Blogging 201: Keeping your readers interested!

When it comes to keeping a blog going, it's hard to keep fresh content available and your readers coming back. After a few years, you have a hard time finding ideas to post. You come up with an idea, and automatically think: Have I already posted about this? Will my readers like it? Is it interesting? We seasoned bloggers have all been there before. So here are a few ways to come up with fresh blog posts:

• Freshen up a previous post with a new one. If you've posted about, say, making a budget work, years ago, freshen it up with new ideas and make it a new post. Newer readers will finally be able to see your ideas and older readers will love the new tips!
• Find prompts! Remember in school when the teacher would give you a prompt to write about? I always hated those! But as I blog, I sometimes seek out blog prompts to get my creative juices flowing.
• Make your post different. Instead of just one picture and a lot of text, try making it into a photo story, a letter, or even a list. I'm a compulsive list maker, so this one comes in handy a lot!
• Don't be afraid to ask what your readers would like to see more of. This may help put you on the right track.
• Try out a new craft or recipe. Even if it is a complete failure, your readers will appreciate the effort. Some might even be able to provide insight on what happened and what you can do next time!
• Having a rough day and prompts aren't helping? On The House That Lars Built, you can find a list of 50 blog post ideas that could brighten your day and your blog!
• Let the readers get to know you whether it's a sneak peak into your daily life, a list of things about yourself, or even what movie you saw the other night and what you thought about it!

As I continue to blog, I find that sometimes I am reaching for straws to find something to post about. Sure, this is a frugal living blog. But since I don't cook (since our oven died), I can't really post recipes. I haven't gotten to crafting my first major craft yet, so I can't post that just yet. But if my post makes me feel excited, more than likely it will make my readers excited!

Don't post just for the sake of posting, Make sure it has your personality and blog tone. Be original and stay true to you! Writer's, or as I call blogger's, block doesn't last forever- I promise!

Next on our Blogging 201 series: Promoting!

How do you keep your readers interested and your posts fresh?