Photo by Athena

If you want to be a trusted, valuable resource in your blog’s niche, you’ll want to write posts that stand out.  Posts that people will bookmark, e-mail to their friends, mention on their own blogs, or even simply print out and stick on the fridge – these are the types of posts that make your blog one they’ll want to read.  Your blog is one that improves their daily life, is a wealth of information, and is incredibly useful.  Do that, and your blog will succeed.

Sounds easy, right?

Building up your blog to be the go-to place takes time.  It’s not easy, in fact.  But there are a few tricks of the trade that make it a little bit easier – simple ways that increases your blog’s stickiness (definition: a blog that keeps its readers).  And none of them are terribly hard.

• Use very small paragraphs. People don’t read blogs, they skim them.  If you hand them a huge block of text, they’ll skip right over it, along with the life-changing information you’ve just written.  Successful blog that does this well: Rocks in My Dryer

• Use bullet points or numbered lists. These are the types of posts people save, share, and bookmark.  They’re useful, because they’re easy to read.  This is a bullet point post.  Successful blog that does this well: Zen Habits

• Write clearly. While it’s important to write well, it’s not important to impress your audience with multi-syllabic words and fancy jargon no one really uses.  Talk like a person, not like a snooty expert.  Successful blog that does this well: Frugal Dad

• Be witty. You don’t have to write joke after joke after joke, but if you can, provide a voice that sounds natural, as though your reader is sitting down with you over coffee or a glass of wine at a dinner party.  Successful blog that does this well: Put Things Off

• Get to your point immediately. Very few successful blogs can ramble at the beginning and keep its readership.  Treat your readers as smart adults with a busy life, and tell them right away what your post is about.  Successful blog that does this well: Like Merchant Ships

Photo by Krista

• Find your unique angle to a well-known subject. If you’re going to write about something everyone’s dog’s blog is writing about, make your piece incredibly different than anyone else’s.  Write about being a mom, but write about potty training and being the tooth fairy and watching your kids grow in a new way.  Be different.  Successful blog that does this well: Dooce

• Use photos. There should be a really good reason if your post doesn’t have an accompanying photo.  And I really can’t think of one off the top of my head.  FYI:  There are scads of places online to find legal, free, or cheap photos.  Flickr is one of them, but please read this article about giving proper credit before using other’s photos willy-nilly.  Successful blog that does this well: Soule Mama

• Don’t use music. Many people read blogs at work, with sleeping babies on their laps, or in the only quiet time of their day (i.e., kids’ nap times).  Don’t scare the pants off of them while they’re blog surfing.  If you want to keep readers at your site, then keep your music widget with an optional play button, if you must have it at all.  Successful blog that does this well: Any blog that doesn’t use music

• Take a stand. If it’s something you’re truly passionate about, don’t be afraid to share your opinion.  People remember the posts that vehemently defend an issue that means the world to them.  Successful blog that does this well: Queen of Spain

• Be real. Even though you should convince readers that you’re qualified to write about your niche, don’t scare them away by appearing perfect.  Mistakes are what make people people – I, for one, love someone’s advice or opinion all the more if they learned it the hard way.  Share your blunders.  And your readers will cheer when you succeed.  Successful blog that does this well: Looking Towards Heaven

What kind of posts on your blog receive the most comments? These tend to be the ones your readers enjoy the most.  What does that say about the type of blog you have?  How can you reproduce that type of post?  Is there anything you’d add to my list?