I began this blog in July 2013 and never thought I would still be blogging. At first I was afraid no one would read my blog. I thought who would care what I thought? I was concerned with my writing ability and lacked confidence. I’m still working on both. My first posts were so bad I deleted them years ago. After eight years I’ve finally reached my 1000th blog post.
1000 posts. 📖 8 yrs. ⌚ 524,154 views. 🔭
395,914 visitors. 🧑 11,080 likes. ☑️ 2,035 comments. 💬
10. Use the community.
When I first starting blogging, looking at other anime blogs for inspiration felt like cheating or stealing. But why reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to? See what manga are popular. What anime you’ve never heard of. This also helps with developing a greater self-confidence. Once you begin exploring the anime community, you’ll realize you’re not alone.
“Every journey begins with a single step. We just have to have patience.” – Milly Thompson
9. Write about what you want.
I’ve struggled with whether I want to be popular and review the most popular series or do I want to write about series I like. Of course you don’t have to choose. If I’m being honest my tastes are mostly mainstream. Sometimes when researching popular anime or manga, I’m tempted to review the most popular. However, if you’re not excited to watch or read these series, you won’t be excited to write about them.
As Mugen from Samurai Champloo said “Don’t live your life making up excuses. The one making your choices is yourself!”
8. Expand your tastes.
This contradicts number 9, but what’s the point in blogging if you never try any new anime? I don’t mean a new series in your favorite genre, but try a genre you might have never watched before. For me it’s the sports and martial arts genres. After deciding to step out of my comfort zone, I learned to love Yuri on Ice, Haikyuu, and Baki. Try new genres. You’ll regret watching some. But not all.
“That’s why I can’t make a change. Everything I do is so… Half-assed.” – Hiroshi Kido
7. Be consistent. Schedule.
I’m terrible at this. But audiences love knowing when to expect your next post. Life happens and sometimes you just to feel like blogging, but you should always aim for consistency. This includes a consistency regarding quality.
“If you can’t do something, then don’t. Focus on what you can do.” – Shiroe
6. Write Better Post Titles.
I personally don’t care about my titles. Especially because I can’t seem to make good ones. Don’t get me wrong titles matter. Apparently, some people ONLY read them. A good title is suppose to be clever, catchy, and emotional. All at the same time.
I’m a failure in this regard. I’ll keep trying though.
“Sometimes I do feel like I’m a failure. Like there’s no hope for me. But even so, I’m not gonna give up. Ever!” – Izuku Midoriya
5. Use Social Media.
Use Pinterest. I’ve managed to get more traffic from my Pinterest profile than I thought. I never intended to use the platform for anything but a hobby. Use Quora. Use Instagram. Use Twitter. Most of you probably do already but give Pinterest specifically a chance. You’ll reach new people. If you want more viewers (as I do) you have to be where they are and that’s on social media.
“If you’re gonna insist on gambling and then complain when you lose, you had better work on your game.” – Hatsu Kominato
4. Give more of your opinion.
I struggle with this. I usually give recaps and reviews but I not sure if I give enough of my opinion. While it’s possible most of my audience just wants the recap, I think opinion is what makes a blog unique. It’s a balance. Don’t be afraid to be critical. But never aim to be mean.
“If nobody cares to accept you and wants you in this world, accept yourself and you will see that you don’t need them and their selfish ideas.” – Alibaba Saluja
3. Be yourself.
If your sense of humor isn’t for everyone so what. Someone will find you funny. As I mentioned in number 10, “don’t reinvent the wheel” but you could add your spin to it. If everyone writes a list of the Top Ten Strongest Anime Character, you do the Top Ten Weakest or the Top Ten Slowest. Your audience will find you and accept your weird quirks.
“Knowing you’re different is only the beginning. If you accept these differences you’ll be able to get past them and grow even closer.” – Miss Kobayashi
2. Maintain your main focus.
When I first envisioned my blog I wanted to focus on everything I loved. Anime. Manga. Comicbooks. Videogames. I had a few problems. First I watched more Anime than I read Manga. Second, I read more manga than comics. Third, I have no idea what I want to say about videogames. So I ended up, mostly reviewing anime and occasionally reviewing manga. The few comics reviews didn’t seem to get much traction and I rarely reference videogames. Don’t overreach. Stick to a main topic or two.
“Do not think about other things, there is only one thing you can do. So master that one thing. Do not forget. What you must imagine is always that you, yourself, are the strongest. You do not need outside enemies. For you, the one you have to fight is none other than your own image.” – Archer
1. Don’t forget to take a break.
Everyone needs a break. Even from doing something they love. I’m not talking about a break from watching anime but blogging about. You’ll still have your opinions. Your emotions. You could still write them for later. I haven’t taken a deliberate break from blogging since I started. This is primarily out of fear of losing my audience. But if you like my content you’ll comeback right. I think this is the perfect time for me to take some time off. I’ll keep reading other anime blogs, comment more, watch anime, and reading manga. I just won’t blog until Demon Slayer returns (the Real NEW season) on December 5th.
“You can die anytime, but living takes true courage.” – Kenshin Himura
To all the Otaku Orbit readers that gave me their time I appreciate it and you. Thank You. I be back in a few weeks, recharged and ready to write again. Hope my tips helped. 💖
Quotes from Animemotivation.
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