3 Pitfalls of Blogging You Should Be Aware Of

Blogging isn’t all fun and games. If you’re just starting to blog, there are good times ahead, but there are also hard times that could take you by surprise. But this post can help you prepare for the rough parts that will come, and hopefully you’ll be able to move past the bad quickly to enjoy the good.

If you’ve been blogging for a while, see if you recognize these blogging pitfalls. Not to worry – each of them comes with a few solutions to try.

Takes time

It only takes a couple minutes to read a blog post, faster if you just skim the headings. But writing posts, even short ones, takes quite a bit of work. You need to find ideas day after day, add a picture or two, add links to informative content on your site and others, format the post in your CMS, and then publicize it once you’ve posted. The process can definitely be tiring, especially if you’re trying to do it every day, or multiple times each day. And if it’s an additional responsibility alongside all your other work, it’s easy to let it slide.

The solution

First, make sure you have a realistic posting schedule. Posting 2 or 3 times each week and being predictable can be better than posting a ton one week and nothing the next.

Write in batches, if you can. Try dedicating one day to blogging, and then get a week’s worth of blog posts scheduled and ready to go.

Get some help. You might be the only one who can write the posts, but you can always get help brainstorming ideas, and you might even have someone else who could format your posts for you, and maybe even find pictures. Or find someone else who can write some or all of the posts for you.

Hard to monetize

There’s a lot of information online about making money from your blog – but it’s not that simple. It can take a long time to build up an audience that contains people willing to pay for your expertise, and then you need to offer products or services for them to buy. If you are blogging on a corporate website, the line can be even fuzzier, and the impact of your blog can be frustratingly hard to measure.

The solution

Decide your success criteria for your blog. Track analytics, and congratulate yourself on subscription rates, readership, and mentions by other blogs. Those are conversions, just like your sales are.

Run promotions for blog readers. This can both encourage more people to subscribe and increase sales.

Test, test, test. Know what kinds of articles bring in readers who are paying customers, and don’t be afraid to weed out some readers in order to focus more specifically on your customers and future customers.

Create a separate email newsletter. Use the blog to introduce concepts, and follow up with the newsletter to make sure people know about your company and what benefits you can provide based on the reputation you established with your blog.

Lonely work

Blogging, like any form of writing, requires a lot of time working by yourself. For some people, that’s a relief, and for others it’s torture. If you like working directly with people and being around them all day, blogging probably isn’t for you. When you don’t enjoy what you’re writing, it’s almost guaranteed that others won’t enjoy reading it!

The solution

If you don’t have the personality to work well alone, find ways to adapt your blogging style. Maybe you want to focus heavily on interviews, lists, or surveys that allow you to interact with others.

Encourage commenting on your blog. Answer comments, engage in conversations with your readers, and help them feel like they’re not alone while reading.

Be active on social media. Twitter and Facebook can encourage as much or more engagement with your brand, and can be a lot more social than just writing a post.

Get to know other bloggers in your niche. Many bloggers use Twitter as an informal spot to chat, both about blogging and just relaxing.

Want to be part of my solution? Leave a comment and let me know if this information was helpful, off-base, or if you have something to add.