You're slaving at your web journal. You're buckling down. Genuine hard.
In any case, things are not simply going your direction. You're scarcely getting any movement to your site, not to mention remarks or shares on your post.
You've been around for some time, however despite everything you can't profit from blogging. Presently you're pondering: does this even work?
You attempt visitor posting. You can't get distributed on a site more terrible than yours. You can't resist the urge to believe: "Are these bloggers dependably this fiendish or is it just me?"
Hold up.
You're not doing it right. You're squandering valuable time. You're squandering cash. What's more, you look beginner – even to your feline.
Since unwittingly you're disrupting your online journal and you're blogging profession. You're committing errors.
I'm a substance strategist, who as of late began his online journal. In the course of recent years, I've seen firsthand what works and what doesn't from customer work. Try not to feel threatened, regardless I commit some of these errors on my website.
You know the best part?
It's not very late to right them.
Measure yourself against any of these oversights beneath, and perceive how you charge. What's more, regardless of the possibility that you feel you're committing no errors, there's dependably opportunity to get better.
Content
1. You compose and sit tight for the group of onlookers to come
This has been around for God-knows-to what extent.
Simply continue posting on your online journal and in the long run, the world will find you and your website. Quality writing is everything, isn't that so?
Off-base.
It's just deceptive. Astounding substance alone won't make your web journal an overnight achievement. To place things in context, huge amounts of blog entries have gone live as of now today.
You'd be unable to discover and read even 500 posts out of the part.
On the off chance that no one's perusing and sharing your posts, what use is it? Investing your entire energy making content on your online journal is habit.
Blogging isn't simply composing epic substance. There must be the ideal opportunity for other little things as well. What's more, they include.
Yet, more on that later.
2. You trust you recognize what great substance is
No you don't. Your gathering of people chooses if your substance is great or worth perusing.
It's the motivation behind why you might invest days on a post, completely anticipating that it should circulate around the web once you hit distribute, however it doesn't.
Your post hasn't incited feelings in your perusers, gave a point by point manual for complete an undertaking, or given madly helpful exhortation.
When you have heaps of eyeballs on your web journal and there's no engagement as remarks or social shares on your post (in the event that you permit remarks), you have to compose marvelous substance. Your perusers' adaptation of it that is.
Go figure.
3. You focus on your posts' lengths
Does it truly make a difference to what extent your posts are?
It does, and it doesn't.
You ought to consider the substance of your post. On the off chance that you can say it in 500 words, you might do as such. On the off chance that you can say it in 5000 words, it's alright as well. Try not to waffle endlessly.
Be that as it may, investigate has demonstrated that more extended posts improve on web crawlers. Longer posts get shared more. Longer posts have more grounded watchword potential.
So in a perfect world, point around 1500 words or more for your posts. In most blogging specialties, with some exploration, you can reliably hit that check with each post.
However, that is unrealistic if…
4. You trust you have to post regular
This isn't exceptionally prominent any longer, however it merits notice.
It requires investment to make quality substance. Think hours, days, or weeks.
By ceaselessly supplanting the most recent post, you crush social evidence. The more drawn out a post remains focused site as your most recent post, the more introduction and collaboration it gets. Few individuals will invest their energy in yesterday's discussion when there's another one today.
When you post regular, you have less time to advance your posts, less time to arrange your posts, and less time to make resources for your online business.
Invest energy to arrange and make your posts. Try not to post ordinary. Indeed, aside from in case you're Seth Godin.
5. You keep down well done on your web journal
You feel your thoughts are significant and you'd rather compose a digital book out of them, begin a training course, or make a lead item. Correct?
Off-base.
In case you're not offering any genuine worth on your website, you'll never have the unwavering perusers you hunger for. You'll never be considered important. You'll clutch your "significant" thoughts until the end of time.
So how would you put forth a valiant effort?
Compose each post as if you're paid in any event $200 for it. At the point when your post is so significant, individuals can't resist the urge to discuss it.
You'll consider what to offer later.
6. You do your best written work just on your web journal
It's actual that numerous influencers don't compose visitor posts any longer. In any case, some still do.
They utilize it to advertise new items, get new perusers/endorsers of their online journals, and even get new customers.
In case you're simply beginning, or you don't have enough perusers/supporters yet, posting your best substance on your web journal is plain senseless.
Jon Morrow calls it "identifying with an unfilled classroom." It can be the best article ever composed on the theme, yet is it any utilization if no one sees it?
"Compose visitor posts for another person's gathering of people, awe the damnation out of them, and siphon a segment of their readership to your own."
