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Five Vows Pet Bloggers Should Make
Post by Blog Manager Robbi Hess
While there are certain steps you can take to enhance your pet blogging efforts and there are particular items you should avoid, you need to make the decisions that sit right with you.
Pet blogging is a personal endeavor, but I do have a few vows that I made to myself when I jumped into pet blogging.
I’d like to share those with you now:
- Don’t ignore your pet blog. If you want to have readers you need to offer them something to read. Some bloggers are comfortable with putting up a new post twice a month and if that works for them, then that’s fine and that’s the decision they’ve made with the time they have available. It’s a known fact though, that the more you blog, the more reason readers will have to come back to your site and the more Google power you will receive. Determine how often you can blog, stick with it and if you want to, announce to your readers, “Check back every Tuesday for new content.”
- Embrace your own unique voice. If you want to do your blog in the voice of your dog or cat, then go for it. There are many successful blogs that do just that. In addition to coming to your site for the content you offer, your readers come to your pet blog for the unique spin you put on the topics you cover. Don’t muffle your creativity.
- Use great pictures. If you’re a pet blogger,chances are your pets can provide you myriad opportunities to snap a photo of them doing something cute that you can use on your site or in your blog posts. Readers are drawn into blog posts that offer pictures (and picture also help with your Pinterest efforts)
- Be personable and personal. While your pet blog shouldn’t be your “Dear Diary” readers want to feel they “know” you through your blogging efforts. Has something happened with your pet that you want to share with the world? Do it. Pet owners know that not all days in the world of pet parenting are bright and sunshiney — there are days that try your heart and soul — let your readers see into your life and make a personal connection with you and your pets.
- Build friendships and connections. If you receive comments on your blog, respond. Thank the individual who comments. Your blog, just like your social media pages, should be used to foster friendships and conversations.
What blogging “vows” do you adhere to?
(Photo: Sophia Loren from the BlogPaws Facebook page)
Thank you for the advice. They are welcomed.
Thanks for the tips – really useful! Building an audience for a blog takes time, and a lot of effort. I’m trying to stick to a Monday, Wednesday and most Fridays blogging schedule, but sometimes life gets in the way. I also try and name my photo files & add captions as it helps google to find Alfie’s blog.
Lots of beginning bloggers check out sites promising to teach them how to be successful bloggers. While it’s great to learn from people who have come before us, it can make us dissatisfied with our earliest efforts. And discourage us.
It’s no wonder so many bloggers give up after less than a year of blogging.
Your post is a helpful reminder that if you don’t stay true to yourself, you’ll never write anything worth reading.
I’ve not long started and within only the first 6 weeks of blogging, I’m getting an average of 4 comments per day advising me on how to SEO my site, attract more traffic, blah, blah, blah. Luckily my comment spam filter has caught them all so far.
I also made the mistake of signing up to sooo many IM / SEO / marketing e-mail lists and I found I was spending about 1.5hrs per day reading and ‘learning’. Learning? No, I was time wasting. I think the best move a blogger could ever make is to unsubscribe from the vast majority of mailing lists they’re on and start concentrating on actually writing for their site, rather than reading more and more on what they should be doing 🙂