NOVEMBER 22, 2024

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Welcome to The Tilt, the newsletter for content entrepreneurs from Tilt Publishing. Together, we're redefining what it means to be a publisher.

Successful Bloggers Do These Things More Than Others

What makes content successful?

If the answer were easily identifiable (and singular), every creator would do it. Unfortunately, it’s not. So, you have to rely on what your data tells you and get some help from third-party insights.

The latter brings me to Orbit Media’s Annual Blogger Survey, released this fall. In its 11th year, the report tallies the insight of over 1K bloggers. While all the findings are specific to blogs, I think they offer a glimpse of what could work well for a multitude of content formats.

In this year’s survey, 20% of bloggers report experiencing “strong results” with their blogs. So, these five things are based on what they do differently.

1. Go longer: Bloggers who spend at least six hours on an article are more likely to see strong results. And 68% of the strong-results group write articles averaging at least 2K words.

Interestingly, AI assistance with their blogs doesn’t make them any more or less successful than all bloggers.

You must balance a lot as a content entrepreneur but invest your time in creating. It’s the foundation on which you differentiate your brand, attract an audience, and build a marketing strategy. And once you have those lengthier, solid articles, break them up into pieces for your newsletter, social media, and other content channels. It will reduce the need for short (and short-impact) content.

Helpful Resource: How To Make the Most of Your Content Business Time​

2. Do more than text: Audiences aren’t big fans of gray blocks of text. Of the bloggers reporting strong results, 68% say they use at least seven images per article (and 26% say they use an average of four to five).

But don’t stop at visuals. Audio and video are factors, too – 39% of strong-results bloggers use audio in their content. With AI-generated text-to-speech tools readily available, adding the audio component may not require a lot more ongoing work. (Video is used by 25% of the success group.)

Helpful Resource: How Creators Can Develop a Smart, Easy Video Strategy​

3. Work with others: Two findings piqued my interest about the power of collaborations. The first is easier to implement. One-fourth of bloggers reporting strong results use contributor quotes in their content. They ask and invite others who have an insight or expertise on the topic for their input. I’ve seen this tactic work because the third-party perspective brings more credibility to the content and the person who was quoted is more likely to share the content.

The second finding was that bloggers who collaborate with influencers get better results. Of this group, 38% collaborate with influencers in at least half of their content. Don’t limit yourself to people who identify as influencers. Think about brands, industry-related organizations, and other entities who would find it mutually beneficial to work with you.

Helpful Resource: How To Collaborate With Creators To Add Their Audience to Yours​

4. Embrace search: Though the search world is changing, it remains one in which your content business must live. One-third of successful bloggers always research keywords for all their articles, while one-fifth do it 50% to 90% of the time.

Another technique these bloggers use that may help with SEO? Updating old content. Orbit’s survey finds bloggers who update older posts are 2.5x more likely to report strong results. Again, it doesn’t explain why, but Google and other search engines factor in content “freshness” in surfacing results to ensure the information presented is up to date.

Helpful Resource: Unlock a Keyword Strategy​

5. Watch those numbers: Almost half (48%) of the successful bloggers usually or always check their analytics. That makes sense. If you know how your content is performing in real time, you can see what’s working and what’s not. Frequently checking the metrics may also indicate that these bloggers understand and operate with the all-important recognition that blogs aren’t all about the content; their performance matters most.

Helpful Resource: How To Narrow the Metrics That Matter for Your Content Business​

– Ann Gynn

Already have a successful blog? Think about repurposing that content into a book. Tilt Publishing is here to help.

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Congratulations, Louis Grenier, the newest published author at Tilt Publishing …. Stand The F*ck Out hit the market this week. The subtitle explains it best: “The No-Nonsense Guide to Positioning Your Business, Finding Your People, and Building a Durable Brand.”

It’s the guide Louis wished he had when he started his career as a naive “digital marketing enthusiast,” or when he burned through $20k in savings launching his first agency, or when he nearly got sacked from his dream job at a bootstrapped tech start-up.

After three years, input from 70 marketers, and over 5K comments and reactions, this book has been ripped apart and refined into exactly what works.

​Grab your copy today directly from his site (and he’s offering free shipping for the next 12 days)!

More Tilt Publishing picks:

• Get your book done … Eighteen authors share 18 tips for writing, publishing, and marketing a book. [Forbes]
• Quick read … Fast book printing isn’t just a concept for the holiday season. It works year-round. [Lulu]
• Story settlement … A painting acquired in the Holocaust will remain at a German museum, but it will now help the owners’ heirs tell the family’s story in a book. [The New York Times]

• When you look at the most successful content creators on the planet, they typically have published at least one book. How important is it? (Content Inc.)
• Robert Rose goes solo this week and treats us to a special marketing presentation. (This Old Marketing)
• Matt and Lauren have a conversation about Taylor Swift’s upcoming book, talking through her decision to self-publish it and what that says about the future of traditional publishing. (Publish & Prosper)
• Call for Speakers for CEX 2025 is open through Dec. 1, 2024. Be sure to submit your proposal soon!
• ICYMI: How To Make the Most of Your Content Business Time​