Hello friends, happy Wednesday! I hope you’re having a lovely week so far. Once again, I’m back with another blogging discussion, in the “how to” mode, and trying to share some of the small wisdom I have acquired thanks to more than two years of blogging now, and I’ll be talking today about the heart and soul of bloggers: blog posts.
Okay. As book bloggers, the heart and soul of our blogs – and us – are obviously books, but technicalities. Let’s pretend for a while, shall we?
I already mentioned this topic before when I talked about popular blog posts: as bloggers, we all noticed, except if you’re just posting things and going away, coming back to post a new thing and go away again (basically, you are a ghost?), that some blog posts are more successful than others. I’m not going to tackle the definition of successful again here ; but obviously to talk about GREAT blog posts and what makes them, well….I have to talk about GREATNESS.
For some of us, greatness will lie in a perfect, fluffy, crying-all-night young adult contemporary book (me). For others, greatness will lie in the action-packed, crazy stabbing fantasy book. I could go and on here but point is: we all think of greatness differently, both in the books we read and in the blog posts we do. For me, and in order to write this little guide, I start writing this with this definition in mind.
What makes a great blog post?
- It’s FABULOUS. Obviously.
- It has views: obviously let’s talk about the big numbers here as well because we aren’t fools. A great blog post makes people want to CLICK on it – so it has to be catchy in some ways. Just like a book cover ; in a very little space, it has to make people scream: I do want to read that.
- It has interactions: meaning people want to read it, like it and comment on it. A great blog post gets likes and comments and people are taking time to share their thoughts on the topic at hand.
- It is, once again, overall FABULOUS. Why? Because YOU wrote it.
How to write a GREAT blog post?
Before starting, disclaimer here: I’m no expert here, nor am I pretending to be the best at writing blog posts. Some people are way better than me, I’m just here rambling, hoping you’ll enjoy it every single time a new one is published.
To write the blog post that will impress and amaze everyone, there are many things to take into consideration. Let me make a list, because we all love lists, don’t we?
Find a FABULOUS topic
Before heading into the choice of the topic, there is one thing you should know: there is no such thing as an original topic. Whatever you decide to talk about, someone already did before, or will after you. It is the cold hard truth, but that doesn’t matter. What makes something original and different is the WAY you are talking about it. So if you want to talk about book covers, DO IT. Just don’t steal someone else’s blog posts and ideas but DO IT YOUR OWN DIFFERENT WAY.
What book bloggers talk about: BOOKS. Book reviews, book discussions, blogging, ARCs, book covers, screaming about books, buying books, losing books, loving books, TBRs, book hauls,…
What YOU should talk about: Whatever crazy idea your brains has about books, or something different to change things up once in a while.
The only rule: IT COMES FROM YOUR HEART and you want to write it – not you HAVE to write it.
Write, write and write the blog post
Once you got the idea, comes the writing part. Some of us like to have drafts, to make plans, to have an idea of how the post will go before heading into this. Some others just go in headfirst and hit publish right afterwards. Find what works for you. Try both and see which one makes you feel like a fabulous blogger.
On the length of blog posts: There is NO rule here. I have noticed that, when it comes to discussions, or any blog post except bookish tags, it is good to write down around 500 – 1200 words or something, enough to speak your heart about the topic, develop your points and that usually works well. But there is no rule, really ; what matters is, whether you’re chatty like me or to the point, that you, well…make your point.
On blog post titles: titles are fun! I’m not going to mention SEO or anything complicated here ; but in titles, it’s GOOD to mention what you’re actually going to talk about in the blog post. Be clear, concise or long, be #hashtag fun or ALL CAPS screaming. BE YOURSELF. It makes people come.
Add pretty shiny things to structure your blog post (images. gifs. books. all the things)
We all like looking at pretty, funny, sometimes animated things. We all like to read a blog post without feeling like we are reading something long. We all like to breathe sometimes as well, rest our eyes. In order to do that, and make your blog posts shine brighter and stand out, it is always good to do things differently, meaning adding some fun things to make your blog post more FUN and PRETTY.
