The "One Trick" Blogger

Everyone knows what a “One Trick Pony” is. It’s the band with one hit that no one ever hears from again. Or the politician who ran for office, did something stupid, fell out of the limelight, and was never heard from again. 

When it comes to blogging, the internet is full of “one trick” blogs. They were started by people hoping that having a blog would increase their visibility and build their brand. But after a few posts, they stopped. Now the only blog posts visible on their website are all seriously out of date. 

What is a potential client or customer supposed to think when they see that? It’s not like they’re going to send an email to find out if there’s a really good reason why the blog hasn’t been updated. Fortunately, there are three easy ways to successfully manage and keep up with your blogging goals. 

1.  Don’t get overwhelmed by one-at-a-time thinking: Instead of expecting yourself to come up with a great idea two days before your self-imposed posting deadline, set yourself up for success by scheduling a couple of hours to sit down and come up with a collection of post ideas at the same time. The advantage of this approach is that you can take big ideas and break them down into a logical sequence of posts. 

2.  Let yourself be inspired by others:  Don’t give up on writing a post just because you can’t come up with an idea. Read the posts and tweets of your contemporaries, or leaders in your field. This isn’t about copying someone else’s content. Instead, read what other people are blogging about and decide if you have a different viewpoint, something to add, or can go deeper into the subject. The advantage of riffing off of someone else’s post is that you can embed a link to the original post when you mention the other author’s name or idea. Readers will appreciate your willingness to share the stage with others. So will the author of the original post.

3.  Start small and grow:  Too many people have the goal of posting on their blog at least two times a week. That’s a big goal unless you have a lot of content at your disposal. If you aren’t used to producing content on a regular basis, start with a schedule you can keep up with. Start with twice a month—that’s 26 posts per year. When you can do that without a problem, kick it up to once a week. With practice, that’s a very manageable schedule.

Having a blog can definitely increase both your credibility and your visibility online. When you decide you’re ready to start your blog, stick with these strategies, and you’ll avoid the fate of the “one trick” blogger.