Dear Hivers,
Have you ever been to a fancy hotel room where everything was perfect? From the lights to the gorgeous curtain and that super-comfy bed which feels like heaven is right here?
The secret is in the preparation. You see, they prepare the room before the guest arrives.
When it comes to content, shouldn't we prepare our post before the reader arrives? To make this happen, we have to fix few things.
That is why I thought I will write this article to discuss the before and after publishing mistakes that can be minimised.
I have committed every single mistake — and the goal is to remember them the next time when you are publishing your article. It will only help you become a better creator.
And with this thought, I am sharing 7 publishing mistakes that can be avoided.
#1: Not changing the URL
Long URLs (also called permalink) for your posts are generally bad. Short ones are good — even for SEO and for your readers. I won't go into the technical details here.
But I have selected two comments from an SEO forum to show the power of short URLs. It is a good rule of thumb to pick short over long.
In short: You convert long URLs into short ones. Here is an example:
As you can see, I used two words in the URL even though the title of the article was long.
How to do this?
Let's say I am using @Peakd. Then I go to the editor and click the pencil icon. Now I change the URL and hit the tick button to save the new URL. If you try once, you will get it.
Tips:
- Do not use excessive words in the URL
- Do not use a generic term (page1) in the URL.
Note: Changing URL is not possible through Hive.blog
#2: Not @ the right way
This is a rare case. Still worth discussing though. I have noticed members here tag various whales and witnesses — like dozens of them using @ — in the middle of the content.
Is that bad? You know it.
But still, if the circumstance demands, then tag the right way. I prefer to tag at the end of the article with a clear message. Like this:
Note: The key is to tag at the end of the article, so the reading flow is uninterrupted. Minor issue but still a publishing mistake.
#3: Not using enough tags
Use at least 3 tags. In fact, I always use 8 and more tags. When you think about it, 8 isn't a lot because you are combining relevant tags — community tags — and popular tags.
The bottomline is: More relevant tags are good. Remember this before hitting the publish button.
I even wrote an article on tagging that you should read.
#4: Not adding enough images
Most people stop at one image at the top of the article. That is perfectly fine if your article is under 300 words.
But if it is more? Think about it. Perhaps you can try adding another image. This is because using text to hold attention is difficult these days — until you have mastered it.
You see, text wrapped with shiny words cannot be cooked easily. It takes time, effort, and experience.
Therefore the other alternative way is to sandwich images between your paragraphs. You marry text with images. And this, in turn, motivates your reader to continue reading.
I have talked about images before. And I will continue talking about it as Hive can use lots of good images. Here’s the tutorial to follow.
#5: Not editing enough
Remember: Writing should be separated from editing. In this case, don't rush through the process. Don't hit the publish button if you are NOT going to edit later.
When it comes to editing, this is what I do:
- Look for typos (tiny grammar mistakes are OK — not a big deal)
- Look for long sentences — make them short
- Look for long paragraphs — make them short
- Look for logic — and see if the logic is “seamless" (airtight logic)
And with this, once you have edited the post, you hit the publish button.
All these 5 were pre-publishing mistakes. Let us look at two more that are a bit outside the box — yet equally important.
#6: Not promoting your post
Most people publish and walk away. But there's an opportunity to do more. Right now, we have three ways to promote your article:
- Go to relevant Discord group (and post in Promotion channel)
- Go and engage with others (by commenting)
- Go and share your article on Twitter.
While #1 and #2 happens in and around Hive, I like to focus on #3. Because Twitter works like gangbusters. You can also see my first month of Twitter experiment here. Notice the likes and retweets on my new account:
Note: When you promote on Twitter, you are going outside of Hive and into the public surrounding yourself with a different crowd. You will also earn support of the Hive Twitter gang (which is incredibly active). Plus, you may also bring some of this new crowd to visit Hive. Overall, it is a win-win situation.
I also notice some Hivers are sharing on Facebook. Whatever works for you — do it. Share your content though.
#7: Not publishing a masterpiece
And finally, as you are publishing, why not publish article that moves people — inspires them — and even transforms their lives? This is the power of writing.
Now why is this important?
Because in whatever we do, our work has to be meaningful. Personally, I prefer adding a lot of value. Value that is useful not just for 7 days but for weeks and months to come.
Here is a comment I found recently. It was posted months after I quit Steemit in 2017:
You see, nobody can buy such a comment. It is priceless. And if you go through the article, you will find several other comments that are equally powerful.
