Spice it up

Guys, I’m tired. I have been sick and I studied all weekend and now I just want to zone out. So, I have a lovely guest person from someone who has way more energy than me….Tina @ Faith Fitness & Fun. She has written a lovely and fun guest post on how to make your blog more appealing.

I’m sure you all know Tina, but if you don’t, then you need to get to know her. She has been INSTRUMENTAL in my journey towards become more balanced with food and exercise. She has been a friend, a confidant, and someone I can always turn to and I love her with all my heart. Plus, it’s comforting to know that she’s always praying for me.

I give the floor to Tina!

I love blogging. Over the past 8 months, it has become an integral part of my life. In a way, my blog Faith Fitness Fun has become a sort of love child. It was conceived by the joining of my passions. Now,I do my best to build it up through that love. I’m still learning and growing, but one thing I have learned is the best way to care for a blog is to make it more appealing to read. How to do that? Well the following 10 things (in no particular order) are a good start!

1. Include pictures. You don’t need to own a dSLR camera or have an overwhelming knowledge of photography. Pictures, no matter what their quality, make a blog more appealing to the eye. Just because they don’t look like Angela’s, doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of posting.

2. Keep things brief and easy to read. Long-winded posts do not hold a reader’s attention very well. Proof read your posts to see if there are any areas you can shorten. You don’t have to cut yourself off from sharing all you intended, but be mindful of readers. You can also chop up longer posts by adding in pictures, bullet points and lists, bolded sections, etc where applicable. Always ask yourself if you would read that post if you found it in your reader.

3. Be open with topics. Blogging as a healthy living or food blogger does not limit what  you can share to your workouts and meals for the day. If you want to talk about sex, like Lisa did, do it! If you want to share something about your dog/favorite book/a controversial issue, go for it! It’s your blog and you should never feel like you can’t share something valuable to you. I know I share on occasion about this little chick and her love of green monsters…

4. Have fun! Every post does not have to carry a serious or inspiring message. People enjoy the light-hearted posts just as much. Don’t pressure yourself to write something you don’t enjoy writing. It will show in your post.

5. Let people know a bit about you. We all feel comfortable sharing different levels of personal information. It might be opening up some vulnerable spots of your heart – whether in your past or present. It might be openly sharing pictures with you in them. It might be posting dirty little secrets that display the real you. It may be all of the above (raises hand in admission to being one huge open book). No matter what your privacy threshold, find some way to make your blog personal.

6. Write what you know. If you can divulge an encyclopedia of fitness information then share with your readers. If exercise tips are not your forte, but cooking is then dish out the recipes. If you have a way to put together inspiring posts, then let that be evident in your blog. Don’t follow trends or what others post. Write what you know.

7. Ignore stats. Those pesky numbers can affect your blogging negatively. When you get caught up in the numbers, you may post simply for the sake of posting. All that will do is stress you out and make blogging less fun.

8. Participate. Comment on other blogs to show you care about them as well. Reply to comments on your site so they get a sense of discourse and relationship from your blog. Showing that you are a genuine person makes you and your blog more appealing.

9. Have a message. People should be able to easily see what you hope to share through your blog. Whether it comes in a tag line, in your about page, a blog description page, or a regular theme among your posts you need something to distinguish you. Something that shows who you are and what you’re about. For example, I shared the 30 Days of Self Loveon my blog because its largely what my blog represents. And I hope to continue to reach as many as possible with my message – “True health is so much more than workouts and diets”.

10. Make it appealing to you! Post in whatever manner works for you. Write in a way that feels true to yourself and “find your blogging voice”. Enjoy what you write. Blogging for many of us is a hobby. Don’t make it work. Don’t make it a pain when it doesn’t have to be. It can be whatever you make it!

Thank you Tina! I’m ALWAYS in the need for guest posts since I am a pretty busy gal. If you would like to write one and be featured on my blog, please email me at LisaOkie@gmail.com.

What’s your biggest tip on making your blog more appealing?