Several times per month, I consult with authors looking for an evaluation of their online presence and often that includes their blog content. Sometimes they’re wondering why they don’t have more traffic, or they ask if they should continue the effort at all.
Given the time and energy that’s involved in meaningful blogging, it’s an important question. Here are five things that I often discover when I evaluate authors’ blogging efforts.
1. Blog post headlines are too vague or general.
Writers, being creative and imaginative people, can be tempted to get clever, poetic, or metaphorical with their blog post headlines. Unfortunately, this is exactly the wrong tendency. Post headlines need to be dead literal and specific, for several reasons:
- Google and other search engines don’t understand metaphorical or clever headlines, so vague headlines can hurt the potential for your content in search.
- If you or others share the article on social media, people may only see the headline and little else. Will readers have enough of a reason to click based on the headline alone?
- People reading and discovering content online are typically speeding through lists and articles. They’re unlikely to slow down and pay close attention to your content unless your headline is compelling or your name carries significance.
It may seem boring to be direct and literal with your headline, but I guarantee better headlines will result in more traffic and more engagement. To be sure, I’m not advocating clickbait (a headline that is sensational and doesn’t really deliver), but an accurate headline that “tells and sells.”
2. The blog post includes no images.
Every blog post should have an image included, even if it doesn’t appear to directly relate to the content. Having an image will increase the perceived value with readers as well as engagement. But there’s another reason beyond this to ensure you’ve got an image: social media shares.
Every time your article is linked to on social media, a “card” will automatically be generated that includes the article headline, the key image for that article, and sometimes a 1-2 line summary of the article. If you don’t include an image in your post, your “card” may also be without an image, and it won’t attract as much attention when shared on social media—where visuals rule.
Read Kirsten Oliphant’s post to learn more about creating images for your blog.
3. The overall blog lacks any cornerstone content strategy.
Cornerstone content includes the content that consistently attracts traffic and attention through search or other types of sharing. For example, one of my cornerstone posts is How to Get Your Book Published. I also have a cornerstone post on how to get started blogging.
Your job as a blogger becomes immensely easier when you have a few of these posts consistently bringing in a fresh readership who may be interested in all of your new posts going forward. To develop cornerstone content, think through what problems or challenges your readers have that they might use Google to search for. Or, think about the most popular topics, events, or issues that your work centers around. You can also consider building resource lists, interview series, or link round-ups on a regular basis that get shared or talked about in your community.
4. The blogger doesn’t thoughtfully share their posts on social media.
Some bloggers set up their posts to share automatically on the social media accounts where they’re active. But this is a huge mistake and missed opportunity to share your content along with a personal message, question, or other means of engaging people on each social media network.
If you value your blog content, then value how you present it and introduce it to people. Don’t just dump the link and walk away, and expect people to care about it. Share with them why it’s important to you, or why it might be important to them.
5. The blogger doesn’t identify who will help spread the word in advance of writing their posts.
Social media sharing is important for new blog posts, but if you want to expand your audience beyond those you already reach, you need to go a step further. Before you dump a ton of effort and energy into any blog post, consider: Who will help share it and spread the word the content exists? Come up with specific, individual names, then respectfully contact them via email or social media with a personal and brief note. Explain the value of the post, why you think their audience will be interested, and make a specific suggestion: “If you think this post would of value to your readers, I’d love a tweet” (or whatever is appropriate given their platform). You’ll have more luck with this strategy if you’ve already been sharing their content.
Final note: Authors who are disappointed with the results of their blogging usually haven’t given much strategic thought to the content they’re producing, or even why they’re producing it. Take a look at my beginner’s guide to help redevelop your strategy if needed.
Jane Friedman has spent nearly 25 years working in the book publishing industry, with a focus on author education and trend reporting. She is the editor of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World in 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred review from Library Journal. In addition to serving on grant panels for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Creative Work Fund, she works with organizations such as The Authors Guild to bring transparency to the business of publishing.
This is an excellent summary. Brief, clear, spot-on accurate, and I wish I’d seen it back when I was blogging. 🙂
Thanks, Michael!
Thanks for the post! I read several of the linked articles as well, including Kirsten Oliphant’s on images. I’m a new blogger. I love the opportunity blogging gives me to share stories of awesome people living adventurous, creative, and passionate lives with my readers. I want people to know and connect with their stories as much as possible. Your post helped me find a few more ways to honor them through honing my craft. Thank you!
