More True Today Than 2 1/2 Years Ago When I Wrote This

Fred Wilson — Fri, 16 May 2008 07:24:58 -0700

In the fall of 2006, Business 2.0 asked me to write a short post about how blogging can build your business. It ran in the December 2006 issue in a story called "How To Succeed In 2007".

Alex Hammer sent me a copy of that article this week and it was on my desk this morning. I re-read it and thought I should share it with all of you. So here it is:

Blogging has become a critical piece of my business. I am an
early-stage investor in Internet-delivered services and the co-founder
of a venture firm. At first I really didn't know what to write about.
So I wrote about things I was passionate about: work, family, music,
politics, New York City. I still post about all of those things, but
today my blog, called A VC, is mostly about my work and music. I
started writing at least one post every day and have done that ever
since. When I go on vacation, I write a bunch of posts in advance and
then autopost them on a regular schedule. I've found that having
something new on the blog every day is the single most important thing
to building an audience.

I also like to use a sensational headline. Many people read blogs in
aggregators, which generally show only the headline. So you have to
give people a reason to click through. Blogs need to be real and
personal. Reading it should be like hanging out with you. I play music
for my readers. I show them videos I like. I tell them what I did over
the weekend. And I tell them what is happening in the technology,
Internet, and VC markets.

And it works. About 50,000 people come to my blog every month. The site
brings in about $30,000 a year now in ad revenue, and I donate it all
to charity. Most important, I'm getting to know entrepreneurs of all
kinds - in India, Australia, England, China, and Silicon Valley. They
read my blog, correct me when I'm wrong, pound the table when they
agree with me. I get to know them, and they get to know me. When it
comes time for them to raise money, they know who to ask. And for me,
the blog acts as an amplifier and a filter. I see many more
opportunities, but they are also way more relevant. It makes me a
better investor.