![\"grow\"](\"http:\/\/altitudebranding.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/grow-300x225.jpg\")
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I\u2019m not much of a numbers hound.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t pore over my stats with a fine tooth comb, I don\u2019t obsess about unfollows or subscriber numbers or any of that stuff. In fact, I don\u2019t even have that nifty little widget here to tell you how many people subscribe \u2013 even though I understand the benefits of social proof \u2013 simply because it\u2019s never been that important to me.<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s a bit contradictory for me to say that I\u2019m proud to have recently crested 10,000 subscribers for this blog in the two years I\u2019ve been musing here. It\u2019s been an amazing adventure, and one I intend to evolve, shape, and carry forward for a while to come. I thank each and every one of you for making this place the rewarding adventure it\u2019s been.<\/p>\n
Several folks have asked me how I keep content fresh and where I find blog ideas. There are some amazing posts out there on blogging (like these from heavy hitters Jay Baer<\/a>, Chris Brogan<\/a>, Copyblogger<\/a>, and Jason Falls<\/a>, for starters). But if you\u2019re interested in my take, I\u2019ll celebrate this milestone by sharing some of my basic tips and strategies.<\/p>\n 1. Capture Ideas Everywhere<\/strong><\/p>\n I use and love Evernote<\/a>, because it\u2019s on my phone and on my desktop and on the web, and they\u2019re all synchronized. And I capture every fleeting fraction of a thought that might be a blog post or an ebook or who knows what. If something sparks in my head, I write it down. That also means ideas that are wildly divergent from what my blog \u201cseems\u201d to be about. If you\u2019re too rigid about your focus, you\u2019ll always lack inspiration.<\/p>\n I also use a Moleskine notebook to scribble stuff in. But the premise is the same. Sometimes it\u2019s just a few words that are the seeds of an idea. Sometimes it\u2019s a photo. But even if I don\u2019t have it worked out yet, I\u2019ve gotten good at identifying the initial sparks of thought and making sure I capture them. Because if I don\u2019t, I WILL forget them.<\/p>\n 2. Mine the Holding Pen<\/strong><\/p>\n I use Evernote for this too, and I keep a notebook full of those fleeting ideas.<\/p>\n When I spend writing time, I look over the list. There are posts in all states of completion, from a single thought to a few rough paragraphs. I\u2019ll sift through the list, and inevitably one post or subject will jump out at me as one that feels \u201cright\u201d for the moment. So that\u2019s the one I write. Some topics come more naturally than others at certain times, so I learn to go with that flow. The only exception is when I write a series, and sometimes I\u2019ll write that series all in one fell swoop if the inspiration is right.<\/p>\n 3. Dedicate Writing Time<\/strong><\/p>\n I take at least an hour, every single day, to write. Even if I don\u2019t finish a post, sometimes I just flesh out some ideas, or tinker with posts I have in draft. But write is a verb<\/a>, and it\u2019s a honed skill. Raw talent and interest help, but it\u2019s something you have to practice often in order to improve and build momentum.<\/p>\n Some people prefer to write in the morning. I prefer to write in the evening. There\u2019s no right answer, but carving out time is the constant. And even if I\u2019m not feeling particularly like writing, forcing myself to take dedicated time usually results in progress, and better results than I would have expected going in.<\/p>\n 4. Capitalize on Idea Storms<\/strong><\/p>\n If you feel like writing, write. And keep writing while you have the spark. That means stacking up several posts and scheduling them out, because it makes up for the days when you don\u2019t have the time or inclination to do it. I\u2019ll sometimes stack up 4 or 5 posts in a single session and park them for a later date.<\/p>\n When you have the benefit of a head teeming with ideas, don\u2019t let it pass by. You won\u2019t remember it later. Get them out somewhere, even if it means interrupting what you\u2019re doing. (Hiding now before David Allen comes and hunts me down).<\/p>\n 5. Minimize the Me Too Posts<\/strong><\/p>\n Irony, of course, is my writing this one. But my typical approach is to not write the \u201cmy take\u201d posts on topics that have been written unless I feel like I can offer a truly fresh, different perspective. This one feels okay to me because it\u2019s blogging through my lens, which you can\u2019t get from anyone else, even if my ideas reflect some of the same ones you\u2019ll read elsewhere. Plus, I\u2019ve been asked to talk about it, so I\u2019m delivering on a request or two.