscribed to your feed. Thanks!
George Serradinho said:
Nice tips and I really laughed about the K.I.S.S. concept. Many bloggers try and be different as possible as to not follow others in their design and content.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
George Serradinho » Keeping it simple really is important. I’m glad you like it!
Ruchi said:
Seek and accept criticism is very difficult to do , but it should be done with open mind, that is the only way to grow.
Satkrit said:
Great tips, good thing I was using these myself. Love the last one.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Satkrit » Yeah. That seems to be the most popular! LOL.
Sathish said:
Very Nice article. I’m thinking about starting a blog. This is very useful article.
Nelson LoL ed @ obama dancing in a pink dress on ymca
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Sathish » You should start one. If you did start one what topic would you blog about.
Nelson is always my comic relief. He has great input and he always finds a way to make it fun and enjoyable to make his point.
Mukund said:
A perfect post for a newbie! I will recommend this article to my readers in the future posts when I talk about blogging! Great Nicholas!!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Mukund –> Thanks. I hope that it helps you and your readers.
Mukund said:
You already helpded me by sending a lot of visitors from your site! I should definitely thank you for that! And your tips are effective too!! Your doing a great job here and with blog mixer too!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Mukund –> Thanks. I’m glad that you’re getting some visitors to your site. Now make sure your site is as good as it can be so that you can convert these visitors to friends and faithful readers.
Mukund said:
Yes! That is what I am aiming for! Converting visitors to faithful readers! My reader’s count increased from 24 to 34. Not sure from where I got them but, definitely there would be some one or two from your site! I am very sure that I will get a lot more visitors from your site, as long as I am active here!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Mukund –> Good. That’s what it’s all about.
akira07 said:
Nice article but i’m not sure i can get consistent with the schedule. I think one keys should be added :
MOTIVATION
If people have no motivation/purpose but just writing and writing article, it will boring and then their will stop. We need to set up detailed about “what is your motivation which make you do this”
Mukund said:
Hmmm!! Pretty good question! Even I would like to know the answer for this Nicholas! Who movtivates you?
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Mukund –> That’s an easy question. You motivate me. It’s exciting for me to be able to help people better themselves and their site. I love hearing that something I wrote or something that I did helped someone out with their online endeavors. For me…it’s all about you.
Mukund said:
Yes!! I expected this answer from you Nicholas!! Yes!! You are right! You write something and when you come to know that it was helpful to someone, there is definitely a motivation and happiness in it!
akira07 said:
I’m appreciate it Nicholas, i’m so touched when i know your effort to make reader happy. Thanks
.
Nicholas, your ways to treat us as a reader is also become my motivation to love commenting in this blog.
Mukund said:
Exactly!! I love the way Nicholas treats his readers! He treats every one as a special member! That is where he stands unique! I am sure he will reach great heights if he continues to do the same!!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Mukund –> That’s because each reader is so valuable to me. I value you and your input. I want to know about your hopes, dreams, ideas and experiences. You have things that you can add to each topic that each of us needs to learn from.
Mukund said:
Yes!! Yes!! I know that Nick! You are good at that!! Hope you value your readers even in the future!!
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Mukund –> I don’t think I’ll ever stop valuing my readers. I certainly hope that I never do. I like to think of that as my personal specialty.
Mukund said:
Yes!! Yes!! If you say or not, I think that is the strength for your blog! Keep continuing the same and I know you will!!
Arisu said:
Nick>>
I also think that is one of the things that make this site so special to all of us. You make people feel like they´re part of sitesketch too. Thanks!
Now… I´m sure I´d read this article before, why didn´t I comment? XD I think all the tips to become a prolific blogger are great and I´ve been using them to “sketch” my articles.
Also, I love the last one ^^
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
akira07 –> Good. I like to hear that. I hope that you stick around here for a long time in the future.
Nicholas Z. Cardot said:
Arisu –> Good. I try to make you all feel like you are part of Site Sketch 101 because I value your feedback and input. You all add life to the articles and bring in new and refreshing perspectives.