You can’t succeed in blogging if you’re not
- consistent
- disciplined and
- breaking some blogging rules!
The new definition of blogging is this..
Blogging = BRANDING
You can take your blog to the next level by boosting your brand value. The best way to improve your branding is to analyze what successful people are doing and repeating the same.
What if you break some blogging rules?
When you listen to what the successful people around your niche are saying, you simply can’t stand out from the crowd. Why?
You’ll blindly follow their advice, because you trust them and apply same blogging rules on your blogs. And? Everyone else will also apply the same on their blogs. How can you differentiate yourself then?
Here’s the answer…
Post daily
Most A-list bloggers suggest this; post daily to succeed in blogging.
It worked several years ago. Not now!
Unless you’ve a tech, entertainment or news blog, forget about posting daily.
I don’t say posting daily sucks.
But..
You simply can’t build a better brand by posting daily. There are tons of bloggers who are posting daily on their blogs. But do you ever read their blogs?
Daily posting works only if
- you’re a full time blogger
- you’ve paid writers or
- you’ve a team of writers (guest contributors)
LBT’s tip: Don’t care about your posting schedule. Post daily, weekly or inconsistently.. but make sure you’re posting something so AWESOME that will encourage your readers to apply your tips immediately after reading your posts. That’s the only way to build thriving audience in your network.
Start building email list
Almost every top blogger suggested this: build an email list.
Why?
When you’ve a great email list, you can easily sell your products, reach more audience and build strong relationships with the readers.
But..
What happens when you blindly follow this tip and start building an email list by creating a freebie?
It just SUCKS!
LBT’s tip: If you want to make more money, you need a hungry email list, not a BIG list.
- Start focusing on increasing the interaction with your readers.
- Send them frequent emails by providing value in each and every email.
- Let them know that you care.
- Build focused emailed list, remove inactive subscribers and unwanted people (who don’t open and read your links) from your email list.
Guest blogging is the ultimate weapon
I know.. guest blogging works. You can get lot of attention, visibility, traffic, leads and sales when you land on top blogs.
There are successful guest bloggers like Onibalusi, Gregory Ciotti, Marya, Zac Johnson etc. who are using it to build a great brand in the blogosphere. They are successful because they know how to do guest blogging the right way.
What if you do guest blogging just for the sake of links?
Simply, no one will ever care about you and your blog.
Even if you spend quality time on writing awesome guest posts, you can’t grab more people attention if you don’t have enough killer contents on your blog.
LBT’s tip: When you’re guest blogging, try to get more recognition, not links, traffic or subscribers. First off, focus on social media sites to engage with other bloggers, get more online visibility by sharing the best stuff around your niche. Then, write what your audience might be asking you. Guest blogging comes later!
Optimize your blog posts for the search engines
Search engines are good, but people are great.
Even if you bring search engine traffic to your blog posts, no one will read if they don’t digest your posts.
When you are a new blogger, you need blog readers, not traffic. Focus on building fans, not just readers.
Focus on people first, you won’t regret later.
LBT’s tip: It’s people who read, share, link and comment on your blog posts – not search engines. Yes, you need search engine traffic, but only when you already have problem solving contents on your blogs. Till then focus on improving your blog’ readership.
Content is King – Fuck it, it’s NOT!
A mediocre writer that’s friends with every member of the Technorati 100 will become a popular blogger faster than a brilliant writer with no friends at all ~ Jon Morrow
Your blog needs more visibility, not content.
Almost everyone is producing good content on their blogs. But why they are not getting enough attention from the blogosphere?
Good is the enemy of great. There are only few bloggers who are creating really great content on their blogs, it’s no brainer they are receiving even more audience and improving their brand.
If you want to repeat the same on your blogs, follow this..
Great content + better promotion = blogging success mantra
LBT’s tip:
Want more exposure?
- The world need more bloggers, give some breathe to each and every blog post that you write to get more visibility
- Try to convert your blog posts into infographics, podcast, or even videos to reach new audience
- Build a tribe around your niche (participate in blog forum discussions, and Facebook groups)
- Link to other blogs in your posts and do it regularly
{ 86 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi rahul.
Awesome post after a very long time. I agree with your every single fact about not to post on a daily basis, guest blogging can do wonders in blogging & smart promotion is better than over promotion without any goal.
My eyes are always on your blog. Keep writing good content.
Thanks for awesome write-up.
Best regards,
Amrik Virdi!
