KEEP WRITING.
KEEP GETTING BETTER.
If I had any advice for someone just starting out in the blogging world I would tell them to completely immerse themselves in the medium. It may seem like all there is to blogging is a domain and a platform like WordPress but that’s far from the case if you want your blog to succeed.
I may not get a million visitors per day but I can work my ass off to get there someday.
I think a huge part of developing a blog, especially in a crowded niche like movies, is about evolving and raising your game. You have to constantly learn new things and apply them creatively.
When I first started this blog, it wasn’t focused and I wrote about a lot of random topics. They were all related to movies but the site lacked an overall identity. You have to ask yourself, what do I want people to EXPECT to see when they visit. Beyond that you have to ask yourself what they WOULDN’T expect as well.
Personally, I put a lot of time into a system of graphics and styles to give each post a unique look. I’ve launched new features, I’ve canceled others. It’s all about evolving and finding your blogging groove.
XTRA: Movie Blogging: Behind The Scenes
I’ve reached the point now where I hope readers know the kind of content they can expect to find here on a daily basis. I’ve got a set of regular features and I’ve added more ambitious features like interviews, original 12 part series and more.
But new features and approaches aren’t enough. I spend a lot of time reading about how to increase traffic and I’ve got a pretty decent amount but now I have to make sure not to lose sight of my main goals. Traffic is one thing. Keeping it is another.
The content has to evolve too.
I want to write about how much I love movies, screenwriting and independent filmmaking. That’s The Athletic Nerd in it’s simplest form but I have to demand more of myself when it comes to new and original content. Especially since I remain committed to at least 6 posts per week and have been for nearly two years.
The idea for this post came along the other day when I sat down and mapped out a month’s worth of post ideas. When I finished I realized that nothing was stopping me from brainstorming even more. So I started a new calendar with ‘Tent Pole’ as it’s title.
What I mean by Tent Pole is what people in the blogging world refer to as pillar content. Hero posts that are well researched and thought provoking. Great content. Slowly, ideas started to form. Bigger and more ambitious ideas and now I have TWO schedules to work with.
You have to raise the bar.
What better way to challenge myself to be better than by printing it here. It’s time to hold myself to a higher standard. (Especially when it comes to grammar and typos. Am I a writer or not?!)
There’s something exciting about really thinking about the quality of my posts and trying new things. At the end of the day, I love to write about the movies I love.
Comments? Suggestions? Post ideas? Looking to contribute?
Email me at jason@17west.ca
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