Over the last few years, I have posted on a variety of blogs and I made some major mistakes in building my brand that I am still paying for today. While I produced great content, it wasn’t me that was getting credit for it, but instead the blogs I wrote on.

I have also been reading a bunch of blogs over the same period of time, and a friend of mine, who is doing well, has been posting all of their best work on blogs that aren’t his/her own, leaving their blog a wasteland for great content.

I have been there, and dealt with this issue. It seems like a great idea to get paid for your best content, but usually this means building someone else’s brand and the best thing you can do to continue to make sure you have jobs in the future is to build your own brand as much as possible.

Building your own brand can quickly differentiate you from the millions of others working solely for others.

Spend Time

The best thing you can do for yourself, and your site is to spend time. I am not talking about a huge commitment, but if you aren’t creating one pillar article every week or two, you are doing yourself a great disservice.

Promote Your Stuff

Even if your best content is not on your blog, make sure you promote your best work. Mention your work on other blogs, on your own blog. Make sure to mention your own blog here and there on the site you are publishing on. If the blog you are writing on doesn’t allow you to promote yourself in some way, they are not someone you want to work for, as they are stopping you from building your own brand.

In the current generation of the web, there isn’t Nike or Coke type brands in blogging, instead there are singular names that everyone knows. Darren Rowse is Problogger and without him writing on the site, who would read it?

Chris Garrett writes everywhere, but always makes sure to leave his own fingerprint on his writing, and as such, he continues to build his personal brand above all others.

Is It Worth It?

Is it worth it to write all of your best content on someone else’s site? For me, I really didn’t see any other option. I wanted to continue to be a full time blogger, and to do so, I had to sell my best thoughts, ideas, and writing to earn a living.

I still think that this is a great way to go, as building up a site that will pay your full time income is very difficult, but please, make sure you still take the time to put some great content on your own blog as that is your main portfolio. That is most likely what drew someone into hiring you in the first place, and that is most likely what will help secure you your next job.

To the friend that isn’t writing any great content, in my mind, on her/his blog, please read this, take it to heart and find an hour or two a week to really hammer out something amazing, like I know you can!

Originally posted on May 18, 2008 @ 12:14 pm