A to Z Challenge
It's almost April, and I'm sure most of you know what that means; the A to Z Challenge is almost upon us! If you don't know exactly what the challenge entails, you can find out more here.
This year will be my third time taking part in the challenge, but I still feel the same excitement I felt when I first participated.
Anyone who is on the fence about participating, I strongly urge you to sign up. There are so many benefits to taking part, and if you plan your posts in advance and work out a system for visiting other blogs on the sign up list, it really isn't as difficult as it might seem.
Why you should take part in the challenge:
- You get to meet so many interesting bloggers from around the world, who you might never have come across without the challenge. It's great for community building.
- Chances are you're going to gain quite a few new followers to your blog.
- Every blogger posts about something different for each letter, some even coming up with themes for their posts, so there's something for everyone. You'll learn something new every day.
- It's great practice for writing blog posts - the more posts you write, the better you get at writing them. I had only just started blogging when I took part in the A to Z Challenge, and it helped me develop my writing skills.
- It's fun! I look forward to the challenge every year; it really is so much fun to take part.
Tips to get the most out of the A to Z Challenge:
- Set yourself a visiting target every day. It's recommended that you start visiting blogs that come after yours in the sign up list, that way everyone gets visited. For example, maybe you could set yourself a target to visit 5 blogs a day.
- Schedule your posts in advance, then you only have to worry about visiting and commenting on other blogs during the challenge. Speaking as someone who did not do this for my first year, I have to say it makes things so much easier!
- Keep your posts short, somewhere between 100-300 words. There are so many blogs to visit, nobody will have time to read anything more. Short and sweet, that's the key.
- Choose a theme. Not everybody does this, but in my experience it makes writing your posts much easier, as it narrows down possibilities for letters. It also means that people will know what to expect when they visit your blog, and if they like your theme you can bet they'll be back every day.
- Turn off word verification on your comments. Bloggers will be trying to get through as many blogs as they can, and they're less likely to comment on your blog if you have word verification turned on. If you're unsure how to do this, there's a video here.
I hope this post has been helpful, and if you haven't signed up already you can find the sign up list here.
This year will be my third time taking part in the challenge, but I still feel the same excitement I felt when I first participated.
Anyone who is on the fence about participating, I strongly urge you to sign up. There are so many benefits to taking part, and if you plan your posts in advance and work out a system for visiting other blogs on the sign up list, it really isn't as difficult as it might seem.
Why you should take part in the challenge:
- You get to meet so many interesting bloggers from around the world, who you might never have come across without the challenge. It's great for community building.
- Chances are you're going to gain quite a few new followers to your blog.
- Every blogger posts about something different for each letter, some even coming up with themes for their posts, so there's something for everyone. You'll learn something new every day.
- It's great practice for writing blog posts - the more posts you write, the better you get at writing them. I had only just started blogging when I took part in the A to Z Challenge, and it helped me develop my writing skills.
- It's fun! I look forward to the challenge every year; it really is so much fun to take part.
Tips to get the most out of the A to Z Challenge:
- Set yourself a visiting target every day. It's recommended that you start visiting blogs that come after yours in the sign up list, that way everyone gets visited. For example, maybe you could set yourself a target to visit 5 blogs a day.
- Schedule your posts in advance, then you only have to worry about visiting and commenting on other blogs during the challenge. Speaking as someone who did not do this for my first year, I have to say it makes things so much easier!
- Keep your posts short, somewhere between 100-300 words. There are so many blogs to visit, nobody will have time to read anything more. Short and sweet, that's the key.
- Choose a theme. Not everybody does this, but in my experience it makes writing your posts much easier, as it narrows down possibilities for letters. It also means that people will know what to expect when they visit your blog, and if they like your theme you can bet they'll be back every day.
- Turn off word verification on your comments. Bloggers will be trying to get through as many blogs as they can, and they're less likely to comment on your blog if you have word verification turned on. If you're unsure how to do this, there's a video here.
I hope this post has been helpful, and if you haven't signed up already you can find the sign up list here.
These are so awesome! Thanks for blogging about the challenge. Will be tweeting them out!
ReplyDeleteLaura, that is perfect!! You covered all the points.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Laura! So much good information here! Thanks for sharing your experience and excitement about being part of the A - Z Challenge with all of us today :)
ReplyDeleteI will race you to Z Miss Laura . . . . . . .
ReplyDeleteAs it happens I still have not signed up yet, I am still waiting for the list to get longer, which it will as we get closer to the big day . . . As a helper I may have to comment on strange blogs . . . . . . YICKS.
Signed up early but my posts aren't done. Will be in time though, this is my second year. Glad you have enjoyed A-Z for all your participating years Laura.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the advice! I'm just reviving my blog and this will be my first A to Z Challenge. Great tips, and reasons for taking part. I'm so excited to start! www.marcilicious.com
ReplyDeleteGood post. Taking note of the tips mentioned here. I'm still not done writing my posts for the challenge. Truly excited to join this!
ReplyDelete