5 Easy Ways to Make Your Blog Shine

For our first “Blogging Corner” post, we’re offering up five easy ways you can spruce up your own blog, to make sure you’re getting the most from your posts and lots of online love. 

Maybe you just started your Patch blog recently or perhaps you're an old pro?  Either way, we want your contributions to get all the attention they deserve!

1. Make sure your blog name and description reflects the content you share.

Your profile introduces you—or your organization or business—to the community. Readers connect most with bloggers who share a bit of background.

If change the blog heading from the default of your name to a different title, just click on the settings button directly beneath your current blog title.

From here, you can update all sorts of things like the name of your blog, the blog description, category type (schools, business, arts) and also, you can upload a blog profile icon and even allow additional blog managers.

2. Include photos!

First, be sure you have uploaded a photo of yourself (or your logo) with your blog profile (you can do this under settings). This logo will appear on our site next to the headline of your posts. You can also dress up your blog-landing page by clicking on the grey photo boxes above your blog heading to easily upload pics. 

Second, include as many photos with your individual posts as you’d like. People love them! Every readership study tells us that stories—and blogs—with photos get more page views than those without.

3. Don’t feel you have to reinvent the wheel for each post.

Posts can be short and sweet and still offer a lot of value. A photo, a quick tip, a current event you want to sound off on. Patch’s blogging platform is the space for anything you have to say.

Another thing to keep in mind: you can repurpose materials from your own blog, a recent newsletter for an organization you volunteer with, or a notepad of thoughts you keep.

The only rule is that it needs to be original to you—that is, you (or your business or organization) created it. Bottom line: if it has appeared elsewhere, but you own the rights, we’re happy to have it on our sites.

4. Promote, promote, promote!

For our part, we help promote every blog post that comes in by featuring it in our newsletter, on the site homepage and on social.

You’re already tapping into Patch’s audience just by posting, but don’t forget to share with your own circles, too!

Consider sending a group email to friends, family and colleagues with a short note and a link to your blog page. Ask them to subscribe (there’s a button right under your blog title) so they’ll get regular updates. And, don’t forget to share posts on your Facebook, Twitter and other social networks!

5. Be consistent.

If you want to build a solid online audience, you want to post fairly regularly (2-3 week is ideal), so folks can become familiar with your blog and look forward to new posts.

Try posting on different days to see what works best for your content and target audience, but when you do find the sweet spot, stick to it. Online readers are busy but loyal. If you provide something valuable, and they can come to expect it, they’ll keep coming back.

Questions? E-mail Community Editor Liz Kennedy at liz.kennedy@gmail.com.