In a 2009 “New York Times” article, Douglas Quenqua revealed that 95 percent of all blogs are eventually abandoned. This means only 5 percent of blog owners actually nurture their blogs and keep them on track for long periods of time. Regular blogging can be a difficult task if you don’t know how to stay on track and appeal to your readers. Follow these tips to prevent your blog from dying an untimely death.
Create an Editorial Calendar
Magazine editors use editorial calendars to plan their content for several months at a time. Blog owners should do the same, as planning ahead makes it much easier to schedule your blogging time. Keep a small notebook in your pocket and jot down post ideas any time they come to you. Use a blank spreadsheet or word processing document to plan out exactly when you will write about each topic on your blog. This is also a great way to make sure you have content to post during holidays and vacations.
Advertise Guest Posting Opportunities
Guest posting is very common in the world of blogging, as it benefits both the blog owner and the guest poster. Guest posting is when someone else writes a blog post and you publish it on your blog. In this situation, the guest poster typically receives a short biography at the end of the post or a link to his or her website within the text of the post. This is a great way to keep your blog active without having to write a new post every day.
Run Contests
Too many bloggers get into the habit of posting content and then never interacting with their readers. Running a contest is a great way to drive traffic to your blog and get people interested in what you have to say. You do not have to offer an expensive prize; some successful bloggers offer books or other items that cost less than $10. Advertise your contest on Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites. Ask people to enter by “liking” your page and posting a comment on your blog. Use a random number generator to determine which commenter wins the contest. If you run a contest, it is important to send the prize to the winner within a reasonable amount of time. This will help you build good will with readers.
