How Bloggers Can Expand Beyond The Blogosphere
For many bloggers, having a blog is enough. But some want to break out of just writing text on a page and expand their influence through other channels. Many of the most famous bloggers in the world build their base through their blog site, but then they move over into other activities once they’ve reached a critical mass of support.
Here we’re going to look at what some successful bloggers have done to bust out of their blogging rut and really make profound and lasting impacts on their follower’s lives.
Search For “Big Fish” Sites
Jenny is the blogger behind In Other Words. She’s spent years writing for her own blog and smaller websites, but she’s found a lot of value in approaching what she calls “big fish” – large sites with huge domain authority. If you’re a tech nut, for instance, you can expand your influence, as well as your portfolio, by trying to get a spot on sites like Wired or Gizmodo. Often when one magazine has agreed to publish work by you, you dramatically increase the chances of another doing the same. Before you know it, you’re contributing all over the net.
Go Vlogging
Vlogging is becoming the new blogging as cameras get better and the tools for editing improve. Alexandra, the woman behind Good Day, Regular People, says that she has committed to vlogging at least once per week as part of her blog. She wants to reach people through new platforms but says that she’s struggling with video and image quality. Her plan is to get the production values nailed so that she can compete with other vloggers in her space on sites like Vimeo and YouTube. If getting in front of the camera isn’t your jam, then consider whiteboard videos. They’re so popular for learning and you don’t have to worry about doing your hair!
Increase Networking With Other Publishers
Mary Katherine is the woman behind Mom Babble, a blog dedicated to mommy talk. She realized early on that in order to expand her influence, she had to network with publishers in and around her area. Bloggers don’t have to have their own offices anymore to meet up with potential partners. Instead, they can visit a website that rents out meeting rooms, saving money in the process. Katherine says that the more she meets with other people in her industry, the more she learns about blogging and the more she sharpens her skills.
Get Better At Encouraging Conversations Off The Blog
One thing that Nancy from Afro-Chic Mompreneur would like to do better is creating conversations off her blog. With the growing popularity of social media, what happens outside of the blog is usually as important, if not more important, than what goes on on the blog itself. Nancy says that she wants the conversation on sites like Pinterest and Twitter to continue long after users have left her site.
Write A Book
Bloggers often start writing about a topic that they are interested in. Over time, they realize that they are building a corpus of information that could quite easily be turned into a book. This is what Carisa Miller discovered after working on her blog. It gave her the bare bones she needed to write a book, which is what she is doing now.