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll have to decide for yourself what your unique contribution is to the blogging space, but don\u2019t get caught in the trap of writing about what everyone else is writing about. Emulating can be good, imitating is usually bad (and uninteresting).<\/p>\n I try to tackle topics from a new perspective or shine a different angle on things if they\u2019re familiar ideas. I call it reframing<\/a>.<\/p>\n 6. Get Outside Your Comfort Zone<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019m a big believer that reading a ton is a key to writing well<\/a>. And I read things outside my world all the time. I read tons of books, fiction and nonfiction. I subscribe to dozens of blogs, some of which are in sociology and psychology, space, physics, science, equestrian interests, parenting, music, you name it.<\/p>\n Some of my very favorite posts are ones that have their roots in inspiration far outside the walls of my industry, or even my experience. You don\u2019t have to be an emblazoned expert on something to write about it well. In fact, those kind of inexperienced perspectives can be groundbreaking and insightful.<\/p>\n 7. Get Over the Comment Count<\/strong><\/p>\n Sometimes, posts don\u2019t get tons of comments or traffic. I\u2019m okay with that. Some posts are intellectual exercises for me, a chance to stretch my brain and explore something new. Some of my favorite posts of mine are ghost towns, getting few comments and tweets. Maybe the ideas sucked. Maybe they were ahead of their time. Maybe it\u2019s just that they came out in a way that only I can understand. All of those things are fine, and they\u2019re part of my overall blog intentions to kick rocks and see what sticks. Yours may differ.<\/p>\n I\u2019m savvy enough to know what posts to build and write that will help drive attention and encourage subscribers, but I\u2019m okay sometimes with writing just for me. I think any sustainable blog has a balance of the stuff that brings the masses, and then the stuff that solidifies the interests of the core community and the author.<\/p>\n 8. Be Okay With Incomplete Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to deliver an answer in every post. Sometimes it\u2019s enough to ask a question and let it sit there, or get halfway through your reasoning and ask others to weigh in. Giving people the opportunity to contribute makes for a richer experience, and you might even learn something from doing so.<\/p>\n So many people think they\u2019ve got to write the complete guide to whatever to have a blog post. Instructions and how-tos have their place, but so does theory, insight, exploration, questioning. That\u2019s part of what distinguishes a blog from a seminar, to me. It\u2019s teaching and learning all wrapped into one.<\/p>\n 9. Give Your Ideas Air<\/strong><\/p>\n Related to the above, I\u2019ve heard countless people say that they don\u2019t know what to write about, because they don\u2019t know if they have anything important to say.<\/p>\n My response: the only way to know is to let your words breathe. I believe LOTS of people \u2013 most of them, in fact \u2013 have valuable things to say. The hard part is finding the unifying thread or platform that gives your ideas a cohesive foundation. That\u2019s where the work is. But you find clothes that fit by trying them on. This is my fourth blog, and the first one that could claim to have a readership. Keep working until you find the pivot point around which your ideas can anchor.<\/p>\n So, those are 9 off the top of my head. Are they helpful? Nothing new? Giving you any ideas you can use?<\/p>\n I mean it when I say I\u2019m humbled and grateful that so many of you swing by here to read what I have to say. If it\u2019s worthwhile, send a friend. If you\u2019re new here, consider subscribing and sticking around a while<\/a>.<\/p>\n I\u2019m on this rock to change stuff for the better, and with your help, I have a feeling we\u2019ll do just that.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I\u2019m not much of a numbers hound. I don\u2019t pore over my stats with a fine tooth comb, I don\u2019t obsess about unfollows or subscriber numbers or any of that stuff. In fact, I don\u2019t even have that nifty little widget here to tell you how many people subscribe \u2013 even though I understand the … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,55],"tags":[87,289,286,285,290,78,288,287],"class_list":["post-449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all-posts","category-ambernaslund","tag-amber-naslund","tag-best","tag-better","tag-blog","tag-great","tag-ideas","tag-methods","tag-tips"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=449"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":450,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/449\/revisions\/450"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesocialcmo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}