Robin Houghton is the guest for Episode 32 of The Author Biz Podcast.
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If you’re an author in today’s world, you’re faced with the blogging question. Should I blog or shouldn’t I?
Some, including many publishers, believe we should all be blogging as authors. We’re told it will help us build our platform and make it easier to sell books. While others take the opposite position, believing an author’s writing time is best spent working on the next book.
As you may have already guessed, today’s show is all about author blogging. While we may not be able to answer the “should I or shouldn’t I be blogging” question, we will explain why it can help you grow your audience and expand your author platform.
Robin Houghton
Today’s guest is Robin Houghton, the author of BLOGGING FOR WRITERS. She has over two decades of experience in marketing and communication, and she’s been running her own business, Eggbox Marketing, since 2002. Robin now works primarily with writers and publishing industry professionals to help them make the best use of social media.
In this 62-minute episode, we take a deep dive into author blogging, covering topics like:
- An overview of BLOGGING FOR WRITERS
- The benefits and drawbacks of the three major blogging platforms
- Robin answers the ‘why should authors blog’ question
- Blogging offers an author the opportunity to control the top results readers (and others) will see when searching for you.
- Blogging can improve your writing
- There are numerous objectives authors can reach through blogging
- Determining your blogging persona as part of your planning process
- The value of your author blog increases over time, with the addition of new, timely, relevant, and interesting content.
- The value of your blog is the content, not the look and feel of your site.
- The steps and the costs involved in setting up a self-hosted WordPress blog
- The significance of maintaining an editorial calendar for your blog
- Don’t think of blogging as broadcasting your message to the world. Instead, think of it as building your audience, one person at a time.
- The benefits of being a member of the blogging community
- Robin explains how blogging helps author sites rank better in Google and other search engines.
- The value of analytics to author bloggers
- What analytical metrics should authors focus on?
- The importance of adding a media page to your author website / blog
- Robin shares some advance information on her next book, THE GOLDEN RULES OF BLOGGING (& When to Break Them).
Links:
- Robin’s Website http://robinhoughton.com/
- Blogging for Writers website http://bloggingforwriters.
info/ - Social Media for Writers (Robin’s ‘tips’ blog) – http://
socialmediaforwriters.co.uk/ - Robin’s Poetry Website http://www.poetgal.co.uk
- Ilex/Octopus Books (Robin’s UK Publisher) https://www.octopusbooks.co.
uk/
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Creative Commons image by Edar.
Before getting into the business of writing I spent twenty-five years in the technology business as a financial guy, and then as a serial entrepreneur. I know what it takes to start and run a successful business.
I can’t thank you enough for the information and words of reassurance. My blog is only four months old and I finally had one of those viral moments last week. There I was, ready with my free opt-in gift, all set for that avalanche of new subscribers that would surely click the subscribe button.
I did get a few, but it wasn’t the avalanche I hoped for and my first thoughts were that I had somehow done something wrong. I keep hearing about these “super bloggers” who get 1,000 subscribers in a week. I don’t ever expect that, but I hoped for a little more than what resulted.
Your words have helped me with my perspective, and for that I am incredibly thankful. I have to stop comparing and stay the course.
Thanks for listening, and for your sharing your story. You’re so right about the ‘super bloggers’ and it’s far to easy to compare and get discouraged. The unfortunate thing is that it’s just the super bloggers who share their numbers. When we look at our small but growing readership the comparison is painful. Congrats on having a viral moment so early on in your blogging career!
Thank you Steve … and thank you for subscribing! There are some benefits to having a smaller blog, like recognizing new subscribers on your list. 🙂
Thank you Steve and Robin. This was a great podcast. I’ve been resisting blogging but I’m starting to see the benefits of blogging. I can’t wait to read Robin’s book.
Thanks for listening, Carla. The benefits don’t come as quickly as we’d all like but they are definitely there for those who put in the work.
Thanks for the feedback, Carla and T.O.. Yes, it’s hard not to make comparisons, but more important to stick to your goals and enjoying the blogging process 🙂