You Ask, I Answer: What Should I Blog About?
I answer your burning freelancing questions on the blog. If you have a question, e-mail it to me at lindaformichelli@gmail.com. Have a lot of questions? Consider signing up for a phone mentoring session.
Stacy asks: What should I blog about? I’ve thought about having a blog about my freelance journey, but I’m afraid it may be boring. Plus, I find it hard to write about myself. I’ve also thought about having a blog about short story writing, which I also pursue, but I haven’t had anything published and am far from it. But I’m afraid that editors and businesses won’t be interested in reading anything about that.
My initial reaction is that if there’s nothing right now that stands out to you as a good topic, and nothing you feel passionate enough about to blog about, why not hold off on the blog? It’s not like it’s imperative to have one. You could always just have your bio, portfolio, etc. on your website until you feel ready to blog.
Don’t get me wrong — I think having a blog is a great way to show prospective clients and editors what you can do, and I recently landed a client who saw my blog listed in the Top 10 Blogs for Writers contest. And having changing content on your site (in other words, a blog) will help you in search engine rankings.
But blogging is a huge commitment…I post two to three times a week every week, and have done so for the past five years. That’s over 600 posts on one subject! You don’t necessarily need to post so much, but you do need to post consistently. If you’re not passionate about what you’re writing about, it’s hard to stay consistent over the long haul, and nothing is worse than a stagnant blog that hasn’t been updated in months. You also need to publicize your blog to attract readers and links — incoming links are another way to boost search engine rankings — and it’s easy to fizzle out on that if you’re not committed to and motivated by your blog and your topic.
I’m not recommending that you forgo blogging for good — just until you hit upon a topic that you know you’d love to write about regularly.
I hope that helps! [lf]
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Mar 7, 2011 Advice, Blogging, Marketing, You Ask, We Answer
I too have tried blogging about my freelance journey. what happens is, it turns into more of a personl blog / journal than a business blog. Then you have to ask yourself, “do clients really care about my journey?” No. While it’s nice to offer insights into your life every once in a while, your clients need information. You’re better off writing about your niche or specialty. What has tripped me up in the past is thinking that my blog has to be about writing, but that’s not necessarily true. Now if only I could find my specialty!
Thanks for your comment! Jess, I think that even a blog about your personal journey can be useful as it shows editors how you can write. As another example, this blog offers info of interest to writers but helped attract a client even though there’s not much useful for clients here.
I have two DAILY sites… http://hopeycopey.blogspot.com (Recession Fun) and http://healthsass.blogspot.com (health, more or less). The first has almost 600 entries, the second almost 2,000. I make almost no money on this–maybe a few hundred a year from those stupid ads. I just do it to do it. Maybe it’s the teacher in me, I don’t know. I see things that interest me and think they would interest others. You need a really good reason or in my case, a really bad reason to commit to this. Does it get me clients? Nah, probably not.
Wow, that’s a lot of blogging! I don’t know how you do it. But it’s great that you have topics you feel passionate about to write about every day.
I decided to blog about something I’ve always had an interest in since University but couldn’t find a specific job in it as a career. As a result I am continually learning and researching in my spare time and getting some good spikes of traffic on certain articles. I guess the trick is to be relatively focused on your niche and then let your readership build accordingly.
That’s a good point! You can use your blogging to learn more about a topic…hopefully it will lead to a career boost for you.
I love this posting! So many people think they must blog about something to market themsaves online. But the truth is they don’t. I also like to offer a bit of advice… your blog doesn’t have to be about a “writing” topic. It can be anything. The point is that you are writing and people will see your writing and desire more of it. I write erotica as well as business stuff as well as recipes and even things for domainers. I have over 20 blogs however and have been doing this for 5 years. But I’m sure you get the idea. If you can’t think of the niche and focus of your blog then just wait. Write down some of your ideas for the time being and just let the idea soak in your mind for a few more months. No need to rush into a big commitment like bloging. Trust me with 20 blogs I am writing all the time! Great posting.. Thanks!
Thanks, Chimica! As I mentioned above in reply to Jess, I agree with you — you don’t necessarily have to blog about a writing topic. Twenty blogs — wow! That’s impressive.
You’re right Linda. Blogging is a huge commitment.
You know what I recommend? Try blogging on private blog for a while. That’s right, a blog where you think no one will be listening.
I did this for four years, and I had not idea I was preparing myself for Top Ten Blogger status in less than year when I actually had my own public blog.
The answer to a successful blog is hard work and lots and lots of practice, though not many people want to hear that answer.
That shouldn’t discourage you though, just know that you have to find what you are REALLY passionate and interested in.
Great idea, Ollin! I never thought of a private blog. And you can always use the posts for your public blog later should you choose to start one.
What’s a private blog–you upload to it, then go back later and think, “I am pretty cool”? I would say if you want to do it, do it…it’s not like a blood oath or anything…Maybe someone will get something from it that will help or change their life or something. You never know–that is the point, you never DO know.
I’ve only recently started blogging on a professional level (since Oct 2010), but I still haven’t found my niche. I feel that if I’m blogging about a few topics that hold my interest and I think they’re relevant to anyone seeking out my site, then my niche or specialty will develop organically.
Do what works for you. Although, I’m hardly a success at this, I feel comfortable knowing that I basically have two sets of readers: fellow freelancers and art & culture geeks in my hometown. I like sharing my opinions on what’s happening in the world of publishing, freelancing and social media. But I’m also a culture vulture and attending plays, book signings, museum exhibits and film festivals inspire me. So I write about that stuff too.
So far, there hasn’t been a clash between the two groups and, some, even bother to stick around and check out the posts related to topics geared toward the other set. My two most popular posts are about a 1) film festival and 2) strategizing my freelance business. I say if I can serve both communities without feeling burnt out, that’s okay by me.