What do you mean, shiny things? When you read my blog posts, you’ll notice that I tend to structure my blog posts with GIFs, images, titles, quotes. Other bloggers like to have these things they call separators, little things to make the blog post breathe, leave space for the text to show in all of its glory. See what works for you, but think about the blog posts you LIKE to read: do you like huge chunks of texts or when there are images and such?
About featured images: some blog themes (on WordPress, I don’t know about the other platforms) offer the option to have a featured image for your blog post. It’s the image on top of the blog post, also the one that will be shared on social media if you’re connecting Twitter, Facebook to your blog. It is GOOD to have a featured image, one image to actually “represent” your blog post as a whole.
Hit publish while thinking about your readers
I’m HUGE on the community-side of blogging, so obviously I’m going to talk about this. As I said before, to make a blog post great, for me, you have to have interaction. How to do this? ASK questions, obviously. Once you’ve talked about the books, tackled the topic at hand and everything, don’t forget to ask your readers what they think about it all. If you’re not, chances are they might read and nod along or disagree, but not necessarily feel concerned about sharing their thoughts with you.
Some people ask TONS of questions, others two and other just one question. Important thing to remember is: once you wrote the last line of your blog post, if it’s not ending in a question mark…maybe think about adding a question? If you want to hear from others, of course.
Your blog post is live? Make it LIVE.
See the pun I did there? Okay. It was bad. A GREAT blog post doesn’t end once you’ve hit publish. Actually, it only starts living in that very moment. When people start commenting, sharing, viewing, liking the blog post. It means it’s on its way to greatness, so don’t ruin it but cuddle it and make it even greater.
DO: ANSWER to your comments. It’s okay if it takes you time to answer, as long as you do: for me, it shows me that you cared enough about my answer and the time I took typing a comment. SHARE your blog post on social media if you are there. Once in a while, MENTION it in other blog posts when it is relevant.
You’re the only one able to make your blog post great. Despite all of the advice you might read, here, on other blogs, everywhere, what matters is you, your voice and uniqueness. It’s useless to copy other blog posts and most of it all, even if it seems like it’s going to be GREAT, it won’t be YOU. Blog like YOU are. Write the great, crazy ideas from your heart. THAT, really, is what makes it great.
putusantosa says
Thank you soo much
Marie says
Ohh you’re welcome, thank you for your comment! 🙂
Aris @ awkwardaris says
For me, the best part about blogging is the community; so the thing I love most about posts are seeing other people’s thoughts. There are so many wonderful, innovative people out there – and reading about their view on life is awesome! I also ~adore~ the interactions in the comments section.
YES FUNNY GIFS ARE WONDERFUL. They make the world a better place, if you ask me. I’m really attracted to black and white GIFs for some reason?? They just have this beautiful aesthetic quality. (The cat GIF you used in this post is amazing <3 ) And yep, screaming about books/ titles in all caps are wonderful because they're all so PASSIONATE. And RELATABLE.
This was a great post! 😀
Marie says
YES I agree with you – the community is the best part of blogging, and it is so incredible to read their thoughts on books and start a conversation in the comments. It is the best <3
Ohh I agree, black and white GIFs are beautiful 🙂 and yes, it is so good when you can actually feel the passion and feelings of a book blogger just by reading the post! 🙂
THANK YOU so much for your sweet comment, Aris! <3 <3
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books says
I really enjoyed this post! It is really helpful for me that you mentioned that no idea is original and that it is how you approach the topic that makes it stand out! I often want to write certain posts but then I think well that’s been done before! I really just need to come up with unique ways to approach a topic that has been discussed many time before!
Awesome post!
