Have you ever wondered how Neil Patel is so successful at what he does? More specifically, how did his personal blog, Neil Patel, become such a big deal on the internet and is it possible for us to replicate his success? Let’s dig in.
Blogs are Kind of a Big Deal
Which is crazy, right? I mean, after all, it’s just words on a page! However, Neil Patel has proven to us that a blog, while it doesn’t seem like much, can actually turn a pretty incredible profit.
Neil Patel’s own blog now receives more than 2.3 million visitors a month. And a lot of us are even shocked to find out just how often his site is updated; always bringing us better and more informative articles. A lot of times answering questions that no one else has seemed to touch on.
Creating a Successful Blog
Neil wrote an article on his site that gave us some tips and tricks to mastering the art of a successful blog, but we want to go a little more in-depth on the topic and use this information, but also dig down a little deeper and explore the reasons behind why his tactics are actually successful.
At the beginning of his article, Neil explains that to have a successful blog, you have to write about things you’re naturally curious about, something you enjoy writing about and something you’re passionate about.
He explains that no idea is truly unique to you. Because even when we think we’re writing about something nobody else cares about, rest assured there are other people like you.
In the end, you just have to make sure that when you’re writing, you’re writing about what you love because if you don’t, it will show through your words. He explains that sometimes, confidence is the biggest motivator and influencing sometimes just means taking the lead and being the one calling the creative shots.
“Take Action and Gain Momentum”
Neil Patel uses this as a tagline to help you not fret over the name of your site. “This is a fun and important step because your blog name is your brand. It’s how you’ll be remembered. But, don’t overthink it.”
After you’ve named your site, the next biggest hurdle is going to be what your site is about. We’ll take another lesson from Neil on this one. His advice? “Don’t pick a niche too small…or too large.” Think about it: too large and you’re going to be competing with the likes of Huffington Post. Too small and you’ll quickly run out of things too write about. The internet is too large a topic, however, social media marketing would be too small. Making sense?
Repurpose Your Content
Neil gives us this as tip #2 and recommends “recycling” your content on Facebook, LinkedIn, Medium and more. Why? Because not everyone is present on Medium. And those who are present on Medium might not be present on LinkedIn or Twitter. So your goal is to reach every corner of the room where your target audience is hanging out and then give the content itself your best creative shot.
Blog Consistently. And Ask Plenty of Questions.
Blogging on a consistent schedule helps build trust in your target audience because they know what to expect. So pick a day once a week, or three days a week, or even every day if you’re incredibly ambitious, and schedule posts for the same time every day and let people in on your deepest darkest secrets, hacks and tips about whatever you choose. Just make sure it relates to the broad topic that your site was founded on. Irrelevancy is a blogging disaster.
Nervous about trying to blog consistently? It takes work. Neil Patel said about writing for his own blog: “After you hit the gym for a while, exercising becomes just another part of your day. It’s the same with blogging.”
On the creative end of things, make sure you always ask questions. If not in the beginning or middle, most definitely at the end. This will give your readers a little insight into what they should do next. Whether that be checking out your latest Ebook or tool, or even just leaving a blog comment, it gives them something to do with what they’ve just discovered or read.
Just any Content Won’t Do
With billions of blogs on the web posting content, (sometimes multiple posts a day!) all over the web, just any content won’t do. You’ll have to get creative, be insightful and bring something new and exciting to the table and capture the audience with your words.
“But What About Writers Block?”
Neil Patel addresses this by telling you to write down ten ideas every day. “I’m not a genius when it comes to having ideas. In fact, most of my ideas suck. But not all of them do, and that’s what matters.” He recommends carrying around a small notebook or waiters pad so that you can jot ideas down on the go, wherever you are.
Neil Patel is one of the most successful bloggers of all time, sharing his expertise for us to glean information from. It’s thanks to him that we have some of the search engine optimization and blogging tricks and solutions we know today.
Do you have blogging secrets to share? Let us know in the comments!