Robert Bruce is a virtual friend I met a few years ago while we both blogged about golf. Now Robert is the blogger extraordinaire behind 101 Books, a blog that chronicles his reading journey through Time Magazine’s 100 Greatest Novels Since 1923. Plus Ulysses.
Robert’s blog is terrific, and after a few years and several hundred posts he has attracted more than 20,000 followers.
Recently, Robert was interviewed by The Daily Post at WordPress.com. His story is a great primer on starting and building a popular, highly read blog. I enthusiastically recommend it.
[Read the interview: 101 Books’ Robert Bruce on Growing Your Blog and Building a Readership]
Interview excerpts
Following are a couple of things that stood out for me. They might benefit your blogging efforts.
Robert was asked: “AT THE TIME OF THIS WRITING, YOU’VE GOT OVER 20,000 FOLLOWERS AND COUNTING. WHAT’S YOUR SECRET?”
He offered this nugget:
There’s really no secret. It’s just steady, consistent posting over a long period of time. 101 Books is more than three years old now, and I’ve had more than 700 posts. When you post that often, people are bound to find you. Then, the key is to just write content that relates to them. Most people don’t care about what you had for breakfast, but if you can help them learn something new, then they’ll keep coming back.
That’s enormously useful, and perhaps a bit sobering for some. But there it is.
Lastly, one of his closing tips:
I think it’s also important to forget about being perfect. Sometimes you’ve just got to push the publish button because an almost-perfect blog post is better than no post at all. Don’t pass over the great in search of the perfect.
More good advice. Please excuse me while I click the publish button.
Neil Sagebiel 