The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers

~ Cristian Mihai

Do you want to be a successful blogger? Do ideas for posts randomly pop into your head whenever, wherever? Do you think about ways to improve your blog?

How to write more? Better? Faster?

Do you study what the most successful bloggers have done to get to where they are right now?

You are not alone. I do this too. It’s one of my passions. To see what makes the difference. What works, what doesn’t, and to understand the why. Because of this, I can write cute posts like this one.

Here are the seven best habits to have as a blogger.

1. Effective bloggers are prolific

The first key to being a successful blogger is to write. A lot.

The more you write, the better your writing gets. Talent that does not get used, is wasted. And the more posts you add to your blog, the more juice you’ll get from search engines. And more content means more reader visits to see what’s new.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still an advocate for quality over quantity, but the truth is that effective bloggers work hard. Putting a successful blog together requires a lot of time in front of your computer, and not surfing Facebook or posting pictures of what you had for lunch on Instagram.

Great bloggers put a lot of time into researching, writing, editing, and planning posts for their blogs.

2. Effective bloggers are creative

If you’re ready to take risks you need to come up with creative ideas all the time. The sad part is that, as time goes on, it can feel overwhelming to come up with and act on new ideas that keep adding value to your blog.

If you want to be truly creative you’ll need to keep taking action, and never let self-doubt, the naysayers, or the urge to procrastinate be stronger that your will to succeed.

3. Effective bloggers are really, really, really passionate

You’re passionate about what you blog about, aren’t you?

I know that so many advertise being passionate about your niche that it has become such a cliché, but this does not make it any less true…

Not only do you need to feel strongly about whatever it is your writing, but you also need to make your readers feel it too.

They need to feel your fire.

4. Effective bloggers never stop learning

If you’re new to blogging, you’re probably on a steep learning curve at the moment.

Maybe you tell yourself that things will get better when you’ve been doing it longer.

No, it’s not. It never gets easier, no matter how good you become.

Mostly because you’ll always need to step up your game. Also, because things change very fast.

And you have to keep learning.

If not…

What happens to a building that is not lived in?

A car that is not driven?

Have you ever noticed they decay faster than usual?

The same is your blog. Staying the same means a slow death…

5. Effective bloggers are focused and consistent

Successful bloggers develop a schedule and stick to it.

They write consistently about their topic of choice, and with a consistent voice and approach. Whether they post three posts a day or two posts a week, their readers know what to expect.

6. Effective bloggers are visible and engaging

A lot of bloggers view comments as a bit of a pain in the dorsal region, so to speak. Yeah, I’m feeling very PG-13 at the moment.

If you think that replying to comments is a waste of your time, you might want to reconsider. And fast. Before you’ll find yourself in “no-comment land.”

Effective bloggers see their blog readers as interesting people who they naturally want to interact with them, not just some statistic. They reply to comments on their blog posts and talk to their readers on other social media because they value them.

The best bloggers focus on creating strong content that resonates with their readers. They’re not afraid to be provocative or share personal stories. They have that unique voice and point of view which creates reader loyalty.

Effective bloggers really talk to people. They show they care, and engage their readers rather than just going through the motions of networking because it has to be done.

7. Effective bloggers are persistent

Did I ever tell you about the Chinese Bamboo tree? No?

Well, the Chinese Bamboo tree requires nurturing – water, fertile soil, sunshine. In its first year, we see no visible signs of activity. In the second year, again, no growth above the soil. The third, the fourth, still nothing. If there are no results, it is easy to become discouraged and give up.

But then, in the fifth year, something happens. Growth. The tree grows 80 feet in just six weeks!

Overnight success is a myth, and top bloggers understand this.

More so, they even count on things being harder than their most pessimistic expectations. Persistence and patience are a top blogger’s best friends.

Successful bloggers don’t give up. They do whatever it takes, for as long as it takes.

What trait do you think is most valuable?

What do you think the most important trait of a top blogger is? It might be one of these seven, or something completely different. Do let me know in the comments section below!

674 thoughts on “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers”

  2. As one passionate blogger to another, it’s important to remember that writer’s blocks will come. They always do. And when they do, you can still *read* other people’s thoughts and get inspired. You can take the time to learn something new. Don’t let the writer’s block kill your writer spirit!

    Liked by 3 people

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  4. Habit #7 is very important to me. I have to wait and continue with my blog and online business regardless of the naysayers and other disappointing results. I believe and have a strong desire to go after what I truly want. I want to live a happier, more comfortable, and more stable life in this world.

