21 Ways To Skyrocket Your Blogging Success

What is blogging success? It is my humble opinion that if you are enjoying yourself and achieving what you want out of it, then you are successful.

Society has its rules, but I live in my own world where I create my own terms. That’s what it means to be an entrepreneur!

Bloggers are entrepreneurs.

I’ve been blogging full time for over 15 years and I still have a challenge with people in my life that fail to see blogging as a career, as a business, as a profession to be taken seriously.

The truth is that my blogging success has made possible for me to work from home, homeschooling my daughters, and providing a better quality of life to my family than I ever even imagined.

When I think about how I got started blogging it seems like it was yesterday and I had no idea how much I would accomplish through my blog. I am in awe that  have won awards for blogging!!! It’s absolutely surreal.

21 Ways To Skyrocket Your Blogging Success

If you want to become a blogger, I can set up your blog from scratch at no charge, thanks to my partnership with Bluehost. I love being able to do this because I had to figure it all out on my own in 2004 when blogging wasn’t even a thing.

If you have already started blogging, but aren’t seeing the results you look for, have BOLD goals to rock your blog, want to take it just a bit further, or just love yourself a little challenge, you can hire me to do a blog audit for you, so you can know the exact steps you need to take to get to a higher level.

For now, you can explore my list of 21 ways to skyrocket your blogging success to make money and make a difference, so you can start implementing what you feel you need NOW!

Create a Content Strategy for Your Blog

A content strategy is key to monetization and blogging success, because you are a content creator!

I know many of us creatives enjoy spontaneity, but a bit of structure didn’t kill anybody (that I know of, anyway) and your commitment, consistency, and quality content will help you create massive results in your blog.

Whether you use a paper calendar, the WordPress Calendar plugin, a Google Doc, or a more sophisticated tool like CoSchedule, or HubSpot Marketing, you want to create an editorial calendar to plan your blog posts.

Focus on Your Blog Readers

The first rule of writing is knowing, understanding, and writing for your audience. The best way to get to know them is to engage with them and ASK them!

Brian Clark, the founder and CEO at Copyblogger says “it takes a lot of upfront research, and often means being a member of the very tribe you’re trying to lead – but it pays off.”

You probably know how I feel about the word “tribe” used in this context, but the point he’s making is that knowing your blog readers will help you engage them and serve them at a greater level. Plus… this way you’ll never run out of content that resonates with them!)

Create a Marketing Plan Your Blog

Blogging is a business, and every business needs a marketing plan. A marketing plan is simply a document that outlines the why, what, how, where, and when of your marketing, as well as how you’re going to make money doing it (as little or lot as you wish to make).

When I work with moms to create or improve their blog, I use a simple 7-Step Marketing Plan that Jay Conrad Levinson himself used to build Fortune 500 companies in his time!

As a blogger, making friends with Marketing is a great idea for your blogging success. Marketing is NOT advertising. I broke the marketing process into 5 stages: Contact, Conversation, Connection, Community, and Conversion.

Be intentional as to how you are going to go through this process with your readers, the brands you want to work with, and the media.

Brand Your Blog

Don’t be “just another WordPress blog,” and make your brand consistent! Use the same bio, photo, username, and brand colors throughout all your social media channels and your overall online and offline presence.

Trust is the mother of loyalty. You can quote me on that. LOL

Tools like NameChk help you select a username that is available everywhere you want to be.

Besides having your own logo, tagline, and colors, you can use images to reinforce the message and essence of your brand in each post!

Engage Your Blog Readers

Mari Smith once said “Content is king, but engagement is queen… and she rules the house!” Neglecting existing readers is one of the top mistakes bloggers can make.

When you provide value, attention, and answers to your existing audience, they will help you grow your blog. You can study my proven formula you can use to get more likes and followers, so you can serve more people!

Create Authentic Content For Your Blog

A blog post is different from an article, because you’re allowed to be vulnerable, authentic, and transparent! You want to make sure your voice, your core values, and your personality shine through all that you do.

At the end of the day, people don’t follow your blog, they follow YOU.

You don’t “have to be” “are supposed to be” or “should be” anything other than you to serve your readers or increase your blogging success, because in your uniqueness lies your greatness.

Make Your Blog Posts Easy To Share

Make sure your blog posts are easy to share. I use the Grow by Mediavine plugin because it’s effective and light-weight, and there are many other options out there.

