This is a sister post to my 6 sauces post, which you can find here.
As my blog continues to grow and expand, and as I begin to read more and more blogs by other people, I’m learning new tricks every day. There’s a lot of variety out there and a lot of ways to make your blog sparkle. Nothing you can do will be new or original, and not everything will work for your blog. It’s by experimenting and trying new things that you will find out what works best for your blog. Here are four things that might work for your blog:
1) Video of the Week (Salt)
Do you only post once or twice a week? A lot of bloggers only post a few times a week, putting a lot of effort into those posts to assure they are of top quality. The problem with this is your views and follower growth will suffer. If you’re not posting, you’re not reaching new people. WordPress has so many users that there’s countless new posts every hour, flushing yours out of the system quicker than you can say “Pass the salt, please.”
A lot of blogs put up a video each week, generally a song, which they’re really enjoying right now. This can add that little bit extra to your blog. It can help you reach people you wouldn’t otherwise reach. It can even keep your current followers happy, making your blog stay fresh in their mind so they come back. People also love consistency and reliability. If they know you’re giving them a new song/video every week, and you deliver, your blog is doing it’s job.
2) Add Sections (Pepper)
Much like a video of the week, lots of bloggers have specific sections of their blog which they update regularly. It doesn’t have to be a specific day, but it’s a segregated part of their blog. It almost acts as a separate blog, often dealing with a specific topic, and can be the mild kick your blog needs to give it a new life.
I read a few blogs which have a section for an ongoing story. I also read a blog which randomly puts up jokes and riddles. I experimented with a philosophy section on this blog, but ended up removing it due to how seldom I updated it.
Try it with your blog, you never know how much traffic it might rake in! If you have a blog on writing, but love to cook, maybe you could open a section on recipes. It wouldn’t detract from the main focus of your blog, but would serve as a nice sub-section and extra reading material for your readers.
3) Add Controversy (Garlic)
People love interesting things. It can’t be more simple than that.
If you write posts about things that are big in the news at the minute, you’re naturally going to heighten your chances of getting a lot of views. If you have a controversial stand point or interesting outlook on whatever that may be, you’re even furthering your range. People love a debate and they love to argue. Whether someone believes you or thinks you’re a clueless idiot, they’re going to sink their teeth into your post.
But be careful: Don’t be controversial for the sake of it. If you’re not being honest and conveying your actual viewpoint, people will see right through it. Your entire argument becomes flawed and a mental black mark will be placed on your blog as a spot where someone just wants easy views. Avoid mental black marks. Once someone thinks your blog is a waste of time, you’ve lost them forever.
Why is this garlic? Everyone loves a bit of garlic, even with the aftermath of icky breath.
4) Add Interviews (Vinegar)
A lot of blogs, especially writing ones, post interviews with fellow writers. Most interviews are with self-published writers, while some people are lucky and net one with a more known, traditional-route writer.
Why are interviews great? Because people like to look important.
If you have an interview with a writer, you instantly look connected. If you have multiple interviews, you look even more connected. If someone can follow your blog and possibly build up a connection with you, they can plausibly reap off of your connections.
Interviews, reviews and everything that reflects people within your field will give your blog that vinegary zest required to look important and renowned. Much like the garlic though, don’t add vinegar for the sake of it. Have you ever put vinegar on a lollipop? Didn’t think so…
And there you have it, four quick ways to spice up your blog! I hope some of these help increase the traffic and followers to your blog. If not, it’s always fun to experiment.
As usual, feel free to comment below with any questions or tips for fellow bloggers, we’re all in this together! And follow my blog for more blogging tips and writing updates!
Makes a lot of sense. Thanks.
No bother, glad you liked it
Makes sense. Thanks for writing.
Glad you liked it