There are a number of habits that separate top bloggers from the rest. They’re not often talked about, though the benefits they yield are very real. I’ve worked with a number of top bloggers, either through writing for them, corresponding with them, or collaborating in other ways. Others that I haven’t dealt with directly, I’ve observed for quite some time.Throughout my dealings with top bloggers, I’ve noticed they have some distinct habits which have allowed them to build and maintain a popular blog. In this post, I wanted to focus only on the habits that many of us are lacking, or have difficulty developing. Other habits (like producing great content) don’t belong to top bloggers alone, so they’re not mentioned here.How many of these top blogger habits could you develop?1. They’re super-efficient emailers.If you’ve ever communicated with a top blogger you’ll notice that they’ve mastered the art of using email to say exactly what’s needed and nothing more. The skill is one borne out of necessity, because top bloggers can receive hundreds of emails in a 24-hour period.What if we developed the top-blogger habit of becoming super-efficient emailers, even though we don’t receive quite as many emails? We’d save time every day.2. They network with social media power-users.Have you ever envied the ability of top bloggers to write posts that become popular on Digg, del.icio.us or StumbleUpon at least once a week? Part of it is solid content, but the other part occurs behind the scenes in the form of mutually beneficial friendships with social media power-users. These power-users will submit the top blogger’s posts and almost guarantee them to become popular. The benefits of these relationships are something average bloggers often overlook.Social media power-users have more to gain from a partnership with a top blogger, but we can start small by befriending a network of everyday social media users. Sometimes a group of people working together can carry as much weight as a vote from a power-user.3. They blog like clock-work.Except in unusual cases, top bloggers rarely disappear or go on hiatus. They blog when they’re sick — they even blog when they’re on vacation! If that’s not possible, they organize guest-posters to cover any holes left by their absence. While it demonstrates enviable tenacity, it also displays a respect for the audience they’ve built up. They know that thousands of people will be let down if they get lazy or unmotivated. They’ve got something to lose.What if we treated our dozens or hundreds of readers with the respect that most top bloggers treat their thousands (at least in terms of posting consistently)?4. They develop multiple income streams.Most top bloggers earn an income for their efforts. Because it tends to be a decent amount, they’ve become good at protecting it by diversifying. Online incomes can be fragile and top bloggers know not to put all their eggs in one basket. Leo Babauta of Zen Habits, for example, monetizes through advertising, donations and his eBook (Zen to Done). This means that if one of those income streams peters out or is cut off, others exist to make up for the loss.Because most of us don’t make thousands online, we can fall into the trap of having only one income stream. This might not matter so much now, but if our online income grows in future, it would be devastating if that one stream was damaged or cut off. One lesson top bloggers teach us is to start diversifying sooner rather than later.5. They outsource to others.While not all top bloggers are in the practice of outsourcing, many are. From moderating comments, to paying writers, to handling email, to technical issues and administrative tasks, there’s a top blogger out there outsourcing it to someone else. It’s the result of the simple realization that the cost of outsourcing tasks to others is less than the benefits of freeing up time to concentrate on other things (whether those benefits are financial or otherwise).The average blogger usually isn’t in a position to do paid outsourcing, but you may have skills you can leverage in place of money. I recently negotiated with someone to handle some forum moderation for me in exchange for writing posts on his blog. For the average blogger, you can outsource by exchanging skills rather than money for labor.6. They know when to relinquish control.One thing you’ll notice about most blogs run by top bloggers is that they showcase a number of different writers. Many average bloggers struggle with the idea of temporarily relinquishing control to someone else, usually because they fear the resulting content won’t be up to standard. Top bloggers have generally realized that there are some great writers out there. They also understand that allowing others to contribute content can free up valuable time.If you’ve previously been nervous about letting others write for you, why not give it a shot? If a