As I said earlier in the post, daily posting works, but only in *few* cases.
Smart blogging is not about having more content, it’s rather than having less (yet great) content. And yea, I’m planning to post more frequently on LBT from now on. You’re doing REALLY great work on your blog too, Amrik.
Thanks for stopping by!
Great work .Now i am good enough to break blogging rules.And yes posting daily doesn’t matters,when you are running after genuine content for your blog.
Yes Vikram, I too agree with Rahul bro. Blogging is all about promotion and quality. First we have to create some content and then we have to promote it as much we can. Otherwise who will read it? Promotion is very important. I agree with each point of this article. Nice article Rahul bro.
@Vikram: Daily posting works, but only when you have lot of time to create quality contents or you can post daily if you have writers or quality bloggers. Cheers!
@Avi: Marketing is key to blogging success. Most new bloggers don’t promote their stuff. The one rule I’ve been following consistently is this: 25% in content creation and 75% in promoting my stuff. And guess what.. I’m getting more shares, likes, comments and TARGETED traffic!
Again a rocking post Rahul bro.Yes blogging is hard and you need to do hard work daily and daily whether it is posting or it is link building or any other promotion.And if anyone really wants to take blog to another level than it really needs a daily hard work.And follow the main and important thing what Rahul said in the above post just focus on your content because content is the king and in the same manner work for your readers and leave search engines.because readers must be our first preference.
If you consider blogging as a business, it never seems a lot of work. And yea, you need to focus on marketing, content creation etc even if you are new to the field. Loyal readership is undoubtedly the #1 reason most blogs succeed!
Thanks for the comment Ravi!
Rahul, thanks for making another great post live. In present situations, Blogging is our kingdom, Content is king and guest post is queen
Present blogging success formula is = Content + Guest posts 
I think this formula cover what you are trying to explain above.
You’re so right, Sai. Agreed with your points!
Hi Rahul,
What rule is left now? You’ve broken each of them one by one and so convincingly.
I liked your point about email list. How true! Its not a big list but hungry list. I’ve recently started to create a list. I am collecting list entries from my ‘how to blog’ series. I guess I’ll get the most targeted list.
Thanks for this awesome post!
Hi Suresh
Sometimes it’s better to break few blogging rules in order to succeed.. what is missing from most people is this, “they don’t actually analyze what they are doing” and that’s why they can’t reach more audience.
Thanks for the comment Suresh, keep in touch
I guest post for traffic. I don’t care the PR of the blog but I do care the tribe on it.
To get most out of the guest post, nowadays I publish articles related to buying or selling websites only. On the guest posts I used to talk about my experience throughout the post. So the readers will be interested to read more about my site and because I have an ebook to offer for the readers, they will be more likely to click on the link on my author bio.
Thanks for a great post!
You’re doing great Shahzad.
And that’s a good tactic to show your blogging expertise through guest blogging, I’ve recently read your guest post on Guide and news blog, you’ve covered some great points
Keep in touch!
Yes Rahul Bro,…….. You are right. I am agree your this post. but I want to ask one question. I have entertainment movies blog. can i use your these tips on my blog. for exp: “not need daily update”
But According me daily update is very important for entertainment blog. not technology and how to blog. Please give me reply. I am right
Regards
Rahul Kashyap
As I said in the post, news, entertainment blogs can be updated daily (you must be active on entertainment blogs, posting 3 to 5 times a day would be the right frequency to stay noticed!).
Always nice to see ya breaking the blogging rules Rahul.
Few months back you were updating LBT on daily basis, but now you’re updating it ones in two or three weeks – I like it.
I believe in choosing perfect bloggers outpup that works for you, whether It’s daily updating, weekly or monthly.
And yes, thanks for the link
Thanks for the appreciation bro, but I didn’t do it intentionally. I still blame myself for not being consistent on LBT.
I want to post more detailed articles on a regular basis. You’re doing great with your blog Ehsan, I always love to read your stuff (along with the comments). I’m always glad to link to your posts.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Rahul, you mentioned 3 important things right at the top. Guest posting really is the strongest weapon to use. But Content is king btw, if there is no content in blog, nobody would really like to come back and once we got the content, visibility is another thing that needs to be done.
Thank You – Ferb
Content without marketing is a waste of time – I firmly believe in the statement.
Even *good enough content* with great marketing strategies can make your blog popular, so it’s a smart thinking if you focus on widening your online reach. But make sure you’re targeting the RIGHT audience
Thanks for the comment Ferb! Keep in touch.
