Blogging

What to Do When Blogging Stops Working…

Did you ever leave your cellphone (or a personal item) on the desk in your room, and later found out that somebody close to you (maybe your spouse or best friend) moved it somewhere else?

What did you do?

blogging

You spent at least 5 minutes, hopelessly searching for it… then another 5 minutes frustratingly going back to the same places, and double checking… an easier, or more direct method would have been instead to simply ask about the missing object (and save the time and energy for something else).

You don’t have to curse, you don’t have to get angry or stressed out… just sit back, relax for a minute, and breathe deeply. You’re probably going through some hard time right now and cannot focus, or you’re too tired and require sleep, or you may even need some outdoor activities for an hour or so.

When I cannot find ideas to blog about (rarely happens), it’s not that I have writers’ block, but I need to relax. So I cease my brain from focusing on the business, and instead I get outside or listen to some music. When I come back to the desk, my brain is fresh, and ideas flow naturally.

Blogging is about content

Yes, keywords (that people type in to the search engines) are essential, and if you want to rank on Google, you better hunt for those key terms with little or no competition whatsoever. The same goes for your articles… If you want to build a large “tribe”, then you need to write about things that nobody else talks about.

For example, in the blogging niche, everybody talks about writers block, and where to look when you’re lacking blog posting ideas. Nobody seems to talk about what to do when you have too many ideas, or how to tackle contradictory ideas.

If blogging doesn’t work for you anymore, it’s because you’ve looked at it with the wrong pair of glasses. You did what everybody else has done. You played the game in the “me too” league. Get a new pair of shoes. Put on some different shorts. Get new glasses. Enhance your skills…

In other words, you have to blog radically differently, or you’ll suffer the consequences.

Doing the same thing, over and over again, is called insanity. That’s what Einstein told us. That’s what nobody else told you.

If you’ve read this far, you have to understand something about me. ;)

I’ve been online in this game since around 2001. That’s more than a decade in the industry. In real life, that’s like a hundred years. I’ve spent a lifetime digitally reading and writing, and learning and teaching.

I’m not just an up and coming blogger… I’m a true blue super affiliate, and a coach, showing others how to tap into the onlineshpere and make money with associate programs. I get hundreds of emails a day from students and people who I haven’t even met personally.

I see recurring trends and recurring questions

Bloggers think that blogging is easy. Bloggers think that “monetization” is about slapping a few pages with Adsense codes on, and waiting for the big $1,000 check to arrive the very next month. When I direct them to a post like this which you’re reading now, they get offended (some, not all), or think the sky has fallen on their head. They feel betrayed, and want to quit.

I’ve been there and done it.

get_rich

I’ve bought countless of “get-rich-quick” schemes and been up and down with my online business multiple times.

I still get on the rollercoaster, from time to time. You cannot escape struggle and challenges. That’s part of the business, indeed. Whoever tells you that you can make money blindfolded or while you sleep, without encountering new challenges, or requiring that you need to learn new things, are simply trying to get your money, or better said… they have no clue what they’re even talking about.

Lesson learned: If you ever feel like your blog is stale, you don’t have to get upset; don’t be scared (that’s also part of the game). Embrace your fear, conquer your deepest fears in fact, and play to win the game.

Winners never quit, quitters never win. I live by this line all day, every day.

Remember, it’s not your fault that you’ve been led in the wrong direction. You were just following your “newbie” mentality, or somebody else who was not a pro in the game. Your next and biggest mission starts off when you’re following somebody whom you resonate with and has already been there, and done it.

Now, the ball is in your court…

Tell me, did you play the blogging game in the “me too” league? Have you been lead by the so-called gurus before? Did you spend a fortune on B.S. products like I did?

I cannot wait to hear what you have to say…:D

photo by Creative Ignition

30 Must Follow Blogging Tips for Beginners

Blogging Tips for BeginnersStarting a new blog is no longer hard. Many new bloggers are jumping in this blogging field.
 
But most of them quit very soon.
 
Here I decided to share Blogging Tips for Beginners to blog more better.
 
It doesn’t matter if you haven’t started a blog yet, or if you’re a famous blogger, because just one of below tips can make a big difference in in your blogging.

