Being an award-winning blogger is not an easy fete. It means that your writing must make an impact on people. It means that you must amaze people with your writing prowess. It means that you must appeal to their inner souls; to their emotions. It means that they must benefit from what you give them. It may be for their well-being in the case of health blogs, a business sense in the case of business blogs or even their imagination in the case of creative writing blogs.
All in all, they have to find what you write useful. If it is useful to your audience, then they will always look forward to your blog post. They will follow you like the way a dog does a bone- yearning for more. They will nominate you, they will vote for you and you will win that award.
But how do you become an award-winning blogger?
Pick a niche that isn’t boring
As far as boring goes, what might be boring for one person might be very interesting to someone else. It’s a bit tricky. This is where audience segmentation comes in. Who is your target audience? What kind of content do they like reading? When you answer these questions, then you will know the kind of content to come up with to keep them on their toes.
Embrace your readers
Let’s face it, you can’t have a blog without readers. I mean, who are you creating your content for? Readers are what will make your blog grow and ultimately win that coveted award. Blog greatness is measured in terms of views, engagement and sharing. The people who do this are your audience; they are the ones to ultimately promote your blog for you. So, if a reader has taken his/her time to read through your work and leave a comment, the least you can do is to have the courtesy to reply.
Have personality on your blogs
Every writer has what we call a voice in their writing. Voice is a distinct personality, style, or point of view of a piece of writing or any other creative work. Everyone has one. You just have to put it into practice. As for me, I write the way I talk. I include what I am thinking at the time; a hint of sarcasm here and there, an exclamation and the like. That is my voice in my writing.
You can include that in your post too. Readers love to relate to the writer on a personal level. It brings your readers closer, like a community or a friendship.
Write about what you know
It is easy to lose the way when you start writing about complicated stuff that you don’t even comprehend. I mean, it’s like a veterinarian writing about human medicine. They may be living things but not necessarily the same. Veterinarians deal with animals while doctors deal with human beings. Some may say the difference is the same, but I say, stick to your lane!
Write what you are passionate about. You will never lose content when you go that route.
Make people read your blog posts
Oh, this is easier said than done, isn’t it? But why not? If people can read Magunga and Bikozulu, why not read yours? What makes them better than you? Nothing actually. If you write awesome content, you will have an awesome following. Remember to share your content on all your social platforms because that is where your audience is.
Know why you are blogging
Why did you start blogging in the first place? is it a hobby, a future career or just a passing tide? It is easy to lose focus when you start a blog on a whim. It will entertain you for a while and then you will get bored. What happens to the readers you have accumulated? Before you start a blog, think long and hard what you want to achieve and then set blogging goals.
This season of the BAKE Awards, make sure to submit your blog. You never know! Yours might be the award-winning blog.
Timeline – bakeawards.co.ke/timeline
Rules – bakeawards.co.ke/rules
Categories – bakeawards.co.ke/categories
History – bakeawards.co.ke/history