Zen to Great: An Interview with Leo Babauta

Today’s Featured Blogger: Leo Babauta of Zen Habits

Welcome to the third edition of The Next 30 Blogging Heroes series. Inspired by the book Blogging Heroes: Interviews with 30 of the World’s Top Bloggers by Michael A. Banks, this series will draw attention to the next 30 blogging heroes.

A blogging hero is someone who is making an impact in the blogosphere.

These are the people who are getting their messages out there and having their voices heard. These bloggers have long-term goals and are working very each day to reach them. Blogging heroes create quality content and build a loyal, and very large, base of readers. This series will center on their best blogging practices as well as tips and advice.

The Next 45 Years is proud to welcome Leo Babauta of Zen Habits. Leo has become a pro-blogger. A few weeks ago he announced his decision to leave his non-blogging job and concentrate on Zen Habits and other projects full time. In fact, Leo Babauta recently signed a book contract with a major publisher.

It is important to point out that Leo has accomplished all of this in just one year. His blog has over 37,000 daily subscribers who enjoy articles which feature ideas and strategies for simplifying work and personal life, and doing more with less.

Leo isn’t a next blogging hero; he is a new blogging hero.

What prompted you to start Zen Habits?

I had been undergoing a series of life changes in the previous couple of years (quit smoking, ran a marathon, began waking early, ate healthier, become more organized and productive, simplified my life, among other things) … and I wanted to share what I’d been learning with people. I also thought it would be fun to give blogging a shot — I’m a writer and thought I could do a decent job.

How does it feel to be considered a pro-blogger now?

Amazing. It’s a dream come true. I still can’t believe the kind of success I’ve had so far, but I’m not complaining. It’s extremely gratifying that so many people enjoy my work.

Are you achieving what you set out to do with the site?

I’ve surpassed my hopes for the site a hundred times over. I had hoped for very gradual, modest growth. If I had a thousand readers by the end of my first year, I’d be ecstatic. I ended up with more than 30,000 (currently at 36,000 subscribers). I didn’t even plan to make money off my blog, and now it’s allowed me to quit my job.

Please tell us a little about your new site, Write to Done.

It’s basically an outlet for stuff I’ve been wanting to write about writing. A site for writers of all kinds, I want to share what I’ve learned about writing fiction, journalism, blogging, getting my book deal, becoming a productive writer, and much more. I just hope to have fun with it — it won’t be nearly as successful as Zen Habits, but that’s not my goal.

What do you find to be the more difficult aspects of blogging?

Perhaps facing criticism. When you blog, you put yourself out there for the world to judge. I’ve been lucky in that my readers are overwhelmingly supportive and encouraging. But now and then, of course, you get someone mean whose criticism cuts to the bone. I’ve learned to use that criticism to improve, but it still hurts a bit at first.

What do you find gratifying about blogging?

Just the incredible response I’ve gotten from readers. I’ve been writing for 17 years, as a journalist and freelancer, but never in my life have I gotten this kind of encouragement. It’s an amazing feeling.

Do you do anything special to increase your readership; How were you able to have over 30,000 RSS subscribers in one year?

I don’t think I do anything special, but I find it hard to analyze myself. Basically I do a few things consistently: 1) try to write extremely useful articles that address problems in people’s lives; 2) write catchy headlines for those articles; 3) promote those articles on other blogs or on social media sites.

Was SEO a part of your blog development in the beginning?

I’ve never been into SEO and don’t think it’s a good use of my time. I’ve achieved good results by focusing on content and headlines … I might be able to get better results by focusing on SEO, but it just isn’t worth it for me. I’ve learned to focus on the things that are most important.

What advice can you offer other bloggers?

Write from the heart. Try to be insanely useful to your reader. Always keep your readers in mind. Write something worth talking about, and people will read it.

Next week Ellesse Chow of Goal Setting College is the next blogging hero.

Recommended Blogging Heroes:

• Gina Trapani: Lifehacker
• Robert Scobe: Scobleizer
• Mark Frauenfelder: BoingBoing.net
• Kristen Darguzas: ParentDish
• Victor Agreda, Jr.: DIY Life

Helpful Blogging Resources

• Unique Blog Designs: As many of you know, I just completed a blog redesign. Matt and his team were excellent. They provided expert design advice as well as much need technical support. If you are ready to take your blog to the next level, I high recommend Unique Blog Designs.

• ProBlogger is an outstanding online resource for learning effective blogging tips. The site has many useful and relevant articles to help you build a better blog and to earn money, too.

• Michael A. Bank’s book Blogging Heroes is as informative as it is inspirational – a must-have reference book for serious bloggers.

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