Mar 24, 2016 / Beginner

Blogging Wisdom: On Authenticity, Giving, and More

A roundup of blogging tips, mined from recent interviews at Discover.

Photo courtesy of <em>Infinite Belly</em>, a blog we featured on Discover in March 2016.

At Discover, we share the stories of bloggers around the world.

Some of the best blogging advice we hear comes from you — the writers, photographers, and creators that make up the WordPress community. Here, we’ve compiled bits of wisdom from recent Discover interviews that we hope will inspire you on your own journey.

Parenting blogger Emily Austin on genuine engagement and meaningful commenting:

But the one piece of advice I believe we can all take to the bank is to leave genuine comments on other blogs and to take the time to respond to comments on our own. . . . Being a conscientious commenter has become more difficult — I’m eagerly anticipating the 26-hour day wherein I can comment on every post I read — but when I was building my online presence, I found that kind, authentic, encouraging comments were the best means to forging relationships with others who may or may not have a lot in common with me. We may call each other bloggers, but in the end we’re all just people who want to be heard and understood. Compassion and camaraderie go a long way, both in blogging and in life.

In the interview, Emily also talks about putting yourself out there: guest posting, cross-posting on platforms like BlogHer, going to conferences, and — above all — just writing, even if you think what you’re writing is boring.

If you’ve just started blogging, you might not know what a genuine or authentic comment looks like. But Emily puts it nicely: be compassionate and approach blogging connections as you would real-life relationships.

André and Adélaïde Zollinger, the creative team behind food blog Infinite Belly, on telling visual stories through food:

Vary it up a little and don’t just display pictures of food. Your environment, your house, your plates and cutlery, the nature or city that surround you — all of these things also nourish your site (in the strong sense of the word). Let readers into your living and cooking space and go beyond hovering over your plate.

You’ll find more food photography advice in our “Feast for the Eyes” series (parts one and two).

André and Adélaïde mix recipes, stories, photography, and design in a sophisticated way. Food might be the focus, but their exploration of place — the countryside of France — adds another layer to their site.

Illustrator Mark Armstrong on carving out a professional blogging space for your art:

Ask yourself if one of your goals is to attract prospective clients. If the answer is yes, tailor your blog to attract those clients. That means deciding who those clients are, researching their needs, and writing posts showing how your work can meet their needs and solve their problems.

You must then resist the temptation to feature inappropriate work, no matter how “good” you think it might be. You need to be your own tough editor — forbidding yourself to post lackluster work, or anything that would make you look unprofessional.

In the illustration category on Discover, you’ll find a mix of illustrators with different styles and goals.

Much of Mark’s commercial illustration work involves social media and content marketing and helping companies to build their brands. His blog, then, is a mix of professional and personal, and a space to attract the types of clients he’d like to work with.

Bestselling author David Lebowitz on blogging as a form of giving:

Nowadays, so many people start blogging and feel like they need to “get” something out of their blogs. But in fact, blogging is giving. When you write a cookbook, you are sharing recipes. With a blog, beyond recipes and travel tips, you are sharing more of your daily life with readers, and I think they appreciate honesty, rather than being talked to as if you are trying to get something out of them, like traffic or monetization.

Lebovitz, who started food blogging in 1999, offers simple advice on getting the most out of your blogging experience: Give. Share your life with your readers. Be honest. Similar to Emily’s insights on making meaningful connections, David encourages us to view blogging as human, rather than transactional.

For more inspiration, browse our latest Discover features.

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  2. It’s such an enriching experience grasping the wisdom of experts in the field. Looking forward to reading more such informational posts.
    I’m enjoying bogging, sharing what I do and getting to know what people all over the world are doing. Learning so much in the meanwhile.

    Liked by 5 people

  4. This is wonderful advice for new bloggers like me. I like the part about “You need to be your own tough editor” and about the advice you gave about mixing things up a little bit. It is very informative. I hope to learn a lot more from posts like this. Thank you.