Blogging Tips for Beginners To Blog More Better

  1. Make Plans before launching your blog.
  2. Choose your blogging niche wisely, choose a niche in which you are expert.
  3. Register a simple, unique and easy to remember domain name for your blog
  4. Signup with some affordable and cheap WordPress hosting like Hostgator or Bluehost.
  5. Use WordPress, It’s the best blogging platform with lots of features than Blogspot
  6. Choose a perfect, SEO friendly and fast loading theme for your blog. I recommend Elegant Themes and ThemeJunkie
  7. Learn SEO, it is too important if you want to take your blog to the next level
  8. Don’t copy from anyone else blog. Instead Post unique content on your blog.
  9. Make a STRONG network around your blog niche, it’ll help you to increase online presence as well as will make you famous soon
  10. Update Blog Regularly. Don’t just publish another blog post instead publish something that your readers would love.
  11. Start blog commenting and write guest post for other blogs to increase website traffic, Backlinks and exposure
  12. Don’t dream big, instead set up goals.
  13. Don’t always get topics from other blogs.
  14. Build an Mail list. It is really important. Use Madmimi email marketing service, it’s free up to 2.5K subscribers and it’s too cheap as compared to mailchimp or aweber
  15. Keep your posts simple. Write for readers not search engines. Because readers are the one who can make your blog post go viral.
  16. Be kind towards your readers. Solve their problems, provide them freebies.
  17. Blogging is not an overnight success. It require lot of time, efforts and hard work.
  18. Don’t overload your blog with widgets. Use clutter free theme
  19. Make your blog SEO friendly. Use premium themes and plugins like SEOPressor for WP
  20. Link to other blogs in your niche more often, in return they would do the same!
  21. Ask opinions about your blog from it’s readers (like I did)
  22. Reply to every comment on your blog. It’s important!
  23. Reply to almost every email that you get in your inbox from your blog readers, try to help them as much as you can.
  24. Don’t use too many ads on your blog, remember your readers want to learn something new, they don’t just want to see ads on your blog.
  25. Don’t copy others images to add them on your blog instead create your own images or use any free sites to get images for your blog posts
  26. Quality of your content matters, not quantity. Write awesome content and detail article.
  27. Subscribe to other blogs in your niche. Don’t just focus on your blog instead do focus on other blogs as well. If you follow this, your blog will be successful in short time.
  28. Add useful pages in your blog like About, Contact, Archives and Privacy related.
  29. Make Subscribing, Commenting and Contacting on your blog easier. Award your commentator as well.
  30. Don’t quit blogging if you don’t not earning enough. Instead use blogging to learn new things and to build your name around. Blog to help people, not ‘just’ to earn.

Want more Blogging Tips for Beginners?

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Your Turn:

Did I missed any blogging tips for beginners?

Which blogging tips for beginners do you like the most?

Don’t forget to share this post if you like any of my above blogging tips for beginners.

Tips for Building Real Connections to Help Your Blog Succeed

Who don’t want to make the blog successful in short time?

Building real and strong network can help you to do so..

Building real connections with your target audience is very critical to the success of your blog.

However, building these relationships may be easier said than done for beginner bloggers. If you’re looking for ways to attract unique viewers and maintain loyal readers, we’re here to help.

Think of your blog as a party you’re hosting. Very few important people will ever show up if you never attend parties hosted by other industry leaders.

You need to inform others that you want to connect with them by interacting with them on their blogs as well. Many blog owners will return the favor by interacting with you on your blog. You’ll also get an increase of traffic from other visitors to that site who are interested in what you have to say.

How to Make Blog Connections That Work?

Many beginner bloggers have no idea how to make real blog connections to help their blogs succeed.

Well, in an effort to help you get the most out of your blog, here are some tips for you:

1) Leave Comments on Other Relevant Blogs

  • Search the web for other bloggers within your industry. Use relevant keywords to find popular blogs with content related to your niche, product or service.
  • Make a list of the various blogs you come across during your searches.
  • Visit each of these blogs at least once per week. Look for relevant, valuable blog posts.
  • Leave comments that will intrigue readers. This will encourage them, as well as the blog owner, to respond and reply to your comments.
  • Also, be sure to read comments left by other readers. Add your thoughts in your replies to these comments as well.

Don’t forget to read :

2) Join Some Relevant Blogging Communities

Once again, one of the most effective ways to build real relationships is by connecting with other bloggers.

