How To Be a Prolific Blogger

Ever feel like you just don’t have the imagination or willpower to blog as much as you should? Me too.

Well, I did, a few months ago. Here’s how that all changed.

I found that when I relaunched my hosting startup and people actually started using my product, I felt so much more enthused about writing articles.

The truth is that having a product or service to your name that real world users are paying for and enjoying gives you a sense of purpose that can propel your blogging appetite to new levels. It certainly did for me but even if you’re a hobbyist blogger looking to make writing more frequent posts easier, here are a few pragmatic takeaway tips from my new found blogging energy.

1. Record your ideas

The most effective piece of advice I’ve been given when it comes to blogging is to write your ideas down as and when they arrive so you don’t forget them. Since practising this tip I’ve come to realise just how many blog post titles I conceive of every day.

I used to record them in my field notes book and this was OK to begin forming this habit but I found I’d often leave them as titles in a note book and not develop the ideas into fully formed articles. Now, instead of handwriting title ideas in a notebook, I go straight to WordPress and make a draft using the title I’ve thought of there and then. This also allows me to record any skeletal ideas about the structure of the article I might have at that point (e.g. a list of subtitles and headings to be fleshed out later).

Check out my skeleton for this blog post;

2. Write about what you know

I often find that I write most fluently when I am discussing a topic I know a lot about and not one that I have to research in conjunction with writing. For example, this very post is an essay about a recent experience I’ve had. It needs no Googling or research and I am writing it on a plane to New York without wifi or reference books. I find that this kind of approach allows my writing to be more conversational and a bit more engaging. I also tend to bullshit a lot less writing about something I’ve experienced first hand.

Sure, I’ll often post the odd technical how-to or technology review relevant to our industry, but even then I’ll pick something I have a degree of knowledge about. Why waste time becoming an expert in something when you have a wealth of expertise already achieved through personal and professional experience? Leave the post about the Higgs boson to Brian Cox.

3. Encourage feedback

Asking your peers to appraise your writing will enthuse you to write more whichever way the feedback goes (as long as it’s constructive). Positive feedback will boost your confidence and encourage you to write more, negative feedback will challenge you to be better and employ the advice you’ve been given.

I’ve found that I’ve been writing a lot more since my professional copywriter friends affirmed my writing as enjoyable and insightful. After a few positive reviews and some practical tips for improvement I’ve enjoyed much more confidence in blogging and this has led to an increase in output.

4. Find writers you disagree with

This sounds odd but try and track down a source of contentious writing that provokes you into disagreement. When you read arguments you find yourself refuting, the body of your next article will come instinctively and through your reactions, what could be easier? Make use of your primitive instinct to provocation. This is obviously much easier if you’re writing about subject matter that is a little more controversial or divisive: politics or religion for example, but I’ve found plenty of ‘hard sell’ WordPress blogs advocating borderline disingenuous writing techniques that really grind my gears and my natural responses to that type of content provide an effortless source of content.

5. Get a bloody good blog theme

If you’re posting your hard earned articles to a blog or site that leaves them looking anything less than beautiful you’ll find the publishing part of the process not as rewarding as it should be. Reaching the end of a piece of writing and clicking the publish button should be incredibly satisfying and inspiring. I find that publishing an article on onTap and seeing it arrive in all the right places throughout the blog complete with featured image, crisp title overlays, blockquote pullouts and social sharing buttons just begging to be clicked is a joy like no other. It’s part of what drives me to write content as good as its home.

Clicking publish should be something to cherish.­