Posting original contents daily is harder task as you mentioned in the first line of the post.
I’d always like to get new way to promote blogs. With great cotent comes great reputation
Ahh! You are absolutely right Anup.
I like the point you shared with the daily postings. What’s the essence of posting daily when no one reads your posts. It’s simply an insane advice and something which certainly ought to be broken. I’ve for instance limited myself to 3 times a week and not posting 3 posts daily-7 times a week. And that gives me 21. It’s insane.
The reality though is that we’re living in a time of information overload! And one must be really careful what he reads on the internet. That’s why I love Indian blogs!
You nailed it buddy. We are surrounded by too much of information – I agree. But the level of promotion and the quality of your work can make you stand out from the crowd.
Thanks for stopping by mate, and thanks for loving Indian blogs
Hi Rahul,
I am Suyog, I Read your blog. This blog is helpful to me in future. Posting new and unique content is very difficult.I try to make original article it is make a good page rank in google.
Thanks for the comment buddy. A small advice – don’t focus on PR of Google, focus on PR (Public Relationships). It can do wonders for you in the long run.
Hi Rahul,
Blogging has certainly changed, let me give a fact straight to you – there is exorbitant amount of crap on the internet. While you’re a good blogger who stands out, there are many with half-baked knowledge and half-hearted efforts. I totally agree that a freebie does nothing other than adding numbers to your list.
Ramit Sethi, NYT best selling author says that going the extra mile and working harder on your ebook with proper research can help you make it premium rather than offering it for free subscribers. That is what I’m hoping to do.
Research holds that extra bit and no matter what niche you’re in, research done is like getting extra points for your blog. And I honestly think Alexa rank and PR are nothing more than crappy numbers.
Content isn’t all, marketing is – Look up Marie Forleo’s book and you’ll know why.
Guest Blogging? Useful, but I’d only use it for exposure and nothing else.
I’m totally into Psychology (my interest in academics too lies there) marketing experts like Derek, Ramit Sethi, Charles Duhigg and Marie and I’m hooked to them and I’m certain they’ll help you stand out from the crowd.
Your last tip was good, linking to other bloggers, people are simply scared to do that for some unknown reason. A bit of generosity always works!
All in all, good post!
Aditya
Free stuff always works Adi, but it needs to be premium. In simple words, giveaway something which is worth paying. They can give you a better chance to show yourself as an authority. After all, authority and trust is what makes you stand out from the crowd.
Unless you’re a new blogger, you don’t care about PR and Alexa stuff. That’s why I NEVER updated LBT with those crappy topics.
I’d love to know your tips on LBT because you are doing pretty well on your blog (I like the design ideas and email optin form wordings). Thanks for the insightful comment mate. Love to read your comments, always
Thanks for this article, an eye opener! =) agree to break some rules!
Thanks
Wow!…..That was a great article….Actually I started to brand the blog from the first day itself….with no one reading any of my content…
But now within a week I got more tha 400 hits and that was something I loved…
It really works Rahul….
I agree with you bro………..
That’s a great success for a beginner
Great post rahul i like your post.
yes writing daily is not helping to become a good blogger you have to do something more than writing if you want success in blogging.
Agreed with you!
I agree with you in almost every point that you have mentioned here but I don’t think content is just like nothing to you, think if there is no content on your blog will your blog will ever lead? No, it will head towards down.
Yea, I always agree that content is what makes your blog great, but don’t fall under “content is king” trap. Promotion is king – my opinion.
Thanks for the comment Irfan
I guess blogging itself Have no rules For writing. As Blogging means Expressing your Ideas with the Help of your Articles and Writing, Why should it have any rules? It should be free of rules with an open mind!
Totally agree with you Ravi..
Hi Rahul, I am totally agreed with you on this topic. First of all thank you so much for touching this topic and presenting some wonderful thought on this.
I like your post so much.
Glad you liked it Lori.
Yes Rahul, u are right.Thanks for sharing such a nice post.Blogging is one of the best way to do the branding of websites or a brand by an ethical way.
Branding = Blogging as I said in the post
Content is King – It is still true. You just need to understand the entire process. You market your blog which attracts readers to your blog, now if content is weak and ordinary no one would bother to return. Therefore, both promotion and quality content creation is necessary. They both go hand in hand !!!
Agreed. They should both go parallely if you want blogging success.
