When I first jumped into blogging it was like diving into the frigid ocean in the middle of December. I was expecting a tough time being a complete newbie in blogging but when my balls shriveled up into my stomach really wished I looked into it first. Now that I look back on those days I really wish I knew some of these the following tips, I would be so much bigger, and richer now.

1. Don’t procrastinate.

This is huge in blogging, especially for some newer bloggers, you have to keep your schedule and stay focused and consistent. We all now that 5 hours on Twitter is procrastinating and it’s easy but hard work is what pays off in the end. So close your stats page, YouTube, Twitter and that video game running in the background and get to work on that next post.

2. Know what your talkin about.

Make sure if your blogging about cars, that you really know about cars. So do your research and write what you know. Take me for example, I’m always upfront with my readers, and take a no bullshit approach to writing about what I know. Not one person want’s to or will, for that fact, read bullshit plus it ruins your credibility which follows you everywhere.

3. Link in and out.

Don’t be afraid to link out , you won’t be sending your readers away forever. So if you have something related to the content at another blog link to it. It’s gonna add to your overall credibility and your gonna get a few grateful bloggers coming your way. Linking in has some very different benefits, you get people to read old posts and (they say) it helps with SEO. Not only do you want to get people looking at older posts but those search engine spiders as well, so link to em and show them off.

4. Write for rainy days.

Writing extra posts when you can is like having an insurance policy for your blog. Whenever you have some extra time you should write an extra post or two and save it. Keep a stash of 5 or 6  draft posts in your panel cause they really come in handy when you get pulled away from your computer for any reason. No only have I been stuck in a position like this I see it happening left and right. With these rainy day posts you’ll always keep fresh content up and stay with your posting frequency, no matter what happens.

5. Promote more than you write.

Promotion as we all know brings in tons of traffic and can build links for that PR that every one is after. Do some post by post promotion, go hit up them forums, and be a little socialite with Twitter. Personally I’ve always put 4 times more work in promotion than the actual writing, and then Gary Vaynerchuk told me through his book, Crush It, that I was spot on with my theory. You’ll be amazed at the results, promise.

There you have it, the five things I wish I knew when I first started blogging. Now its your turn, tell me with a comment (or tweet or email) what you wish you knew when you started blogging.

Post Image By: Sukanto Debnath