How to become a better blogger: 5 killer storytelling tips from Niel Van Herck

January 1, 1970

min read

These days, anyone can be a blogger. As long as you have internet access and a laptop, tablet, or even a smartphone, you’re all set. This makes blogging a very accessible way to share your stories and interests with the world, but unfortunately, it also means your feed gets flooded with blogs. Niel Van Herck from the travel blog Tjoolaard shares his 5 killer storytelling tips for anyone who wants a blog that works.

Fortunately, there’s Niel Van Herck, from the travel blog Tjoolaard. If you follow his 5 killer storytelling tips, your blog will become like a lifeline in this “blog flood.”

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1. Find your topic and choose a niche

It's hard to be original or unique. Try to stand out through your knowledge, style, or perspective. If you want to get noticed in the blogosphere, you need to be unique. But that doesn’t mean you can’t become a travel blogger just because there are already so many. If travel is your passion, go for it—as long as you set yourself apart from the crowd with your knowledge, style, or perspective. The following travel bloggers have all found that specific niche.

The Family Without Borders

A blog about traveling the world with young children. When Thomas and Anna's daughter was just 6 months old, they decided to take a six-month road trip around the Black Sea. This was the first of many more trips.

Thomas and Anna travel around the world with their daughters, Hanna and Mila.

Atlas Obscura

A blog about traveling to off-the-beaten-path, hidden places around the world, from locations with scientific marvels or incredible history to culinary delights.

This crashed plane lies on the black sand beach of Solheimasandur, Iceland.

Carry-on luggage

Another unique concept is Sam De Bruyn's travel blog: he travels for 48 hours and tells the story of his trip through 48 photos.

This is one of the photos taken during his trip to Alicante.

2. Create your identity, add personality to your blog

Know who you are and protect it with your life.

A name, a color palette, and a logo

People connect with people, not with things. So give your blog a strong personality. Make sure that when people visit your blog, they feel like they’re having a meaningful interaction with a person. In other words: showcase your personal brand. And if there’s one thing you absolutely mustn’t overlook when creating your identity, it’s a name for your blog. The pressure is on to find a good one that stands out. Try using humor, alliteration, or another language to make it rise above the crowd.

However, always make sure people can write it down, and if they spell it wrong despite your best efforts, ensure they still end up on your website. To make this possible, purchase the URL for every possible misspelling people might make. Another challenge: your visual branding. You need a simple color palette, with 1 to 3 primary colors and 2 to 3 secondary colors, and a font that stands out. This can be an existing font or one that you create yourself.

A photography style—including the filters you’ll use—is also essential. You can create these filters in Lightroom. Last but not least, you’ll need a logo and/or a wordmark. Make sure it’s eye-catching but not overly detailed, like the one from “Tjoolaard.” It may not be the best or most original, but it works.

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Logo and wordmark of Tjoolaard.

Credibility

“Credibility, credibility, credibility” — repeat it like a mantra. Once you’ve established your identity, stick to it. Not just when writing on your blog! Your personality should remain largely consistent, both offline and online. Share from your own personal experience; be the source.

And above all: be honest. If you want to work with brands, that’s certainly possible, but strike a balance between commercial and non-commercial blogging, and don’t be afraid to say no if a brand doesn’t fit your personality. You’ll only lose credibility if you work with every brand that asks.

So before agreeing to collaborate with a brand, ask yourself the following questions: “Does the proposal align with the brand’s values?” , “Can I stay true to myself and my writing style?” , “Is this proposal beneficial for my readers?” , and “What about the practical aspects?” If you decide to work with brands, make sure you have a page on your website that lists your services, achievements, previous projects and collaborations, and, of course, your contact information. Check out Tjolaard to get an idea of what such a page could look like.

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3. Create amazing content, because content is everything.

Be good or be gone.

