Building your blog on Steemit is much like building a house. First, you decide on the "layout", or what your blog will be about. Then you lay a strong foundation to build upon.
You must have a sturdy foundation or it will fall. What you build upon is the most important part.
Steemit is not a get rich quick scheme. Steemit is a platform to build an empire.
Who are the ones you look up to on Steemit? Take a look at their beginnings here, They worked hard to get where they are at today. They posted original content consistently and built their following, and in turn, their wallets. They tried different techniques, took notice of what worked and what didn't and adjusted accordingly.
If you want to succeed in Steemit you must find your niche, write genuine content, and engage with your community. You cannot just publish good stuff- you have to be social!
Finding your voice may take some trial and error, especially if you have never blogged before. Here are a few techniques to help you in laying a strong foundation that will take you far on your Steemit journey.
Write what you know
This seems like a no brainer but so many overlook this step! It is true that everything has been covered before a thousand times, however, because you are unique you are the only person on Earth who can cover the subject in your unique way!
You are the only person with your unique set of life experiences, knowledge, viewpoints and opinions. You will put a unique perspective on the subject you choose to write about due to that simple fact. Never let it intimidate you, and never tell yourself "that's been written about so many times, I have nothing new to offer." Oh, but you do, Grasshopper.
What are your hobbies and interests? What do you know about? What is it that you read and research for fun? That is what you should write about on Steemit.
Show me no money!
Yes, you read that right ;) What would you write about for free? What subject are you so passionate about that you can talk about it all day long and not grow tired? That, my friend, is your Steemit niche.
Your passion will show through the page to your readers. They can tell if you love the subject, they will be able to feel it when reading your work.
Don't lie
Lying is tough. Acting is hard work. If you feel you should adopt an online persona for Steemit it will be double the work for little reward.
Be real. Be you. People can feel if you are genuine. I can't stress that enough- it shows through the screen. Be yourself, you are the best person for the job ;)
Don't beg
I have never experienced this on any other social media, but then again Steemit is unlike anything else on the planet!
We see a strangely large amount of follow and upvote me and I'll follow and upvote you back here. But the thing is- it doesn't work! And to be honest it's a bit annoying. Of course if I like your work I will follow you! If you bring value to my life I will absolutely follow you. But if you comment on my post "Good post, I upvoted you can you upvote and follow me" I will not check out your page. Your work, your articles must speak for themselves. If you produce good quality content and write thoughtful comments you will build a following.
Don't steal
The people who are successful on Steemit are the ones who write from the heart. They work hard to produce well written, original and compelling posts. Do not copy someone's work and post it on your page. You will not get followers that way, and you will be banned from Steemit.
Practice makes perfect
Write and post every day if you can. Even if you have only 5 minutes because you have to feed starving rugrats after a ten hour work day was turned into thirteen hours due to rush hour traffic hangups. Five minutes a day is all you need to build writing into your life as a habit.
Don't believe me? Check out @mariannewest daily 5 minute Freewrite. Look at what you can do with 5 minutes- Shoe and Accidental Waste
I tell my writing students the most important thing you can do to become a great writer is to write for 5 minutes every day. Everyone has time for 5 minutes- set your timer and just write. Most "find the time" to keep going after the beep ;)
Making it a habit to write for just 5 minutes every day will train your brain that this is important, and I promise you will "find time" for more minutes, as well as improve your skills.
Conquer writer's block
I used to get writer's block bad. But I conquered it real easy... finally... after years of struggling with it about once a week, lol.
There are some techniques to try if you need inspiration because you are stuck.
Get up and move around- getting the blood and oxygen flowing through your body and brain helps rejuvenate you for ideas to come.
Do something else- surf the web, vacuum the carpet, play with your dog- the point is to leave your computer and do anything but write for a while.
Read. Anything. I like reading articles and comments on Steemit for inspiration. Sometimes making a comment helps you realize there is enough matter there for an entire post.
Change locations. Take your laptop from the office to the living room. Sometimes new scenery helps. Or take it to a coffeeshop or work outside if the weather is nice!
Have fun!
Seriously, do not take it seriously ;) If you enjoy what you are doing then it will not be "work". If you have fun with your writing it will show through.
Your readers want to enjoy themselves and their time on Steemit, therefore are attracted to writers who are having fun.
So write what you love and love what you do and you will succeed no matter what.
Steemit is your future. Build a strong foundation and you will be rewarded for years to come.
Write from the heart and write your heart out!
Images via Unsplash and Pexels
I appreciate your support :)
With Love, Light and Good Mojo!
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If you found this post after day 7 please consider upvoting a recent article ♡
Didn't start reading with motivation but this was actually a very good post :-)
I am mostly just chatting around, getting rid of the votes thing, you make me feel like writing again so thanks to you and the one that resteemed you in my feed. Much love.
