Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
Each week we will post a new top ten list complete with one of our bloggers' answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND post a comment on our post with a link to your Top Ten Tuesday post to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers in the comments.
TOP TEN TIPS FOR NEW BLOGGERS
1. Have a clean layout! I seriously cannot stress this enough. If people cannot easily read and navigate your blog, they will give up and never come back. Nothing deters me from following a blog more than a messy layout. Make sure the font is easy to read and the font color and background color are easy on the eyes (no neon green on bright blue!). Also keep all of your buttons and widgets up to date. If the contest or countdown is over remove it from your sidebar!
2. For the love of God, NO MUSIC. This applies to blogs and youtube. Music will severely slow down your blogs load time, which is annoying as hell. One of my greatest youtube pet peeves is people who are trying to do a book review but have music playing in the background so I can't hear what they're saying. It is infuriating and often I'm really interested in hearing what they have to say, but because they just OMG LUV My Chemical Romance so much and HAVE to play it, I can't hear their opinions. Nothing makes me click out of a video or blog faster than music in the background.
3. Don't COPY! I wish I could say this goes without saying, but sadly there is SO much copying in the blog world. Even I've found places where my words have been copied. If you feel the need to copy someone else's post, take a step back and really think about why you're blogging in the first place. Let me just say now that blogging solely for ARCs will not work. You will burn out long before your blog has enough of a following to catch the attention of any publishers. If ARCs are the only reason you've started a blog, just stop now and save yourself some stress.
4. Communicate with your readers/viewers. When it comes to books, people love to talk about their opinions. If someone comments on your blog, take the time to comment back. You could get a great discussion going and you will also help form a relationship with a reader that will keep them coming back. On the flip side, if you read a fantastic post or watch a great video, let the author know! Comment telling them what you think or you could even make a response post. Of course, if you are inspired by someone else's work link back to the original post. By giving credit where credit is due, you not only help your readers find more good bloggers but you also show yourself to be an honest blogger.
5. Don't get caught up with numbers, but try and be consistent. I have spent way too much time stressing about how many followers/comments/visits my blog and youtube gets, and it can really wear you down. Focus on your content and being an active participant in the community and people will come to you. Just keep swimming.
6. Don't wait to write reviews. This is advice I need to take myself. I would write the review as soon as I finish the book, while it is fresh in my head. You don't have to post it right away and building up a cushion of reviews will help you if you run into a busy time. It is such a relief to have some reviews stored up ready to post during exam week or if you are sick.
7. Don't be an a-hole. I don't really understand why, but the internet seems to have some magical powers that leads everyone to think they can be huge jerks. Well, I'm here to tell you that being a jerk is one of the fastest ways to ruin your reputation. Try and stay out of drama, resist the urge to post a nasty comment or tweet, and if you're planning on writing very negative reviews, expect some backlash. I always try and approach everything I post as if I were doing this to a stranger on the street. Would you tell a stranger they're an ugly fat bitch to their face? No, so don't say it on the internet.
8. Have original content. Be yourself and write with your own voice. Don't try and force yourself to be snarky if you're not that way naturally. Don't force yourself to write sophisticated and analytical reviews if you don't think that way. You will burn yourself out and people will be able to tell you're faking it. Try and figure out what the goal of your blog is and who your target audience is and write to that. Also, memes are super fun, but if that's all your blog is people will get bored fast (and yes, I get the irony of say this in a meme post). Try and balance your memes with reviews and other content.
9. Have an easy to remember and unique name. This is HUGE. Spend some time thinking about your blog title because it is the first thing people see when they come to your blog and can create expectations of what content they will find on your blog. If you call youself The YA Book Reviewer but then all you talk about is adult romance novels, people will be confused. You also want your blog title to be catchy, something readers will easily remember. My blog was originally called Amanda Pearl's Books which, while expressing the fact this is a book blog, isn't that memorable. I love my title Pearl the Book Girl because it ties in my rather unique middle name with the intention of the blog in a catchy way.
10. Blog what you want, because you want. This really should be number 1. This blog is yours, and it's going to be you who spends time and energy creating it. Why bother writing a blog if it's on a topic you're not extremely passionate about? Don't read a book if you don't like it just because you want to review it, don't force yourself to write about topics you don't care about, and, to put it plainly, don't try and be someone your not. Have fun with your blog, write what you want, and eff the rest.
Great list. Totally agree with #2 and #6 - I find I have to write reviews pretty quickly after I've read a book, even if they don't end up posted for a while, cause I forget things I want to talk about.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I agree, I need to take my own advice about writing reviews. I just get lazy and then it's been 6 months since I've read the book and I still need to review it! I get so annoyed with myself when I do that lol.
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