Note: Although you don’t have to do what I do, but one can certainly commit to writing ONE masterpiece article per month, right? Article that stays even when we are gone — that leaves a legacy behind. That influences people. And inspires them for a better tomorrow.
Hand to my heart, you never know what one GOOD article can do. So strive to write masterpiece. Give it a try — you will absolutely love the results. I would recommend writing ONE masterpiece a month.
Perhaps we can discuss this in detail soon.
So there you have...
We are done with all the seven! Some were common publishing mistakes and some probably new to you. The last one, of course, is the most important.
To summarise:
- Don't forget to use short URL
- Don't forget to use @ wisely
- Don't forget to use good number of tags
- Don't forget to use images between paragraphs
- Don't forget to edit
- Don't forget to promote on social media
- Don't forget to write your masterpiece
And with this, I hope and wish you found this article useful. If you knew all of them, see this article as a refresher. If you found a couple of them useful — then apply it in your next article.
In fact, you may want to try them out soon. Perhaps pick one or two and start using it in your next blog post. Publish carefully.
Also, do let me know your thoughts in the comment section. I would love to hear from you. As always, let us together continue writing — implementing — and learning.
Cheers,
Sid
If you liked this article? Feel free to comment and upvote and reblog.
I've just done out my first tweet about a hive post! I think I'll try this more often!
Also formatting!!! I typically use HTML, I used to spend a lot more time formatting. Something I will have to pay more attention to.
Thanks for the helpful hints!
Wow! Wonderful.
I observed there is a tight community on Twitter. We all have fun! Let's connect.
This will take you more time and effort especially if you are using a front-end. Markdown is easier once we learn the syntax. Have you tried it earlier?
I have used markdown, I don't know why but html always seems easier to me!
I specifically love the float (left or right) quote sections in posts. I think they make them look very professional. But will give markdown another try.
Also just connected on twit box!
I totally agree that HTML is easer (was using WordPress for 10 years). But this platform makes it difficult. Took me a while to get used to Markdown.
So now I use Scrivener and manually add the syntax. Then copy / paste to Peakd.
And yes, the float sections are very cool. Absolutely glad to connect with you!
I knew a lot of these, but fail to incorporate a lot of it too. A few tips I still do, some I remember doing when I was self publishing via Kindle, Nook etc.
For editing (many self publishers can't afford an editor and don't have great mechanics, myself included), a best practice is to write the post first using something like Word or Libre. Use the read text (you will need an extension with Libre) to have it read your post to you. Often, we can hear grammatical errors our eyes miss.
When copying over to where you insert your writing onto Hive, don't do it all at once. What may appear to not be a long paragraph could look like one on your blog. Keep an eye for how long it looks as you copy/paste it, and if it looks to long look for the best place you can separate it into two paragraphs with each being relevant.
On tagging others. I generally don't tag when I reference others here on Hive. I see this done a lot as a passive/aggressive way of trying to gain high stake voters. In many cases, the result will be either they ignore you or worse, being inundated with folks trying ot gain their attention, can irritate them. Either case, it probably does more harm than good, unless you regularly interact with these folks or actually have material they WOULD be interested in and you don't wish to spam their posts.
If you are going to try to bring outsiders to your posts via other platforms such as Twitter, you best be prepared to answer some questions such as: How can they join, How can they acquire tokens, How it's different than other social media in regards to posting others work, etc. Much of what gets posted elsewhere would be considered plagiarism here, as an example. Be mindful that Hive is a different beast.
Another nice post, sidwrites. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us. Refreshing to see it offered freely in this day and age where everyone wants us to buy their overpriced courses explaining these things.
Excellent — excellent advice. Love everything. Especially #2. Moving you to the top with my tiny upvote because these points add depth to the topic.
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you! Spent thousands on courses, and as we are on the blockchain, I really wish to share everything I have learned over the years. And, of course, learn from you.
Wish to write / publish my first book soon!
Thanks for the heads up.
This is informative.
Thank you! I am glad. :)
As an example #6, I shared this post on Twitter - #posh
Greetings, a very informative article for those of us on this platform.
I am so glad for your support. Glad you liked it. :)
My feeling is that post promotion channels are overrated and muted by most. In my experience it is more important to socialize on different Discord servers or comment on posts without expecting votes.
Keep it casual. Hive on :)
p.s. Great work. As per usual.