If your content isn't good, people won't come back. It's that simple. Unfortunately, creating good content isn't easy. Try to look beyond the obvious. It's important to add your own perspective. Don't just state the facts—share your take on them. The following three elements are essential for creating amazing content: data, function, and emotion

Data, function, and emotion are key elements of great content.

Data, function, and emotion

Use data to understand what your readers want, when they want it, and how they want it. Good ways to get this data include Meta Ads Manager, Google Analytics, or [Buffer] (https://buffer.com/).

"Function" refers to the value your content provides to your reader. Try to create content that empowers your reader. If your reader can show someone else that they've learned something new after reading your article, they'll feel more confident—and you've just gained a new loyal visitor.

The last, but probably most important, element is emotion. A key part of conveying emotion is showing that you are human. Don’t just showcase success stories—also show your flaws, pain, and struggles. This creates an emotional connection with your audience. But always remember: subtlety is key. Don’t overdo it, and never fake emotions.

Niel's story about the origami crane he received from an elderly woman in Hiroshima is a beautiful example.

An origami crane made by an elderly woman in Hiroshima.

The Spaghetti Move

So you think you've created an amazing piece of content, but how can you be sure? Just use "The spaghetti move." If you want to know whether pasta is done, throw it against the wall—if it sticks, it's ready. Now replace “the wall” with “your audience” and “the pasta” with “your content.” In other words, just share your content, and your audience will quickly let you know if it's good or not. If the data shows it's not good enough, adjust your content or rework it until it sticks.

Use "The spaghetti move" to see if your content is ready.

4. Spread the word—use some marketing techniques

Just ask people to share.

Now that you've created amazing content, it's time to get it noticed. After all, you didn't write it just for yourself, did you? But how do you make sure people know you exist and that your content is worth reading? Focus on your SEO, build a community, and network.

Take care of your SEO

I won't go into detail about SEO here, but the following tips will get you started. First, you need great content, which we've already covered. Second, it's important to track your data to see whether people are coming to your blog via organic search, social media, referrals, direct traffic... and adjust your strategy based on that information.

Also, make sure your content is optimized for mobile. Check out how Thjoolaard looks on mobile:

Build a community

It's very important to build a community because they will help spread your content. To build a community, three words are essential: listen, speak, engage. Always focus on interaction and engaging your audience, rather than just reach. Also, people won't always like, share, or retweet your blog post if you don't ask them to.

According to HubSpot’s “Science of Social Media” research, including the phrase “Please Retweet” in your tweet increases retweets by four times (see table below). Make sure your audience knows what you expect from them—always end your blog post with a call to action.

Every beginning is tough, so use your friends and family as the foundation of your community. Also, collect email addresses. Email is an easy way to stay connected with your audience and gather valuable data. And yes—newsletters are back!

Networking

Networking is very important. Leave comments on other people's blogs if their content is related to yours. But don't just network online—get out there and meet new people in person.

5. Don't Be a Negative Nancy and Other No-Nos

Don't be a Negative Nancy. The more negative you are, the more people will turn away from whatever you do. This doesn't mean you have to act like everything is all sunshine and rainbows. Just try to end your blog post on a positive note.

But no matter how positive you are, you can’t avoid negative comments. So it’s best to learn how to handle them. First, avoid deleting them unless they are illegal. You don’t need to respond immediately—just keep an eye on them and make sure things don’t get out of hand. Never ignore frustration either; try to find a constructive solution. Don’t argue too much in public, and try to resolve issues privately to avoid unnecessary attention.

You could also try a James Blunt-style move, which means responding with a funny but cheeky comment—but be very careful. Don't go too far, and only do this if it fits your blog's style.

The James Blunt move. Two more things are definitely off-limits:

First: never ask for a like-for-like. And second: don't buy followers. It may be tempting to show a large number next to “followers,” but eventually the bubble bursts—and so does your credibility.

Well, that's enough tips for now. It's time to start blogging!

Niel Van Herck offers blogging tips to students in the graduate Digital Storytelling program.

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