– Jon Morrow
Numerous bloggers and online business visionaries have manufactured their web journals and organizations through visitor blogging. I could compose a book about them.
They could never have done it on the off chance that they saved their best written work for their online journals.
Regardless it works now, and you ought to visitor post more than you compose on your web journal.
So perhaps on the off chance that I ever get the opportunity to compose that book, I'll include your story as well.
7. You think making unfilled guarantees with your feature is a feature hack
It's tragic yet genuine. In any case, not shocking. By and large, people have and will dependably adore alternate ways.
"Hack" posts are famous on purpose. Furthermore, that is the issue. Envision seeing a post with the feature:
"The most effective method to Legally Make $10 000 in Five Minutes or Less."
Shockingly, a few individuals will discover the feature over the top and see it for what it is – a tick draw. In any case, the charm is extraordinary. That is the reason they'll click on despite everything it.
Possibly I'm wrong, however I trust it's simpler to peruse this post in under five minutes than it is to make $10,000 in under five minutes. On the other hand I have a higher shot of getting another customer here that pays an hourly rate of $5000 for my administrations than making $10,000 in under five minutes.
You get the point.
Kindly don't make interest in your feature when you can't convey on its guarantee. Try not to utilize such features unless you're completely certain it's something 95% of your perusers can do in five minutes… or less. On the other hand most will never consider you important again.
Give them genuine guidance they can execute in five minutes, or whatever timeframe your feature says. At exactly that point are you conveying on your guarantee.
8. You make a decent attempt to be interesting in your posts
You're likely acquainted with this maxim:
"Some are conceived incredible, some accomplish significance, and some have enormity pushed onto them."
– William Shakespeare
The unavoidable issue is: would anyone be able to end up clever? To answer the inquiry, let me rethink Shakespeare's quote:
"Some are conceived clever, some accomplish amusingness, and some have cleverness pushed onto them."
I'll simply ahead and say it.
I don't trust anybody can get to be clever.
Correspondingly, I don't trust anybody can turn into a decent craftsman, a great author, or a decent mathematician. Since nature has enormous influence.
In any case, I trust everybody can show signs of improvement at whatever they do. Sounding interesting may not be your quality, but rather you can really show signs of improvement at being entertaining.
Study the works (whatever that is) of entertaining individuals you appreciate, hone it in everyday discussion, where you'll regularly get moment criticism. After some time, being witty might come all the more actually to you.
It takes an extraordinary essayist to express mockery or mind. In the event that you make a decent attempt, you might be seen as harsh, or plain impolite.
Regardless, keep in mind you don't should be entertaining to motivate individuals, to support them, or to change their lives with your posts.
9. You think attempting to be astute is best
There's an extensive variety of activities this applies to. Yet, how about we concentrate on composing.
In case you're utilizing 20 words to pass on thoughts that can be passed on in 10 words, it's not astute.
In case you're using so as to show your summon of English "tremendous" rather than "huge" or "gigantic", it's not astute.
In case you're making vacant guarantees with your feature, its not sharp.
Kindly dependably take a stab at clarity. Try not to let your group of onlookers delay to consider the importance of your words. It's baffling.
Daniel Oppenheimer, teacher of brain science at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, aggregates it up best:
"You ought to utilize use as opposed to using use."
10. You accept you're only a blogger
No. You're not only a blogger. You're a specialist, an author, a business visionary. Your web journal is just a stage for all that.
All bloggers making great salary have books, courses, programming, or a composition vocation. That is the manner by which they profit. Their online journal is only a "giveaway" to draw in customers or clients.
Darren has got books, courses, paid employment postings, is a keynote speaker, and so on. I am a substance strategist.
What do you have? What do you do?
11. Being an expert means you’re always right or you always have the final say
So you’ve just written “201 Ways of Doing A and B” and you feel there’s no 202nd or probably a 250th way of doing A and B? You’re wrong.
You’ve just written “The Ultimate Guide to Achieving X Results.” A “lowly commenter” adds a step you missed in your guide or adds a completely different way of achieving X. Do you thank him or do you try to discredit him?
Nobody knows it all. And everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And we’re all humans.
On your blog, you may be the mentor, teacher or expert. Does that make you any more human than anybody else? No.
When you make mistakes, own up to them. When a reader mentions a point you missed or probably didn’t think of, acknowledge it. When you write posts, realize you may not always completely cover every aspect of a topic.
All the above don’t destroy your expert status. It only reaffirms it and bonds you with your readers.
12. You only write when you’re in a good mood
That’s what many think when they start their blog. It is wrong…on many counts.
