Now, I’m no expert. But if you’re
reading this, I’m doing something right.
And if I can do it, you can do it.
Why would you want to start a blog? Maybe
you want to spread the word about how great cruising is. Or, you had a fabulous
experience on a ship or at a port, and you’re bursting to talk about it.
Perhaps you love taking photos and need an excuse to get them out of your
smartphone camera.
Whatever the reason, there’s no reason
not to do it. It’s fun. And you can be as creative as you want to be.
So,
how do you get started? I use Blogger—it’s
simple and free. You just pick a template and go. Another big benefit is that it’s
part of Google Plus. More on this later. See this article on
some of the top blog hosting platforms.
What
do you write? The quick answer: what
others want to read. In other words, if you want to get folks to come to your
blog, you need to pick topics that will be popular and write in a way that’s
engaging.
And keep
it short—use no more words than you need. Use bullet points and bold text
for those who prefer to scan.
I saved the most important for last: use a captivating title. Think of yourself—would
you read something if the title doesn’t grab you?
What
about photos? Definitely. And the
bigger, the better. They draw the reader. Think Pinterest. And Instagram. You
get the picture. The web has made us more visual than ever. It pains the writer
in me to say this, but do more photos and less text.
And
other media? Sure! Upload one of your
videos to YouTube and link it from your blog. Link to other blogs or websites.
Then
what? Just because you post it,
doesn’t mean they’ll come. You need to aggressively promote your blog. In fact,
getting people to read your blog is more work than creating the blog itself.
If you use Google’s Blogger, once you
publish a posting, it automatically posts to Google Plus.
Happily, Cruise Critic,
the place for the most robust cruise conversations, allows bloggers to link
their postings in their Boards section (see tab on top menu of their website),
under Cruise Conversations/Cruise Blogs and Websites.
Travel websites and social media sites
like Facebook, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram are also good places to promote
your blog. Also consider sites like Feedspot,
which consolidates readers’ favorite blog feeds so they can get them all from
one place.
Anything
else? Join in conversations—not to
promote, but to share your knowledge and ask questions. Develop online relationships
and readership will follow.
Also, post often. If you want to develop a following, you need to keep
writing. If readers don’t see new stuff, you’ll lose them and they might not
come back.
A
few last words
Think
before you post. Posting is public.
Anyone can see it, Google it and save it. Be smart about what you say and what
you show.
There’s
a lot out there. Try searching for
“cruise” in a site such as Pinterest. The postings go on and on. If you can
find a new and different way to help your blog stand out, you’re more likely to
get attention.
See
what others do. Study the blogs that
you follow; see if you can identify what makes them successful.
If you do launch a blog, let us know how
it goes. And if you discover something that works, please share! It's a new
world for all of us and there’s something new to learn every day.
