Better Blogging Series ~ Be Approachable

May 21, 2013 by Zack. Post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy here.

better blogging
Welcome to Part 3 of the Better Blogging Series. This series will run over the course of a couple of weeks and will provide some ideas and plans of action to make you a better blogger. To see all of the current posts in the series, click here.

Have you ever been to a blog that just feels like you are reading a story? A story is fun to read, but when you are reading Harry Potter, do you feel a connection to J.K. Rowling? Probably not. You may feel a connection with Harry, or the other characters, but what about the author?

I guess the point here is to not just be a storyteller. While everyone appreciates great writing, you want to give your blog a face and a voice, rather than just a bunch of fancy words. If you’re focusing too much on crafting a beautiful story, you might inadvertently be creating a disconnect between yourself and your readers. Chances are most people are coming to your blog because they want to feel like they are connecting with someone as opposed to reading a novel.

So what are some things that you can do to be more approachable on your blog?

  • Including photos of yourself (especially in everyday life) in posts goes an incredibly long way in improving your approachability. It makes you seem like a real person, as opposed to a fashion model, or a make-up artist. Of course it is perfectly fine to include outfit pics and make-up shots, but I wouldn’t make every photo on your blog one of you done up all nice with perfect makeup and dressed to the nines. Let your readers see that you live a normal life too!
  • Respond to comments that you get on your blog. Publicly. If people see that you are taking the time to respond to some, or all, of the comments that you get on your blog, they are more inclined to try to connect with you by either leaving a comment or dropping you an email.
  • Take the time to write back to readers who email you. Answer that question you get from the newbie blogger. And of course, make your contact information very available.
  • Link to other bloggers and show that you are part of the community.
  • Be active on social media.  If people see that you are active on Twitter, Facebook or wherever, it gives them another way to reach out to you and connect with you.

I hope you realize the importance of forming a real connection with your readers. Having great readers who like you can lead to so many opportunities. Businesses love working with bloggers who have strong reader numbers. Equally important to most companies is how interactive those readers are on that person’s blog. So focus on making those connections and it will help your blog’s growth in immeasurable ways!

Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Better Blogging Series, Blog · Tagged:

Better Blogging Series ~ Stop Wishing

April 26, 2013 by Zack. Post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy here.

Better Blogging


Welcome to Part 2 of the Better Blogging Series. This series will run over the course of a couple of weeks and will provide some ideas and plans of action to make you a better blogger. To see all of the current posts in the series, click here.

I know it happens. You see another blog who has reviewed a product that you love or they are sponsored by one of your favorite companies and you get a little jealous. You’ll probably even utter, “lucky”. There’s nothing wrong with that, if you let it motivate you. If you sit and wallow and say “oh poor me” and “why did they pick her”, you’re never going to get sponsored. The truth is, you have no idea how hard that other blogger worked to land that opportunity. You don’t see the countless sponsorship rejection emails they got. You don’t know how many times that blogger agreed to post/tweet/feature that company as part of the sponsorship. Assuming that things are just falling into the laps of other bloggers is the worst thing you can do.

What you can do instead is make things happen for yourself. Make a list of companies you want to work with and reach out to them via contact information from their website, social media, or even a phone number. Do not assume you can just sit back, publish a few posts pew week and have the sponsors roll in. That’s not how it works. You have to create your own luck. You can’t expect every opportunity to come to you. The people at these sponsoring companies are very busy and don’t have time to browse through a hundred blogs and reach out to you. What you have to do, is put yourself in front of them. That takes emails, social connections and initiation on your part.

This philosophy is true in all aspects of your blog (and life, for that matter). If you want more blog followers or pageviews, make it happen. Do giveaways, button swaps, link ups and other stuff to promote your blog. (See How to Get Your First 200 Blog Followers)

If you want more Tweets and followers, be more active on Twitter. (See 5 Quick Ways to Get More Twitter Followers)

The moral of the story is that YOU need to stop wishing and make things happen.

Leave a Comment

Filed Under: Better Blogging Series, Blog, Get Noticed ·

Better Blogging Series ~ Be Personable

April 25, 2013 by Zack. Post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy here.

These are just a few things you can write about to personalize your blog.

These are just a few things you can write about to personalize your blog.


Welcome to Part 1 of the Better Blogging Series. This series will run over the course of a couple of weeks and will provide some ideas and plans of action to make you a better blogger. To see all of the current posts in the series, click here.

This one sounds like a given, but it’s not.
Pick a topic. Google it. There are probably dozens of results with posts about that topic. So how do you stand out?

I’ve said this in a few other posts as well: there are thousands of lifestyle blogs out there, but there is only one you. People will come and go from your blog if there’s not enough you in it. People can find product reviews, outfit posts, make-up tutorials or fashion advice anywhere, but it’s your personal spin that makes it unique. It’s you they’ll remember. You have to get your readers to like you. Even if another blogger has a larger budget to buy clothes for fashion posts, or if they get more products to review, you can make yours better and more appealing by adding your own personal spin on these types of posts. I know most of you would rather read a fun review of a Target dress than a boring review of a Coach purse. Think about your favorite blogs. What comes to mind first, the blog or the blogger? Blogs are forgettable, but people are not. Don’t be cut and dry, be personal, likable and approachable.

Share a personal story. Do more videos. Ask for help from readers in a post. Engage your readers and make them feel more connected with you. I hope you got into blogging for this reason anyway, so why not embrace it?! The more you personally connect with readers, the more you will get out of your blog, and the more your readers will get out of your blog. When your readers get something out of your blog, you’re providing value for them. When your readers see value in your blog, they’ll be the most loyal readers you can have.

4 Comments

Filed Under: Better Blogging Series, Blog, Get Readers ·