Written on July 14th, 2009 at 12:07 am by Darren Rowse
Why Did Your Last Blog Post Fail? 13 Questions to Ask
Have you ever had a blog post that you put a lot of time, energy and thought into – that completely flopped?
Nobody comments on it, nobody bookmarks it on Digg, nobody tweets a link to it…. it’s almost like it was never written.
If so – here’s a few questions to ask yourself about the post to help you learn why it might have failed and to help you improve for next time:
- could the title have been improved?
- did the opening lines of this post draw readers in to read more?
- could I have added an image to give the post a visual point of interest?
- could I have added a question to draw readers into discussing the post?
- was the topic relevant to my readers?
- did I promote the post to other bloggers or my network?
- did I publish this post at the right time (of day or the week)?
- could I have called my readers to perform some kind of action?
- was this post useful – did it fulfill a need or solve a problem for readers?
- did the post have sufficient depth? – could it have been more interesting with examples, illustrations, opinions, stories, quotes etc?
- was this post unique or just a rehash of what others are writing?
- did the formatting of this post help readers to read it easily?
- was the post concise or could it have been too long winded?
Of course it is also worth saying that sometimes posts just don’t have the success we hope they will and that there’s no real reason for it. Conversely other posts which we don’t think will really work can soar like eagles!
That’s the way the cookie crumbles some days!
Further Reading: Many of the above questions are fleshed out with tips on how to make them a reality in my series – How to Craft a Blog Post.
72 Responses to “Why Did Your Last Blog Post Fail? 13 Questions to Ask” - Add Yours
Asswass
July 14th, 2009 1:07 am
I never thought of it that way, maybe because my blog is still small and I don’t the same amount of traffic every day. But those are 13 questions I’m going to ask myself before writing very blog post. Thanks Darren.
Joshua Elliot
July 14th, 2009 1:09 am
I agree with this, sometimes I ask myself what did I do wrong that got me where I am.
Then I realized that my question is wrong, so I ask myself what could I do right.
Shajib
July 14th, 2009 1:11 am
If any blogger write a post by maintainig this 13 questions…
The post will never FLOP
Shajib
http://www.ebooksdock.co.cc/
Michael Natkin
July 14th, 2009 1:17 am
I’m always amazed at the unpredictability. On Herbvioracious.com, I mainly do recipes and depend on my photographs to draw people in. But this recent philosophical post I wrote, without a single picture, did 10x the normal page views and drew 10x the normal comments, and best of all the comments were really thoughtful, not just the normal “yum, that looks delicious”. If I only knew what I did right!
kosmo @ The Casual Observer
July 14th, 2009 1:17 am
What time of the day works the best for people? I schedule my posts for 6:30 AM Central time, which is probably too early. On the other hand, I know some succesful blogs that schedule even earlier than this …
H.E.Eigler
July 14th, 2009 1:23 am
I’m not so sure success of a post can be measured in such a cut and dry way. Sometimes connecting with one ‘non social media’ reader is successful and even if they don’t go on to tweet, blog, link, rank the post it is still in their mind and affecting their thoughts. That is success to me. But we do have different audiences so of course we will measure things differently :) Regardless, your suggestions are sound as always!
Jason Su
July 14th, 2009 1:42 am
Thank You. This post was a useful read.
There are some things that you have mentioned above that I have not considered myself and I have been a long time blogger. I think I personally need to find the right timing to post my blogs, my postings are just very irregular because sometimes my ideas are flowing at different times.
Another add is that many bloggers do not join social networks to promote their posts because they think its just too much work. I find it very tedious but it but be done.
Jessica Who
July 14th, 2009 1:53 am
I wrote a post on Friday that I thought was going to be a flop, nobody had left a comment but all of a sudden I logged in and there were two comments.
Many of my earlier posts had no comments or bookmarks but that was when I wasn’t getting much traffic, as it is so many web users are passive.
make money online
July 14th, 2009 1:54 am
Excellent post, I have spent hours upon hours doing research and making “what I thought” to be an excellent post to find out my readers are not big fans. On the other hand I have spent twenty minutes pretty much jotting down a couple ideas and it turns out they are extremely helpful to my readers. It is very interesting which posts make it especially the ones you thought were just “filler” and you did not put 100% effort into. Anyway excellent post Darren I am curious do you think in a future post it would be possible to discuss how to do #6 without spamming? I am always afraid to ask a fellow blogger to check out one of my posts feeling it is spammy. Thanks for the tips.