I think content is the king! If we update regular our blog and also can be active about other necessary works that you have described here then we can become succeed with our blog easily. Thanks for this effective blogging rules:)
I agree with you Rahul regarding promotion, when we write extraordinary content and try for good exposure then we need to promote in social networking sites and apply other means too. We know Neil Patel who writes superb stuff may be initially he might have struggled for promotion but now he needs no more promotion as he is well established in his niche. Your success mantra is for newbie bloggers like me but for a well established blogger even if he says hi in his twitter account many followers will respond where as if I write a good quote also wont be appreciated.
How about tweaking your success mantra as Content + Promotion + Popularity = Successful Blog. I believe popularity too does work. If Amitab Bachan writes a blog and promotes it, 4 lakh people would easily visit his page. If Govinda writes a post and promotes in the same manner as Amithab did he wont get as many visitors as Amitab got but may be at the most 1lakh. What do you say popularity too counts!
Heyy Rahul,
Very refreshing post blogging rules but Content is definitely King and Quality is Queen. Don’t just put out hordes of content, but do put out quality information that people are looking for and are reaping the rewards for doing so. Take the time to create quality content but not too long..
It’s not very nice to keep your loyal reader waiting for your AWESOME content.. 
Great Post Rahul,
Came to your blog after a long time and got a chance to read this masterpiece. Really you have broken some stupid rules.
I too feel that blogging daily is not the effective. If you don’t have a detailed post for your readers then it’s not right to publish it as it won’t do any good.
Email list, as you said, should consist of hungry buyers. Number does not matter here.
Great Post mate !!!
Cheers
Great post man, really got inspired after reading this article. I really agree with your points, specially with the point that states you need to build a good relationship with fellow bloggers instead of being alone in this amazing blogosphere.
Ahh really a nice post and brilliantly you have covered all the important headings. You just impressed me keep posting great stuff
seriously man this is the best post…i too dont post daily..only once every 3 days…but i am consistent…i will definitely follow ur blogging success mantra…and u said it rightly, fuck content is king lol! ;D
We know Neil Patel who writes superb stuff may be initially he might have struggled for promotion but now he needs no more promotion as he is well established in his niche. Your success mantra is for newbie bloggers like me but for a well established blogger even if he says hi in his twitter account many followers will respond where as if I write a good quote also wont be appreciated.
O wow! Absolutely phenomenal post. I think I landed here for the first time through QuickSprout of Neil Patel. However, I am glad I did. Content is definitely King and yours is awesome! Enjoyed your post Rahul. Great job here!
And thank you for sharing in your unique style.
Regards,
Kumar
Hi Rahul,
You have pitched the right hole. Search Engines are good but users are great. If you have readers, then only your blog has worth not otherwise. And I would like to add one more point, content must create an experience for the user.
Imagine a drop of lemon juice on your tongue, how does it feel?
This is called experience through content. Bridge the gaps of human psychology through magical words.
Hi Rahul
I am new to blogging. I started my blog just 3 months back and since then I am updating my blog on daily basis. What I could make out since then is Content is king for Google but Useful content is Queen of Traffic. My blog is on Tech platform which is most common in blogging world (as per my views) so to drag traffic is very difficult. But I see that people do come to my blog but only read content that stands out from the crowd.
I would appreciate if you could give me some tips on making my blog popular.
There are some serious gold nuggets here! Although I may not agree with some of your points, but the rest are simply spot on! Thank you for sharing this Rahul
this is one amazing piece of writing. Guest posting is one of the most sought after techniques in blogging and it will definitely help in building brand and recognition among bloggers. The most important point here is writing your posts for people and we should concentrate on them first. Awesome post.
Prefer adding content to the past articles and republish them
this attracts google more at least if you have no articles to post
cheers
you were right about building hungry email list.I had a huge email list by offering Plr articles.which I later ditched because of no return on investment
Nice post ! I completely agree with not having a posting schedule. I used to try and post 4 times a week on my blog in short posts. however these days i post a lot less often but i write posts that are more useful and in depth and find they work so much better.
Thanks for the info
Hey rahul,
Nice post with great information and I really enjoyed this post while reading and I am totally agree with you that guest blogging is the most important factor of blogging and we have to make relations with other blogger by guest posting or by commenting on their blog. Thanks for sharing this post.
Somehow, I too feel that posting daily on your blog is big pain. You create content for your readers and want them to enjoy your post. But, with exorbitant amount of posts on your blog, none of them will get good exposure.
Overall, a very good post!
