5 ways to grow your blog without going nuts: notes and lessons from Derek Halpern on blogging and making the most of your content
Ok, this post may be a little bit nerdy for those of you who don’t blog or write, but I really wanted to share some goodies I have been learning about blogging and marketing.
A few days ago I attended a free webinar (“How to Build a Wildly Popular Blog that generates Leads and Sales 24/7 (Without Killing Yourself”) by Derek Halpern. I learned some great tips and tricks for growing your blog without stressing too much, and I wanted to share some awesome blog-building tidbits with my fellow writers.
I am a serious note-taker: I typed 3 pages of notes in 45 minutes, all nicely outlined and organized (yep, I was that girl in college). Out of 3 pages of notes, I narrowed this down to 5 of my favorite Halpern tips, along with a couple quotes.
Derek Halpern has created and managed many blogs and has lots of experience, but his most recent project is Social Triggers, a website created to address the psychology of internet business and marketing strategy.
Here are my favorite take-aways from Derek’s webinar. Since this isn’t a full 3+ page transcript of the webinar, and I want to respect Derek’s content and creative rights, I am only sharing a few of his tips that I love the most.
Quality over quantity
Blogging is not just about content, it is also about marketing yourself and your expertise. People will value your posts and blog more if you post fewer, better quality posts rather than daily posts of poor quality.
Remember that people will unsubscribe from blogs that flood their inbox with mediocre posts. I have unsubscribed from a number of blogs because I got tired of too frequent posts that weren’t that great.
Promotion
No, this doesn’t mean go to your boss and ask for a raise. Promotion in this case means that you should spend time creating great content, but you should spend more time promoting that great content. The best content in the world doesn’t do much good if there is no one to read or see it.
Find your niche
Be the right thing to the right person at the right time. Find an area that you are knowledgeable in, passionate about, and brand yourself as an expert.
Stand out from the crowd
Find a way to make your voice unique in your niche. In Derek’s own words: “It isn’t about finding unique ingredients; it is about finding a unique recipe.” You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just find fresh ways to approach your niche topic.
Look for gaps in the market, then see if you can fill them with a unique approach. This can even mean going against mainstream when it comes to blog design or how you interact with people.
Don’t assume you know everything
Don’t be afraid to hire help. If you are having difficulties with an aspect of your blog or business, spend some money to get the proper help. It can make all the difference. As an example in my case, I usually do our family taxes, but since my blogs have been growing, I am going to hire someone to do our taxes to make sure they get done right.
Want more great business, blogging, and marketing advice? Some of my favorite resources are Sandy Krakowski of A Real Change, and Marie Forleo (Marie’s videos are must-watch and fantastic!).
Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie. She’s a food allergy mom and allergy friendly food blogger of 12 years based in Wyoming. Sarah is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Certified Health Coach, Revolution Running certified running coach, and an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist
Promotion!! No, this doesn’t mean go to your boss and ask for a raise. Promotion in this case means that you should spend time creating great content, but you should spend more time promoting that great content. The best content in the world doesn’t do much good if there is no one to read or see it.
Hi FitBetty, that’s great advice, but what does that mean in practical terms? HOW do you promote your blog so people come read it?
Hi Dave, great question. You can share your posts on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) but also comment on similar blogs to get some exposure with people already interested in your topic of interest, paying for ad space on other blogs, and using photo sharing sites (like Tastespotting and FitFramed) to get your work out to the public. You can also try guest posting on other blogs or websites and join blog networks and blog Facebook groups to share links and resources.
Love the post, great info and simple to understand for us not so “blog savy” 🙂
Thanks Lynda 🙂
These are great tips and thanks so much for sharing them. Can’t wait to check out some of these resources.
I am glad you liked the tips! I hope they can be of help 🙂
I am alllllll about quality over quantity. I’ve deleted many a blog from my Reader because I got so bored with the daily meal recaps 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I completely agree! I used to feel like I had to post daily, but my sanity begs to differ, haha 😉
Thanks for sharing, you are a doll!
Aww, thank you Kammie! I love sharing 🙂
Great advice!!! Thank you for this post!
Thanks for stopping by Mindy 🙂
Great tips! Thanks for sharing. It’s easy to forget that there are things we can do to improve our blogs (it’s not just left to the luck of the internet).
So true! Sometimes I get stuck in a rut and it helps just to shake things up a bit
Thank You so much for the tips in this post. I was just discussing with a fellow blogger how I can’t seem to get my numbers to move. They have remained the same for the last 6 months and I am really hoping for it to be on a much larger scale.
I will take each one of this tips and make sure I am doing this and more.
Hi Daphne! I hope these tips can help you out. Derek has done interviews with lots of people, including Marie Forleo, and he shares even more great stuff. The biggest thing for me is finding the places to promote my content, but I have found some good ones. Hmm, maybe that will be my next post!
Great tips! I would also add that it takes time! I have been blogging over three years and I will have month old bloggers ask me how I got to do this or that and the bottom line is, it takes time, establishing reputation, and having people remember you. For most, it doesn’t happen overnight!
Absolutely! New bloggers need to remember that there aren’t too many blogs that become overnight sensations. The rest of us just have to put in lots of time and hard work! Congrats on 3 years, too, that’s awesome 🙂
Awesome tips! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Sure! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Love this! Derek and Marie Forleo are two of my go to people for business advice! Thanks for the recap of Derek’s webinar. I was on information overload so this is a perfect little summary for me 🙂
The info slides moved pretty quickly too! I was watching on my desktop and typing notes on my laptop like a mad woman, haha! That’s why Marie’s videos are great: they tackle one question at a time and are quick 🙂
I love Social Triggers! So many great resources. Thanks for sharing these tips, Sarah. Very similar to what I’ve gleaned from reading ProBlogger’s newest book (I’ll be posting a review of that over on Katy Widrick’s blog in the next couple of weeks).
There’s always so much to learn, isn’t there? (But I love the geeky stuff too!)
Awesome, I will have to check out your review! That book sounds great. There are some books on Marie Forleo recommends that I want to read, too. So many good resources out there – I need to start reading more!