I recommend that you add a clear call to action at the end of your blog posts: a simple “please share” or asking a question, you will see an increase in your engagement, conversion, and traffic.

The best CTA is “subscribe” because you can push notifications every time you publish a blog post, and it gives your blog readers a chance to come back for more helpful content. I also include my blog URL and this CTA as part of my email signature!

Pinterest is a huge search engine and a powerful source of traffic for your blog, so make sure you include at least one pinnable image on each post. I’m actually going back to old posts and adding Pinterest-friendly images to make them more attractive and shareable!

I use Canva to design my images and I use tinypng.com to compress my images so they don’t slow down my site.

Use Your  Your Blog About Page Strategically

Update your About Page and make sure it tells your visitors why they should stick around, subscribe, and read more. Read more tips about writing your About Me Page here.

How you tell your story, how you present your offering, and how you position your skillsets will help you monetize your blog through affiliate marketing, brand ambassadorships, and advertising.

Use Your Blog To Build Your List

Focus on building an email list.

Do you have a free gift for e-mail subscribers?

Do you send them a newsletter?

How do you keep them engaged?

You need a list that you would own – even if all social platforms start charging or disappear over night. It’s also a way to stay in contact, alerting your audience when new content is available.

I use Constant Contact to build my email list, which is powerful e-mail marketing made easy for your business. E-mail marketing helps your business grow and they have a free 30-day trial.

I also recommend using a professional e-mail address so you can be taken seriously as an entrepreneur. Google Suite is what I use for my branded email address, while also taking advantage of the amazing business-building tools it has to offer.

Say NO To More Blog Opportunities

Learn to be selective when working with brands and avoid brands, products, and services that are not in alignment with your priorities or overall vision. Say NO more often because very often less is more.

When you say no to what you’re not passionate about, you will have time, energy, and space for that which is ideal for you when it shows up.

This is true for other opportunities, invitations, or requests that aren’t related to blogging, as well. Setting boundaries is going to help you in every area of your life. I guarantee it!

Get Clear On Your Blog Purpose

They say if you are a Jill of all Trades, you are a master of none, so when you specialize in just a few things, you can really achieve mastery!

I recommend you use my 5-step elevator pitch formula to communicate who you help, what you help them do, and what they can achieve.

Next, you want to look through all your categories and see which topics really matter to your blog readers. Identify if there’s a bigger umbrella where these blog topics fit.

To assure blogging success, go ahead and narrow your focus down to the main 3 categories that will help your blog audience to solve their problems and realize their dreams.

Know Your Worth As A Blogger

As a blogger, your work is valuable, your time is valuable, your energy is valuable, and anyone who asks for you to invest any of it in their brand must be willing to invest in yours… in YOU.

When you post sponsored content, you are acting as a media company and deserve pay.

Copywriters make money

Graphic Designers make money

Photographers make money

Web Developers make money

Social Media Managers make money

Recipe and Craft Developers make money… 

You are worth investing in, and you have the right to politely decline any non-paid or under-paid work that comes your way.

I have cut my fee and worked in a pro-bono campaign before, only when the cause is something that fulfills me in emotional and spiritual ways. However, even when this is the case, I do send an invoice, showing the amount that was waved from my actual fee. If I don’t claim my own worth – who will?

Become a Speaker On Blog Topics

I encourage you to start speaking. You can start by adding a speaking tab on your blog site and choosing a speaking topic.

You can read my post about how to choose your speaking topics and how to exactly how to design your speaker one sheet so you can get ideas on how to promote yourself as a speaker.

You can find many opportunities to speak at Meetup.com.

Turn Your Blog Into A Course

Experts are teachers. In order to stand out in a saturated marketplace and position yourself as a leader, you must create a course (or many courses!).

In my experience, LifterLMS is the easiest money saving way to create your online training platform and community from idea through first sale to full scale – and you can install it right on your WordPress blog.

The best part is that you already have content to use and you can even use my affiliate link to get a LifterLMS 30 day trial for just $1. I encourage you to get started soon – I can help!

Add A Media Page To Your Blog

Journalists, editors, and researchers are always looking for someone to feature or interview. Having a press-friendly page helps reporters choose you as a source so they can showcase you, your blog, and your expertise.

Check out my media page (make sure you scroll all the way down so you can see everything I have on there), then make a list of what you could include in yours.

Remember what I always say: It ain’t bragging, if it’s true!

Pitch Your Blog To The Media

Besides being ready for media opportunities, you can also be proactive in seeking media coverage for your blog by signing up to websites that match you up with reporters at absolutely no charge.