Kris,
Gwen McCauley
July 14th, 2009 1:59 am
Useful info here. I’m a pretty ‘organic’ process person, but there were a couple of things I’d never thought of before. I’ve printed this off and it’ll be taped next to my monitor for the next while to remind me to think differently as I post! Muchos gracias
Gwen McCauley
http://www.ouicoach.com
follow me at http://www.twitter.com/gwenmccauley
HAVOC MARKETING
July 14th, 2009 2:27 am
I think its a common problem that every blogger faces. Some posts are quite popular and some are not. Thanks for this post. It highlights all of the main points which can be improved to achieve a better readership.
Paramendra Bhagat
July 14th, 2009 2:32 am
“….did I promote the post to other bloggers or my network?”
How would you do that?
Steve
July 14th, 2009 2:53 am
Darren,
You know how to get a post out there and have it be popular across the networks. I am amazed at the number of high page ranking posts your sites have. Incredible job.
B. Durant
July 14th, 2009 2:55 am
The last post that really failed for me was because I was really “wishy-washy” about the action I wanted my readers to take. Instead of making it clear I beat around the bush about it. Several days later while looking at it I realized there was no real call to action in it so people read it and moved on.
Manrevo
July 14th, 2009 2:57 am
Traffic perhaps plays a huge issue on my blog.
But the post title matters a LOT. I think of each of my posts as a sales proposal. If you don’t hook them at the headline, no one will pay attention.
Fat Loss Tip and Fitness Programs Reviewed
July 14th, 2009 2:58 am
Darren this is ideal for anyone trying to improve their posts, thanks.
I’ve been implementing most of these, but points like your final words I found really important. Just to remind all of us that no matter what we do, sometimes a post just doesn’t work.
That’s when its time to start crafting our next post. ;)
take care
Debo Hobo
July 14th, 2009 3:14 am
This is a very useful checklist to review before hitting the Publush button. Very seldom do I have a post that just hits it out of the park. So hopefully I can increase the odds now.
Shirley George Frazier
July 14th, 2009 3:31 am
All 13 reasons are extremely relevant when deciding how to better approach your blog audience.
One more valid point revolves around audiences that are quiet but faithfully read what you post. Those types of readers exist, which I know very well because I cater to one of those niche audiences.
On this particular blog, I hear little feedback if any at all, so I gauge interest through analytics programs that uncover subjects that get the most attention. The data tells me which case studies, special reports, and ebooks will sell quickly.
Deepak @ BusinessAttitude.com
July 14th, 2009 3:32 am
For me the reason would be that the last post was not unique and just a rehash of what others are writing. I always ask myself what did I do wrong that got me where I am. But this one slipped!
Matt Harris
July 14th, 2009 3:38 am
I think I tend to overwrite things, to the point where the readers are put off or are uninterested anymore. But my blog is still to new to really tell if thats the case. I’ve been trying to edit myself more lately.
S.K SHARMA
July 14th, 2009 3:40 am
Thanks Darren.
This post can add value in my upcoming blog posts.
Andrew - WeBuildYourBlog
July 14th, 2009 3:47 am
Most of my best ones have been when I provide an answer to common Blogging problem individuals are experiencing.
Why do many of mine bomb?
Most probably because of several of the 13 points above!
Andrew
Vladan
July 14th, 2009 3:50 am
Once I’ve done a blogpost, a really long one, with a procedure for a technical configuration. Step-by-step… really usefull.
And that post went one of the most visited of my blog.
Quality matters….
Salman
July 14th, 2009 4:02 am
I never thought in that way Darren thanx Now I can improve a lot.
Regards
Salman
http://www.tips4blogging.co.cc
We Fly Spitfires - MMORPG Blog
July 14th, 2009 4:06 am
Thanks for the tips!
Do you think sometimes blogs can just be too niche and there aren’t enough people out there with an interest in the subject in order to make money from it?
teratips
July 14th, 2009 4:45 am
still i am not thinking about that, but nice article, thanks
Blogging Tips, SEO and Money Making Tips by http://teratips.com
Dave Doolin
July 14th, 2009 4:48 am
In terms of comments, ALL of my blog posts fail.
