Just the Tips
I was recently asked to write some tips to help people who might be thinking of starting a blog, or for anyone who’s already running one and is looking for a bit of advice. I thought I would share them on here as well, as they maybe of use to some other people out there. Now I’m no expert by any means, but I have been running my blog for quite a long time now, so here are a few things I have picked up during that period:
1. Social media - Maintaining a social media presence is crucial for the growth of a blog. The value of sites like Twitter should not be underestimated when it comes to getting your work noticed. If I interview a rapper and then post it on Twitter, along with tags for the rapper, their label, their producers etc., and they decide to retweet it, the knock-on effect in generating interest is incredible. Obviously Instagram is better for visual representation, so if you’re an artist then that maybe the more beneficial site, but it’s worth setting up pages on all three regardless – IG, Twitter and Facebook.
2. Interaction with readers/visitors – this ties in with the first point, because social media is likely to be the place where interactions with your audience are more likely. Simply answering any questions they have will help a lot, but I’d advise connecting with them as much as possible. If someone has respect for your work, interacting with them on a personal level will only add to it.
3. Keep the blog regularly updated – this might seem obvious, but its importance should not be played down. I’ve held down full-time jobs for the whole time I’ve been runniny blog – about 8 years now – and I used every single coffee or lunch break I had to keep my blog updated. I write about music, which has one of the shortest lifespans in the current online climate, so being able post new songs as soon as they are released is a real asset.
4. Favouring video or audio, over text – this is a piece of advice I’m only just taking myself. I’m a writer and reader at heart, so my preference has always been text, but in an era where the way we absorb information is changing so drastically, the need for audiovisual content is greater than ever. The interviews I’ve done so far have all been transcribed from the audio, but I know they would have gained a lot more traction if a video version was available. Ideally you want both, but where practical, I would favour A.V.
5. Choosing the best time to publish – most blogs and websites will have analytics available, which can show you when your most popular days and times are, in terms of traffic and interaction. Use this information to choose the prime times to publish your content. I get a lot more interaction on Sundays compared to Saturdays, for example and I know that if I post a video on Wednesday evening, it will get more interest than if I posted it on a Friday night. Also think about time zones! America are 5-8 hours behind the UK, so if you’re posting US related content then the window of opportunity is much later.
