5 Ways to Stand Out in the Blogosphere

So you’ve started your blog and written a few posts.  You’ve told readers who you are and what you do and maybe uploaded a few pictures.  But how do you stand out from the pack?

There are millions of blogs out there and thousands are being added every day, so why should people check out yours?

1. Be educational.  Teach your readers how to do something or point them to useful information (links).  Show off a little of your expertise.

2. Be entertaining.  This one is tough, because everyone has a different sense of humor and what’s hilarious to one person is offensive to another.  However, all bloggers should remember to keep things fairly light - blogging is an informal medium.

3. Be expository.  This one is related to #1, but break complicated subjects down into bite-size pieces so that your readers can learn from your blog.  Share your knowledge, particularly if you’re an expert a particular topic.  Actually, especially if you’re an expert.

4. Be focused.  Stick to a posting schedule (you can always write multiple posts and save them as drafts to publish later) and stay on topic.  Spreading yourself too thin by blogging about too many different topics leads to a disorganized blog with few readers.  Staying on topic is also important in regard to search engine optimization.

5. Be colorful.  I don’t mean using a rainbow-patterned template, but share your hobbies/quirks/amusing anecdotes with readers.  If you look at the popular blogs, they all have a distinct style or voice (yes, there will be future posts about developing your voice on Create Compelling Content).