post isn’t good enough, you can ask the writer to revise it, or simply say no. Ultimately, you have the right to decide whether an idea or submission is up to scratch.7. They invest in a high-quality design.Not every top blogger has a slick looking blog, but most do. That’s because they realize the importance of branding and presenting well. A high quality blog design can make your blog worthy of a second look to someone who would have passed it by otherwise.Not every top blogger with a great blog design paid for it, either. There are plenty of really well-made free themes out there if you take the time to look.8. They know how and when to say no.Top bloggers receive pitches, requests and questions all the time. If they complied with all of them, they’d have no time left to do anything else! Once again, the ability to say no is one that top bloggers develop out of necessity. They know how to treat their time like it’s worth something.The ability to say no can be a difficult one for the average blogger to develop. When you don’t have thousands of readers, losing one through your own actions (or inactions) can seem like a frightening possibility. Despite this, it’s important to realize that saying no kindly will rarely lose you a reader. When you find yourself making a sacrifice without reward, that’s when it’s time to say a polite no.9. They stay humble in spite of their successes.With thousands of readers and subscribers it would be easy for top bloggers to become arrogant. While some have fallen into this trap, most of them aren’t top bloggers anymore. Arrogance is a big turn-off. Top bloggers who’ve been successful for a while stay modest because they know their success is and was entirely dependent upon others. Top bloggers wouldn’t be anything if they didn’t get readers, links and social media votes from people all over the world.When you start to experience some successes with your blog, remember that it’s only because others have championed you. Success in blogging will never come from you alone.10. They don’t let criticism bring them down.One of the few inevitable laws of blogging is this: as your popularity increases, so does the amount of criticism you receive. Yes — even if you blog about woodwork, or pegs, or fluffy bunnies. Throw 10,000 people at a page and you can bet one of them will have something whacky to say (which explains a lot of the criticisms leveled at the Digg-effect).Top bloggers deal with criticism daily, but they’ve learned to recognize when it’s worth listening to, and when it’s not. In unfortunate cases, top bloggers have also been on the receiving end of threats. Because of this, they learn the importance of keeping private details private.You might not be receiving much criticism at the moment, but it’s important for any blogger to protect their privacy. This means that when you are criticized (and it will happen eventually), you know that it will only ever be words and nothing more.**Cameron’s Note: It seems that NorthxEast was nominated for Best Blog Design at Performancing, so if you guys do like the design of this blog, please give us a vote at the poll.
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Just a note: my original title for this was ‘The 10 Secret Habits of Top Bloggers’, but maybe Cameron’s is better
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Excellent list, Skellie. I would add a few more:* They push the limits and engage their audience.* They write with authority, in a professional voice, and speak from a position of knowledge.
I’m not sure I have an opinion on which title is better. But I do know I generally read everything posted at NxE and I always try to read everything you write (even if the tab has to stay open for a day or two).
Super helpful for a beginner like me. Much appreciated.I’m a long way from thousands of readers, but the concepts are solid for all levels.
Thanks for those tips Skellie. I agree about staying humble, especially bloggers like Leo of ZenHabits. I think it’s his humility and kindness that draw others to his blog.
Thanks for the tips. I’m going to try to apply the email one.
Great list Skellie. I really like reading your posts around the place. keep up the good work.
I’am not really sure about 7. — there are some successful bloggers with an awful design.
@ Patrick: Some good additions
@ Aaron: Thank you — and yep, they do take a while to digest 
.@ Bob Brancato: Cheers — and good luck!@ Steve Nguyen: I agree about Leo. Also, having worked with and met Darren Rowse twice now I can also say that he is absolutely as humble and down to earth as he appears on ProBlogger.@ Sean Hodge: Ah, email… I wrestle with that demon every day 
.@ Steven Finch: Thank you!@ Blogging Magazin: I agree — I think Robert Scoble is the perfect example 
. But I will point out that did say ‘most’ top bloggers invest in a professional looking design, certainly not all.
