31 Days to Build a Better Blog
Even though I consider myself to be a fairly seasoned blogger, I still like to learn from others. I am an avid reader of Problogger, which is a great blog for anyone aspiring to write for cash full time. It’s through this blog that I learned about 31 Days to Build a Better Blog ($19.99) by Darren Rowse.
Rowse is the creator of ProBlogger, so this e-book isn’t something that was just purchased as a cheap PLR product and rehashed for sale. It’s the real deal, and full of information, no matter how good you are at niche blogging or promoting content.
Like many popular coaching e-products, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog (31DBBB) breaks down the lessons into reasonable daily assignments. I was really impressed by how thorough the explanations were, as well. Instead of just saying “today do this with your blog,” Rowse explains the “why” behind the action. Instead of just doing the action and learning that it needs to be done, Rowse teaches you why an action is beneficial and what you gain from it. You sometimes also learn about what you will lose by NOT doing it, something I consider to be equally as important.
As a seasoned niche blogger and article writer, I can appreciate all of the positives of the book. After all, it is thorough, it has a great, active community forum for discussing the lessons, and it is actually an affordable price of $19.99. It’s 94 pages of a month’s worth of lessons that can be done at your own pace. But there are a couple of drawbacks.Notably, there are a lot of external links. While the links are all valuable and helpful in some ways (they cut right to some of the best blog posts at ProBlogger, as well as to other noted authorities in blogging), it also seems like Rowse wasn’t up to rewriting the content in the book. I appreciate the resourcefulness, but I don’t like having to always click through to get more information on a topic. It’s a lot of work to visit a short blog post that only expands the reading of the book.
The only other drawback is that the book is written for those who already have an existing blog or website. While the information would still be valuable to newbies looking at getting into blogging full-time, it’s not the type of book that explains how to set up the blog for maximum profitability from the start.
Overall, I think this book is well worth the $19.99 price. It’s nicely laid out, easy to read, and has more information than you’ll ever need when it comes to improving your blogs. While the external links can be somewhat tedious, they’re always valuable.
I learned a lot about promoting my blog in a non-obnoxious and helpful way, as well as how to become a guest blogger, how to recruit valuable traffic, and I put together a list of things I am going to do to promote this blog. Some of the work I have already done, but even with several years of blogging for money well under my belt, I learned enough to recommend 31 Days to Build a Better Blog.
Rita,
Thanks for your comment! I agree that he knows how to write in an interesting way. It’s something so many people don’t have when they write an information product.
Thanks for stopping by!
I participated in the 31-day program when Darren offered it free to those who signed up. It was worthwhile.
I also spent $10 to get the book, an introductory offer to those participating, so I would have all the lessons in one place.
Darren is great. He has a lot of experience and knows how to write in an interesting way.
I’ve been blogging for nearly two years and am just beginning to figure out the monetizing part. I’m a journalist, so the writing is something I know how to do.
Rita blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide