We are not professional bloggers, but we are members of several groups of «cat» or «pet» bloggers. These communities include professional and non-professional bloggers whose common point is to be fascinated by what they are doing, and who want to share their passion with the world. The discussions concern all the aspects of the blogging : writing, photography, legal aspects, monetization, design, ergonomics of the site, …
Why to blog like a professional even if you are not one ?
To have a blog pleasant to visit
Is your sidebar blocked by dozens of useless badges ? Does your homepage look like a christmas shop window which flashes everywhere, in the point to be illegible ? Can we easily find your previous articles ? Is there a harmony in colors and chosen polices ? Are the various elements (menu, titles, widgets) well separate ? Are the contents of your pages always up to date ? We make a spring-cleaning of our blog every summer, during Claire’s holidays.
To take beautiful photos
Photos are one of the elements which attract your readers. We learnt to use the regulations of our device better, to play with natural or artificial light, to take into account the background, and to have a more critical look on the quality of our photos.
To write quality texts
A rich vocabulary, a well-kept spelling, a correct grammar, our readers are sensitive to these elements also. We try to be attentive to these various points by writing our articles. And we are very aware that our translations in English, German, and Italian still have a lot of room for progress.
To know how to use various social networks
Social networks are an excellent way to spread our blog posts. Still, it is necessary to know how to use them … By knowing the advantages and the inconveniences of the various social networks, and how to use them, we were able to choose which suited us best.
To support the professional bloggers
Know that only a minority of professional bloggers can earn a living from their blog. You need a great deal of work as well as simultaneous implementation of several strategies to earn money with a blog : sale of products or services, membership programs, advertisements display, sponsored posts, … Every word of a sponsored post (or almost) is chosen to optimize SEO ; the article is then shared on various social networks according to a schedule and a frequency chosen to optimize the information dissemination. The attractiveness of a blogger for brands depends on the size of his audience and on his capacity to engage with his readers. And it is a work of constant promotion, that has to be done with irreproachable ethics : a blogger who “lies” to his readers loses fast his credibility, and his popularity…
However, small blogs as ours are also sometimes requested by brands to promote a product. As says it the proverb, time is money. If the product pleases you, the time you are going to spend taking good photos and writing an honest and detailed article has some value. By respect for the professionals bloggers, do not sell your time off : ask for a small fee, in cash or at least in kind.
And for fun, most of all !
What other reasons do you see to blog like a pro even if you are not one ?
To those who are attending BlogPaws Conference this year, we hope you have a blast ! Have fun, learn a lot of cool stuff, meet furriends in person (or in fur), and enjoy everything !
