Even writers without a single published article can benefit from keeping a blog. Many are unsure of what to write about, or what to focus on. Here are a few tips on blogging that will help freelance writers find a target audience, build readership, and network with others in the writing community.
Make it a Professional Blog
Many people keep blogs as a personal journal, or as a way to let friends and family know what is happening in their daily lives. While there is a place for this, freelance writers should create a blog specifically for their writing career, and keep it as professional as possible.
This doesn't mean they can't express themselves, or provide personal tidbits or funny anecdote. In fact, this is encouraged, as it will give the readers a chance to connect with the writer. However, the writer should always keep in mind that members of the publishing and writing community will have the opportunity to read their blog.
Blog Ideas for Freelance Writers
Here are a few things to think about when creating and maintaining a blog.
- Use a clean, professional template and include a nice head shot. Keep the inappropriate or goofy pictures (and stories) for other types of social media, as long as they are private.
- Create a separate page (easy to do with Wordpress and Blogger) with a personal bio that details experience in the niche area.
- The writer should focus his blog on his niche – the topic he can claim expertise in. A blog is the writer's chance to write about what he wants in the style he wants. A travel writer who has particular interest in South America, for example, should focus his blog on travel experience and advice relevant to those countries.
- Aspiring novelists in particular should save the inappropriate or goofy pictures for Facebook and make sure the photo on their blog is a nice head shot. Personal information is fine – it helps readers connect with their favorite authors – but writers should also include a "sticky" post or a separate, permanent page with information about their book, like a blurb, the cover image, and/or a few sample pages.
- Writers should stay active on other blogs and forums that share an interest in their niche, and link back to them frequently. If the South American travel writer reads an interesting blog post on mountain climbing in Chile, he can write a post with his own thoughts on the topic and provide a link to the original post. Blog surfing is one of the best ways to get inspired!
Be Active in the Blogging Community
Without question, the best way to attract readers is to comment on other blogs. Writers should be active and comment on blogs, forums, and websites that interest them, as doing so automatically leaves a link back to their own blog. This is a natural, not "spammy" way to increase blog traffic and reach readers with similar interests.
It is also recommended for writers to follow the comments on their blog, and interact with their readers. This will help the relationship develop and encourage a regular readership.
Use a Blog to Promote Freelance Writing
Blogs are fun and easy to maintain. All it takes is a few short posts every week to join the blogging community and start growing a readership.
For more reasons why blogs are great for writers, see Why Freelance Writers Should Blog.
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