Marie says
Ohh thank you so much, I’m so happy you enjoyed this post! Trying to find new ideas and topics to approach is one of the hardest things, really. There are so many bloggers out there, whatever you are thinking of probably already has been covered by someone…it is so hard to be original and unique that way, but I really think that everyone puts their own twist and mind into any topic and makes it unique this way 🙂
Thank you again for your sweet comment <3
AriWritesNovels says
Great blog post about writing a great blog post 🙂
Marie says
Ahah thank you so much, I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
Lydia Tewkesbury says
Thank you for schooling us 🙂
The questions thing is such a good idea that I had never really thought about before. I am always responding to them, but I never include them in my posts (because I forget). I think that could be a really great thing to start doing as someone who does not get a lot of interaction with my posts.
I love pretty pictures in blogs, and they are a massive draw for me. GIFs, I have mixed feelings about. I think there is a fine line (for me, anyway) between just enough and too many. I really like the way that you use them – they are always very illustrative of your point and oftentimes I enjoy the source they’re from (love Gossip Girl, obvs), so that makes me happy. Sometimes, though, I think that they can be used gratuitously, and if there are too many that turns me off. I’m not the biggest fan reviews entirely done with GIFs. But I know there are plenty of people who love them enough to make up for me, haha.
Marie says
I didn’t write questions at the end of my posts either when I first started blogging. Then I realized that I wanted to give people reasons to stop by and leave their thoughts and wanted to seek out conversation so it came that way and I’m glad I did. It sounds like people are appreciating it and answering my questions, which I love 🙂
OH yes, I’m all for pretty pictures as well. IF I had the patience and talent, I would get rid of the GIFs and only put pretty pictures of books everywhere ahah. I’m so glad you enjoy the way I use them though, thank you! I feel like they are good ways to convey emotions and illustrate things but sometimes they are just everywhere, I agree. I’d much rather read long blog posts with a couple of GIFs than a GIFs post with two lines of text.
Thank you so much <3 <3
Lydia Tewkesbury says
Pretty pictures are tricky though because they make me compare myself to bloggers more than aaaaanything else because I am not as good at is as the big bookstagrammer types.
Marie says
SAME HERE. This is one of the worst struggles of it all. I always want to do my best to make pretty pictures but I am most certainly not the most talented in that area. It makes me a little jealous and I can’t help comparing myself but… I guess we are better in other areas 😀
Lydia Tewkesbury says
Yeah, definitely. Comparison is the thief of joy, etc. Haha 🙂
Angela says
Great post, Marie! It is hard to come up with ideas for unique posts sometimes, though. But I agree, even if the idea has been done before, it hasn’t been done by you/me, and our viewpoint maybe be vastly different from other bloggers! Interaction is my biggest thing when it comes to posts – it means people are connecting to it and have something to say. It’s hard when I think a post will do great but then there no comments!
Marie says
Oh thank you so, so much for your sweet comment <3 <3 It really is funny how sometimes, you think something will work or make people react and it doesn't. I wish there were a magical formula of some kind ahah to know 🙂 Best thing is when people interact for sure, that's what makes the best blog posts 🙂
Thank you so much for your comment, Angela! 🙂
agnesmack says
Good post. Where do you get your .gifs from?
Marie says
Thank you so much! 🙂 Oh I find them online, mostly by searching GIFs on tumblr 🙂
Lois says
Looooove this post. I’m one of those people that has a ton of ideas for discussion posts but never gets round to writing them. It’s only now I’ve really started posting them again, I go through phases haha. I always wonder about the layout of a discussion post. My review posts and weekly meme’s have a simple enough structure but I always find with discussion posts it’s easier to include a gif or two into it. I find that it helps convey that excitement about the topic you’re discussing. Interacting is always important for me as well, even though I’ve been slacking recently. I tend to dedicate a day in the week to reply to comments and blog hop because that way I’ll keep my sanity.
