22 Secrets Of Power Bloggers
I was watching Seth Godin who is one of the worlds top bloggers, being interviewed the other day on an online video. 
I had never seen him on video before or even seen a photo of him except for his blog photo which is a rather memorable partial image. What really intrigued me was that my first impression (which frankly is still embedded) was that he is the “Woody Allen” of social media both in manner, speech and great insight.
In the interview he said that he doesn’t participate on Facebook or Twitter as he didn’t want to lose his focus and clarity that he brings to his blog which is his primary focus and he then went on to say “Most people are a wandering generality rather than a meaningful specific” which from my research is a quote from Zig Ziglar which he said, indicates that people who lack clarity about their life purpose weaken their effectiveness to a massive degree if they don’t get clear and motivated about what they want most out of life.
This rather insightful quote made me think about what makes the top bloggers successful and extremely influential in their subject of choice.
So here are some of the characteristics that the power bloggers exhibit that brings them so much influence and power.
22 Secrets Of Power Bloggers
1. Consistent:
If you want to build a following and create influence your fans will come to expect to read your articles on a consistent basis whether that be once a week or every day. Don’t disappoint them!
Chris Brogan posts every working day. His blog ranks “Number One” on the Advertising Age for global marketing blogs.
2. Write well
If you are wanting to do well online you need to be able to write well and I don’t mean perfectly but good enough to help position you as being articulate and well read and Brian Solis does this with skill, expertise and a dose of panache.
3. Uniqueness
If you are going to stand out you need to be unique and Gary Vaynerchuk with his video blog titled “Wine Library TV“ does that with his vigourous personality.
4. Mix it up
The Hubspot blog uses humour, webinars, text, PDF’s, Online video and even a weekly online TV broadcast for an industry that can be a touch monochromatic.
5. Focus
I have read blogs where I am not sure what their area of expertise is or if they have a split personality, Mari Smith is well known for her focus on Facebook
6. Be Personal
Your readers are wanting to see “you’ because it makes you real and authentic John Chow’s Blog goes on a trip to China and talks about food and even takes photos of bowls of food.
7. Provide Analysis
If you want to be seen as an expert glossing over the surface is not going to cut it. The readers are wanting to see that you know your stuff. Brian Solis knows how to go into some great analysis of his topic of choice.
8. Provide detail
Some real facts, figures and detail are what your fans are keen to see that allows them to see the data and the facts to back up your story. Case studies, surveys and research are often a great fan topic.
9. Be controversial or thought provoking
Be willing to be controversial. It can get you noticed!
10. Be passionate
Leo Babauta with his blog Zen Habits demonstrates his passion with his consistent theme of simplicity and being passionate in the extreme. His blog is one of the top 100 blogs in the world.
11. Teach and Instruct
Lee Odden in his Top Rank Blog gives great instructions and “How To’s” that help his readers optimize their websites and implement social media marketing for their business.
12. Break News in your niche first
Breaking a story first in your industry gives you “Cred”. Mashable seem to be able to do this regularly and it also helps to have over 2 million subscribers.
13. Provide great depth of resources for your readers.
For me if a blog has a lot of resources that help me with my business, passion or hobby then I am coming back time and time again and the Hubspot blog does this in spades through case studies, research and how to videos.
14. Foster and Nuture your fans and tribe
Seth Godin the author of “Tribes” says Smart innovators find or assemble a movement of similarly minded individuals and get the tribe excited by a new product, service or message, often via the Internet. he also says that you only need 1,000 fans to make a difference.
15. Provide a rich media experience
Hubspot’s blog does this well with a great array of media including video, text, image, slideshare(Powerpoint) and podcasts. It has also increased its blog post from one a day to sometimes 3 daily.
16. Provide a unique design and brand name
You can make the brand your name (personal names are great for personal branding) or it can be something different such Smashing Magazine which is a great blog design
17. Have an opinion
David Meerman-Scott who has certainly influenced my path with his book “The New Rules Of Marketing and PR” is not afraid to tell corporations what his views are and has led him to be invited into the boardroom of General Motors and meet with CEO’s. His blog is called Webinknow.com
18. Be Original
Don’t be afraid to be original, so check out So Good Blog which is an absurd look at the world of food and is not afraid of being different.