You’d be amazed how many are interested in connecting with you. When evaluating the relevancy of a blog, here are some things to consider:

  • Are the topics relevant to your niche or industry?
  • Is the business located in the same geographical location as your business?
  • Does the content have the potential to bring value to the lives of your readers?

Here are some tips for doing online searches to find relevant blogging communities. Use variations of the search terms below:

  • blog community (your city)
  • blog community (your industry)
  • blog community (SEO keyword)

3) Only Blog What You Know and Care About

Remember that blogging is about showcasing your skills and knowledge about a specific industry, topic, product or service. One of your blogging goals should be to provide content that profiles you as an industry leader. This requires knowing what you’re blogging about… and knowing it well.

You also want to make sure that you blog about topics that actually interest you. Blogging can be pretty hard work sometimes.

It can be grueling when you’re trying to create content about a topic you could care less about. Readers will be able to tell that you’re not excited about what you’ve published. You’ll also find that there will be many days when you simply don’t want to be bothered with writing.

Just like any writer, you must have a passion for the topics you write about. If not, you’ll lose interest quickly, and your blog will become dead.

Do you want to make your blog dead very soon?

Ofcourse, not! ;)

Oftentimes, those who start blogs solely for the purpose of increasing traffic, fall into this category. After just a couple months of blogging, they simply lose interest and stop blogging altogether.

When you blog about topics you’re passionate about, this will shine through in your content. Your readers will appreciate the value your posts bring to their lives. To show their appreciation, they’ll return to your blog regularly to see what new content has been published.

Many will also subscribe to your blog or RSS feed to stay up-to-date on all newly published content. Now, that’s a way to build real connections to help your blog succeed.

Guidelines You Must Follow Before Interviewing a Blogger

Interviewing a blogger is often related to marketing your blog with the audience of that respective blogger whom you’re interviewing.

When you interview a blogger, you and your blog is put into the limelight as such interviews are likely to be shared by that respective blogger and readers.

He/she is likely to have good audience around him/her which would be interested in knowing what questions you asked and what the answers were.

Thus, sparking a first step towards marketing your blog, your blog will start receiving a good traffic and thereby reputation among the readers.

But it’s not easy to interview a top blogger.

How many of you have had tried interviewing a blogger?

How many of you’ve really succeeded in interviewing a blogger?

And here comes the final question – Did you fail in getting a nod from a blogger for interview?  I’m sure if you’re one of those who have failed, you would’ve abdicated the idea of interviewing a blogger by now and you would probably be thinking of some fresh ideas for your next blog posts or may be some other reason which I don’t really want to find out.

I don’t really know how much ravenous you’re in the beginning of this post, but what I do know is you’ve either tried to interview a blogger in the past and failed or you’re interested in getting a blogger for interview.

Whichever the case would be, you’ve arrived at the right place and you won’t be disappointed. ;)

Before beginning out with this in-depth article regarding interviewing a blogger, there are few things which I would like to share with you.

Interviewing A Blogger

Something about mini-index

I call it a mini-index as it really puts an idea about my blog posts in handful of bullet points or whatever you call it. This article is composed of following points-

Preparing Yourself for Interviewing a Blogger

  • Selecting a Blogger
  • Building Communication
  • Communication Medium
  • Writing Purpose of Interview (POI)
  • Getting “YES” from a blogger

1. Selecting a Blogger

The process of selecting a blogger is often considered as hectic because it involves pinning down skills, interest of your audience and comparison between various bloggers.

Although, it’s not a good idea to compare between two or more bloggers because each one of them have their own flavors. Once you’ve selected that special blogger to host on your blog, it’s time to proceed ahead in building communication.

2. Building Communication

I’m sure that some of you would be having a good relationship with a plenty of pro bloggers but if that’s not the case then you don’t worry.

Actually, the process of building communication and selecting a blogger often depends on whether you know the blogger already or you’re the one who wants to know him.

In the first which assumes that you know the blogger well, you would have improved communication before getting into him or her. Now, let’s assume, you’re just starting up and you don’t really know that specific blogger but you did choose him because he is very popular and could help you garner good amount of attention.

In this case, it’s pretty much sure that he/she is not going to accept your interview request unless he knows something about your existence.

So, to mark your existence, you got to follow their social profiles and blogs regularly.