Marie says
Ohh thank you so much, Lois! And I am SO happy you’re posting discussions, I’m really enjoying all of them so far <3
I'm glad interaction is important to you as well! It's hard to be on track with everything though – and if I am being honest I am probably not keeping my whole sanity haha, but it's good to talk with other people! 🙂 <3
May @ Forever and Everly says
Marie: That was a GREAT pun and this is a GREAT post! I definitely agree that big chunks of text and no color/images will hinder the reader’s experience. Funny gifs are DEFINITELY a good idea! I also like to add in dividers for just a BIT more color. And I try to be funny… but I’m not sure it works. ?
And I always make mine at least 1K words long because though it’s not about quantity, I feel like that’s the range where my post will be quality. Oh, and I think great posts are one where you learn something from it, whether it be something about the blogger, or something about themselves.
LOVE this post, Marie! <3
Marie says
Ohhh May, thank you so much ahah, what would I do without you to appreciate my bad puns 😛
And it works, at least all of your posts shine with your personality and humor, that’s why so many people love you 😛
I understand your point. Whenever writing discussions or blogging posts, I’m always around 1 K as well because I don’t feel like I cover the whole topic under that range 🙂
Thank you so much again <3 <3
May @ Forever and Everly says
But honestly my puns are so bad too. XD And aww, you’re too sweet aghagh! <3
Marie says
Well…we can be pun-twins?! Is that even a thing? I’m probably making it up but whatever haha 😛 <3 <3
May @ Forever and Everly says
It’s probably not a thing but WHO CARES.
(Man I tried coming up with a pun but it didn’t work. XD)
Marie says
Haha yes who cares, we are awesome we can do whatever we want? Hahaha. We need some practice to come up with great puns 😛
May @ Forever and Everly says
I suck at puns aagaggaga. XD
Marie says
We’ll get better….together hahaha 😛
May @ Forever and Everly says
*high fives* I hope we do… because that would be so PAINful if we weren’t PUNful… omg I’m just going to go die in a hole now XD
Marie says
HAHAHHAA. Oh, May, thank you for making my days brighter with your puns ahah 😛
May @ Forever and Everly says
It was a horrible pun tho. *cries* But see MAYbe my next one will be better… hahahhahaa no.
Marie says
Hahahahaaha. I think your puns are pretty PUNTASTIC. (yes. That sucked hahaha)
May @ Forever and Everly says
We’ll just CRY over the CRYnginess of our puns. (omg nooooooo XD)
Marie says
Hahahaa yes we will 😛
Sophie Li says
Thanks for sharing these awesome tips Marie!! I think THIS is a great blog post 🙂
I do agree that it is almost impossible to write an original blog topic, but what makes it unique is our take on the topic! I like blog posts that makes you think, and I think that the title makes a big difference as to whether or not I’ll click to read more. For example I clicked on this post because I really did want to read about how to write a great blog post! I also like posts that are interspersed with images or gifs, and I try to incorporate these in my posts as well. It can be a bit overwhelming to see a long page of text without any “room to breathe” as you mentioned! I definitely agree that it is important to ask questions as well to give people something to think about 🙂
Marie says
Oh thank you SO MUCH, Sophie <3 <3
Titles do make tons of difference, if I'm intrigued I'll click on the blog post for sure ahah 😛
Thank you so, so much. It makes me so happy you enjoyed this <3
Aimal @ Bookshelves & Paperbacks says
This is SUCH a great post, Marie, and you put some really great tips here! I absolutely agree with putting ‘shiny’ things in your posts, because not many people go to blogs to read hunks of text. They go to enjoy what they’re reading, so separating with GIFs or images or catchy headers – anything, really, is something that’s really important. I’m terrible at keeping up with my comments, but I’ve been doing better, haha. I need to be as great at the community-aspect of blogging as you are. ?
~ Aimal @ Bookshelves & Paperbacks
Marie says
Oh thank you so, so much Aimal! Your comments always make my day <3 Having images, GIFs or headers of some kind in texts is a huge plus for sure, it leaves room to let the reader breathe and overall encourages to read more – at least, it does the trick for me 🙂 That's so sweet, I'm trying my best with the community aspect. You're too sweet <3
Shanti says
I think great ideas and well thought out perspectives are one of the best things for me about a good blog post. I don’t really do separoters or internal images much…but I should! This is very inspirational! I”m so into having questions, otherwise I don’t know what to comment.
