A few months ago I got an email from Caroline Critchfield, someone I'd never met. Here's what it said: Hi Abby,This is Caroline from SewCanShe. I love your blog and all of the great advice you offer plus the sewing tutorials, of course! I'd like to feature a couple of the tutorials from your blog…
How to Consistently Find Great Content to Share
Once a week or so I get an envelope in the mail from my mom. She’s still using up my dad’s old office stationary so she crosses off the return address and writes in her own. Inside is an article cut from the New York Times, or the Wall Street Journal, or the New Yorker,…
Radically Increase Your Blog Traffic in 5 Minutes
One of the best things you can do for your craft blog is to create and publish a free tutorial. Tutorials serve as anchors for your blog, continually bringing in traffic and new readers for years to come. A great tutorial helps to establish you as a designer and expert and is a free gift…
The Real Truth About Blog Giveaways
Win a fat quarter bundle! Enter the giveaway to get a free copy of this book! Share this post on Facebook and tweet it for two extra chances to win a free pattern!” I read these posts every single day. Like hawkers at a market stall, these bloggers are shouting “free” at me as…
The Benefits and Pitfalls of Inhabiting a Tiny Niche
“It’s entirely possible that you will choose a niche that’s too small. It’s much more likely you’ll shoot for something too big and become overwhelmed. When in doubt, overwhelm a small niche.” These are Seth Godin’s words, but the sentiment is repeated over and over to small business owners as sage advice for getting noticed…
Twitter and Your Creative Business
For a long time I didn't understand what Twitter was all about. What could you say in 140 characters that was worth my time? I just couldn't figure out what Twitter was for. Would I enjoy it or just find it to be a waste of time? Although at first I found Twitter difficult…
Why Nobody Commented on Your Blog Post
Nobody is commenting on your blog. Why should you care? Because comments add value to your post and are social proof of your blog’s worth. When insightful people write something in response to your post they make your post more valuable. And when you respond, you develop a relationship with them. Relationships build a business….
How To Increase Your Blog Readership? Write a Great Headline
If you sell any sort of handmade product and you’ve ever written a tutorial for your blog, or shown how you organize your studio shelves, or explained how you choose cohesive colors for a quilt top, you’ve done something called “content marketing” such as the one serviced by a digital media advertising agency. Content marketing…
A Quick and Easy Way to Increase Reader Engagement on Your Blog: The About Page
If you read a lot of blogs like I do (ahem…150+) then most likely you're reading them in an RSS reader. This digest format is super convenient and makes keeping up with dozens of blogs a snap. But the format also has its drawbacks. One issue is how easy it is to lose track of…