10 Blogging Tips From Vera Sweeney

I learned a lot from my interview with Vera Sweeney of Lady and the Blog. (You can read Part I and Part II if you missed it.) I have actually started implementing some of the takeaways that she shared. As such, I am sharing ten of Vera’s blogging tips that I think are the most helpful.

1. Build relationships with similarly themed blogs. Practical ways to do this include link exchanges, commenting on other blogs, stumbles, tweets and the like.

2. Be personable. When someone does ask a question, be certain to respond.

3. Write about what you love. Don’t just focus on what is popular at the moment.

4. Be active on social media. A Facebook fan wall is especially helpful.

5. Put yourself out there. Show your readers the true you. Videos and personal photos are a couple of ways to do this. Also, go to blogging events and conferences. Meet brands. Reach out to PR people. Start groups with your fellow bloggers where you share helpful information with one another.

6. Pitch. Pitch. Pitch. Never ever give up. If someone says “No” today, then try again in a few months. (That’s what Vera does!)

7. Stay timely. Be sure to check Google Trends to see what terms people are searching. If it is a fit for your blog, write about it.

8. Don’t work with companies that aren’t interesting to you personally. Rather than accepting every offer that you get, think about the long-term impact of aligning yourself with a particular brand. Granted, that can be difficult to do when blogging pays the bills, but staying true to yourself pays off in the end. (Vera’s one exception to this tip is contests and giveaways. As she wrote, “I will give away anything as long as it’s G / PG rated”.)

9. Use video! Vera loves it and thinks that it helps readers connect with you better. As she wrote, “With video – anything goes! I can talk and smile and scream and move my hands around a lot. Yes, I’m Italian”. On that note, she advises every blogger to set up a YouTube channel.

10. Keep it positive. Actually, I didn’t learn this point from my interview with Vera. Rather, it was something that she tweeted after the Strut Moms show. That simple phrase really resonated with me. Vera is one of the most positive bloggers that I know. It’s no small wonder that so many good opportunities tend to come her way. I think that training ourselves to focus on the positive is one of the greatest tips that we can apply to blogging…and to life in general!

In any event, I hope that these pointers have been helpful. As with anything, apply the ones that work for you and your lifestyle. Did any of the tips particularly stand out for you? (Personally, number “9” prompted me to immediately start a YouTube channel for my site.)

{Post image courtesy of Lady and the Blog}