Hey Rahul,
Your this post has made me fan of LBT. liking the post and the site. Great going LBT.
What a Gutsy Post, but yet you have followed one basic rule of blogging “write bold and constructive post”.
“Good is the Enemy Of Great” Perfect line Rahul, it caught my attention in a very unique way. Its a post worth reading. Time is money, considering the point people now a days spent their time wisely. And choosing the blogs they read wisely.
Hindi me kahoon toh : “Tumne meri aankhein khol di!!! ”
Loved this great post. Especially the point about daily posting. Post less but when you post, it should be worth reading.
LOL, breaking rules, sound very cool. Will break some rules to succeed now.
well this post was certainly different! Right off the bat I was thinking you were crazy, but then I just kept reading. Why? because it was different! Great way to make a point. And I agree, blogging requires a lot of time and effort.
There are lot of things to be done ‘behind the scenes’ to build a profitable blog (be it marketing, networking with others or choosing the mind provoking blog post ideas). So blogging is definitely a time consuming process.
There are no probloggers, only SURVIVORS!
This is the first time I am going through your blog. I found it very interesting. You have provided really good information here. As you have written above in the article now I will focus on interaction with my blog readers. Thanks
If you want to build and audience I do think regular blogging is necessary. When I went from sporadic blogging to my readership increased exponentially.
Wow it’s gud to read!…..That was a very interesting article..Nice post with lot of valuable information and enjoyed this post while reading.. guest posting is the most important factor of blogging begineers as well as experts..
Hey Raul,
I really agree with you on this points. We don’t just have to grab anything because many people say it works for them or simply because it’s working for some big guy. There is a big necessity to check the surroundings before embracing anything that is believed to work. An example is Guest blogging which you mentioned. It’s foolish to go posting on other blogs when your blog contains thrash. It will not work that way
Thanks for breaking these things into pieces for easy understanding
Hi Rahul,
Interesting headline & interesting writing.I really enjoy your writing.The tips you are given is fabulous.We always run after some traditional things.In most of the time which didn’t represent us.So getting ready for breaking rules.
Hello Rahul,
Nice website, you have providing wonderful articles on blogging. I read lots of your articles and i amazed to see that you have written good articles. You are doing good.
All the best and cheers!!
I’ll be glad if you mention few of your favorite posts on this site. Keep visiting the blog!
Yes sure Rahul, i always visit your website and check the latest post. You doing good and i always waiting for your new posts.
All the best !!
Thought provoking post, Rahul. This is absolutely true! A mediocre writer with good exposure is more successful than a good writer who just write quality content and sits. Well said, “Break the rules!”.
Hmm… This is one interesting post hitthng the nail right on the head.
Content is indeed not king but rather associating with the right with right with the people is KING.
Hello Rahul,
This is my first visit on your blog and I am really impressed with your way of writing. I don’t really spend a lot of time reading blog posts but I couldn’t leave this one in the middle.
You can erase this part of the comment (if you want to):
I don’t usually give tips but I have one for you mate, please read: http://www.wpgaze.com/how-to-remove-more-tag-from-url-in-thesis-wordpress-theme.html
Discipline and ready to try new things is key to success, be it in blogging or in life or any other field of work. There is no point of doing exactly the same thing and expecting a different result.
Yes, i really agree with this post. Your knowledge about blogging is really awesome . Every blogger or website holder always wants to increase their traffic on their blog through any of the method. The simplest method is only to breaks blogging rule.am also a young blogger .Your given all tips really effective. I really feel a great experience on treading this.
Thank you so much for this valuable article.
Agreed rahul..but i liked your point no. 1 which is Blogging=branding …if someone is able to make it nothing left for him he got it all.and for sure content is king …people comes to website just in a wish to get something diffrent from the others.and i will say you have achieved success in it.
O ya, I do believe blogging is pretty tough, unless you’ve become a great experienced of blogging!! I agreed with your all points and thanks for sorting those out and putting in for nice and sensible discussion. I really enjoyed learning through and such experience will improve my blogging experience effectively. Thanks.
Daily posting works, but we should try to find such niche in which if we are not updating our blog on daily basis, yet it will not effect our blog.
Great piece of writing Rahul. Learn lots of new things about blogging from your post. I am very new to blogospehre. Surely I’ll follow all the tips you have mentioned in your post to become a successful blogger.
Thanks for stopping by Bhanupriya..
All the best with your new blog. Let me know if you ever need any help.
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