Originally published in 2008. Updated in 2025 as part of the Personal Branding Blog relaunch under Brown Brothers Media.
If you’re a beginner, please see my previous post on blogging your personal brand.
Once you’ve mastered the basics of blogging, such as setting up your site, publishing regularly, and finding your voice, it’s time to take things to the next level. At this stage, your goal isn’t just to write posts. It’s to turn your blog into a strategic tool that strengthens your personal brand.
Intermediate blogging is about refinement and consistency. It’s about making your content easier to find, your message clearer, and your online presence more cohesive. You’re no longer just joining the conversation; you’re shaping it.
The following ten steps will help you move beyond the fundamentals and position your blog as a professional platform that builds authority, credibility, and long-term visibility for your brand.
1) Start adding links to your posts
All of your new blog posts should contains links. The links should link to blog posts you’ve created previously, other people’s blogs and additional resources that may support your thesis or commentary. Make sure your blog is setup so that people can advance to the next post and go back to a previous post as well. When you add links, try to highlight a word of phrase that makes sense for the location you’re sending people to.
For instance, if I wanted to link to a marketing blog, I could write, “There are other marketing resources on the web that can help you too!” When you create links to your content and other peoples content, it’s benefits you in these ways: you’re giving attribution, you’re helping other bloggers (and may receive reciprocation with a future link), and you’re increasing the page views of your other posts. Internal links also help search engines understand your content, so always choose descriptive anchor text that clearly represents what you’re linking to.
2) Get consistent with formatting
If you’ve read my blog for a week, then you are aware that I have the same formatting for every post. My subtitles are all in blue, I highlight key phrases in bold and underline keywords. I also align most of my images to the right side of the screen and more. Aside from finding your voice, you need to find your format. Ask yourself “what colors should I use to represent brand me”? If you can keep things consistent, it will be easier for people to read because they will adjust to your blog rhythm.
Also make sure your layout is mobile-responsive, uses clean typography, and follows accessible color-contrast standards. Readers today expect your blog to look great and read comfortably on any device.
3) Create your “About this blog” page
In my beginners post, I spoke about having a page that highlights you, as the blogger, but now I want you to create a page about your blog. Before you even create your blog, you should have an idea of the niche you’re going after and your unique value that you bring to the blogosphere. Your about page should describe what your blog is going to be talking about. Give people a general idea, so they know to come (or subscribe) to your content to receive that type of information and nothing else. Remember, people can get information elsewhere, so you only want a piece of their attention.
Your about page should scream enthusiasm for your topic and you might have a picture as a way to describe it too. The best about pages I’ve seen are one paragraph long. You can also add a professional headshot, links to your social media accounts such as LinkedIn, X, or Instagram, and a newsletter sign-up form so readers can stay in touch.
4) Comment like a champ
I’ve spoken about branding yourself with comments previously. In order to get comments on your blog, you need to comment on other blogs. A comment signifies that you’ve taken the liberty to read and reflect on someone else’s material. To me, that is like starting a conversation at a cocktail party. As long as you fill out the comment field with your blog URL, the receiver of that comment will want to reciprocate by either commenting back, subscribing to your blog or writing a post promoting brand YOU (maybe all 3 if you’re lucky). Subscribe to topics that reflect your blog and comment on what you can lend expertise to.
You’ll notice, after a while, that people will comment back on your blog. When this occurs, you benefit by having more subscribers, viewers and a stronger community. You can extend this same strategy to social platforms by engaging in comment sections on LinkedIn posts, X threads, or Substack discussions related to your niche.
5) Find out who your visitors are
Understanding who’s visiting your blog helps you grow your personal brand. Use tools such as Google Analytics, Fathom Analytics, or your blogging platform’s built-in dashboard to track traffic, top-performing posts, and audience demographics. You can also review engagement metrics from your social channels or newsletter to see what content resonates most. These insights help you shape your future content and better connect with your readers.
6) Guest post on another blog
If you’ve written a number of posts for your own blog and are interested in getting more traffic and networking, then guest posting on another blog is a good strategy for you. Do not randomly email bloggers asking them to guest post or to comment on their blogs with a request or they’ll be turned off immediately. The top bloggers get these requests all the time, so in order to stand out, you need a long term relationship strategy. You need to comment on their blog over the course of a month or so before you engage in a guest post conversation. When you write for another blog, be sure to only link back to your blog and make sure the content is as good, if not better, than your own.
You can also expand this idea to podcast guest appearances, LinkedIn newsletters, or collaborative webinars, which serve the same purpose in building reach and credibility.
7) Integrate your blog URL/feed throughout your digital kingdom
Promoting your blog through all of your current materials is key. Your email signature should have a link to your blog and blog feed. The presentations that you give should have a link to your blog. Your resume should have a link to your blog. Your website should have a link to your blog. Your business card should have a link to your blog. You want this link almost everywhere your name is cited because that’s how people will remember it.
In today’s landscape, that also means adding your blog link to your LinkedIn profile, social bios, and any digital portfolio or video description where your audience might find you.
8 ) Promotion on discussion forums
One great way to get your name out there and to promote your blog is through online communities. Join conversations in relevant LinkedIn groups, Reddit threads, Slack or Discord communities, or niche Facebook groups. Contribute genuine insights and include your blog link only where it adds value. The more you do this, the more people will click on your site, especially if your participation is helpful and authentic.
9) Use at least one picture per post
Don’t publish a blog post without including a picture. Sometimes I struggle pressing “publish” without multiple pictures. I know your writing is good, but without a picture it is faceless. Your voice needs to be matched with a visual that gives an experience to your readers. A picture says more than 1,000 words in the blogosphere; it says everything.
The images you select for your posts will tell readers what your main point is immediately, so they can connect with it and follow your content trail. High-quality photos, infographics, short video clips, or embedded media all make your posts more engaging. Just be sure to optimize images for fast loading on mobile devices.
10) Allow for search and organization
Instead of waiting two years to organize your content, do it right now. This includes, deciding on categories for your posts, using a calendar or archiving widget, as well as giving people the ability to search through your content. By creating categories and organization your content now, you will save hours later. You will also help readers navigate your content much faster, so you get more views.
Modern blogging platforms make it easy to add search bars, tags, topic clusters, and related-post suggestions. Use these tools so your audience can find what they need quickly and stay engaged with your work.
Conclusion
Building your personal brand through blogging is not a one-time project. It’s an evolving process of sharing what you know, refining how you communicate, and showing up consistently for your audience. Each post, comment, and interaction adds another layer to how people perceive your expertise and professionalism.
The more intentional you are with your content, design, and engagement, the more your blog becomes a living extension of your reputation. It can attract opportunities, expand your network, and help you grow both personally and professionally.
If you commit to these ten steps, you’ll have a personal platform that opens doors, builds trust, and keeps your name relevant in a constantly changing digital world.
This article is part of Personal Branding Blog’s Legacy Series — highlighting timeless insights from our archive. Learn more about our story here.