I am so happy to be motivational :) Seriously, just start writing, you will find your niche and audience <3
Well, reads like it was written just for me today. Thank you. I like that: "Write your heart out" That is really what makes it all worthwhile. What an amazing platform full of some extraordinary folks. Make it a great day!
Steemit is amazing. I can't praise this place enough! I'm in love, truly, with all of you. I'm so happy to be here every day, and it's because of the wonderful community <3
I'm so happy this is meaningful for you today, that totally made my day :)
Make it a great day? You did it for me 💛 Much appreciation to you!
Extremely good read.
you cannot just publish good stuff- you have to be social!
That is so true!! It's so sad to me when an author can't just reply and/or engage with their readers. I have met a few like that and whether they are "successful" on here or not, the limited interaction effort reflects poorly upon them.
It actually bugs me to see a wonderful article that's several days old with twenty comments but not one from the author :( You have to engage with your readers! This is social media after all ;)
Omg it bugs me to no end when I see that!
Well this is excellent advice! It's what I had been thinking all along, but being new to steemit, I am still trying to really get going and build something on here! It's a little overwhelming sometimes!
It's great to read this advice, and kinda comforting, haha.
Thanks! And have a great weekend!
Oh good, it makes me so happy to hear that :)
Have a spectacular weekend, love your profile pic ;)
Ill try haha! And thanks! That is one of our cats, as you can probably tell, he is nosy. ;)
Thanks @arbitrarykitten & a great post. I was struggling with that recently when I came back from my autumn travels. Keep writing or segue into my normal videos? I decided to go to my 'normal' and change my format to mainly videos with a little blogging added in. If you're interested here was my AHA moment- https://steemit.com/travel/@josephmcconnell/my-budget-travel-web-series . Thanks for the consistently quality content and inspiring others. All the best.
Welcome back :)
Thank you, I will check it out!
Great advice! We have a several friends who just joined, I am resteeming so they will be sure to see it. I am still trying to juggle a day job, but doing just a LITTLE every day has made my account grow.
That is all you need, seriously, a little every day. You will grow!
Thank you :)
Dude, you should check my last post
https://steemit.com/steemit/@nedspeaks/to-all-minnows-the-road-to-becoming-a-dolphin
You are mentioned. And the post is not about hot girls of steemit. But you still made it.
Lol, why thank you!
It seems we have a very similar Steemit mindset!
Yeah I think that is why we clicked when I started out. Good to have known you.
I agree. You are a pretty cool cat ;)
@arbitrarykitten I agree that the KEY is to just be Yourself and be Consistent !
Yes!
I love your content. It's always so motivational and genuine. You are a true steemit inspiration to many people. Sometimes it's hard to find the motivation to write, but this has helped a lot.
I am so glad!
Great article! Love the puppy dog pic!!
Thanks Brett!
Very well said I agree with everything that you have mentioned. This is an awakening to all newbies and old members as well.
I'm glad to hear it!
nice post @arbitrarykitten! also added a reference to it in my last post as well, "HOWTO Get Attention on STEEMIT without PISSING PEOPLE OFF! 😱" 😊
Great article! And thank you!
Nice post @arbitrarykitten
I upvote this post because this post is amazing.
Follow me @mirza-kun
Thanks
Thanks hun, but... Did you read it? There's a very important part in there that you really should see :)
Please, please, oh please, follow me, now you inspire me to write a song also. Omg, i will follow you up to Steem heavens for the rest of my life. Off course you will have to follow me to hear the song that i will dedicate to you. Could i qualify for a 'how to get followers' post? :-)
LOL!
It is obvious you read and find it amazing... 😎
go to the top of the steemit hill and let your voice be heard
Say it loud and proud :)
great post followed
Thanks!
I am inspired to post today. I’ve been a bit slack over the holidays but hopefully I will do better. Thanks for the inspiration!
Welcome back- its a new year so Steem forward full motion :)
this life needs to be a pleasant freedom. best regards stemmit friend
Absolutely <3
This became a motto for me:
Great motto!
I'm in a crisis ! (and over dramatic)
https://steemit.com/blog/@lucylin/torn-between-two-lovers
Aren't you always in a crisis ;)
ah, you know me so well...
Thanks for the information, very interesting with the content of the article @arbitrarykitten hopefully we can invite friends who haven't joined with komunistas to create a blog at steemit.
may your days of fun and happy.
I'm happy it's helpful! Have a most excellent day :)
I feel like you wrote this specifically for me!
Perhaps we were universally aligned... ;)
Could the universe be so kind?
Thank you for writing this article. For a newbie like me, articles like this are very helpful. I learned a lot! Now it's time to apply :)