Marie says
Oh thank you so much, Shanti! I’m so glad you enjoyed this post 🙂 And yes for the questions – sometimes, even if I enjoyed the post, I’m feeling at a loss for words when it comes to commenting, if I have nothing to answer to 🙂
ravenblake99 says
Great Post! I totally agree with everything you’ve stated! For me no.of Comments and views definitely makes a great post. Thanks for sharing these tips! 🙂
Marie says
Thank you so, so much, Raven! I’m so glad you liked this 🙂
RamblingLisa says
Brilliant post! Completely agree with everything you said.
Marie says
Oh thank you so much, I’m so glad you liked this 🙂
daretodreamdifferently says
Man oh Man! By far one of the best How To: Posts I have seen. I will reference this for a while! Thank you!
Marie says
Aww thank you so, so much, I’m so happy you liked it 🙂
Sydney @ Fire and Rain Books says
For me, getting comments on my blog post makes is fabulous because it means people are actually reading what I write and have some sort of opinion about it. Likes are great too, but are more passive so it makes me question if my blog post was actually great or just good enough for a like.
Marie says
YES, agreed! It means so much to me when people leave a comment, I’m so grateful for that, and it means they really took time to share their thoughts about the topic at hand, which I LOVE 😀
Thank you so much, Sydney! <3
Beth (Reading Every Night) says
Great post Marie, 😀 and I loved reading your thoughts on this. I tend to go a bit off track when it comes to posts, I don’t think I’ve ever used a gif in my reviews or discussions. Possibly because I’m not really sure how to use them but also just because I don’t really feel like I want to you know? 🙂
I think for me what makes a great blog post is the title. It doesn’t have to be funny or really long but as it’s the first thing I see I feel it needs to capture my attention and, in a way, explain what the post is about a little (though this is probably more relevant when it comes to discussion posts than reviews or tags!) 😀
I love the bookish community and I definitely, 100% agree with you on the important of answering comments and adding questions to get your followers thinking about your post after they’ve read it!
Again great post! <3
Marie says
Oh thank you so, so much, Beth! <3 OH I get it, GIFs, or separators of some kind, or images, aren't for everyone. I think that everyone likes to write their blog posts differently, which is quite awesome when you think about it 🙂
I agree – titles are so important and also what takes me a bit of time because sometimes I'm just being obvious and generic and some other times I want to be funny or whatever but fail haha.
Thank you so, so much, Beth <3 <3
Beth (Reading Every Night) says
That’s all right! 🙂 Yeah gifs definitely aren’t for me, and at the moment I don’t think that’ll change but never say never right? 😀 Oh definitely. Even if you reading two reviews for the same books you’re never reading the same review are you?
Most times I’m obvious and generic when it comes to titles. I think with blogging you just have to do what you like and know works, if not you’ll end up not enjoying it.
That’s all right! 😀 ❤️
Marie says
YEs! It’s never the same review because everyone has their own writing style for sure, which always makes it interesting 🙂
girlwiththeglasses2 says
I really liked this post and I got lots of tips from it- thank you!
Marie says
I’m so glad, thank YOU so much for your sweet comment! 🙂
theorangutanlibrarian says
Hahaha oh my goodness that cat gif!! This was such an awesome and thorough post! I so agree that the most important thing is to put your own spin on it, cos then it’ll be original no matter how unoriginal the subject might have been. And yes- questions are so helpful for prompting people with their thoughts 😀 It’s like you said, they might read it and not think to share their thoughts. Hahaha love your LIVE pun!! 😉
As for which posts I like the most- they tend to be the ones I put a ton of effort into- regardless of how well they do. They’re usually the ones that I think are the best reflection of me as well 😀
Marie says
Haha right?! I couldn’t NOT put that cat GIF when I saw it, I loved it too much! 🙂
OH I agree with you so much on this – the posts I end up enjoying the most might not be the ones with the most comments, but they’re the ones I feel proud of putting out there 🙂
Thank you so much <3 <3
theorangutanlibrarian says
hahahha it was wonderful!!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one on that!! 😀 Yes!! I’m the exact same!!