Excellent – good luck, Angela!
[…] view post at https://janefriedman.com/blogging-mistakes/ […]
Thanks, Jane! I don’t have a blog, but this is useful in case I start one. Speaking of which, at a recent writers’ conference I heard that blogs are on their way out, maybe because people don’t have time or patience to read long-form writing anymore. What do you think?
Hi Julie – Yes, I hear that message more frequently as well.
I think there was over-excitement and an over-recommendation for people (especially authors) to blog, and too many people pursued it without a clue as to why they were doing it, or what it means to blog meaningfully. It’s still one of the No. 1 marketing methods for nonfiction writers and online entrepreneurs, yet it’s often smarter for authors to write and publish for larger sites rather than on their own turf, or use platforms such as Medium. (I don’t think the so-called decline of blogging has anything to do with long-form writing, which is alive and well.)
In short: There will always be blogging, but I’m glad to see it recommended less often these days.
Hi Jane,
Wonderful learning points here. I’m sure I’ve made these mistakes. I like what you said about the title and building cornerstone content to draw in readers. Good stuff.
Benjamin
[…] Mistakes Even Longtime Bloggers Make – Jane Friedman can help you fix your mistakes. I choose to remain in denial. ? […]
[…] Wondering why you don't have more blog traffic—or if it's worthwhile to continue your blogging effort? Here are the mistakes that commonly afflict authors. […]
Hi Jane, absolutely terrific pointers. I am a newbie having set up an author website just earlier this year, and of course, I have probably missed the proverbial boat on blogging as a useful device for authors. However, since I was a journalist & editor before I became a published author ( I am now working on my third novel) I am drawn more to posting articles on all sorts of subjects which I find interesting rather than posting around one topic. I therefore found your pointer about cornerstone posts immensely helpful (one just has to find a subject for that cornerstone post!!)
I just wanted to add that having discovered the freedom which one’s own website allows, I am enjoying myself writing and posting articles (especially when I want an excuse not to be working on my book) even though I don’t have much traffic yet.
Thanks again.
Hi Joanna – When I meet writers who are interested in blogging about a wide range of topics (rather than focusing primarily on one topic), sometimes it can make more sense to use a platform like Medium or pitch pieces to larger publications. That is: It’s very hard to develop a following on your own site/blog without having consistency in what you cover. Some writers will keep their own blog very focused on a single category, then post off-topic at other places, such as Tumblr, Medium, etc.
Hi Jane, Happy 4th, and thank you for your detailed reply. I am actually developing a writing topic on which I could post regularly in addition to posting articles outside of that topic. Rather than go back and forth here, I intend at some point to consult you on a private basis since you have been my go- to authority on websites and blogging since I ventured back into fiction writing.
P.s. although I checked off the box below for notifications of new replies, and even though I got the email for confirmation, and clicked on the confirmation, I did not get a notification of your reply here. Exactly the same happened when I posted a comment on another column on this blog .
Thanks for circling back, Joanna. Sorry you didn’t receive a notification—that may be entirely my fault for commenting inside my admin system rather than on the public-facing part of the blog. I hope you receive a notification of this comment!
Thanks, Jane, for some sound advice here about blogging. Great pointers. Although my writing is almost non-existent these days because of caring for my dad, I do write a blog “Stories for the Journey: Reflections on Life and the Spirit” https://mezuniga.wordpress.com/2015/07/28/catch-the-wind/ and have maintained it faithfully — although only one post a week. Writing my blog brings me great joy. As a retired professional award-winning journalist, I feel my blog has “something” deeper to offer readership, focusing on the inspirational and spiritual — and life. I’d love to gain a wider audience. My question: Is it possible to compile my blog posts as a proposal for an inspirational book? Are agents or publishing houses open to a project like this? Thanks so much, Jane, for your generous help to the writing community.
Hi Marielena – While there’s nothing wrong with pitching a book based on themes, ideas, and stories/content at your blog, I would avoid pitching a book that’s “blog compilation.” I cover this in more detail here: https://janefriedman.com/please-dont-blog-your-book/
This was good. Some of it I sort of knew. Other things I learned, but all of it sounded very accurate.
Thanks for reading & commenting!