Thang Ngo runs the blog noodlies, one of Australia’s most influential food and lifestyle blogs. A blogger for 17 years, his writing has been published in Good Food, Feast Magazine, the Drum and Tigerair’s inflight magazine. He is also a contributor for the SBS News opinion section.
What were your expectations when you first started your blog?
I started blogging because I had a passion, but had no goals and pretty much no idea. There wasn’t much advice for beginners. I learned through trial and error. There are quick wins that can save so much time.
How has blogging changed since you started 17 years ago?
Blogging was so much harder those days, I used MS Frontpage. There wasn’t much choice and most platforms weren’t intuitive. Now is the perfect time to start blogging, the tools and platforms are so much easier. Most are free. That gives you the head space to be creative rather than fiddle with software.
What’s your top tip for attracting an audience to read your blog?
Be authentic. Don’t write something just because you think it will attract more readers. There are seven billion people in the world. If 0.1% of them are interested in your topic, that’s seven million potential readers.
Join Thang for his course Blogging Your Interest on Saturday 19 August, 10am-4pm, at the Centre.