19. Write a book or two
Dan Schwabel knows how to promote his personal brand and he also knows that a well written and promoted book will make his blog rock and his influence.
20. Connect to your peers and help them out
You will find that a lot of the bloggers are unafraid to promote each others blogs through linking and commenting on their own blogs. They also often collaborate on projects and joint ventures. Reciprocation is a a very powerful tool.
21. Be everywhere even if you can’t be there
If you can’t be there personally you can participate online and a lot of the bloggers are guests on podcasts and webinars even when they are on the other side of the Globe. The power bloggers are everywhere!
22. Do presentations and public speaking
Almost every person mentioned in this post is a keynote speaker. It helps the blog!
The top bloggers of course do not have all these characteristics but you will find that they will tick the boxes for quite a few of the ones I have mentioned.
So what other characteristics do you think are important to be an influential power blogger?
35 Responses to “22 Secrets Of Power Bloggers”
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I am still going on with this.. at least always to improve by blog and reachs point by point..
Thanks and have a good day!
Jeff – Like you, I have learned a lot from Seth. You have a great list here. Thanks for posting. I’d add one more — Don’t talk about your own products and services in your blog. Nobody cares. Instead talk about things of interest to your audience.
Jeff: great list of points to follow and references to others who are doing it well.
David: great point (a topic you covered at length in World Wide Rave which I thoroughly enjoyed).
Of all the so-called “social media”, I’ve found blogging to be the most effective in a marketing sense and for SEO purposes. I’m fortunate to be in an industry where many clients seek my services on line these days. Also, many of my colleagues cannot write well; so I have an advantage. By doing many (but not all) of the things on this list, I’ve risen to the top of geo-specific searches in my market. Google seems to love regularly updated quality content. And why wouldn’t they?
Jeff what a terrific and inspiring interview! As a self employed person the world of marketing has been quite an odyssey in the last 10years. In quest of what should I be doing next, I remember the copy writing jargon phase (you know 3 page length long letters with 10 special offers and a bargain price at the bottom) was something I never mastered and still feel slightly nauseous looking at. Well, that was one of many strategies that never felt right but seemed to be the only thing out there along with ads, pays per clicks etc.
To now hear this industry of marketing/communications talk about ways to just connect with people as real people is refreshing. It’s like society has reached a new level of consciousness where integrity wins the day. I think the real challenge is the learning curve of unhooking from the previous generation of marketing know-how. I think we need a detoxification camp for that!
This video helps!
Have a great day!
Carolyn
Well done. Pretty comprehensive list Jeff. I would add “connect to others” through comments and helping them with their own blogs. Thanks!
Guess it’s no longer a secret now?!
Why do non-descriptive lists leave me needing a hug afterward?
Source Blogger
“Determined to make you a better blogger”
Why do people lie?
Great advice! I’m just starting out with my blog, so the timing of your post is right on! Thanks for you including all these excellent examples for inspiration, too.
BTW, I’m taking a course on Social Media this summer from Syracuse University. I’ll post a link to your blog on the class site.
Jeff,
I’ve only recently found out about you. Great blog. Great posts, too.
Please keep the hits coming. I’m learning a lot!
The Franchise King®
Thanks for a really informative post Jeff. Most articles I’ve seen on blogging seem to either concentrate on one or two points or they’re scattered and un-focused. Your piece is thorough and right to the point. My writing partner and I are concentrating on #19 and #22 Doing well with #s 1,2, 5, and 6 and now we have excellence in many other #’s to strive for!
I like this one 9. Be controversial or thought provoking
I did that yesterday and I had one comment about it which I believe lit a fire. Good to know, however, I do not imply I am an expert on any field, I base my writing on my own experience and that in itself is enough for me. I loved your blog post it was very informative.