    Liked by 5 people

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  5. Cristian, just going through your older posts (i’m fairly new on wordpress) and i need to say, your posts are truly remarkable: substantial, to the point and always so funny. i can look to you as someone who knows what they’re doing, and also is masterful at guiding someone who has no clue. like me 🙂
    mersi mult!

    Liked by 7 people

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      3. Agreed, even though this article says you should post a lot and be active. I have incredible engagement through Facebook but I can’t make my followers comment on the blog 😀 I guess that’s something to work on in the future. Thanks for your replies and honesty.

        Liked by 3 people

  9. Wow, Cristian, spot on, as usual. And damn if it’s not what I need to hear! Another trait I’d add is a burning desire to be a successful blogger, rather than, in my case, attempting to use my blog as a jumping off point to create a platform to land an agent for my book. When I say it like that (honest) it sounds sleazy. Thank you for the wake-up call. Time to rethink, recommit with passion, or find a new path.

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  28. I completely agree that consistency and giving readers a schedule to expect is important. Something that with consistency, I did see improvements in traffic and interaction. I have never gotten a comment other than to give advice on how to use the site, specifically it was a theme related comment. I was so psyched to have gotten my first comment only to learn that it wasn’t about my content at all. I don’t expect comments or likes, I just enjoy a platform to be heard and thankful for those who have experienced the same whom I’ve connected with/follow me.

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  30. I really enjoyed reading this post. I think you’ve covered the major points quite well, here.

    If I was to add an “honourable mention”, I think being open to constructive feedback/criticism is another great trait to have. It allows for more opportunities to grow and reach far beyond previous limits. Plus, it builds good character.

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  34. For me it would be trait or habit number 3: passion! I believe if you’re passionate about what you do the other traits will most likely follow. Inspiration and creativity will come because the fire is there. You will write and create a lot of content because you love to! 😄

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  35. For me, the courage to express my ideas is key. I feel that many of my ideas are unusual which causes me to hold back on expressing them (like I want to delete this and skip it right now). But actually that unique perspective, to the extent that it is real, is an important reason for me to express my ideas. Thanks for your list – all are valuable. Thanks for getting me think about this.

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  40. I’m not sure which of the 7 traits are the most important. I think that unless you have self-confidence and the belief that you have something new worth saying or a new way of saying something old, you won’t manifest the 7 traits that you mention.

    This confidence is something I struggle with. There’s nothing to say that others haven’t already said. Can I say it in a new fresh way? Can I say it in a way that lights something new in the mind of even one reader? I’m not altogether sure what I’m passionate about and my interests change. I write about what interests me at the time. I may write one post or several on that topic before moving on to something else. Probably not the most effective strategy, but better than not writing at all.

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  44. Cristian, this nugget of wisdom can come from somebody who has seen and done it. Great to connect with these profound thoughts. These are the critical factors that one need to keep in mind in the long journey of blogging. There is no short cut. Blogging per se becomes an extension of our self and it is outlet for our passion, and the more passionate we are on what we want to accomplish through this platform, the more vibrantly it gets manifested, the better we become as a person. It is so much through the emotional engagement with this platform of blogging. It is a process of learning and if we are reflecting that learning onto this platform and doing so with authenticity and creativity, it only grows…so much like the Chinese Bamboo. For initial few years most of us don’t see the result that we expect and even it appears too stagnate and many times there is a feeling getting dragged back in time. We cannot amend ways to mend our anachronistic habits that many times gets rusted and we still remain rooted to it.

    Life is all about growth and we do so by learning and many times we have to unlearn to learn new stuff, and so much of the same principles drives the journey of growth in blogging. It is this habit that can literally make or break our journey as a blogger. Yes, if we start enjoying the journey and then we needn’t have worry about the destination, let it come when it is destined to come and why should we not cherish every moment of my lovely engagement with blogging, and after all it is the arranged marriage of our passion with blogging.

    Nobody can take away the importance of being consistent and keep persisting in whatever we have chosen to do, and most of the time it appears futile to keep going as there is no such precedent for success. And precisely that is what is the case with most such success who have embarked on uncharted territory and it is their patience and perseverance that take them the distance. If the formula is known and applies the same way to all then everybody would have reached the same place of success, the question that only few manages to do so and they do so by going the way they felt was right, it is driven by the passion of their heart and therein lies the art of scripting one’s success that is so much yours and you deserve it as you believed in and you kept the wheel running even when things were heating up and the gasoline were touching the red bar.

    Liked by 1 person

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