There are millions of blogs out there, and getting noticed amid the cacophony of such a noisy and active crowd is the key problem for any new blogger.In January 2007, I started Zen Habits, and at first I thought there was no way for me to get noticed. Eleven months later, I’m a Top 100 blogger and I’ve learned a few things about how to get noticed.There are millions of blogs out there, and getting noticed amid the cacophony of such a noisy and active crowd is the key problem for any new blogger.In the face of such overwhelming odds, how can you differentiate yourself? How can you get noticed?The main thing: don’t just do what everyone else is doing. Study your field, see what’s being done, and by all means, do the things that are working for others. But do it in a new or interesting way, with some kind of difference that will get you noticed.Here are a few tips on doing that:1. Blog name. It starts here … how will you be memorable? If you use your name for your blog, it had better be a memorable or already-known name, or you’ll have a harder time. Try to choose a name that will capture the image you’re going for and stand out at the same time. It’s going to be your brand. Be bold!2. Headlines. Aside from creating amazing content, writing an interesting and catchy headline (or “post title”) is the best thing you can do to get people to read your posts. Those few words are all they’ll read when another blogger links to you, when you’re on a social media site such as Digg, or when you’re in their RSS reader. So be bold in your headlines as well. See what works for other successful blogs, and capture the essence of those headlines … while doing something a little different. Be sexy, be different, be eye catching.3. Usefulness. There are a lot of blogs out there, but not many of them are so valuable that they’re worth the time it takes to sift through the non-useful stuff. Be different by being incredibly useful, so valuable people will thank you for providing the information you’re providing for free. Always ask yourself, “How can I make this post amazingly useful?”4. Depth. Along those lines, don’t just brush over a topic. Too many blogs do short posts with a thought or two, obviously written in a hurry. Be different — go into much more depth. It’s still important to be concise — being lengthy isn’t a good thing. But exploring a very useful topic in more depth than other blogs will set you apart.5. Flair. While content is the most important thing, it’s good to have a little style too. Should you be intentionally flamboyant and exciting? Well, a little flair never hurts. But it’s still important to be true to yourself, and to be honest to your readers. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, but adding a little zest to your posts while still being yourself is a good way to be different than the more commonplace blogs out there.6. Memorable images. Aside from the headline, the image that you use with the post can make a big difference in grabbing the reader’s attention. Try to find a popping, eye-catching, memorable image to go along with your post. Now, it shouldn’t oversell the post or mislead the reader, but something funny or amazing or at least visually interesting should do the trick.7. Off-beat topics. What topics are other people blogging about? If you blog about exactly the same thing, you’ll be exactly the same as everyone else. Instead, try to think of topics that are slightly off-beat, different, interesting … something that will catch attention and curiosity. The reader should see the post and say, “Huh? That’s interesting.” He shouldn’t say, “Oh, not that again.”8. Controversy. While it’s not good to be intentionally controversial all the time, it’s also good to try not to steer clear of all controversy. If you have a stance that isn’t the norm, that will stir up a little controversy … don’t be afraid to write about it. You might get some attacks, you might get insulted … but don’t worry, it won’t hurt as much as you think. Just do it, and see what happens. Controversy gets people talking, and that’s a good thing.9. Definitive resource. Instead of providing some information about a topic, provide everything the reader could want on that topic. Be the definitive guide, FAQ or how-to. Have links to everything the reader might want. If you’re better than everyone else, more comprehensive, more useful, you’ll stand out.10. Give away an ebook. I’ve had success selling an ebook, but remember that I had built up my audience before I sold the ebook. Instead, you can do the opposite: create a great ebook that will be quickly spread around, and give it away for free. Make it catchy and extremely valuable, and people will thank you. Allow other bloggers to give it away for free on their blogs. Allow people to email it to family and friends. Just be sure that your blog’s name and url are on it prominently.11. Minimalist design. Way too many blogs are crammed not only with information, but with widgets, ads, images, links, more ads, and everything else under the sun. Readers get tired of that. Instead, remove everything you possibly can. Only have your header image, and the content, and maybe a few links to your best stuff and links so people can navigate easily. Other than that, lose everything else possible. The minimalist design, with lots of “white space” (as opposed to filling every possible inch of screen space with stuff) will be much more eye-catching and memorable. Different, in other words.12. Don’t have ads. Along those lines, try going without ads. I know, that’s a tough decision to make. But some of my favorite blogs have gone without ads, at least until they got popular, and let me tell you, it set them apart. Anyway, Adsense and other ads like that don’t make much money in the beginning. If you’re not making thousands of dollars a month on ads, consider removing them for a few months.13. Attention-grabbing openers. The first paragraph or two of your content are the most important (aside from the headline). That’s because if it’s not interesting, people will move on. They’re busy, they don’t have time, and they don’t want to read a boring article. But if you grab their attention with the first few words (and don’t oversell the post), you’ll get them to keep reading.14. Get people talking. Along the lines of “be controversial”, you want people to talk about your posts. You don’t have to be intentionally controversial or anything, but just ask yourself, “Is this a post I would blog about if I were another blogger? Is this something I might tell my coworkers about?” If so, you’ve got a winner. Write in a way that makes other people want to talk about you.15. Don’t be about the money, be about the reader. Too many bloggers are just looking to make money. They make many decisions, without really thinking about it, that put the money and the traffic before the reader. With every little decision you make, ask yourself, “Is this something that will benefit my readers? Is this something that will be valuable to them?” If not, consider not doing it. For example, widgets that are designed to drive blog traffic — are you doing it for the traffic, or for the reader? Most times, it’s not for the reader. But if you constantly, vigilantly, mercilessly put the reader before money or traffic, you will set yourself apart. And that’s a good thing.
