If you're anything like me, when you start a new project you like to dive in head first. I go all out. I try to find out as much as I can about my new project. I immerse myself in it. That's been no different with this year's 30 Day Challenge. I'm at full speed ahead.

But now it's time to come up for a breath of air. My head is full of niche markets. Niche this, niche that. I need a few hours to regroup. That's ok though, because you'll find moments spent regrouping often lead to moments of clarity when you dive back in.

Today in my blog reader I noticed multiple posts across a few different blogs on the subject of writing a blog. My bovine friends over at John Cow had a rather a nice lengthy list of tips which included:

16. Write about many different topics while still remaining at least somewhat relevant to your industry. The more you talk about, the less likely your readers are to become bored with your blog.

I like that one. It's easy to get stuck writing about the same thing. Over and over. And over. Obviously try not to go from a post about Sausage Making to Underwater Kickboxing (examples Ed likes apparently), but try to vary things up a bit.

Try to think of your blog as your own personal magazine. You're the Editor in Chief - which means you can publish whatever you want, but remember, you still have to create interest in your readers. Change it up. Post a video about sausage making. Write an article about good Vermont Sausage. Make a list of the best sausage restaurants east of the Mississippi.

A lot of times I'll write a post and then become unsure of whether or not I want to post it. If you are overly critical of yourself, you might do this a lot. But remember, this can bring your blog to a grinding halt. Soon, nothing you write will be good enough to publish. When I'm not sure about a post, I'll save it as a draft. Then - I'll immediately write another post and post it. After one day, I'll come back to the saved post. If I've changed my mind and am ready to post it - I'll post it. If I've decided not to post it for whatever reason - I'll delete it. If I'm still unsure - I post it. Some of my most popular posts are posts that I wasn't sure of at first.

Another aspect of running a successful magazine is handling advertising space. We've all read posts about monetizing your blog and all that good stuff.

But don't forget this: the most important advertising space on your blog are the posts themselves. They are what drive traffic to your site, they are the things that are front and center - what people read first. If I write a number of posts in a day, I'll often find myself trying to space those posts out - because I want to give each post plenty of time at the top and center.

If you have a new blog - remember that controlling your front piece is super important, because a lot of readers are going to be seeing your blog for the first time. First impressions count, so make sure what you have up is what you want them to see when they first get there. On the other hand - I often find this is a great motivator to write more posts, because if I think that my current post is simply average, I want to replace it with something better - which forces me to constantly write to improve that center space.

Further resources about 'writing a blog:'

Angel writes on everybody's favorite subject: Punctuation and Grammar!
Darren has compiled a list of "How to Blog Better" Articles




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