Green blogs are one of those type of blogs that I personally tend to avoid – even though I’m a firm believer in the environment. Why? Because they can get very, very, (wait for it) very preachy. It’s like their proselytizing, and “green” is the new 21st century religion. Perhaps my biggest tip on managing a successful green blog is DON’T DO THAT. Write sensibly and work to inform people, not convert them. Getting on a soapbox or mounting a pulpit is not sensible for a blog you wish to maintain long into the future. It just isn’t a feasible track to keep up for a long period of time. Your readers get exhausted reading your preaching, and you get exhausted being so amped up writing it all the time.
For those of you considering starting a green oriented blog, take a look at these points and see if you agree. If you don’t, then maybe greening up the blogosphere just isn’t for you.
Practice What You “Preach”
I know I just said don’t preach on your blog – but it’s an idiom. Take it with a grain of salt. Anyway – if you are starting a green blog, don’t do it because you think it is the easiest blog to monetize. Do it because it is something that you’re passionate about – and prove it to your readers. Make the blog personal – when you recommend buying low flow shower heads for your home, talk about how you’re doing your best to kick the water hog of your family out of the shower after ten minutes of hot water, too.
Don’t just tell people what to do – show them what to do.
Talk About Action, Not Theory
Unless you’re an environmental scientist, don’t go into the nitty-gritty of chemical effects and blah, blah, blah, blah. See, I’m getting bored already and I’m writing it!
Focus on actionable, salient points when you write an article for your blog. Mention the theory behind whatever you’re advising, but focus on what people can actually do about it. So there is a hole in the ozone, what can I do about it? That article would be focused on the importance of wearing sunscreen – and perhaps not using hairspray so much, rather than the theory behind how the hole in the ozone occurs, and what it actually is.
Plus the theoretical meanings behind much of science is very term-heavy and can lead to a dull and monotonous read. You want to keep your readers engaged – make it interesting, and keep your personality.
Find Your Niche
Much like wedding blogs, green blogs have a lot of topics to cover. Do you want to talk about green cars? Green homes? Green urban life? Find a niche and a focus, because unless you’ve got something ground-breaking and extraordinary (or you’re an amazing writer with a great understanding of SEO, PR and advertising, plus a unique domain) you aren’t going to get found if you have a generalist “go green” blog. It just isn’t going to work, sorry.
As with anything, find what you’re passionate about and do it. If that happens to be making sure the world is around and intact in another 150 years, so be it.