You’re very welcome!! <3 <3
Emma The Book Lover says
Marie! This was an awesome post! Such good tips!
Marie says
Oh thank you so much, Emma! So happy you liked it 😀
MetalPhantasmReads says
I’ll try the drafts idea. I just tend to write ones ahead of time, fill it in enough and then hit publish. I’m always trying to find ways to make my posts better. Thanks for sharing this!
Marie says
OH you’re welcome! I hope this helps 🙂 Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3
Lenna says
These are some amazing ideas!! One thing i want to work on more is adding some visuals to my post, like graphics or gifs or something. I like what you said about the importance of replying to peoples’ comments; I always feel so happy whenever people take the time to comment on my posts, so I try to at least reply to theirs.
Marie says
Oh thank you so much, Lenna! I’m glad you liked this 😀
Same here. I am so grateful everytime someone takes the time to reply to my post, I always try and aknowledge them 🙂 <3
Meggy | Chocolate'n'Waffles says
Hahahah, loved your pun!!!
I tend to have issues with discussion posts, ideas don’t come easily to me, but I agree with your points! It is so important to write posts with your guts, your voice, because that’s what makes a blog post great, your own point of view on something. I also like to ask for opinion and/or advice at the end to see how people react to my ramblings:D
FABULOUS POST 😀
Marie says
Oh thank you so, so much my Sweechie, I’m so glad you liked this post <3 <3 Definitely, it's good to see everyone's personality shining in their blog posts 😀
Darque Dreamer Reads says
Great post! I have wondered about adding gifs to my posts. I see a lot of people do it, but I don’t want to copy everyone.
Marie says
Oh thank you so much! 🙂 Well I wouldn’t say it is copying, as long as you choose GIFs your own way and know that it adds something to your blog posts. Tons of bloggers are doing this 🙂
Darque Dreamer Reads says
Thanks for the helpful tips and post! <3
Marie says
You’re welcome, thank YOU for being so sweet <3
Darque Dreamer Reads says
❤
Bridget says
Great post! I needed to see this today. I’ve been descending into a book slump which has then turned into a blogging slump and I’ve been so stressed because I’m struggling to come up with future posts but this gave me a good reminder for quality over quantity!
Marie says
OH thank you so much, Bridget! I’m glad you enjoyed this post and I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been feeling in a slump. Quality definitely matters more, and that you love it before anything else. There is nothing wrong with taking a step back and a little break from everything if you feel like it. I’m sure the blogging inspiration and love will come back 😀 <3
Julianna @ Blots of Ink and Words says
I LOVE YOUR GIF USAGE *claps for you*
I feel like I always try to make my blog posts relatable AND/OR funny/silly.
Which I do with caps. And many other methods.
I always like personality shining in posts, AND GIFS. WHICH YOU MIGHT KNOW SINCE I LOVE YOUR GIFS OKAY?
Marie says
AWW thank you Julianna, you’re the sweetest! <3 Your blog posts are SO RELATABLE, I love reading them so much, especially because I feel like I get a glimpse of who you are and the way you think while reading them 😀 <3
Julianna @ Blots of Ink and Words says
Aghagh THANK YOU <3 <3
Lauren says
This is a wonderful post with some great tips! I definitely agree with giving the readers’ eyes some rest by adding images or gifs or something else shiny. I really love the way you write but I also really love the gifs you add to all of your posts. Especially since we enjoy the same TV shows, like Friends, which makes the gifs even better 😀
Marie says
Oh thank you so much, Lauren! <3 This makes me so happy to hear, you're too sweet, thank you! <3 <3 And yes ahah I can't help myself with the Friends or TV shows gifs and all <3
Lauren says
You’re welcome 🙂 <3
Georgiana says
Such a useful post. I recently started adding more pictures and gifs to my posts and it made such a difference. Because my posts are normally over 500 words, it can get boring reading paragraphs after paragraphs, so this trick did wonders for me.
