The following is a guest post from Chris Brogan. He kept bothering me and so I finally acquiesced and let him write here. Just this once, though.
When we become a media voice on the web, something shifts. If you are fortunate enough to develop a following, people come to expect you as being part of their routine. It’s not that every blogger has to write daily, but they do have to write consistently. If it’s a weekly blog, great, then write weekly. Any slower than that and you run the risk of falling off one’s attention span.
Some people counter that bloggers should only write when they have a big idea. I disagree. I think little ideas are just as worthy of praise. Don’t bury me in dribbly little posts, but you can keep up a pace by throwing your smaller thought pieces in there between your larger efforts.
Should you want to develop a larger audience and transform that into a community, it’s strange, but the more posts a week, the better. It should be the opposite, but the stats don’t lie. More posts somehow drive more attention to your blog.
But a “craft blog,” something where you only release well-turned stories, is another matter. It depends on your audience. People who love Ann Handley, for instance, are willing to wait a bit longer, because her memoir style is something you wouldn’t want to rush. But we wouldn’t wait for Brian Solis, because we want a constant pulse of his perspective.
There are ways to keep up your blogging. The first is to read. Read all the time. It’s almost impossible not to form your own opinions, and blogging is nothing, if not a vehicle for our opinions. The second is to keep notepad files all over the place with blog posts half started, lists of posts you want to write, and other tidbits that keep the writing habit. Finally, reaction pieces, where you write posts that are just longer comments on other people’s blogs, are an old standby, too.
Whenever your audience clamors for more writing from you, don’t fret. Take it for what it is: a compliment to the quality of work we’ve come to expect from you. Now, stop reading this and go write something. Please.
Chris Brogan is ridiculous. He blogs at [chrisbrogan.com]
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post and as always, Chris Brogan is right on the money. Reading is a great way to keep the ideas flowing in for blog postings. Developing and expressing opinions is also important. Too many people in my opinion, hold back their feelings too often because they’re afraid of making someone mad. It’s ok to have disagreements. They spark communication and dialog.
John P. Kreiss
MorganSullivan, Inc.
http://www.johnpkreiss.com
Totally agree. Once you establish yourself as a regular routine you owe it to your audience (for lack of a better term) to keep the conversation alive and kicking. Most of us have the attention span of a Gibbon so do as the shark does…keep moving or die!
I say this but I’ve neglected my own blog due to so many other commitments elsewhere. Sigh. Oh well.
Pai
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Great tips, as we’d expect from Chris.
I’d add that something that’s helped me deliver more consistent content is opening my eyes and ears to what’s already going on every day. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been in the middle of a conversation with a colleague or industry peer and realized that OTHERS are probably discussing, debating, questioning the exact same topic.
The ideas for some of my most popular blog posts to date have come from RECOGNIZING when post opportunities present themselves as part of these everyday chats that are normally overlooked. I’ve am working on getting into more of a habit of jotting down an idea or two after these conversations so I don’t forget about it as I jump back into client work.
Great stuff, Chris. I’m definitely seeing this is true. I work in the email marketing space, and we often push people to not send unless they have compelling content. But I think the blog space is different (in most cases).
With many blogs you are forming a more personal relationship (even if it is somewhat one-sided). In order to keep growing this relationship your readers are craving a more constant interaction – even if that interaction isn’t always jammed full of amazing content. Like your friends, your blog readers like to hear what’s on your mind.
I appreciate the ideas on how to keep more content flowing. Having a huge arsenal of drafts in wordpress is now a new goal of mine.
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I think I needed this post. Thanks, Chris (and Shannon).
RSS feeds (and Twitter) are a must for bloggers.
What I do to keep up is start drafts, even if it’s just a subject, then come back to them later. Usually, a second source of inspiration is just what I need to wrap up the thought and get it posted.
In all honesty, like Shannon, I’ve been slacking a bit as well. ;)
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Good. Just off to do some writing. Thanks.
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Interesting post Chris – thanks!
Content is (and always has been) king. When you match the content of the blog to the frequency required to sustain a following – BOOM!
Jim Connolly
Great post, Chris, and thanks for Shannon for running it. And thanks for the shout out to Annarchy, Chris.
I make it a habit to carry a small notebook and pen with me at all times, and I jot stuff down as it happens that might be blog fodder. Some of it never makes it to digital print (and sometimes, it’s downright incoherent when I go back and read it). But that little notebook never fails to produce for me ultimately, when my mind is blank and I’m looking for to kick-start it writing.
Great points. It’s what separates most of the junk out there from the stuff you want to follow.
I especially like the point about “Craft Blogs”. Chris almost lost me there until he covered his bases. One of my favorite blogs falls in that category.
http://www.detroitblog.org/
Thanks for refering me to this site and blog. Time for me to step up my blogging efforts and please the followers. Has to be easier than responding to so many emails!
Sigh. I can’t even manage taking a multivitamin once a day with any regularity.
Consistency has never been my strong suit, especially when it comes to things that I do exclusively for myself, but I am very glad to have supportive people who push me in the right direction.
Thanks to everyone who came together to give me a group spanking on my very own blog. What fun.
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I love “craft blog” — I’m so totally stealing that.
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