Do a Google search for how to blog and you will get a ton of crap that claims you can make millions while sitting in your boxers at home. Or check out this latest social media hack that will get you a billion views. Forget the noise, if you want to improve your site dedicated to miniatures, check out these tutorials to improve your hobby blogging, written by hobby bloggers.
I have been running Broken Paintbrush since 2008. It’s gone through a ton of changes since then, and I have learned a ton when it comes to writing good posts, getting them found, and engaging with the community.
Thor is a professional web developer in Real Life and has been running his site Creative Twilight since 2009 including bringing in many different guest writers. He has also helped fellow hobby bloggers transition from free Blogspot sites to more customized WordPress sites.
Together we have brought our collective learnings into the articles below so that you can improve your own blog. We see this as a community, not as a competition, the more awesome hobby blogs that are out there, the better our community will become.
Writing
It is hard enough to get people to find your site, but keeping them past the first few words can be even tougher. Thor provides a great set of tips on how to keep your reader’s attention so that they not only come back and read some more but get involved with your site.
Before a reader even gets to your site, the first thing they often see is the post’s title. Either in a search result or in a blogroll, you have only a few words to convince them to check out your site. Thor teaches us some tips on how to write that title to get more attention.
The internet is becoming more visual and setting up your blog so that your pictures can be found be potential readers can make a huge difference in your search traffic. This article dives into the details of metadata and adding pictures to your blog.
Tools
I have been using Grammarly as my super spell checker and here I share my thoughts on using this tool and why spelling and grammar are important even for hobby bloggers.
Canva is another of the great tool I use for my blog. It makes it super easy to create these blog headers, infographics, and social media pictures. Oh, and it’s free!
The Community
While not as hobby blogging focused, I think it is important to thinking about the greater community that you are now apart of. And while some of the things I discuss will bring you more traffic, they will also bring you new friends around the world.
For those who have started a blog, it can become quickly apparent that there are frustrations and hurdles along the way. Burnout happens. Loss of interest happens. Frustration happens. But I asked other bloggers about their why and what motivates them. Hopefully, you find it motivational and break through the burnout.