P.S. It`s weird how happy I am that you included gifs from my favourite TV Shows
http://www.carmensreadingcorner.co.uk
Marie says
Oh thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed this post 🙂 And yay REALLY? I’m even happier knowing we like the same TV shows! 😀 <3 Thank you, Georgiana! <3
Dani @ Perspective of a Writer says
This is so good Marie! The best advice… I actually loved how you talked about greatness first! That really stood out to me… I’ve been winging some of my posts (discussions!) and now I feel like I have some check points to see if I covered everything…
I totally agree about gifs (I finally figured out how to add then without sucking down my space) and questions! I love questions, lol… I probably add too many. (BTW I may use some of those gifs! If that is alright?! some of them are too cute like the cats following the fly… I’m still learning how to FIND gifs I want to use… cries!)
And I loved how you talked about original ideas and how there really aren’t any just your own perspective! I so agree. <3
Marie says
Oh Dani, thank you so, so much, <3 <3
YES of course it's okay, feel free to use them, I found them all over the internet ahah, and I know the struggle. I sometimes spend more time looking for GIFs than actually writing the post hahaha.
Thank you so, so much, you're the sweetest! <3 <3
Lauren @ Wonderless Reviews says
Wonderful post, Marie ?. So many great tips and ideas in here. Writing great blog posts is something I struggle with constantly and don’t think I’ll ever be able to grasp fully ?. I think one of the best things for great posts is seeing a blogger’s personality come through so I always try to make sure I do that!
Marie says
Aww thank you so much, Lauren! Writing blog posts is always SO tricky, at times I have no idea what I am doing or writing. Let’s face it, I have no idea what I am doing most of the time but…I’m doing it ahahah the best I can. Having the blogger’s personality shine is the best thing for sure in any blog post 😀
Michelle ? says
This is such a lovely post Marie! ❤️ Even after 3 years of blogging I feel like this is a very helpful post ?
Adding images/gifs/just something to break off the text for a bit is definitely important. I don’t always do it, because sometimes it just feels out of place (and it depends on how long the post is), but I try to do it because I know I don’t like to just read a chunk of text without any pictures or something haha (well with the exception of books of course :P)
Marie says
Ohh thank you, Michelle! <3 Same here, even after three years of blogging I am still learning so much from everything every single day 🙂
I agree – sometimes I don't feel like GIFs or image have their places here, and when it's a short blog post it doesn't bother me to read without any images.
Thank you SO much, Michelle!! <3 <3
The Petite Book Blogger says
Oh, wow! I love your blogs makeover ??? I’m so excited to read all the posts that I’ve missed? This is an amazing article that’s a must read for all bloggers.
Marie says
OHH thank you so, SO much, that’s so sweet <3 <3 <3
Geraldine @ Corralling Books says
What. In. All. Mighty.
MARIE YOU BEAUTIFUL GODDESS it’s been so long – so sorry I’ve been AWOL!! Do you still remember me?? Hahaha.
Anyway, GOOD TO SEE UR STILL ACTIVE.
