Voices on Writing: Darren Rowse
by Daylle Deanna Schwartz

Darren Rowse is one of the leading successful bloggers. Based in Australia, he earns a full-time living from his blog and other related opportunities that manifested from blogging, including his book ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income (Wiley, 2008). I learned how to get my blog off the ground by subscribing to his blog and newsletter, and reading through his extensive archives of instructive articles at www.problogger.net. Here he is, answering questions for our newsletter.

DDS: For a professional writer who gets paid good money to write, how can it be advantageous to blog?

DR: Here's how I see blogs: They are a tool that can give an individual a voice and amplify that voice. For example, before I started blogging, my voice extended as far as my family, friends, work mates, and church community—perhaps 200 or so people. These days my voice: is amplified to 100,000-plus each day through my blogs. Of course, professional writers are used to having their voice amplified in the publications that they write for; the difference is that a blog is your own property and allows you to have complete control over what you say and how you present it. Your blog can allow you to sell yourself (or anything else that you might have to sell) and build your own profile. In doing so, it is amazing what opportunities open up.

DDS: Why is having a well-defined niche so important?

DR: I encourage bloggers to focus on a niche for a number of reasons. The main one is that a niche helps in the process of building a readership. If you blog on anything and everything, some posts will connect with some readers but not others, in terms of topics of interest. When you focus in on a niche, however, readers are more likely to subscribe and want to journey with you, because they know that all you write about is going to be relevant to them and their interests. Focusing on a niche is also great for building your own profile in an industry. Focus upon too many topics and you become a jack of all trades and master of none, whereas, if you focus in, you can become an authority on that topic.

DDS: How can someone make a blog their own/make it unique to them?

DR: With so much content online, it's easy to get lost in the noise, so being unique is important. However, it is easier said than done and is something that I find comes with time. Experiment with different styles of writing, playing with the design of your blog, covering different topics within your niche. As you "play" in this way, you'll find what readers respond to and begin to see you as, and you can build from there.

DDS: What qualities have you seen in successful blogs that others can learn from and use for their own?

DR: I've seen many. Here's just a few. Successful bloggers are:

•Innovators
•Relational
•Skilled communicators
•Original/unique
•Focused

DDS: If I have a finite amount of time to market a blog, when I first launch one, what are the most important things to do to attract readers?

DR: For starters, you need to invest serious time and energy into writing content that is unique and useful. Write something that enhances the lives of those who read it and you'll have a good foundation for finding readers. On top of great content, you then need to start to put yourself out there to be found. You can do this through some of these methods:

•Guest posting on other blogs
•Networking with other bloggers
•Advertising your blog
•Social media
•Writing "viral" content*

DDS: How important is building relationships and what are some suggestions to do that?

DR: Building relationships can be the difference between a successful blog and one that no one ever sees. The problem is that many bloggers write great content, but they are so focused upon their own blog that they never put themselves in a position to be found by others. One way to be found on the Web is to start interacting on other people's blogs and websites. Leave genuine and helpful comments on other people's blogs, email bloggers that you resonate with to introduce yourself, offer to write a guest post for another blogger—all of these things help to put yourself out there to be discovered.

DDS: How important is it to get involved with social networking sites and how can a blogger determine which to covet?

DR: Social networking can be a great way to find people to connect with in your niche, but it can also be a distraction. For me, it's about finding social networks that overlap with my topics. For example, some networks are more tech focused and would be better for a gadget blog to promote themselves on, but not so great for a mommy blog. Look for conversations and communities that overlap with your niche and participate genuinely in those spaces, and you'll find people will want to know more about you.

DDS: What is a "sticky" blog? What are some tips for making a blog sticky?

DR: A sticky blog is a blog which people "stick to"—or a blog that they keep coming back to for more. The best way to build a sticky blog is to write content that motivates people to subscribe to you (sensing a theme?). On top of great content, lots of other techniques, include:

•Promoting your subscription options prominently
•Linking to your best posts prominently
•On-site branding
•Responding to reader comments
•Following up readers with questions
•Running competitions or giveaways

DDS: What do you advise about handling comments from someone who is overtly nasty or hostile?

DR: My own approach is to almost always kill them with kindness. It's amazing how much sting you can take out of a "troll" who leaves an inflammatory comment with an overly polite comment that points out where they are wrong. If someone is constructive with his or her criticism, I try to dialogue. If someone leaves accusations that are untrue, I attempt to correct (more for the sake of others who might stumble upon it). Of course, I also delete comments that are defamatory, personal attacks, or use language that I don't find acceptable. Ultimately I see a blog as being like my home and expect people to follow my rules if they want to spend time there.

DDS: At what point does it make sense to go after advertising? Can having advertising hurt an author?

DR: Depends upon your goals as a blogger. If your main goal is to promote yourself, then you may never want to have advertising, as it will distract readers from your primary advertisement (you). If you do want to make money from your blog, then I generally say start experimenting with the different methods from the beginning. This way, readers don't have to suddenly adjust to you adding ads later on—they've seen them from the beginning. It also means you can learn how to optimize your ads when you don't have many readers. You can hurt your blog if you have too many ads or if the ads don't match what you're writing about on your blog. You want ads to be as relevant to your topic as you can.

DDS: What's the difference between ad revenue and affiliate revenue?

DR: Ad revenue is where someone pays you to show their ad on your blog. They will generally either pay you for every thousand impressions (page views), or per click on the ad. Affiliate revenue is where you promote a product and earn a commission when someone clicks on the ad and buys the product (or takes some sort of other action - like leaving an email address).

DDS: What advertising opportunities are best to start with?

DR: Most bloggers start out with programs like AdSense (Google's ad program) or a program like Chitika. These are programs where you don't have to sell that ad yourself ,but where you put some code on your blog and then the ad program picks relevant ads for your blog based upon what you've written.

DDS: What advertising opportunities do many people overlook, but offer good potential for revenue?

DR: If you have a blog with a local focus, selling advertising to local advertisers can be well worthwhile. I had a lot of luck with this in the early days of my blog while it was getting started.

DDS: What's your best advice for a professional writer who is considering starting a blog?

DR: Don't put it off. I talk to many people who have been "thinking about starting a blog" for years. Thinking about starting one won't do you any good. Start one, experiment with it, see if it works for you, make connections and learn as you go.

DDS: What are the advantages of reading your book?

DR: ProBlogger (the blog) has 4000-plus posts and articles on it and has been written over a 3-year period. As a result, it can be hard to find the most up-to-date information quickly and presented in a logical order. The book is up to date, concise, and logically presented. It walks readers through the basics of how to set up a blog (which tools to use), how to write the type of content that people respond to on blogs, monetization options, how to promote your blog, and much more.

Daylle Deanna Schwartz is a writer, speaker, and self-empowerment counselor. She writes popular music business books for Billboard and personal growth titles, including All Men Are Jerks Until Proven Otherwise. She's been on more than 300 TV/radio shows as an expert, including Oprah and Good Morning America.