3 Tips from a Successful Blogger on How To Amplify Your Story

Authors

The TV Show page on Ben Philips' website, Diary of an Uber Driver

Last week, Ben Phillips — the blogger at Diary of an Uber Driver — shared his journey of adapting his blog into a book and TV series, and how his ride-share experiences connected him to people in ways he never imagined. “Without my WordPress.com blog, none of this would’ve happened,” says Ben. Want to get your story in front of as many people as possible? Implement these three features as seen on Ben’s site.

Tell your story with a branded landing page

Go to My Site → Customize → Header Image to customize your header or My Site → Customize → Colors & Backgrounds to update your background.

To set up a landing page, go to My Site → Customize → Homepage Settings.

Set your site apart and effectively build your online presence with strong visual branding. On the left is an example of an ad for the TV show based on Ben’s blog. Actor Sam Cotton, who plays Ben, sits on a car in front of a colorful mural-like illustration with the TV series title. On his blog, Ben displays a header and background with this same colorful artwork, which visually ties the site to the TV show.

Ben’s homepage acts as a landing page for people who want to learn about his projects, including a bio with links to his book and TV show pages, as well as the series trailer, embedded from YouTube.

Go to to My Site → Customize → Menus to configure your menu or My Site → Customize → Widgets to add your own widgets.

He displays essential menu tabs to pages like his blog and About page, and keeps a tidy sidebar, displaying a Facebook page badge and search field.

Overall, Ben takes a tightly curated approach to his homepage, including branded visual elements and key information for readers, journalists, and media companies alike.

Make it easy for people to reach you with a contact page

To create a contact page, add a new page on your site by going to My Site → Pages → Add New Page, then add a contact form to the page using the Form Block.

The contact form on Ben’s Get in touch page has been a simple way to field queries from press and potential partners. “Diary of an Uber Driver has been featured on countless TV and radio programs and online and print media around the world,” he says, and the page “certainly helped amplify the blog.”

Grow your following with social media integration

Your blog is not an island! Expand your reach and connect your site to all of your social profiles. “The social media widget helped to grow my Facebook following and provided me a larger audience to share the stories with,” says Ben.

Go to My Site → Customize → Widgets to display a Facebook Page Plugin and to My Site → Tools → Marketing → Connections to connect your social accounts.

Set up a Facebook page badge in your sidebar or footer with the Facebook Page Plugin so readers can like and visit your page. You can also integrate your social accounts with the Publicize tool, which automatically shares new posts to your profiles once they’re published.

Read more about Ben Phillips’ blog-to-book-to-TV show journey. Want a custom domain like diaryofanuberdriver.com? Upgrade to a paid plan.

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