By Desiree Villena
Blogging is one of the most lucrative and fulfilling pastimes a writer can have — so long as they’re blogging the right way. And while there obviously exists a broad spectrum of niches and approaches on the blogosphere, there are certain errors that will send your blog spiraling no matter what it’s about or who reads it.
Unfortunately, these are also fairly common mistakes, especially for first-time bloggers. That’s why I’m here today to shed some light on exactly what not to do as a blogger, based on my own experience writing for the publishing platform Reedsy and various other sites. Want to maintain your readership and eventually sustain profits as a blogger? Make sure to avoid the following.
1. Writing too formally or impersonally
Again, every blog is different, but one of the main draws of the medium is the informal, intimate style typically associated with them. People read blogs to get a peek into the writer’s life, or to gain advice from someone who’s done something they want to achieve themselves. They’re not just looking for information — they’re looking for experience and voice.
So even if you run a blog about statistical analysis, say, or the latest scientific discoveries in a certain area, you never want to sound like a textbook. Even the most factually rigorous readers like a bit of pep in their prose! Obviously any information you do give should be accurate (you don’t want to seem inexpert), but you can also inject your opinions and personal style into your blog, both to attract more readers and to make it “your own.”
What’s more, don’t be shy about sharing details from your personal life. Far too many bloggers make the additional mistake of cultivating a strong writing style, yet keeping themselves at arm’s length from their readers — in other words, people might enjoy their writing, but they never really get a sense of who’s behind the curtain.
This isn’t quite as damning as content that’s too formal or dense; however, it can still hinder your relationship with readers in the long run. To that end, try to include fun personal anecdotes on your blog, especially if you can tie them into more “informative” content somehow (but don’t go overboard with this, à la the novel-length spiels that preface so many online recipes these days).
2. Setting unrealistic goals for posting
New bloggers may be particularly susceptible to this one — it’s easy to get carried away on waves of ambition and intend to post every day, only to lose steam and get discouraged. Indeed, the real danger with this mistake isn’t disappointing one’s followers, but disappointing oneself and falling off the blogging bandwagon as a result.
This is why it’s vital to set realistic blogging goals from the beginning. If you work full-time, especially in a job where you stare at a computer all day, you should anticipate a certain amount of screen fatigue and aim to post 1-2 times a week, if even that. If you only work part-time or at a non-desk job, you might have the time/capacity to post more — and sure, you can always work on writing during your downtime at work, or practice writing faster, to churn out more content.
But much more important than posting frequently is posting thoughtful content, as well as simply avoiding burnout. Though the pressure can be intense when you’re just starting out and want to build your audience, remember that you’re not going to sabotage yourself by making readers wait an extra day for your next post.
You can always scale back later, but do your best to set reasonable targets in the first place, and don’t feel like you have to stick to a posting schedule that’s making you miserable. Finally, remember you can always turn to others for support: appealing to other writers for guest posts like this one, for example (a great way to mix up your content andgive yourself a break), plus asking your readers what they’d like to see you discuss on the blog.
Speaking of which, the third and final mistake I want to cover is…
3. Not having effective CTAs
Even if you’re not pushing anything at the moment, you still need calls to action (CTAs) on your blog. For those who may not know, a CTA asks readers to do something — comment on a post, for instance, or subscribe to a mailing list. A high-investment CTA would be something like referring a friend to your blog, or buying something you’re selling.
CTAs may not always be the most natural fit with the casual blogger’s type of content, but it’s crucial to get into the habit of including some CTAs so that when you ask readers for something important, they’re more open to it — drawing on the old foot-in-the-door technique. You can start simple: ending your posts with questions for readers to answer in the comments. Then once you’ve got some regular engagement, raise the stakes by asking them to share and subscribe to your content, and eventually you can even request that they pay to access certain forms of it.
The trick, of course, is to not bombard your readers with too many high-investment CTAs, nor to put them in a position where the first thing they have to do on your blog is respond to one. Even high-level outlets like the New York Times let readers sample a few articles before asking them to subscribe. (Or, to cite an increasingly popular medium, many TinyLetter and Substack creators have both free and paid options for their newsletters — the paid subscribers get more and often better content, but there’s still something to sample first.)
And needless to say, all these elements depend on balance. Writing too formally, scheduling too much content, and forgetting CTAs are the more common mistakes on the spectrum… but writing too informally, scheduling too little, and using too many CTAs are things to steer clear of as well. Try to be smart with your blogging strategies, striking a balance with everything you do, and you should turn out just fine.
Desiree Villena is a writer and guest blogger with Reedsy, a marketplace that connects authors with resources on everything from how to start writing a book to how to publish a book. In her spare time, Desiree enjoys reading contemporary fiction and writing short stories.