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Nice post. I really like #5 and #6 because you cannot do everything on your own.In 2008, I set a goal to add more writers to my various blogs, so I created a simple project listing on Elance.com.I found a great writer with tons of experience on one of my niche subjects! Heck, she’s smarter than I am.Outsourcing and giving others a shot is a big tip. I hope others take note.Also, I stumbled upon your blog earlier. Awesome job and keep the content coming.
Among all those listed out, networking with social media power users is one point that I really overlooked. I never thought of this since I am always accepting buddy request in social media sites who always wanted me to promote their contents instead of me getting them promoting mine.I would also say that time management is one thing that we should learn from top bloggers. You guys and girls managed to do so much even though with the large readership whereas some of us are lack of time managing a blog with a much lower traffic.
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@ Tarik: Outsourcing is a very cool idea, particularly when it comes to employing staff writers. If you make more than you spend, you could technically profit from a flagship blog on autopilot (and write for it only occasionally).I think the starting funds are an obstacle for a lot of people, though.(Thanks for the compliment!)@ Wayne: I was very surprised to find that a number of top bloggers are in close contact with social media power users. I had always wondered how I could learn to write posts that would seemingly do well automatically on social media… but I think the power-users have more to do with it than you’d think
.Not to say it’s a shady tactic. I’d love to have a social media power user at my beck and call 
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I would say, these are the top qualities of bloggers but not all real life top bloggers have them.1) Smartness is what is missing in your article or maybe I missed reading it somewhere.2) Hitting at the right time with the right post is what counts
Thanks for the great tips. It’s good to know where I’m falling down.After reading your post, I realise I need to learn a whole lot more about the social networking sites. And also, pre-write some posts, instead of not blogging regularly when I’m ill or on vacation.
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@ vish tr: I agree, they are common qualities, but you might not find that every single top bloggers has all of them (though you can guarantee that they have some).@ Catherine: Great to hear that you learned something from the post — though I think you’re not alone in neglecting those areas. I do it to, but I’m trying to change that.
Great stuff, just found your blog as I am looking through some sites to potentially pimp my blog! It’s time for a makeover!
I particularly like #8. ‘They know how and when to say no.’ Like Jack Canfield said, “There are only two words that will always lead you to success. Those words are yes and no. Undoubtedly, you’ve mastered saying yes. So start practicing saying no. Your goals depend on it!”
This is a nice looking post until you try to print it out. I found it from Sphin and it looked good, but when I tried to print it, it doesn’t have a print friendly version. It’s actually very bad when you print it because it run off the end of the page.I usually get around that by copying and pasteing it into a word doc. Unfortunately that carried the grey background with it. And I don’t know about other readers but I don’t like to waste ink and mke it harder to read like that.I don’t usually comment much but this was just so bad in both cases I thought about making a post about that. But my blog isn’t really about blogging so I figured I’d just point it out here for what it’s worth.There are still a few people out there that refer to read on paper than on the screen and you’re missing the boat for them. Its not hard to make a better print version and it might be worth it.Bill Quimby, TollFreeNumbers.com
Awwww… it felt like you were talking about me!! I love blogging… like…. LOVE IT!
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I like this list. I’m putting more effort into my blogging this year.For aspiring bloggers who are looking to be a power blogger I leave you with one of my favorite “Boiler Room” quotes: Act as if.
Hi Skellie,This is a fantastic article. What I love most about your writing is your ability to summarize concepts into such digestible bites. And despite concise point, they are packed with value. Thank you for that.The point that many blogger miss is the networking bit on social media sites. Many are very focused on “Why don’t I get those traffics?”, in other words, focused on lack instead of action towards a solution.I’ve found that many top bloggers also think differently, they are constantly thinking about expanding and improving their blogs. They live it, breathe it and care for it like a child.
I think with that kind of focus and dedication, anyone can succeed.Warmly,Tina
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Blogging round the clock is the best way to be on top of the list. People will never read blogs that gets updated sometimes.