What the Big Women Bloggers Have in Common
The internet is the great equalizer–and women are taking advantage of its power like never before, attracting huge audiences and influencing opinions. And often, they’re doing it right from home, speaking out on issues that matter to women and making their voices heard. Big or small, as bloggers we all have the same shot at that platform, but there are a few core elements you’ll find across the board on blogs like Dooce, Pioneer Woman, CuteOverload, and Amalah, among others. Want to make your blog one of those great women’s blogs? Here’s how:
Regularity. Not every big blogger posts daily, but most of them do, and if they don’t post daily, they at least post regularly, five out of seven days a week. Be there–or lose your audience. People generally read blogs as part of their routine. Fit into their routine without fail and watch your traffic grow.
Dependability. Readers know what they’re going to get when they click on one of their favorite big women’s blogs. Dooce is going to be telling brutally frank stories about her life, her daughter, her experiences with depression. Pioneer Woman is probably going to give you a shot of a cowboy’s backside. At CuteOverload, whatever it is, it’s bound to be cute, and Amalah is going to give you honest and touching stories about her struggles with pregnancy and her young son. When you visit a great women’s blog, you don’t reach into a bag of Doritos and find an Oreo. You get what you came for, and when your traffic knows they can trust you that way, they’ll be back.
Voice. The tone of the blog, found in the blogger’s voice, is dependability on another level. We know Dooce will be sarcastic. We know Pioneer Woman will be silly. We know CuteOverload is going to be, well, cute, and that Amalah is going to be bittersweet. Great women bloggers speak from the heart, and that’s the only way you can reach an audience. Be real.
Humor. The big blogs are funny, whether it’s dry like Dooce. sassy like Pioneer Woman, adorable like CuteOverload, or wrenching like Amalah, these bloggers make us laugh in the midst of their struggles with ordinary life. And who can’t go back after that?
Commitment. Great women bloggers like Dooce, Pioneer Woman, CuteOverload, and Amalah are in it for the long haul, and their audience knows it. Remember that TV show you loved that got the cut at the end of the first season? Viewers hate that, and so do blog readers. Make a commitment to your readers, and your readers will make a commitment to you.
Along with regularity, dependability, voice, humor, and commitment, another hallmark of the big women’s blogs is often stunning photography, so don’t forget the pictures. Put it all together and you’ve got a package that blog readers are hungry to discover. Make your blog the next great women’s blog! I dare you!
Let me know what you think, and tell me who some of your favorite women bloggers are–and why.