So true. Yet new communities appear who wish to support. And then, after a while, it seems like we are back to square one as most people start spamming those channels.
For some reason, it gives immense pleasure to share.
True. Without expecting is the goal. Like you said, being casual and friendly helps. People forget that not everything should be links! :)
We all learn I guess.
That's a masterpiece of an advice. It's equally timeless. Experience was talking. Thanks.
Haha! Love this. Thank you so much! Truly appreciate it.
You know what gets me? Writing the skeleton of an article, fleshing it out, proofreading and editing it only to find some niggling litte error hours later. lol! It's interesting how you often can't "see" these mistakes until you've stepped away from them for a bit. But it is so comforting once you've fixed them and can hit "upload" with a smile. :)
I am 100% like you.
Amazing how our brain works when we give some time. In fact, one of the best copywriter was writing today — and editing the next day. This gap definitely helps. I do this for certain projects as well.
But for blog posts, I do it on the same day to continue the momentum.
You mean PUBLISH? :)
Was this an error? :D
Had to leave something in there for you to catch! :)
I have an "Unfinished Posts" folder, where I let ideas sit until I can create just the right content to finish them. Just completed the first draft of my longest piece yet, 3500 words. I'm having someone look at it first before I decide what to do with it.
Okay, your username and the "trick" you used to test me...
GOLD!
Wonderful. Is this going on Hive?
Hope writing makes you feel like a cute beast!
lol!
I asked one of the Hive elders to look at it and if he does, will publish on Hive based on his feedback. It's a post about the best job I ever had. It may be way too long and not for this crowd, so we'll see.
Haha, cheers me up to see a SidWrites post as always! Thanks as always for sharing these wonderfully helpful tips and tricks for creating great content! As stubborn as I am, I'm slowly adopting some of your guides into my publishing style - from editing styles, to SEO - and I think that's the biggest compliment I could possible give... Lol XD! Never do I quickly try something new, but here I am.
The tagging part is certainly crucial, and I still find some users only using the bare minimum. Honestly, I think even the 10 tag limit on Peakd isn't enough sometimes. Also, adding a bit to #4, it's also not good to post too many photos in between the text! It's different for a photo-based post, but adding too many photos in-between bodies of words could seriously dilute what you've written. I'm still privy to making this mistake myself :-|
Posted using Dapplr
It also cheers me up to see you! :D
Such a valid point. I am glad you shared the other side. I didn't get to emphasize this fact (several logical conclusion will overwhelm people), so I had to skip it.
Yet the trick is to capture people with attention — perhaps the greatest gift and dream of any writer. Because most fail to do so, sandwiching images between paragraphs made logical sense.
True. I feel it really boils down to their attention. If less tags, they definitely didn't proofread the post too.
Quite true, and I certainly understood what your emphasis was. I guess it's a balancing act of making sure you have enough photos to compliment your post, without absolutely bombarding the reader, or distracting them with constant scrolling to make the post unreadable.
That's a very good observation to make about the tagging. If you're not putting in the effort for this step, you've likely missed out on other steps in the process, too. One possible UI improvement to be made to Peakd/Hive.Blog is the ability to better search through tags.
Like on Medium, where typing out some tags would lead to suggestions, then telling you how many each particular tag is being used. This I think, could help users to more precisely choose their appropriate tags, instead of what we do now, and just indexing them manually :-D
You know? Peakd kinda does it. I didn't know too. It recommends previously used tags I guess. But yeah, we need a site-wide tag cloud. Steem "had" one based on my research. Hive should get one too.
Almost feels like reinventing the wheel.
Haha, true. Peakd's tagging system, as you say, only recommends previously used ones, especially if you've used them frequently enough. I didn't remember much from Steemit, though. It's one of those little improvements that should be added to Hive/Peakd in a later update. Not a huge feature, but neat to have :-)
Super útil, lo del URL, no lo sabía y lo necesitaba. Excelente post 😁
Thank you. Thank you! I knew someone will find the URL change useful.
Useful tips, thanks!
Thanks for this piece hoping to put it into practice
You are welcome. Hope and wish this was useful. :)
Practice is the key.
Very helpful post, thank you for these tips!
I am glad you found them useful. Wishing you all the best.
Another masterpiece indeed. I can see you really out your heart in writing. Wish to have that dedication too.
So delighted to see this. YES, takes a lot of effort and time. I enjoy sharing and wish to impact at least ONE person with my post. :)
Is there anything stopping you? Curious.