Yeah, people are reading them, I can tell by the traffic (low) and stickiness (2+ minutes per visit). Then they bounce.
But I’m not getting even close to 1% comment rate. Maybe 1/10 of that.
Couple of observations:
1. I see totally lame blogs that DO rehash material that get a lot of comments.
2. Pictures, leadins, deep, shallow, the results are uniform across the board: very, very few comments.
Here’s the kicker: I *know* people are reading the posts… because the post I offered actual money to someone (1500 words into a 3000 word post), I got immediate responses through my contact form. Go figure.
I’m a smart guy, I’m sure I’ll figure it out. I’ll use your list to systematically go through selected posts for testing.
Jay
July 14th, 2009 5:12 am
Excellent post, I wish I had found this blog sooner. I will print those 13 questions out as an outline for every post. Thank you Darren.
Evan
July 14th, 2009 5:53 am
Interesting article. I haven’t though of all those questions when posting my articles and i now have insight into why some of my posts are not followed.
I also believe that bloggers may need to be a little more particular about which posts they put out there. If the content isn’t interesting and grads the readers attention then they wont come back.
Christian
July 14th, 2009 7:09 am
Good list. I think it might be good to ask these questions BEFORE posting it!
Mikes Sumondong
July 14th, 2009 8:10 am
Always and always the reason for readers to read them is usefulness. what is in it for them? if we answer that, then BANG! Succesful!
Jannie Funster
July 14th, 2009 8:26 am
I mentioned God in a post, one that got the least comments in months. I better stick to writing about beer and donuts.
Nicholas Z. Cardot
July 14th, 2009 8:50 am
Great questions. I’ve actually been spending a lot of time trying to improve my titles which was your first point.
Isaac Yassar
July 14th, 2009 9:16 am
Amazing Darren! Gets right to the point.
Patrick Wiscombe
July 14th, 2009 9:23 am
Darren brings up some great points. These 13 questions should definitely be addressed before any blogger pushes the ‘PUBLISH’ button. In addition to what he’s said, make sure the content is compelling and don’t blog fade.
needmoney.com
July 14th, 2009 9:26 am
Yeah I really need to work on adding more images to my posts. A shame they’re so time-consuming.
Technology Slice
July 14th, 2009 9:37 am
Good tips. Maybe these points should be thought of while writing the post to avoid the flop.
carla | green and chic
July 14th, 2009 9:55 am
I wish I would have used a checklist like this when I first started blogging. I think I will go back and revise some of my older, less popular posts when I get some free time.
Rita
July 14th, 2009 10:37 am
These are great tips to think about. I had a fellow blogger suggest to me that my blog would be better with photos. I had post after post with no art. Now, I try to have a photo with each post. It has really enlivened my blog.
I’m also taking a lot more photos because I may be able to use them on my blog.
Rita
My blog is The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide at http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com
P.S. What is the right time of day to post a blog post?
MassiveGrowth
July 14th, 2009 11:47 am
I don’t really let this sort of thing bother me, because every post I make is planting another seed on Google and on my blog’s history. My hope is that the more seeds I have, the more chance I have that my posts will get picked up and circulated.
That said you do provide some very good advice here on how to write an eye-grabbing post that improves your chance of getting it circulated.
Lisa Irby
July 14th, 2009 1:54 pm
I found myself asking some of these very questions just last week because for the first time in OVER A YEAR, one of my posts got ZERO comments. Part of the issue was it was only a short, info video and didn’t really spark a discussion but it still felt strange not having any comments — especially since I usually get at least 6 or 7 per post.
Nevertheless, it was a good wake-up call for me because it did cause me to reflect on some of the points posted here. Thanks Darren.
Felix
July 14th, 2009 4:02 pm
It would be nice to know how one can still make that post worthwhile and generate comments by visitors.
Google Money Master
July 14th, 2009 9:58 pm
I read the post and gone back to make necessary changes to my blog. i will post what updates on my blog :)
Michael
July 14th, 2009 10:35 pm
How can a blog post be a failure if you enjoyed writing it?