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I’ve been struggling with this lately on my personal blog[1]. The problem is that it’s for my family and friends, but at the same time I have a lot of pride in it and I wish that I could make it fun and interesting for others as well.On the other hand, my business blog, Bajooter[2], is getting more and more focused and really beginning to follow these tips.Wow this was an excellent post–and the thing that makes it excellent is that it follows its own rules.1. http://theyoungbostons.com/dustin2. http://bajooter.com
Great post, Leo! This will come in handy as I plan my new project. Thanks!
Some great advice Leo, thank you. Very useful!I am trying to raise the profile of my little blog. I’ve managed to secure a great URL, I’ve got a new blog design which is simple and eye catching. (All to be launched in the New Year)PS Thank you for adding one of my latest posts to the tumblelog! Much appreciated
Great info. I agree with your comment about the design. Clean and uncluttered works. However, the ad thing can work, if you don’t over do it. That’s something I can definitely speak from experience on.
I did the opposite of the 13th way; Attention-grabbing openers.I think it has something to do with reverse psychology.
Thanks Mate! I will give these ideas a whirl!
thanks for the tips
What a good post, I was starting to wonder if anything was going to get posted here again. Interesting timing because this topic came up in a conversation of mine the other day.I very much enjoyed reading this post.
It also helps to try and actually post things that people want to read. You can make things eye-catching and long and thoughtful all day, but if your article isn’t interesting, I don’t care.
A lot of great tips and ideas. Crowded websites and blogs are bad news, always have been. Dropping adsense is probably the best idea of all, unless you’re making actual money off it and most do not.The e-book idea is one of the best ideas of all.I’ve had enormous success with this free online novel, about life in Sydney after a bird flu pandemic :www.ed-day.blogspot.comThere’s about 5000 regular readers (a new chapter goes up every week) and I’ve been stunned at how far around the world the links and chapters have spread. Most of the readership has come from people sending chapters to their friends and relatives, and getting them to read along so they can discuss it. Sort of like a serialized online novel book club.I’ve already got 600 people who have pledged to buy a paperback copy when the novel is finished, all without much hard-push promotion at all.
Thanks for the advice and for Zenhabits. I am trying to get a technology oriented blog going targeting the Spanish speaking population.
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“Well, a little flair never hurts.”15 pieces of flair may not be _mandatory_, but it is suggested as a minimum.
Nice list. It’s always good to read articles like this to keep you inspired to blog.–TW
This is a wonderful post!! Thank you so much for your help.
Very nice post! Number 15 I agree and disagree with on a certain level. I definitely understand putting your readers before money ALWAYS. Many people don’t have popular enough blogs to make money, so trying to make money over pleasing your readers is a waste really. As for the widgets…I tried the blog rush and removed it. For one, it was ugly, and two, it didn’t work. Now, that’s not to say that a widget can’t serve a good purpose if it actual works and brings you traffic, right? I can agree with putting your readers before your traffic desires, but if you don’t have traffic, then you don’t readers (at least for a new blog) so a widget that brings you traffic may actually help in that sense? Maybe I’m wrong?I do see what you’re getting at though. You don’t want to just do something to increase your traffic numbers.
It’s hard to do any website without ads on it. At least for me, even if it’s 1000 unique visitors, I’d prefer they generate at least some dollars. I don’t think that not having ads will make any of my sites grow so much that when I put ads I’ll be able to earn back the lost time without ads.Surely I’m wrong..
16. Be completely unoriginal, but present your posts as though they say something interesting. For instance: write lists on your site which say nothing new, but present the information to short-attention-span internet addicts. You’re more likely to get a DIGG listing that way.17. Add advice to your list such as ‘don’t use advertising’ and then ignore it yourself (with so many DIGG hits, you’ll need those Google ads just above the comments section!).
This was such a useful article, thank you! It’s hard to know what is right? what is wrong? what’s annoying to you? what’s annoying to others? how to make some bucks using ads without pissing your readers off so much they never return!Wonderful and insightful, thank you!
