And … action! 4 Lessons Learned from Life as a Film Blogger

Guest post by Christian Toto

Three years ago I left a killer gig as an entertainment reporter for a big city newspaper to raise a family in Denver.

Getting paid to review movies might be the sweetest gig around, but family comes first.

I didn’t want to stop seeing movies for free, so I reinvented myself as a film blogger.

Whatwouldtotowatch.com isn’t a must-see movie hub like Ain’t It Cool News is – yet. But it’s solidified my freelance journalism career and taught me plenty about being an effective blogger.

So even if you can’t pick Shia LaBeouf out of a lineup, consider these tips while crafting your next blog posts.

Not all Top 5 lists are created equal
Yes, seasonal Top 5 posts are steady traffic generators (Top 5 Valentine’s Day movies is a quick, easy example for my niche). But my site gets plenty of eyeballs from other, less obvious posts, like Top 5 Actors with comb-overs.

Be creative – but keep keywords that hew close to your theme firmly in mind while you‘re brainstorming for your next eclectic list.

Don’t avoid risqué topics
One of my most popular posts, thanks to frantic Google searches, explores how many new comedies use male nudity for comic effect. It’s a genuine topic for film conversation, but suffice to say people who find this post may not be looking for a screen comedy dissertation.

It’s unlikely these folks won’t become regular readers, but as a steady source of traffic it’s hard to beat this kind of post – assuming you keep the subject tied directly to your blog’s mission. Note: It helps to have a killer spam filter on your comments section.

Hop in the “Hot Tub Time Machine”
Nostalgia works. Period. I’ve tracked down some popular actors best known for their ‘80s films and interviewed them for my site. They may have moved on from Hollywood, or perhaps they can’t find the same big gigs they once did. But readers still care about them, at least enough to seek out my Q&As on a regular basis.

So think about the history of your particular niche and consider interviewing the folks who played a part in its formative years. Chances are they’ll be happy to talk to you, and you’ll get a regularly read post out of it.

Get political
This might not work for every blog, but posting about topics that overlap hot button issues is a nice way to goose traffic. Don’t force it, mind you, but ideological blog postings can get picked up by sites not within your nice and let fresh eyes see your content.

These posts often inspire spirited back-and-forth debates, which means people returning to your site over and again to follow the action – and leave their own two cents.

Christian Toto is a freelance entertainment reporter and film critic who contributes to The Washington Times, boxofficemagazine.com, The Denver Post and Big Hollywood. His film reviews can be heard on WTOP in Washington, D.C. and “The Dennis Miller Show.” He regularly blogs about film at What Would Toto Watch? and Movies in Toto.

Image credit