There’s always more to learn about blogging.

A common misconception is that blogging just requires writing talent.  Running a successful blog takes tons of different skills.  There’s always more to learn.

These 5 tips should put you in the fast lane for blogging success.

Blog Tips

#1 Stick to your niche

Stay focused on your niche with every post you write.

The quickest way to turn away readers is to have a weird assortment of content.  If you have a blog about interior decorating, then only right about that subject.

Writing about what you did last weekend is going to turn away readers.  The deal is that they come to your blog to read the content your site is supposed to be about.  If you don’t stay on subject, your readers will begin to look elsewhere for new content in your niche.

Even writing a post about landscaping or outdoor decorating may be off-subject in this example.  Just be sure you know exactly what your blog is going to be about when you get started blogging, and make sure your readers know too.

#2 get to the point

People skim so make your point fast.

You generally have 10 seconds to get someones attention so make your point right away.

The best way to do this is to write in what is called “Inverted Pyramid” style.  This means you start off with your most focused, concise information.  You then widen your scope by providing supporting evidence and dialogue.

I don’t write like this naturally so I always have to go back and edit.  Great content isn’t written – it’s edited.

#3 Break up your content

You need to break up your content in order to slow down the skimmers.

Make your posts easier to read and more manageable by including

• headers
• images
• bullet points
• short paragraphs
• bold text

All of these different visuals and formatting changes will help you keep more people on your blog longer.  Essentially, you want to convert those skimmers into readers because they become subscribers, and eventually customers

#4 Encourage sharing

People love to share so don’t make it hard.

Add social buttons to the top and bottom of every post to make it easy to share your content.  Facebook and Twitter are a MUST, and Stumbleupon and Google+ are also very good additions.  Depending on your niche, you may want to include a Pinterest or other niche specific social sharing button.

#5 Write Often

The main value of a blog is it’s content.

Besides writing awesome blog posts, make sure you write them often too.  Adding fresh content is the best way to build your blog.

Every new blog post is a reason for subscribers to come back.  It’s also a new opportunity to rank for another keyword in the search engines.  Even though it might sound counter intuitive, the best way to get more traffic is just to write more.

This doesn’t mean kill yourself with carpal tunnel and publish 10 posts a day.  1-7 posts per week is fine and it’s totally up to you how many you write.