People should stop measuring blogging success purely by traffic numbers.
fas
July 14th, 2009 10:40 pm
Because it did not give something informative and was quite similar to what others say!
krissy knox
July 14th, 2009 11:02 pm
Some posts “flop” or “fail” from the beginning — get no comments — because they never get read. I have seen bloggers who pour out their writing talents, post after post, without any attempt to generate traffic to their blog. Then they wonder why the blog has no comments. They need to learn to drive traffic, get readers. Yes, content IS king, but if you have no readers, there will be nobody there to read your content!
krissy knox :)
follow me on twitter:
http://twitter.com/iamkrissy
AWebFullOfCash
July 14th, 2009 11:13 pm
Very good guidence, especially for those just starting out, you really do have to cover all angles and sell yourself.
David Stillwagon
July 14th, 2009 11:39 pm
Since I am new to blogging there is a lot on the list that I find relevant.
thanks
Redaccion Seo
July 15th, 2009 2:15 am
Ive also found that the rhythm or tone make a difference. In my case, colloquial posts with short sentences seem to work better.
derya baykal
July 15th, 2009 2:46 am
It didn’t fail…
Ben Mapp
July 15th, 2009 3:49 am
All great questions.
I’m wondering, though, what’s the criteria for success? Number of pageviews? Number of requested actions completed? A high ratio of the above two things?
Obviously, you want people to read the post. But you also want the requested action(s) to be taken. Personally, I’d take fewer pageviews with a higher percentage of requested action(s) taken. That would indicate that the post itself is “working.”
The number of pageviews would be more of a function of my promotions. Which I’d be able to impact directly by “getting the word out.”
Lots of food for thought here.
Thanks,
Ben
Dean Saliba
July 15th, 2009 9:00 am
I think the two main blogs I have now are suffering from those problems.
Liane YoungBlogger
July 15th, 2009 11:01 am
So in the end, the only way to know when a post will make it is to really see them live and in action – and watch how the readers react.
Well I guess that should be a basis for a “trial and error” key. :D
the crazy suburban mom
July 15th, 2009 7:38 pm
It’s really interesting. And funny too. Sometimes I will write something that I think people will really like and looking back I realize that it was me that LIKED it… when you write funny its not just about what you think is funny.
Ruchi
July 15th, 2009 10:25 pm
Nice points, i will review my failed post with all these criteria.
swag lamps
July 15th, 2009 10:40 pm
i always make a post based on free keyword from wordtracker…using the minimum competition keywords …n it works…
The Horror Press
July 16th, 2009 12:27 am
Right now we are just getting lurkers, but no Comments. Hopefully our blog improves. Another factor is, we just started with this blog. Google is the only search engine that has us as of right now. But we will not be discouraged and will continue posting, soon we’ll have articles. Right now it’s just horror news. We want writers in the horror genre to be able to showcase their love for horror and submit poetry,short stories and reviews. Hopefully the blog picks up.
Thank you for your great advice.
http://www.thehorrorpress.com
twitter.com/thehorrorpress
would appreciate anyone’s thoughts on this horror blog :)
Jake Rhodes
July 16th, 2009 1:38 am
Excellent points, I’m going to use these as a checklist when I next write a post.
Wakas Mir
July 16th, 2009 1:49 am
I try to make my posts as useful as possible. Since I changed from personal development to marketing sites I am kind of slowly building up the list once again. Since both are totally different niches
Jared O'Toole
July 16th, 2009 6:51 am
Title is such a huge player in this. I learned that the slow and hard way. But as you improve titles everything improves. The world of social media and the internet is fast paced. %80 of the time no one reads past the title think twitter, facebook even my google reader gets skimmed by title.
Improving titles will get posts more attention.
AutoCritical
July 16th, 2009 10:17 am
Writing an automotive design blog, I’ve noticed more people reading posts about a KIA than cars like a BMW or concept cars, which was quite surprising. In this case I think it’s more related to the intended audience of the car than the blog itself (i hope!)
Scott Gould
July 17th, 2009 3:06 am
My last blog fail…. 3 hours ago.
