Written by a Contributor
There’s a whole load of lessons to learn in the blogging world before you stand to see success. Sadly, the only way to learn them is to send posts out into the world and see how things go. Hence why the majority of successful bloggers cringe at the thought of those early posts. We are ALL ill-experienced during our first forays. Of course, you can read all the other blogs you want, but writing your own is a whole different experience. Sorry to burst your bubble, but no amount of preparation can ensure your success.
If you’re lucky, that won’t matter. Your posts will still go down well, and you’ll start to build a readership. In truth, though, even early success doesn’t make you immune to mistakes. There will be times when a post doesn’t hit the spot. It may be that it simply doesn’t get the views your other posts command. Or, it may end up losing you subscribers. Either way, there’s always a temptation to delete a post like this and forget about it..
But, before you do that, it’s worth asking yourself why this post failed. After all, your success up until now hasn’t held too many valuable lessons. Only in our mistakes can we learn how to do things right. With that in mind, consider the following lessons your failed blog post might hold.
A lesson in what your audience doesn’t like
Until now, you’ve somehow managed to tap into what your audience like. At least, they seem to have enjoyed your content enough to keep boosting your views. But, when a post suddenly gets no views or drops your page count, it’s a sign you’ve gone down the wrong route. The important thing to do here is not panic. One unpopular post does not an unsuccessful blogger make. This will only become an issue if you go on to post further content about this unpopular subject.
To make sure that doesn’t happen, it’s down to you to determine what the issue was. Did this post deviate far from your most successful blog topics? Did you display controversial or strong opinions which may have been unpopular? It may even be that your content wasn’t the issue at all. A weak blog title, for instance, could see real ripples in your readership. It could lead to a drop in clicks and also a dip in your search engine ranking. Hence why post titles need your full attention at all times!
Get a feel for where exactly you went wrong by looking at your blog analytics. If people didn’t even click on this post, your titles need some work. If they clicked on it but shortly unsubscribed or clicked away again, there was a thorn in your content. Consider, then, avoiding posts like this in the future.
The importance of marketing
No matter what happens on your blog, it stands to teach you about the importance of marketing. It may be that you’ve managed to get by without this up until now, but your bad blog post is a sign that luck is up. Instead, this failure should show you just how important marketing is. The fact is, this is the way you get the word out about your posts.
It’s worth accepting that your low visiting numbers on that last post could be down to something simple. It may well be that people didn’t even notice that post went up. In a way, this should come as a relief. It reflects that there’s nothing wrong with your content in itself. Celebrations! But, if that’s the case, it’s essential you focus on marketing efforts from now on. You certainly don’t want another post which struggles to get off the ground.
As you haven’t tackled this before, you may be best off working with a company like China marketing agency, who can help with everything from social media campaigns to understanding your audience. If not, consider that you need to get your name out there. You should use at least two of three platforms like Twitter or Instagram to post about new content.
It may also pay to develop an email newsletter. This will let current readers know about future uploads. These efforts may not be your favorite part of blogging, but they are essential for getting the word out there. You only have to look at your floundering post for proof of that.
When not to post
Another possibility is that you posted your latest upload at the wrong time of day. Though you might not realize it, the times you choose to hit publish have significant sway on success. Sadly for you, there is no one-size-fits-all time here. But, there are a few different ways you can ensure your timing is spot on. For one, use logic before pushing that button.
If you’re posting during the middle of the afternoon, most of your readership will likely be at work. As such, it’s not a good idea. Instead, you may find higher reader numbers when posting before 9 or after 5. It’s also worth heading to your page analytics here. In most cases, you should be able to see when visitor rates to your site soar. Monitor these over a few days, then get into the habit of posting when popularity is at its peak.
The need to proofread
Let us not forget that your failed post may also be a harsh lesson in the need to proofread before publishing. This is especially the case if readers clicked away within a matter of seconds. Revisit that post and look out for mistakes. Spelling or grammar errors in the first paragraph are a lesson in themselves. Errors like these are frustrating for readers and could be responsible for your lack of recent success. The fact is, aside from showing issues with your skill, this indicates a simple lack of effort. Andl, why should your readers bother with a post you barely put any time into in the first place?
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