How to Get Your Blog to 100,000 Visitors and Beyond, Step 5; Write Compelling Content

Step 5 to getting to 100,000 visitors and beyond: Write compelling content.

Obviously, if you want a blog that anyone will visit, you have to write something that other people want to read. Part of this is simply picking the right topic, but you also have to write compelling content. But what makes content compelling? While this certainly isn't an exhaustive list, it should help you get most of the way home:

• Develop a voice and personality for the blog. Every form of communication has a voice/personality. USA Today has one that's different than what Business Week has which is different than ABC World News Tonight. Your blog needs to have its own as well. It needs to speak and communicate in a certain way that makes it unique. In this uniqueness, people who identify with the voice will find it compelling.
• Be creative. Find something interesting, controversial, unusual, etc. and write about it. Give your readers a different take on an old subject and they'll keep coming back for more. One of my more unusual topics is talking about how much pets cost and their negative impact on people's finances. Few things are as dear to people as their pets, so even bringing up the subject is risky, but it has generated a lot of conversation and is certainly compelling.
• Take risks and say what you think. Be willing to tell it like it is. Even if people don't agree with you, they'll still respect your opinion (as long as it's presented correctly) and see your blog as a place with compelling content. Case in point, the "expensive pets" posts noted above.
• Stick to the topic. If you're writing about personal finances like I do, planning for retirement is a subject within the topic. However, underwater basket weaving probably isn't of interest. Stick to the subject area you defined in step #1, and your readers will come back. (Note: You can go off topic every now and then, but don't do it too often.)

I want to end by opening this up to readers for comments. Why do you read certain blogs? Have I missed anything? (I'm sure I have.)

Click here to read part 6 in this series.

Free Money Finance recommends Emigrant Direct.

Comments

[Debt Hater]

I am new to personal finance blogging and find this series helpful. I think I'm up to Step 5: Writing Compelling Content, and should spend some time on this. Reading this and some of the articles I found in the Personal Finance Carnivals have given me great ideas.

Joy