Ten Blogging Tips after One Hundred Blog Posts

This is my 100th blog post on this site. I wanted to do something big. However, I couldn’t think of a big idea. And I needed to get this published to move on to my regular blog posts.

So, this post will be about my approach to blogging.

Here are ten ways I think about blogging.

One, I prioritize speed.

Once I have an idea I want to publish, I work on getting it done as soon as possible. This contrasts with working on the idea for several weeks to get it just right and explore different angles.

This also means I go for “good enough.” I’ll do an edit to cut, clarify, or fix grammar mistakes. Then, I publish it. Also, I don’t try to time the release— if I’m inspired to write on a Saturday, I’ll publish it that day (even though that could be the worst day).

This focus on speed reduces the opportunity cost of each post, encouraging me to write more.

I advise new bloggers that a blog post isn’t a thesis, a dissertation, or something that has to break new ground. If that is your standard, you won’t publish much.

Two, the more you write, the easier it becomes.

This doesn’t make sense until you do it. Once you start writing, you’ll get other ideas. On this Substack, I currently have 99 posts that have gone live and 47 still in draft mode. My queue in draft mode grows faster than the published posts. The ideas just keep coming.

Three, write to answer a question.

One of my most viewed posts was Two Careers Every Smart College Student Should Know About. This was unexpected. I wrote this because someone asked me to give career advice to an engineering undergrad who hadn’t heard of my field. I thought I would write it down to share it with other engineering students. When I wrote it, it got something like 4X my normal views!

This goes along with the first point. If you find yourself answering a question or answering the same question again, you might have a blog post.

Four, writing helps you think.

For some posts, I want to work out what I think about a topic. A lot of my topics on AI are this.

Five, I’m addicted to lists.

I know. Lists are a trick to get people to click on a post. I do a lot of list posts (like this one).

I start many posts by thinking, “Mike, have some dignity and self-respect; don’t make this post a list.” However, as I write it out, I see it would best be a list.

I’m not suggesting this is right or wrong, but know your style and don’t fight it.

Six, don’t worry if your favorites don’t get many views

You’ll have some posts you are proud of, but they don’t get that much traction. One of my favorites, and very low on total views, is Naming a Company or Product is Terrible- My Five Rules.

So, this rule could be: have some fun with this, write things you want.

Seven, when you start, expect zero.

If you are just starting with blogging or building a social media presence, my advice is to be ready for zero views and zero engagement.

I’m exaggerating. But not much.

Blogging (or podcasting or creating a community) is a long game. It might take years to build an audience.

Eight, don’t worry about typos— you won’t be able to avoid them.

If you write a lot, you won’t be able to avoid typos. When you see a typo, it looks so obvious. But when you proofread, you read the same text repeatedly (often fixing things with every pass), and typos will slip through. Don’t let that bother you.

Nine, don’t worry if people don’t understand your point.

It can be frustrating when you work very hard to be clear only to see someone (or lots of people) misinterpret what you mean.

I take comfort in what I heard at some point: it is impossible to write something everyone will understand the same way.

When this happens, I’ll sometimes try to clarify the point, ignore it, or use it as inspiration for another blog post (to explain the point in a new way).

Ten, I have only one insight into LinkenIn’s algorithm, so I don’t even try to optimize my posts there.

My insight into LinkedIn’s algorithm is that it loves posts about switching jobs or careers. These get a lot of engagement.

After that, I don’t know much.

I used to try to post to maximize engagement. I didn’t find any tricks. Now, I just share my Substack post, add some summary text (in case the reader doesn’t want to click on the full article), and maybe thank a few folks. Then, I see what happens.

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