The 15 Success Traits of Pro Bloggers by Jonathan Milligan – A Book Review

Don’t be fooled by the title; this book is not just for bloggers, but for all who would like to pursue or grow an online business.  Even better, rather than offering advice about the latest plug-ins that may quickly be outdated, Milligan gives sage advice that will still be relevant a few years from now in The 15 Success Traits of Pro Bloggers.

Milligan divides the 15 traits of successful bloggers into four main tiers:

The Mindset of Pro Bloggers (Chapters 3-8)

The most important person to encourage (or discourage) you is yourself.  Milligan asks you to let go of five common blogging myths:

·         I’m just going to follow the money and I’ll be rich,

·         I don’t have what it takes,

·         If this works, I’ll be an instant success,

·         I don’t know how to do this.  I’m too technically challenged,

·         I’m too busy.  I just don’t have enough time.

In Chapter Three he dispels these myths, and then for the next few chapters he uses these five points to guide the reader into five success traits of bloggers.  Each trait is a way to turn the myths listed above into a strong quality rather than an excuse.  For example, for myth #5, “I’m too busy,” Milligan turns this into the success trait, “Consistency—The Faith that Showing Up Regularly Will Create Momentum.”  

I loved his argument that a blog should reflect your passion and that ultimately, it’s not for you but for your reader.  Successful bloggers serve the reader.

The Habits of Pro Bloggers (Chapters 9-13)

In this section of the book, Milligan shares 4 keystone habits of pro bloggers:

·         Create (posts, podcasts, videos, etc.)

·         Capture (build an e-mail list)

·         Compile (package your knowledge and perspective into products and services)

·         Connect (with other bloggers)

He says successful bloggers spend 90 to 95% of their time engaged in these 4 areas. 

This section of the book is very helpful.  He explains the basics for creating content, no matter what medium you plan to use.  Milligan also argues why an e-mail list is so important and how you can grow yours. 

Milligan explains that there are many, many ways to make money from your blog including writing and selling a Kindle book, publishing a physical book, offering an online course, or creating a membership site, just to name a few.  Even more important, he gives a 12 month plan for scaling your business quickly.

Finally, for the last of the four areas, you need to connect with other bloggers.  Milligan suggests that you have peers who can be part of a mastermind group with you and mentors.

The Systems of Pro Bloggers (Chapters 14-17)

Do you keep working hard and feel like you’re delivering valuable content, but you just can’t seem to grow your business?  This section of the book is for you.  Milligan divides the system of pro bloggers into three key categories:

Processes—Determine how you spend your time during a day as well as what activities you enjoy (and dread) the most.  Then, make a checklist of steps for doing the jobs you do.  For those jobs that are least important to you or that you dread doing, hire a virtual assistant, so you have more time to do your own creative work.

People—Milligan shares where you can go to find the people who can help you, whether that be a virtual assistant or someone on Fiverr for a one-time project.

Plans—While most bloggers are short-term planners, pro bloggers plan long-term.  Milligan covers many areas of planning, from having a posting schedule/calendar, to tracking your earnings, to having a marketing plan.

The Leverage of Pro Bloggers (Chapters 18-20)

There are two main traits Milligan focuses on here:

Learning—Become a lifelong learner.  Because the blogging world is changing so quickly, you can’t rest on your laurels.  You must keep learning to keep up with technology, social media, etc.

Listening—A successful blogger continually tries to learn about her audience so she can continue to deliver valuable content to her readers.

The last of the 15 traits is trust.  Once you have done all of the other strategies mentioned, you should reach the pinnacle of a successful blogger and have readers that trust you.

Is This Book Right for You?

I read many ebooks, and this one was one of the most valuable that I’ve read.  I plan to go back and read it one or two more times to glean more information.  There are so many steps to take and strategies given to improve your success as a blogger. 

I highly recommend this book, especially since it is only $2.99 in the Kindle edition. (Or, read it for FREE with Kindle Unlimited.)