This has been my biggest hindrance – at least for writing on my blog. But over time, I’ve realized the truth in this lyrics of the Westlife song Angel:
A good mood is relative. You’ll never absolutely feel good. So stop procrastinating writing with this excuse.
Because good writers write. It doesn’t matter if they have a failed relationship. It doesn’t matter if they work long hours. It doesn’t matter if they’re sick. It doesn’t matter if their day job is sucking the creativity right out of them.
Be a good writer.
Write.
13. You believe when you’re writing about a topic you love, you’ll have no writer’s block
It happens to the best of writers.
Maybe you feel it’s not the best time to write. Maybe you’re afraid of putting out your ideas to the world. Maybe you’re a perfectionist and everything must be right before you touch a pen or keyboard.
Or maybe you’re just stuck creatively. No new ideas.
There are many suggestions on overcoming writer’s block or what Darren calls “bloggers’ block”which you can apply personally. And never feel that because you’re writing about something you love, you won’t have writers block.
Keep a notebook where you can write down ideas as they come to you. Or you may use an app on your phone to record ideas. (I use Jotterpad when I don’t have my notes with me). Over time, you’ll have more ideas than you can finish in a lifetime.
Trust me. Or just ask international freelance journalist Mridu Khullar Relph. According to her, she has three notebooks with ideas she can never finish in her lifetime. So her problem isn’t writer’s block, but picking ideas from her massive collection.
If writing ideas on your phone or notebook don’t help, forget it. Just write. After all, writer’s block stops you from writing. Overcome it by writing.
No excuses or justifications. Write.
Blog Promotion
14. You believe promoting your blog is something you do when you have time
For you, once you find time to write a post, the sense of accomplishment you feel is so great you forget something else.
You’ve likely heard about the 80/20 principle of blog post promotion. That is: spend 20% of your time writing and 80% of your time promoting it.
Literally, it would mean if you use two hours to write a post, use eight hours to promote it. Or if you use two days to write a post, use eight days to promote it.
I’m sorry. It doesn’t always work that way. What if creating a post took you a week, would that literally mean spend 28 days promoting it?
Or what if you run a news blog and publish several posts daily?
There’s no rule set in stone. I believe that if you’re writing a post in 12 hours, you should spend at least 12 hours promoting it.
Bottom line is: If you make time to write, make time for promoting what you write.
15. You need profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google +, LinkedIn to successfully promote your blog
This is tempting.
I know you have just 24 hours in a day. Everybody does. So how do you build your following on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google +, LinkedIn and at the same time churn out great content consistently? It’s not possible.
Social media is important. But you can’t spend time on all of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google +, LinkedIn and expect to do well on any of them. Because concentration is even more important.
Pick one, at most two to three social media networks. Concentrate on them. Don’t divide your attention between all social networks under heaven.
Or you’ll never do well on any of them.
Making Money
16. You need an avalanche of traffic to make money from your blog
False.
The truth?
You don’t need thousands or hundreds of thousands of visitors to make money. With the right promotion and strategy, your very first visitor can mean your first bucks online.
I had a grand total of 122 visitors to my blog when I made my first dollar online.
Making money from a measly visitor count is possible too, except….
17. You think blog ads are the easiest way to make money online
Blog ads pay you peanuts. Earning money through ads is a painfully slow process. Without enough traffic, and I mean hundreds of thousands of visitors to your blog, the amount involved is so small it’s humiliating.
When you’re starting out, the fastest way of making money is by offering services.
Offer a coaching service. Offer consultancy. Offer to write for pay.
That’s the fastest way of making money from your blog. I offered writing services. That’s how I made my first dollar online.
When you do have enough traffic or enough subscribers, you can create and sell your own products, or do affiliate marketing.
Don’t think blog ads. At least not yet. Please.
18. You think making money from blogging is easy
Making money from blogging is everything but easy. Not trying to discourage you, but from these stats, 81% of bloggers never make $100 from blogging, let alone make enough to support themselves or a family.
Even if you’re trying to promote your blog or services on your blog through guest posting, you’ll never know how many rejections you’ll get before you get one post published on a top blog.
And even if your post is accepted and will potentially result in leads for your business, you don’t know how long it will take before it gets to your turn on the host blog’s content schedule.
If you’re using Facebook ads, you don’t know how many hundreds or thousands of dollars you’ll spend before you start getting some traction to your blog.
I could say same or worse about every other promotion strategies out there.
Blogging is not easy. But hardly anything worthwhile is.
19. You think blogging is easier than a 9 – 5 job
It actually depends on you and what kind of person you are.
The truth is: blogging is not for everyone.