Stephanie Valentine
July 17th, 2009 4:07 am
In a word, yes. I’ve put together a post that fizzled. A few, in fact, which is why I love your list of questions that we can use to ask ourselves “why” the post fizzled. Number 9 is especially important:
“was this post useful – did it fulfill a need or solve a problem for readers?”
Sometimes I find myself needing to “get a post up there” to stay consistent with my posting schedule, and I end up writing about something I know rather than something that solves a problem for readers. The post may be good and I may put quite a bit of time into it, but I find that if it doesn’t solve a problem that’s prevalent in the industry, I won’t get retweeted or a comment, etc. The rest of the list is totally pro and useful. Will be passing a select set on to some in my network who are struggling with the value of online promotion via blogging.
Rita
July 18th, 2009 11:36 am
I think that saying that a post is a failure right away isn’t useful. Even if a post doesn’t get a lot of comments, it may still have value and be popular.
Many of my hits come from Google searches. Since I write for baby boomer consumers, my “how to” articles are often tops in page views.
For example, I didn’t receive any comments (except on Facebook) on my post , “How to Cut Your Own Hair” at http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com/the_survive_and_thrive_bo/2009/07/how-to-cut-your-own-hair.html, but I’ve received a lot of hits on it.
Rita blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide at http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com.
SURVEYS FOR MONEY
July 19th, 2009 3:54 pm
Thanks for this informative post. I’ve had a few posts fail for me in the past. Not all of my posts will be great, but I will be referring to this so I will have less and less failures in the future.
MarDeck
July 19th, 2009 10:42 pm
I’ve meant to check out your blog since reading your posts on Twitter – and I’m glad I did. This is a nice short concise post that should help everyone, including me, with writing a better post. Every now and then I go back to my posts with little action and try to tweak the title or content. I used to do this with my eBay listings and it worked. Looks like I will have to catch up on more of your blog. Thanks for the good content. BTW – you probably guessed it – I’m MarDeck on Twitter!
Startup Booster Blog
July 20th, 2009 12:21 am
Great post again Darren.
I hope you can follow up with a post in the near future on the following points:
6. did I promote the post to other bloggers or my network?
7. did I publish this post at the right time (of day or the week)?
I want to make sure we all understand how we can do this without spamming – in other words without hurting our growing reputation.
I have a blog on helping small startups to grow and get started on the right path. Have a lot of posts. I get a lot of traffic everyday but not engaging traffic. I am happy to post and let the content be out there. I guess that is also an investment overtime like someone else suggested on a previous comment.
I am new to the Twitter world though. My followers are growing but slowly – only 5 days now! I am hoping once I establish a bit of social network, my blog will do well.
-Guna
Follow me on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/startupbooster
Shannon Rubio
July 20th, 2009 3:38 am
I am new to blogging but the things I am learning to avoid are: rehashing the same topic….people tend to get bored I think with the same topic over and over. Also, I believe there needs to be some kind of call to action. I am still working on that on my own blog but I think it’s important. Thanks for the tips!
Jack
July 22nd, 2009 2:25 am
well, the 13 questions are worth us thinking.Sometimes,we never think before doing,but after failure,we just begin to think.I always trying to make the posts as useful as possible,because I keep my eyes on the questions.I know how to answer and how to help.the questions what you list are the common thing that every blogger faces. Some posts are quite useful,helpful,popular but some not.
Thank you very much for the post. It collects the main points which can be improved to achieve a success.I quite agree your list of questions.
http://www.socusoft.com
Tadas
July 23rd, 2009 9:31 pm
Good point. I think every blogger should ask these questions before putting a post online.
And about time. I think that the time of the day doesn’t really matters. What time matters is that you post something about some event it should be placed on your blog when this article is hot and readable. If you what I’m talking about. However, I think your posts should be timeless. It should be readable a few years later and still make sense. ProBlogger is going this way, I think.
jeux pokemon
September 30th, 2009 8:52 pm
Actually i am in searching of this type of article & here only i came to find so thanks to Darren because he always post nice post which is always helping to the bloggers.. I really like this site as well as all the articles, here all article is useful noone is a bad article..
cd rohlinge
September 30th, 2009 9:43 pm
Thanks for the nice words and good luck with your blogging endeavors.
As for the list, thanks for keeping an eye on it, but it would be even better if you could come up with your own at some point
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