Mostly blogs are started because someone likes the idea of blogging, has a message to share, or something they like so much or which is so popular, they want to share it with others. Setting up some kind of plan before you start is always better than starting on a whim, and two things you have to think of is variety of content, and how often you want to or can post.
One subject only?
You ask yourself if blogging about one subject only will be interesting enough to readers. My answer to this question will always be yes. Make that one subject your umbrella, and then break it up in different parts, to keep it interesting. Say for instance you start a blog about books. Then think about the different things you can write about regarding books, for example:
- Books you have read;
- Books on your to-be-read pile;
- Share some book reviews;
- Write about your favorite authors;
- Read about books in the media and share your opinion on the articles;
- Ask a friend what they like to read and why, and share it on your blog, quoting them.
Maybe you choose to start a food blog. You can talk about your favorite foods, or your least favorite ones. Share some recipes. Write about what you have eaten when you dined out. Share tips on safety in the kitchen, or information on food that’s not well-known.
Another example: a lifestyle blog. Up to a year ago my blog was known as a sex blog, but for a long time already I haven’t been writing only about sex. In fact, there were a lot of posts there about my life, about (mental) health, thoughts and musings about every day things. I realized ‘sex blog’ wasn’t fitting anymore, so I started calling it a lifestyle blog, which meant I could write about any subject under the sun, and it still will fit!
Keep variety in your content
Every umbrella subject you write about can be sub-divided into many different subjects. Those different subjects help you to keep variety in your content. It keeps your blog from becoming boring, or you writing the same thing over and over again, but in different words.
Think of this as stories: if you read one book after the other, you want the stories to differ, the plots to be different and to grip you every time. You don’t want to read one book and think it sounds the same as the previous one, or be able to guess the next plot twist. That’s what you should do with your content too. You need to vary the things you write about, even though they all fit under the same umbrella. If you don’t, visitors will get bored, thinking same ‘ol, same ‘ol, and they will browse on.
One way which might help you getting variety in your content, is looking out for different memes you can participate in. Many memes have prompts, which can spark you to look at a subject you have already written about in a different way, and bingo! You have a new blog post!
How often should you publish a post?
Regularly.
Let me explain.
You should post regularly. This means daily, or weekly or fortnightly or monthly, whatever you see as frequently. If you are just starting out, posting monthly or fortnightly will not be often enough. Even once a week will be too little. If you want to build a readership, try to post no less than twice, but preferably three times a week. People need to get to know you, so you need to be on the ball and share your content.
Post on fixed days. If you decide to post twice a week, post on Monday and Thursday, or Tuesday and Friday, or Wednesday and Saturday. Every Monday and Thursday, or every Tuesday and Friday, or every Wednesday and Saturday. Religiously post content on the same days, and do this for months, so you readers know when the posts will be there.
Example: you have chosen to start a book blog, and want to post three posts a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. Alternate your Mondays to post about books you have read, and a book review. Every Wednesday you write about authors, once Wednesday about one of your favorite authors, and on the other Wednesday you share information about an author who’s book(s) you have read. On Saturdays you share opinions – your opinion on book/author articles you have read, or books your friends have read.
How I do it
On my blog, every Wednesday I publish my Wicked Wednesday post, and I have done so since the beginning of the meme. My post goes live on a Wednesday, not a Tuesday, not a Thursday, no, on Wednesday. The same way, on Fridays, the one week I write for Tell Me About, the other for 4Thoughts. Tuesdays and Saturdays I share episodes from the soon to end story, No Consent. What I mean to say, is plan your posts. Believe me, planning it like this makes a difference. Maybe not to the readers, but it helps you to keep focused and vary the content of your blog to keep your visitors interested.
Happy planning!
Image from Pixabay
I think there are so many side bits to one topic that a blogger can explore and I want to do a food blog but dont have the time !!! lol
May xx