In order to become a better blogger you need to figure out what being a "better blogger" means to you. To start off you can ask yourself, "Who are my blogging idols?" We all have different favorites and that's okay. There is no real right or wrong answer to that question, it just depends on what your idea of a good blogger is.
Now that you've got your idol(s) in mind, the next question you need to ask yourself is, "What makes them a better blogger?" Do they have lots of followers? Are they making a living by blogging? Do they post stunning, Pinterest-worthy outfit photos of themselves? How you gauge their greatness affects your blog strategy.
**This started off as just one post but it's a bit lengthy so I'm breaking it up into several different posts in order to cover more mini-topics.**
So lets say that your goal is to have lots of followers. We all want that, right? But, having lots of followers doesn't exactly mean having a lot of FOLLOWERS. You get what I'm saying? No? Okay. I've seen many, MANY comments from bloggers who write "Nice post! Would you like to follow each other?" and then they go on to list their blog and say how they'll follow you back. And of course you click on their blog and see that they have thousands of followers and start wondering how they got so many followers - until you read comments from other bloggers saying "Thanks for commenting, I'm following you now so don't forget to follow me back!" Or something along those lines.
That, my friends, is called the cut & paste follower. A blogger who uses the same comment for every blog they visit just to gain more followers. Now, you can do that if you want, but I personally don't take those blogs seriously because they're usually just trying to make up in followers what they lack in content.
If you're really serious about becoming a better blogger, you have to put in the work. No pain, no gain, right? As a blogger, I love reading thoughtful, encouraging comments from my readers because it allows me to connect with them and vice versa. Leaving a comment that says "Nice post!" tells me that they probably didn't really read the post or if they did read it and didn't have anything else to say, they're probably not being genuine. I'd rather read a comment that says "I'm really not feeling this post, try writing about a different topic next time." instead of just "Nice post!"
In order to gain real-deal, genuine, and loyal followers, you have to be one yourself. Explore other blogs and help other bloggers out. Leave genuine comments and get a discussion going. And when people comment on your blog, connect with them and support them on their blogging journey as well. The more supportive you are, the more support you'll receive.
A good blogger has a lot of followers, a better blogger has a lot of friends.
♥ Duckie.