Meh, this list was pretty generic. I think everyone knows to write good content with catchy headlines, etc etc.What else did you do? Don’t you have a reputation for networking a lot?
That was a good read with some interesting points.
So how much are your ads worth?
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I would add: do a podcast or vodcast. I started a vodcast for my site and it has been massively successful for branding and get connections to mainstream media.
That’s the best list I’ve seen. I think it’s ok to put ads and other things in to see how they work (I play with my blog a lot) but you definitely have to make sure they aren’t annoying and if they aren’t really making much money, why leave them there?
Nice post and tips Leo!One of my goals for 2008 will be to focus more on #4. Depth, and trying to create longer posts.Happy Holidays,Mark
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Great tips, you also want to go out into the community and comment on other related blogs with useful comments that will add value to the post.
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Leo: Thanks for sharing ways to set my blog apart from the crowd. I should have read this and added some to my “Blogging Goals for 2008.” In particular, I really like #3 Usefulness (“How can I make this post amazingly useful?”), #4 Depth (“exploring a very useful topic in more depth than other blogs will set you apart”), and #9 Definitive resource (“provide everything the reader could want on that topic. If you’re better than everyone else, more comprehensive, more useful, you’ll stand out.”)Wow! Those are some great tips and I plan on applying them to my blogging from now on and in the upcoming year. Thanks Leo!
#3 and #15 really ring true for me.Thank you! I was just in the middle of a blog/existential crisis and this article was just what I needed to work my way out of it.
Great list! Thanks for sharing this with us! Keep up the good work!
Food for thought! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the info. It will help me a lot while blogging away aimlessly. I am new at this and it is good to know that someone is willing to share their knowledge. Appreciate it very much. To your success.
Good tips. It’s impressive you built up your blog so much all in the past year.
I think I have to make an ebook to kickstart my blog. Seeing people sell ebooks and make money does make it difficult for me to give away a book, but it would be a way to grab some serious attention.
Great post, I just wrote a little blurb about it and linked to it–hopefully a lot of struggling bloggers get to this article.
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these tips sure weren’t unique … but i still read each and every one of ‘em …and commented on the post too …so not everyone of your tips work …good list though …
Nice article, I will keep these in mind.
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Thanks for some great advice – will definitely be applying this stuff to our new blog!
Great advice. I submitted your story over at InformedNetworker.
Leo,Nicely done. A few thoughts to share.,,1. Content. Absolutely, content is king. The best content will magnetize your blog. Try and partner with thought leaders in your category. Ask them if you can use an excerpt of their book or an article. Remember strong content is viral and the anchor for the best of blogs.2. Think Distribution. Empower your audience with choice. Have options for them to receive your content any way they wish. Make it easy for readers to share your message.3. Naming. To Dovetail on what Leo shared: A real-world example. We have a business blog with a focus on branding strategy. We knew we needed to own those two words in search results – hence our name http://www.BrandingStrategyInsider.com consider words that are also important in search results. Try and make key words part of your name.4. The sting of advertising. Too many bloggers submerge their content in link advertising. I call this desperation marketing. It’s a message that you just want me to land on your blog and click an ad. Sounds like a Splog huh? Remember readers are not there for advertising. Focus on the readership. As Leo said when you have earned heavy traffic you can then introduce ads in a subtle way.5. Stay focused. Promises kept are readers kept. If your a baking blog stick to baking. Over time your readership is expecting you will deliver on a certain topic at a certain time. Treat your blog like a news channel. Program it consistently.Lastly, remember that the heart of differentiation is not just about ‘being different or unique’; it’s about having a relevant and meaningful difference. You get there by evolving with the needs and desires of your audience. Many times the answers are there; you just have to be listening.Derrick
I love this post!! One way to stand out is to always have great content.
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My goal for 2008 is to put some of these into practice = we will see what happens
Great tips, you also want to go out into the community and comment on other related blogs with useful comments that will add value to the post.
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gr8 tips.hope they work for me.
You hit the nail on it’s head with this one.My favorite thing to do is to write with flair and a little bit of spiciness.I’ve found that the dry and mundane gives the reader a reason to click away.But something a little spicy and eye-catching will have them coming back for a little more.Thanks for the post!
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Great tips – you need to do a post just about writing sexy headlines though. It’s so tempting just to write a literal headline.
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Thanks for sharing! This list of blogging tips is one of the best! I became your rss subscriber.
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Awesome post..
i dont aggree with some of your ideas like remove ads….atleast ads bear the cost of hosting….i dont mind seeing ads on others blog…then why would anybody else mind it
These are the tips I’ve been looking for! There are a couple I need to implement *right* away – thanks!
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Hello!Very Interesting post! Thank you for such interesting resource!PS: Sorry for my bad english, I’v just started to learn this language
See you!Your, Raiul Baztepo
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