Matthew Paul Turner is best known for his Jesus Needs New PR blog. Additionally, he is the author of ten books and the former editor of CCM Magazine. Recently he shared nine suggestions for bloggers who seek to improve their craft:
- Stop reading advice posts about how to blog and instead just go blog something. Chances are, if you follow MY advice, it won’t work for you. Yes, I realize those last two sentences sort of contradict each other, but they’re both true, so you have no choice but to wrestle within the tension.
- Most of the time (not always), becoming popular in the blogging world is a complete accident. So go creates accidents! Seriously, be creative. Most accidents are just accidents that nobody reads or views. However, sometimes an accident will increase your traffic, offer you a voice, and fuel you to continue creating accidents.
- Be funny, sensational, opinionated, over-the-top, interesting, deep, provocative–just be SOMETHING that sets you apart from others. Let’s face it: MOST BLOGS ARE BORING. And nobody has time to read boring blogs. So… stand for something. Stand against something. . .
- Stop complicating blogging. People over-think blogging all the time. It’s just a blog! Simplify your process. . .
- Your readers are smarter than you think. For some reason, people always underestimate their readers. . .
- Don’t just blog about nothing. Blog about something you’re good at or passionate about or interested in. And then KEEP blogging about it. Stay on message. . .
- Resist measuring “influence” and “success” on statistics! Instead, measure influence and success by the conversation/debate/engagement that your blog sparks. Numbers don’t convey influence. . .
- Blog fatigue happens. If your blog is controlling you as opposed to you controlling your blog, take a break. Don’t post that you’re taking a break. Just take a break–even if it’s for a day or a weekend or whatever. Refueling is important.
- Gaining readership takes time. I started Jesus Needs New PR in 2006. That first year 14,000 unique visitors came to my blog. Last year, more than a 1,000,000 unique visitors came here. There’s no real secret. Blogging is work sometimes. But it’s also fun. . .
So What?
I have always adhered to the maxim that anything worth doing is worth doing well. While some look to verses of Scripture such as Colossians 3:23 (Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, NRSV) others find this to be nothing more than good common sense and effective time management. Those who blog regularly typically devote considerable time not just to writing, but also to reading and research.
Questions for bloggers:
- How can you leverage one or more of Turner’s suggestions in your blogging over the next few months?
- What additional advice would you offer to your fellow bloggers based on your own experiences?