Interview: The Type A Housewife

I'm lucky to say that I got to know Kiersten, AKA “The Type A Housewife” through blogging a few months ago, and we've been corresponding via e-mail ever since. We don't live close, but she's originally from a suburb of Chicago so we do have that in common, along with our love of blogging, vegetarian food and crafty stuff. She's a pretty awesome gal, even if she doesn't like feta cheese. (Blasphemy!)

One thing I love about Kiersten is that she knows a lot about the best blog practices and how to implement them. Because she has such a great blog and has been so helpful to me, I asked if she would do a quick interview and she agreed! Go check out her blog at http://www.thetypeahousewife.com/, take a peek around, and enter some of her great giveaways!

When did you start blogging? Why?

I started blogging in January, but I wanted to start for a long time before that. I was certain that no one would want to read what I had to say, so that was my big excuse not to do it--fear of failure, I guess. As to why I wanted to blog, well, I've always liked to write and I saw all these amazing blogs out there about cooking, crafts, shopping, and other domestic things and I thought, "Hey, I want to do that!"

What is one of your favorite blogs that you've written? Do you have a favorite topic?

If I had to choose one favorite post, it would be Are we even reading each other's blogs anymore?. The favorite topic is a bit trickier because I love everything I write about, otherwise I wouldn't do it! If you force me to choose, I suppose I'd say the recipe posts. I make up a lot of my own recipes and it's really gratifying to have someone email or tweet to say they tried something I came up with and loved it.

You have a great following on blogger, and get lots of non-giveaway comments! What's your "secret"?

It's really a combination of a lot of things. I think a lot of people start a blog and sit back and wait for people to come to them. That's not how it works! You have to put yourself out there, otherwise no one will know you exist. I've worked really hard at networking. A lot of bloggers are under the mistaken impression that this means hopping from blog to blog, leaving "I'm following you, now follow me!" type comments. No! For me, networking is finding blogs I love and really actually for real following them, helping other bloggers when they need it, leaving substantive comments, etc.

I think my other secret is to write often and write things that people connect with. Before I start writing a post, I ask myself, "Would I read this if it were on someone else's blog?" I never post anything that I wouldn't read myself. Maybe that sounds really obvious, but believe me, I see a lot of posts out there that probably wouldn't exist if the blogger in question had asked herself this before posting!

What are your top three tips for someone trying to expand their blog? Do you have any favorite instructional sites?

I guess I sort of addressed one of the tips I'd give--network! There are many different ways to network (right now I'm really loving Stumble Upon), so find one that works for you. Try to really build connections with other bloggers. The friendships I've made and help I've gotten from other bloggers have been invaluable. And always respond to comments! That's an important part of networking and cultivating a loyal following. Remember that on Blogger, people probably aren't going to come back to check to see if you replied to them, so it's best to do it via email.

My second tip is to connect with readers in as many ways as possible. I get traffic from my email RSS feed, my regular RSS feed, Twitter, and Facebook. People have different ways that they like to subscribe to blogs so give your readers as many options as you can.

Finally, if you want to expand your blog, I think you need to post regularly. I subscribe to all of my favorite blogs through email or on Google Reader. If several weeks go by without a post, I'll delete a blog from my reader. I'm not alone in this. If people visit your blog and there's never anything new, they're going to stop visiting eventually.

...and if I can throw in a few other quick tips: make your blog attractive! It should look contemporary, not outdated. Your design should tell your readers who you are before they even read a word. And your blog should be easy to navigate too. The best websites are uncluttered websites. Look at every single thing you have on your blog and ask if it's really something that people are using. If you're serious about growing, monitor your Alexa ranking and compare it to other blogs that write on similar topics.

A lot of bloggers swear by Pro Blogger, but I don't think it's suited to the type of blogging I do. I know I'm not going to make a fortune off of my blog, so selling ebooks and such just seems ridiculous to me. Once in a while, I'll find posts that pertain to The Type A Housewife, but for the most part, I skip it. I recently discovered Will Work 4 Followers and I like it because the blogger who writes it has an outlook on blogging that's similar to my own--I want to grow a real readership, so things like SEO are secondary to me. This is kind of a controversial stance to take in the blogging world, so it's awesome to see such a well-known blogger take it.

More about Kiersten!

I'm originally from the Chicago area, moved to Wisconsin for school, and now I'm about to move to the Raleigh area with my husband and our four cats. I have a master's degree in Information Science and I work doing search engine evaluation. And I work from home! Which is awesome!

What's your favorite color, music and hobby?

I don't have a favorite color--I like them all except purple. But even purple is okay sometimes. I like a wide range of music, but my favorite band is Pavement. And the hobby, well, I guess that would be cooking or gardening.

How many states have you lived in?

Two, but soon three...

What's one fun fact or surprising thing about you that most people don't know?

I'm obsessed with Japanese Kit Kats. I've tried 67 different flavors (and counting!), including cheese, vegetable juice, miso, and buttered corn. Yes, I have issues.