Many bloggers seem to be doing everything right, but they don’t experience much success.
They write well-structured articles, pay attention to SEO, know the ins and outs of their blogging software… but they’re missing something.
This missing “something” can often be personality. It’s the difference between a blog that readers discover and instantly forget… and a blog that creates connection and impact.
Does your blog need a little extra customization? This is how the top ten bloggers earn their blogs stand out:
#1: Include great photos, like Caz and Craig from YTravel
Blog: YTravel
Some blog topics roughly request great photos. Travel is one of them (and others include food, craft, and fashion blogs).
Caz and Craig post beautiful smiling photos of their family. Some of them are simple snapshots, like in 17 Tips for Flying with Kids to Stay Calm and Happy, and others are a little more sedate, like the photos in Moving to the US + Where to Go Next .
Lessons learned:
#2: Add some style, like Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income
Blog: Pat Flynn
As soon as you visit Pat’s blog, you see huge text of his name and photos of him with what he stands for – “father, husband, serial entrepreneur” – as well as his quirky humor: “protector of baby Yoda “.
Lessons learned:
- Don’t be afraid to think big! This could mean a huge photo of yourself, a bold statement, or an About page filled with images.
- Talk about who you are beyond the blog: Pat lists her favorite books, movies, and games, and writes about her family on her About page.
#3: Develop a strong, identifiable tone, like Shannon Kelly White [language warning]
Blog: Shannon Kelly White
Salty language tends to polarize readers: some love it and find it much of the appeal of a blog; others will be pushed away and not return. Shannon swears – frequently and enthusiastically – on her blog (even in her tagline and navigation menu):
Lessons learned:
#4: Get Custom Illustrations, Like Ramsey from Blog Tyrant
Blog: Tyrant Blog
As soon as you visit Blog Tyrant, you will see the avatar of the blog’s superhero in a red shirt: this illustration appears in the banner image on the home page and in the feature images of several of its articles:
It’s also on the cover of its free report.
Lessons learned:
- Custom illustrations can create a sense of consistency on your blog. Blog Tyrant isn’t the only blogger using them in this way: Social Media Examiner has their little jungle explorer in their header and at the start of every post.
- If you’re not comfortable including personal photos, a cartoon version of you can be a great alternative.
#5: Focus on your “About Page,” like Elsie and Emma from A Beautiful Mess
Blog: A beautiful waste
New readers can land on any post on your blog… and you can bet that if they like it, they’ll find out who the blogger behind the post is, by then clicking through to your “About” page.
It can be helpful to give them a quick overview of who you are and what you stand for. Sisters Elsie and Emma do it in style with a bright, bold photo and a short but catchy intro.
Lessons learned:
- An “About Me” widget in your sidebar is a great place to create an instant connection with your reader. Also include a link to your full About page.
- Happy, smiling photos of you are always a big turn-on. Some bloggers include them in the header, but the sidebar is a great alternative.
#6: Be consistent with your branding across platforms, like Chris Ducker
Blog: Chris Ducker
Chris Ducker uses the same (smiling) portraits in each of his blog post images, About page, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, creating a consistent brand across multiple platforms:
Lessons learned:
- If you’ve spent the time and money to take professional headshots, use them – not just in your banner image, but on social media as well.
- You may want to have variations on your photo, from the same shoot (compare Chris’s front page image with his About page photo, for example).
#7: Use color to boost your brand, like Jadah Sellner
Blog: Jadah Sellner
When you visit Jadah’s site, your eyes are instantly drawn to its beautiful color palette:
The colors of her clothes match the color theme of the site: it looks like everything fits together perfectly. (The whole combination looks like a warm, earthy makeup palette)
Lessons learned:
- Color matters! Maybe bright the colors don’t quite suit your blog, but you can always create a similar banner image that takes the colors from a photo of you and uses them for text and other elements.
- Use color consistently across your site: check out Jadah’s contact page for some examples.
#8: Use a brand statement in your content, like James Schramko of SuperFastBusiness
Blog: Superfast business
The first thing you see on James Schramko’s site is a brand statement describing his business coaching services and who they are for. Instantly it is clear what it is about and – most importantly – what type of audience/customer it is creating content for.
Lessons learned:
- Don’t be afraid to be direct and make it clear exactly what you’re talking about and who you’re blogging for.
- But make sure you’re not just focusing on yourself and your own story, but also on how you can impact readers’ lives.
#9: Have a tagline and “call to action” that gets to the point, like Kelly Exeter
Blog: Kelly Exeter
If you can tell your ideal readers, in just a few words, that your blog is exactly the right place for them:
(Your name) is a (what you do) that helps (your ideal reader)… (do what you suggest).
And if you have something to offer, inspire your readers to take action immediately… There’s no point in subjecting them to a complicated series of email subscription autoresponders, just ask them to click a button and “FIND OUT HERE » what you can do for them.
Like Kelly:
Lessons learned:
- Think of your tagline as who you serve (“smart people”) and what your blog will help those people do (“amplify their ideas”).
- Add a compelling call to action that gives your audience immediate access to what they came to your blog for in the first place
#10: Personalize your player by defining it (or helping it define itself)
Blog: Like putty
Emily has a TedTalk that identifies her personality type as “multi-potential” and she is building an audience of people who identify with her definition.
Emily’s cool thing is that on her homepage, she uses a quiz as a lead magnet (“Are you a multipotentialite?”) to convert random visitors to her site into regular readers.
Lessons learned:
- Define your audience. Help your audience define themselves. Use a quiz or questionnaire.
- Develop a lead magnet that converts web traffic into an audience for your blog and put it front and center.
How do you currently show your personality on your blog? Did anything stand out to you when looking at the examples above…and what are you going to try next?