    Liked by 5 people

  5. This piece of advice is very well said. It will surely help the bloggers, like me, who has just started to blog. Although I’ve implemented some of the points already on my food blog, foodeez junction, but still I’m learning on “how to’s” for blog. Thank you 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

  6. Thank you for the excellently timed post. Well for me anyways. I just finished making my first blog post. Your post also applies some of the concepts that I just read in “How to Win Friends and Influence People” applied to the modern activity of blogging and online networking. Thank you again.

    Liked by 3 people

  8. Today I posted my first post on my blog. Thanking you for sharing the advice of Emily as it is encouraging for a newbie like myself. I am even more excited about my new hobby of sharing my thoughts and ideas with the world.

    Liked by 5 people

  10. Your comment about blogging being so much more then posting pictures of food, amazing and so true! I am new to blogging and while I hope people use my blog occasionally to find new ideas or comment their own ideas, it is really a running reminder to me of my life right now. You are very encouraging, thank you!

    Liked by 4 people

  11. I started my blog several months ago to try to discipline myself for writing. I slacked on it at first, but now I have my momentum going. I don’t really blog for others, my blog is for me for future reference! I find that encouraging words from fellow artists really lifts my spirits and confidence in my work, and help me feel inspired to write more.

    Liked by 5 people

  13. I’m familiar with “Infinite Belly” which is remarkably elegant, and agree that “authentic, encouraging comments” (Emily Austin) are the way to grow your online relationships. Also, thanks for the reminder that if you’re a professional of any kind, “you need to be your own tough editor” (Mark Armstrong) …

    Liked by 4 people

  14. I love the advice about commenting on other people’s posts. I find that when someone likes a post, it makes me wonder, what did they like ABOUT what I wrote? So it really is important to comment on other’s blog posts. But hey, keep the likes coming, it’s good for my blogging self’s self-esteem!

    Liked by 5 people

  15. Great post! Actually, I started my blog about two weeks ago. It’s primary purpose is to give emotional support to people around my age (teen). Sadly, I’ve gotten little people to actually check my blog out. It’s so we (the people who visit my blog and I) can share advice, struggles we go through, and express ourselves. Unless, of course, the person would not like there information shared. In that case, all I do is listen, and give them my honest opinion and support. I personally know what it’s like to have no one to speak to in tough times, and I’d like to prevent people from having to go through that. Which is why I started my blog. I also understand that sometimes it’s hard to speak to people, which is where typing kicks in. In all, I hope I can help others…

    Liked by 6 people

  16. Emily Austin’s comment that ‘…that kind, authentic and encouraging comments were the best…” I love people who have taken some thought with their comments, compared to others who just seem to make random remarks – more drawing attention to themselves rather than making a contribution.

    Liked by 5 people

  18. Despite being just a few minutes into blogging, this encouragement is on point for all those new bloggers like me out there. so inspiring, so to say.

    Liked by 3 people

  19. I really appreciate each piece of this blog. I feel inspired and motivated to be authentic in my writing and commenting. Thank you for this clear, wise, and honest look at what it looks like to be authentic as a blogger!

    Liked by 5 people

  20. I think it’s fabulous that this post is based on a compilation of tips from various and diverse bloggers. I do wonder how many people initially get into blogging simply for the love of writing and then discover the thrill in accumulating interested followers and connecting to the blogging community. I definitely fall into that category. It’s not before long you begin to realize that in order for your blog to mean anything, you must engage in the community, and we all want what we do to be meaningful.

    Liked by 6 people

  22. Great advice!

    Sometimes you get so caught up in your own stuff, that it’s hard to remember to sample other people’s work. I guess that’s what gives us the variety and spice of life that we need.

    Liked by 3 people

  24. I recently started blogging, and what I’ve mainly done is check the number of visitors and likes rather than focus on actually blogging.
    So this blog with the snippets of advice from other bloggers is just what I needed. Thank you.
    “..in the end we’re all just people who want to be heard and understood.” So true.

    Liked by 7 people

  30. Great advice. Thank you! I love blogging because it allows me to share my experiences, and hopefully help other people. Giving with compassion is definitely why I write.

    Liked by 5 people