As always, love love love this post, and keep up the great work, girl <3
I'm sure you're an expert on how to write great blog posts, with all the wonderful blog posts I've seen from you!! <3
Marie says
I DO I HAVE MISSED YOU SO MUCH, how have you been??? We need to catch up, via DM or anything, I want to know everything <3 <3 I'm so happy to hear from you! <3
And thank you, you are way too sweet <3 <3
Evelina @ AvalinahsBooks says
When I think of a good blog post, I think it… needs to be a story of its own. We only really enjoy reading things that are sort of a story of its own. I’m definitely not at a place yet when I can just write a good post like that at any point with any topic 😀 but I know I have succeeded a few times, and every time I write a review, I try my best to make the review a story of its own. Those reviews (even if they’re reviews!) get good engagement and stats, so I can tell people do enjoy reading them 🙂
But I suppose you can’t be loved by everyone. Like you say, topics can be so different! Tastes can be different too. I believe that the real mastery is to write well DESPITE the topic. Like, I can imagine Neil Gaiman would probably be able to write a great piece about.. just about anything, right? And that is my goal 🙂
That said, I wish I would follow up at least half the topics I jot down in my phone notes when I’m just going about my days 😀 so many good ideas come up, but if I don’t start writing about it right away, they just sort of… fizzle out, you know? I’m sure you know what I mean.
As for post length.. I don’t think that is as important as is the… well, post readability. That mostly means post “weight” in terms of text VS images or anything that’s a “breather” for a reader. That’s my experience as a reader anyway 🙂 I’m also sure you know what I mean, cause you’re doing it in your post right now 😀
AND OH GOD THOSE KITTIES IN THE GIF. You got me. SOLD.
Great post!! I mean, you can tell by my long looong comment 😀 sharing this in my Sunday update!!
Marie says
OH thank you so, SO much for your sweet comment, Evelina <3 <3 I just love how you say a blog post has to be a story on its own, I completely agree with you on that. It definitely needs to be something that takes you, hooks you from beginning to end 🙂
Same here – I have TONS of ideas in my phone but now looking at them, sometimes I don't even remember what I intended the post to be about ahah. It's a shame, but I'm hoping the ideas will come back to me 🙂
I agree – readability is so important as well, whether it's with GIFs, images or anything else to let us breathe 🙂
THANK YOU so much you are the sweetest, your comment made my day, really <3
Evelina @ AvalinahsBooks says
Aw, I’m so glad ? good to make a difference, haha ?
Marie says
You did ahah, thank you! <3
lostartofreadingblog says
I just love these posts….I may told you this before but oh well, no one judges for being too nice. These help me with my blog and kind of motivates me too to try and make better posts. So thank you 🙂
Marie says
Ohh thank you so, so much – I am SO happy you are enjoying these posts, really <3 <3
lightupthesunblog says
Hi! I really enjoyed this post. I did have a question though. I just started a blog and I’m wondering how to use photos or GIFS like you used above without the potential copyright problems? I researched it and it says that you need permission from the creator so I was wondering where you go to get your pictures and/or GIFS? Thanks!
Marie says
Hi, and thank you so much for your comment! <3 <3 I find all of the GIFs while researching on Google and Tumblr – finding credit it sometimes hard but tons of bloggers are crediting the tumblr on which they found the GIF, for instance 🙂
Jackie @ toomuchofabooknerd says
THIS WAS SUCH A FABULOUS POST, THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO SAY. LIKE THIS IS HONESTLY PERFECT <3
Marie says
Ohhh Jackie, THANK YOU why are you SO sweet ❤❤❤❤
Dax (Fantasy Books 411) says
I love this post so much. ^_^ The way you explained each point in such detail with your own experience was refreshing. I’ve seen some posts where ideas are glossed over and I come away feeling confused about what I’ve read, but your posts (nigh, your entire blog) are so well written and beautifully designed.
I’m sort of halfway into discovering my true blogger’s voice, but am looking forward to realizing my full blogging personality, hehe.
I’m so happy I stumbled across your blog and will definitely follow you for future updates. ^_^
If you ever want a chat, you can find me here:
https://fantasybooks411.com/blog
Marie says
Oh wow, thank you so, SO much for your sweet comment, this means the world to me <3 <3 I'm so happy if you could take something from this post and that you enjoy what I'm writing, really, thank you so much! <3 <3
I hope you will have tons of fun blogging and discovering your blogging's voice 😀 <3
Charito says
This post was truly worthwhile to read. I wanted to say thank you for the key points you have pointed out as they are enlightening.