Is your blog dead? Experts estimate that 95% of those who begin a blog abandon it sooner or later. Forget past failure: that was then, this is now. There is no reason you cannot make a success of your blog this time.
- Should I start over completely?
Depends. If your last significant blog post is more than a year in the past, or you only had a few posts to begin with, you may choose to start fresh with a new name, new header, and new attitude. If you have been posting off and on (more off than on), just start posting again. You can turn over a new leaf any time.
If you don’t want to delete past posts and remove the “evidence” entirely, just leave them there. They are part of your journey. Anyone who judges you for not finishing something you started is obviously an alien from outer space, because everybody does that.
- What do I say in my first post?
Don’t make a big deal out of a spotty posting record. Drawing attention to it will just make new readers feel like it’s a waste of time following someone who might quit again any moment. I’ve seen blogs with multiple posts promising the turning over a new leaf… six months from the last post in which they promised to turn over a new leaf. Just begin as you mean to go on.
- How do I make sure I stay consistent this time?
First, figure out what the problem was before. Was it lack of things to post? Do you hate photographing and editing? Was it the writing part that bothered you? Was it simply remembering to do it? Were you only blogging because you thought you “had” to? Did you get discouraged with lack of sales? You’ll want to nail down what it was that messed with your first attempt.
Then, look for resources, tutorials and accountability groups to help you overcome whatever the issue was. Implement a strict schedule and make it a priority. If you don’t fix what started the decline in the first place, get ready to repeat your pattern.
- What if the problem was a confusing blog platform?
There’s no getting around it—blogs involve tech. And tech can be pretty confusing. If that was the main issue, definitely try an easier platform like TAMS or Typepad. There’s almost no learning curve, and the cost is reasonable. Remember, though, most of us bloggers are self taught. There’s almost nothing you can’t learn by Googling or watching YouTube tutorials. You just have to take it one chunk at a time—and keep taking chunks. Never quit learning.
- How do I promote my blog better than I did in the past?
A very common mistake bloggers make is to remain passively sitting there, waiting for visitors to discover them. You’ll have lots better luck if you create your posts and then spend some time telling people about it. Pin it to Pinterest. Share on Instagram. Tweet it out. Post it to Facebook. Link to it in your newsletters. And link back to yourself, mentioning old posts in new ones. Think of yourself like the Public Relations exec for a client. Get the word out!
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