There are so many tools out there for new bloggers to try and use. Unfortunately, for those who have already passed the ‘just born blogger’ hump, you learned that it took some searching to find what you needed. It also probably took extra searching to make sure what you found was not off the wall information.
So many bloggers who have put a few months under their belt are eager to jump on the bandwagon and show newbies the way. This is great! Go for it, BUT do it right!
How can you advise a newbie blogger the right way?
Every blogger has their own tone of writing, but sometimes your readers may take something the wrong way because they are reading the words ‘as is.’ Unless you do a video, they are not going to hear the humor or light heartedness versus the seriousness in the tone of your voice. They will not see your facial expressions. Written communication does not always turn out the same as verbal. It is not uncommon to hear about some kerfuffle online that started over a misunderstanding from just reading another person’s words at face value.
Well, considering all the personalities that you will ever encounter, you have to meet it with a friendly, yet informative tone. Never seem “know it all” and in your face. The Internet is always changing, so you need to have an open mind about things and anything that is in your face is not going to attract regular readers.
People do not learn by having content seemingly shoved in their face. It is often a put off and encourages people to argue, rather than work for a civil solution.
Be prepared to update information when it changes and present it to your visitors so they can relate to it. Rather than tell them that they “you need to do this, and this, and this” – show them the way. It is the same as telling directions. It is much friendlier to show the way, then just point the way.
Be prepared to back up your information from more notable bloggers in your niche that can agree with you that what you share has been tested and confirmed as working. These notable bloggers are people that may have covered similar topics that may even be more relatable to your visitors. This allows your visitors to see that you care that they get the right information.
If you do not know the answer, refer the newbie to someone you believe does. This is the best thing that you can do. It makes you resourceful.
The first few months a blogger has been building their website is crucial. Like a kid, they are impressionable because they see or perceive that other bloggers they follow are the ones they need to learn from. Newbie bloggers do not need fancy words. Tell them the story straight up. 🙂
What other advice do you have for established bloggers who want advise newbie bloggers?
I'd advise a newbie blogger to only focus on content the first few months. Before creating the initial content, I would advise to implement basic on-page seo strategies and choosing a nice, clean layout template. After the initial setup, its all about content.
A new blogger should also focus on the regularity with which he posts new content. This is very important because it will tell people that you are serious about being a blogger. Of course, another thing that a new blogger should look into is his grammar and spelling. If being a hundred percent correct is not really a must, it should be something to work on, as this is one of the gauges for content quality.
– Wes –
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Brilliant Job Nile. Definitely referring to someone else who able to give an answer of a particular query is i think the sign of genuineness and readers believe your blog as resourceful platform. Really great advice for newbie blogger. This will help from the two ends one boost personally and other from blog perceptive.
Good post Nile! I wish I had this advice when I began blogging!