Don’t rush into sending a friend request. ;)

Instead, subscribe to follow their public updates or simply follow their twitter account and start interacting with their updates. Often leave a beautiful comment on their blog posts but make sure you don’t spam and don’t post short comments such as the following ones.

  • Thank you. Excellent article. I enjoyed it a lot.
  • Super Article buddy
  • Thanks for the informative article
  • … And so on

3. Communication Medium

I don’t think I really need to stress on this point because I’ve already discussed few key element in building communication section.

Various social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Google Plus, LinkedIn etc. are great platforms to improve your communication with that respective blogger. Make sure that you use these communication mediums wisely.

Writing Purpose of Interview (POI)

Why do you intend to interview that respective blogger?

That’s the simple question which you need to answer well in good format to make it look like purpose of interview. At the moment, there is no hard and soft rule for purpose of interview.

A blogger is very eager to know your purpose behind interviewing him and be aware that it’s the only way to impress him/her with your intentions and skills.

4. Getting Yes from a Blogger

interview blogger

If you’ve followed steps that I’ve mentioned in this article appropriately then there is absolutely no chance of getting rejected from a blogger.

Although, I can’t really guarantee you on this, all I can say is there are more chances of getting yes from a blogger through this method instead of others.

Don’ts to follow during this process

  • Don’t ask too many questions. Ideally, 15 questions are enough to reveal most of the information of a blogger.
  • Don’t really ask them to disclose their financial details with respect to blogging.
  • Don’t ask general questions, instead go for some quality and useful questions.

Over To YOU!

Did I missed any points to follow before interviewing a blogger? Did you ever interview a blogger on your blog? Do share with us in comments

Why You Should Invest More Money On Your Blog?

We all have heard about Online Advertising and some other ways to invest money in our blogs and some of us have advertised as well.

But have you ever tried to think why you should invest more money on your blog?

Well in case you have not, this is the right place for you to know exactly that. I’m not going to convince you to advertise on my blog or anyone else’s. ;)

But tell you the reasons why you should be investing more money in your blog.

How you want to invest is totally up to you. But before you take any steps, keep in mind that investing money may not always be the best thing for you because of many things so make sure you are in perfect position and have everything lined up and planned (budget etc) before making any move.

spend money

1. Investing in Blog Means investment in the future:

This heading above says it all. Investment in your blog is not going in waste any way.

The money that you spend on building on your blog up and promoting it is actually going to come back right into your pocket after sometime if you do the things the right way.

Hence, you should not have any second thoughts going on in your mind about either you should invest money on your blog or not.

2. Investing in blogs is not that much risky:

Unlike offline businesses, a bad investment move online won’t destroy your financial life.

Of course it would be painful to see your money getting in vain, but trust me when I tell you, online investment is not as dangerous as most people think it is.

Perhaps the safest method to spend money would be to spend it for your blog.

3. Results are better and quick:

You can get popularity and huge traffic both from search engines and social media, but things are going to take a lot of time before showing any results.

While in case of investment you do not have to wait at all. Things would work out immediately and you can see the results hundreds of times quicker as compared to social media and search engines, etc. which makes online advertising and investment very tempting.

Example:

Facebook sponsored post feature is becoming popular these days. If you spend more money on this, you will see result very quickly. You’ll start getting more likes, facebook fans for your pages and hits to your blog.

4. You can sit back and watch:

After you have paid someone for something, you never have to do anything and you can have a seat and see things going on. Same works in case of blog investment.

Simply pay and see the SEO Company building thousands of backlinks in no time. Just pay some bucks and get featured on high class blogs to enjoy tons of traffic and link juice at the same time without doing anything.

5. To improve your blog:

Spending money on your blog is definitely going to improve your blog in all ways.

And, by all ways I mean by traffic, by popularity, by ranking and by earnings as well. And, I don’t think there is any blogger in the world who never wants to improve his blog.

6. “Money makes money”:

Such a wonderful quote it is. No?

There are countless ways to make money in this world with empty pockets, but nothing brings the results quickly in such cases. While spending just a little bit money makes the process faster and brings money back to you quickly.

Now you had done reading the reasons to spend more money on blog. The next question is where to spend money?

Where to invest money for blog growth?

You can spend more money on your blog for

Your Turn

Do you invest more money on your blog? Where do you spend money for your blog growth? How much you spend on your blog per month?

I’d love to hear from you, short or long comment. I’ll appreciate everyone!