Common Mistakes Budding Bloggers Make

12:50 27 August 2019

Blogging continues to rise in popularity as more people grow hungry for new content. This is part of the reason aspiring bloggers continue to pursue the career, but it is wise to point out some rookie mistakes so that you don't make them if you are attempting to go down this path. The following are some common mistakes so that you can avoid them.

 

Choose any Platform

 

New bloggers may just choose whatever platform they see and not think much about it. You should take your time, and see what options are available to you. Create a website with a reliable building platform that allows you to easily customize your blog to make it look like you.

 

Writing for You

 

Rookie bloggers tend to write about whatever they want, but you don't want to go down this rabbit hole. Yes, your ideas may be good ones, but that doesn't mean your readers are going to think so. What you are doing as a blogger is using your voice to share content that your readers are hungry for. You are not sharing content to satisfy yourself and you alone. One way to solve this issue is to make sure that each idea fits perfectly with the industry you are in or address concerns you already know your readers have.

 

No Writing Like You

 

Part of what makes a blog site exciting is the voice. Readers want to hear your voice, the way you are, and the way you talk. Sometimes, people write as they did in high school or college. Usually term papers have a stiffness to them that readers are not going to love, so practice your writing until it sounds like your voice. Be as personable as you can, throw in your jokes, be strange, be yourself, whoever that might be.

 

Hiding Yourself

 

Okay, this one ties into the previous point. A lot of writers who want to share their personality write about themselves and try to explain their personality. This is a mistake because readers do not care about new writers, so make sure you stick to showing who you are through your writing rather than telling your audience.

 

Bury the Point

 

It is important that you make your point as often as you can throughout the piece you are writing. Yes, you are supposed to be personable, but that doesn't mean you can digress too much just to be funny. Every joke has to circle back to the point like any personal story or pop culture reference. You want to stick to that underlying point as much as you can throughout your piece; besides, approaching your point in different ways actually helps make the point clearer.

 

Being Vague

 

Sometimes, first-time bloggers think the best way to capture people is to write blog posts that are a little broad. This is not a good idea because there are many posts like that online, so the competition is going to be pretty steep. What you want to do is write about a very specific subject. In essence, you want to address something that people want but that others haven't written about. You can use online blog idea generators, which are pretty good; just make sure you choose one that is well-reviewed.

 

Not Backing up Your Claims

 

Online readers are pretty savvy, and they like blog posts that understand the value of facts. You want to back up all your data or research, and make sure you use reputable sources all the time. This is not only good to establish a level of trust between you and your readers, but it is also good because online search engines favor these types of posts. The chances of ranking well increases if you make sure you not only do the research but cite it.

 

Passing on Editors

 

No matter how good you think your writing is, you are going to need an editor. As a beginner, you might have to rely on automated editors to help highlight errors in your writing, but at some point, you will want to hire an editor to work on your pieces. Online readers know good writing, so make sure you deliver that. You do not have to hire an editor on a payroll. There are some that work as contractors, so you only have to pay them once.

 

Hopefully, now that you know about the mistakes rookie bloggers make, you can now avoid them. Be patient with your work and with your blogging site. People should come if you put out good and consistent content.