Blogging is the matrix of the digital world platform. It connects those looking for information to those who have the information.  Blogging is a scheduled conversation with your audience. If you hope to succeed in blogging it is imperative you do not waste your readers time. Otherwise, you will lose them quickly. I have found there are four key parameters you must write within if you hope to succeed in blogging: Establish your brand Know your audience Be relevant Be consistent And, I had no idea how hard this would be – learning to blog – well, I mean learning to blog well. I've always had a lot to say in life and have never been shy about expressing my thoughts or options, just ask any of my friends, and they will be happy to confirm this for you. But, this takes on a new meaning when you are trying to brand your blog, and you make a commitment to yourself and your audience to be as transparent and relevant as possible. I'm a very pragmatic person and a skilled project manager – neither serves me well as a writer. Why, because writing is not about being pragmatic or a good project manager -- writing is about exploring thoughts and concerns others have and finding a way to address both. [bctt tweet="Good blogging is about identifying a need your audience has and seeking a concise and engaging way to speak to those needs.  It is about solving problems for your reader." username="nightriverpress"] Establish Your Brand Establishing my brand started with the mission of my company Night River Press "bringing out the story that lives within each of us."  I am a book publisher, and I believe we all have a right to tell our stories. Storytellers have been prominent figures throughout the ages in every society, preserving events and emotions and helping us understand the meaning of our lives and the way in which we live. Whether the stories are of our experience, our knowledge, our dreams, or fantasies, they affirm who we are, what is important to us as individuals and community, and provide a platform for connection and communication. I also believe that publishing, along with writing is an educational experience.  With that, I've designed my company to be an educational portal to provide publishing services to authors and to teach them how to self-publish if they choose to do so. Know Your Audience Knowing your audience is the key to any engagement.  Whether you are giving a keynote talk or facilitating a plenary session, it is important to know your audience. You would be surprised how many times a speaker shows up with a pre-written speech by someone in the communications department that has no relevance to the audience, but it does to the speaker or their organization.  This only displays arrogance and is frustrating for the audience. As a blogger, it is not uncommon to spread your wings when writing, but it is key to keep within your brand.  If I subscribe to Writers Digest or Publishers Weekly blog, I expect to be notified and reading posts relative to writing and publishing, not to environmental issues, unless it is highlighting the author or publisher about the content. Nuf said. Be Relevant in Your Storyline Relevance is about the writer teaching me something I don't already know, or solving a problem I am experiencing.  When you do this for your reader you gain their respect, you capture their attention, and they are more likely to engage with your content and share it with others.  There is no bigger compliment to a writer than for you to comment (good or bad) and share that content. Blog Consistently Consistent blogging is ever so important when establishing yourself as a writer. Imagine having your local barber post a sign that says open Monday – Saturday 10 am – 6 pm and the last two times you have tried to get your son's haircut there is a ‘Closed' sign in the window. The commitment to consistent blogging isn’t much different; your readers depend on you.  This doesn’t mean you have to blog every day or every week, but once you establish your blogging schedule be consistent.  I made this mistake, and it cost me followers. I now blog every other week at Night River Press on writing and publishing, and in between weeks I post a pro tip called North Star – Guiding You On Your Publishing Path for my readers. As many successful bloggers have said before me, learning to blog can be challenging.  However, with practice, focus and commitment you will gain a gaggle of followers in no time. If you have comments on this article, please don't hesitate to reach out to me – I would consider it a compliment.