Some of my favorites are HERO, PitchRate and RadioGuestList.com. I have used these sites to get myself and my clients on radio, TV, and national magazines.

I’ve been featured on CBS, ABC, FOX, NBC, CNN en Espanol, Latina, Reader’s Digest, Telemundo, Univision, Market Watch, The CW, The Huffington Post, and so many more media and news outlets – and so can you!

Track Your Blog Results

Looking at our blog with a critical eye every once in a while is a healthy practice to keep things fresh and moving forward.

Do you constantly track your Analytics? 

Are you staying true to the core mission of your blog?

Is your blog evolving? How?

How often do you post on your blog? Is your blogging consistent?

What blog posts are most popular? Can you see a pattern?

How’s your site speed? What could be slowing your website down?

Test your contact forms and opt-in box… Is everything is working properly?

Are there any broken links you need to take care of? (I use brokenlinkcheck.com, which is free).

How is your site security and overall site health?

Is there a task you must delegate or an investment you need to make to achieve your next blogging goal?

It’s equally important to look at your analytics, site performance, and overall strategy. If you really want blogging success, I suggest to assess your blog often!

Pick a day of the week to go through your blog posts and use these four words to evaluate yourself:  worked well | do differently.

Turn Your Blog Into A Book

Have you ever thought about publishing a book? Becoming an author is the easiest way to authority in your field, especially when you make your book a bestseller!

If you can blog, you can publish a book. As a matter of fact, I have helped many mom entrepreneurs publish their books and their number one objection was that they didn’t want to write it. If you are a blogger, you already create content!

You can start outlining your first book by choosing your top 7 to 12 blog posts within a category, and expanding on each of these “chapters.”

I would be glad to coach you in your book publishing journey!

Boost Your Blog Visibility

Visibility matters when you’re building a brand. The best way to grow your blog traffic is by leveraging SEO. Through Search Engine Optimization, you can be found by someone who is already looking for what you have to offer. Having a great influx of organic traffic is a good sign of blogging success.

There are many other unconventional ways to market your blog, as well. Guerrilla Marketing, a practice in which I am a certified Master Trainer, offers 200 weapons [tools you can use] to market yourself for free or very low cost.

I put together a list so you can choose some of those to start gaining more exposure. Here’s that list of Guerrilla Marketing Weapons.

Turn Your Blog Posts Into Videos

I recently decided that I’m going to start posting videos to my YouTube channel again. Video marketing is one of the most powerful business tools today and, frankly, shooting quality videos is easier than ever!

The reasons we do not produce and publish video content more often are usually subconscious ones. I think it all stems from the inner bully, or as Lou Austin would say, The Little Me. I say this because it’s easy for me to talk about everything I’m passionate about, but the camera staring back at me gets intimidating sometimes!

YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world and not only can help you promote your blog, your book, and your course, it can be a stand alone source of revenue, as well.

If you want to get started with YouTube, I wrote a post that can help you – you can read it here. Let’s be accountability partners on this one!

Don’t Make Your Blog Perfect

Forget perfectionism! Perfectionism is the enemy of greatness. Your blog does not have to be or seem perfect… and neither do you. You don’t have to follow everyone’s advice (especially when some of it is conflicting), or get all the steps “right,” according to someone else’s standards. Just do what resonates with you.

True blogging success comes when you meet yourself where you are, just as you would your best friend….after all, you must be your best friend! Oh- and repeat after me: “Done is better than perfect!” – okay?

The first step to any success is awareness. I always say that progress is success, and when you are constantly finding ways to improve, even if you make very minor changes, you will find your way to success!

What is ONE thing that resonates with you from the list? I admit this is a long list… but a long journey starts with the first step. I look forward to your comments below!

Founder of the Positive MOM® and creator of the S.T.O.R.Y. System: a blueprint to craft and share powerful stories that will transform your results and help others do the same. Dr. Elayna Fernández is a single mom of 4, an award-winning Storyteller, Story Strategist, and Student of Pain. She’s a bestselling author, internationally acclaimed keynote speaker, and 5x TEDx speaker. She has spoken at the United Nations, received the President’s Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award, and was selected as one of the Top Impactful Leaders and a Woman of Influence by SUCCESS Magazine. Connect with Elayna at thepositivemom.com/ef and follow @thepositivemom. To receive a gift from Elayna, click HERE.

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