With a day job, all you’ve got to do is be nice to your boss and do your work no matter how mind-numbing it is, and you’ll get paid your expected salary.
You’ll be paid the same amount whether you put in 70% effort or 150% effort in your job.
As a blogger, you’ve got to hustle. Hustle hard. The amount of effort you put in especially in the beginning is directly proportional to your ROI.
At a 9 – 5 job, your boss likely decides what you will or will not do.
In blogging, you may consume tons of information on what to do, but it’s solely your choice to decide what you will or will not do. And you won’t always make the right decisions.
I can go on and on.
Blogging is guts and perseverance. Blogging is falling and picking yourself up. Blogging is hard work.
It’s everything but easy.
20. You treat your blog like a hobby
Is blogging something you do because you’re bored to death and can’t think of nothing else?
Blogging is a business. Blogging is a job. Blogging is a profession.
You wake by 4am or earlier to start writing a blog post.
Let’s pretend playing cards is your hobby. I don’t believe you’ll wake by 3am just to play cards.
Your hard work and sacrifices from day to day and night to night is proof that blogging isn’t just a hobby.
So the next time someone asks you:
“What’s your job?”
Hold your head high and say:
“I’m a blogger.”
That’s why you need to start making money to show for it.
21. You think you should have (insert visitor or subscriber count here) before you start selling
You need to start selling from the day you launch your blog. Yes, you saw right.
You see, the earlier you start selling, the earlier you start making money, and the earlier you can hire needed help to handle parts of the business you suck at. Because let’s face it, you can’t do everything.
Money can be a good motivation to keep going even when you’re not getting traction to your blog. It’s easier to quit and give up when you’re making no money.
You may be a very good writer, but you’re terrible at handling technical stuff. The earlier you start making money, the earlier you’ll be able to outsource so you can focus on other parts of your business. And the faster you’ll grow your blog.
Start selling. Just don’t turn your blog into a massive sales pitch. And don’t be pushy. Because if you’re offering something your audience wants and needs, they will purchase it.
22. You don’t invest in your blog and yourself
Blogging isn’t necessarily cheap. You pay for hosting, you pay for email marketing services, you pay for plugins, you pay for software, you pay for custom design. Those costs add up.
As a blogger, it’s a good idea to invest in yourself. When was the last time you bought a book on how to improve your writing or blogging skills? When was the last time you took a blogging course? When was the last time you attended a blogging webinar?
See why you need to make money now?
Miscellaneous
23. You have no blogging goals
Which blogs are you planning to guest post on?
What must you achieve this month to feel you’re making progress with your blog?
Where do you see your blog six months from now?
If you’re scratching your head right now, then you need to start setting goals for your blogging.
Write down specific goals you have for your blogging. Qualify and quantify them.
Don’t settle for your existing conditions.
24. You don’t measure the value of what you do
Facebook ads or guest posting? Twitter and Facebook or Google + and Pinterest? Writing or hiring writers?
Do you know which of the above gives you more ROI? You should.
What’s the point?
If Facebook ads brings you more subscribers or customers as compared with guest posting on other blogs, concentrate on it. It doesn’t mean guest posting is bad or produces poor ROI. Maybe you just suck at it. Hire someone to help you write guest posts then.
Same applies to the other questions above.
Don’t waste time doing stuff you’re just not good at or stuff that bring you low ROI.
It’s best to start measuring your time in this way. Not just for increase in customers or clients, but for subscriber growth and traffic.
25. You don’t measure success financially
How do you define success?
Is it getting a guest post published on ProBlogger? Is it gaining new subscribers or customers? Is it getting emails from readers who have been moved by your post?
“Success” is an ambiguous term. All three questions asked above may define “success” to you. But don’t fail to think of “financial success.”
After all, that’s the dream right? Working full-time as a blogger, and getting paid to change the world.
You can’t do that if you have no financial goals. You can’t do it if you have no money. You can’t do it if you can’t afford to invest in your blog.
So start thinking: what financial goals do you have for your blogging? How much should you earn from your blog to be successful financially?
26. You try too hard to be original
Almost all topics in every blogging niche have been done bazillion times. If you’re insisting on originality, you’ll hardly get anything published.
Find ways to approach tried and tested topics from new angles. You won’t go wrong with that.
Or are you trying to invent an original marketing technique because available ones are not working for you?
Let me tell you the truth.
If they’re not working, you’re doing it wrong. Just keep practicing until you get it right. Then maybe you can add your own “style” to it.
Conclusion
Don’t be disheartened. Making mistakes is not the end of the world. Learn from each mistake you make. I still make some of these mistakes personally.
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