Ten years ago, I started writing a blog about the British constitution entitled A Venerable Puzzle. Even though I’d worked as a journalist and halfheartedly run a personal blog, I felt like a novice. However, when I went looking for advice, I came away feeling frustrated. I found plenty of guidance, but the vast majority of it was aimed at a very different type of blogger and a very different type of audience. I found myself wondering if my project actually had a future. Spoiler alert: it did, but I thought it might be helpful to explore some of my early frustrations and the lessons I learned from them.

Why blog about the British constitution?

Before I go any further, it might be helpful if I explained my vision for A Venerable Puzzle. I wanted to make Britain’s constitution more accessible to the general public. While most countries have a codified constitution, the British have an uncodified constitution (it’s often described as ‘unwritten,’ but that’s a bit of a misnomer given that many components of their constitution have actually been written down). Instead of being enshrined in a single document, the United Kingdom’s constitution is a mix of statutes, conventions, and common law. 

Because of this complexity, public-facing discussions of the British constitution often rely on broad generalizations in a bid to keep things as simple as possible. For example, the Royal Family’s website describes the King’s role like this: “[W]hile The Sovereign is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament. Although The Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation.” 

Based on that passage, you might assume there’s a wall of separation between the Monarchy and the Government. But the truth is far more complex. Modern monarchs still play a vital role in the process of governing. Countless acts of state require their approval, from the appointment of government ministers to the election of the High Steward of Stratford-upon-Avon. 

In most cases, the Sovereign doesn't exercise these powers according to their own personal judgment. Rather, they act on the advice of the government of the day. But even this rule has caveats. There are a few areas where the Monarch still retains an element of discretion, and there's also a distinction between formal and informal advice!  

Failure to grasp the intricacies of the Monarchy’s role can have serious repercussions. During Boris Johnson’s premiership, there were reports that he would refuse to resign even if MPs passed a motion of no confidence. Allegedly, he believed that Queen Elizabeth II lacked the power to dismiss him. He was mistaken, but it shows why the intricacies of the constitution can be so important.

My approach to blogging

I started my blog because key information about the UK’s constitution is secreted away in monographs and journal articles, but they aren’t always accessible to the general public. A scholarly book on the subject can easily cost $200 or more. Journal articles are usually cheaper, but they can be difficult to find if you aren't already knowledgeable about the field. 

With a graduate degree in British history and experience as a journalist, I knew I could write material that combined academic rigor with approachability. For example, many of my posts feature extensive endnotes. In addition to helping me give proper credit to my sources, they’re also a good place for excursuses. That way, readers who aren’t interested in all the nitty gritty details don’t have to wade through a bunch of information they don’t care about. At the same time, readers who do like that sort of thing can enjoy it.

The pursuit of virality

One of the first things I noticed when I started searching for blogging advice was that it was often aimed at entrepreneurs or marketing types. I was told my headlines should incorporate numbers or words that trigger powerful emotional responses in my readers, while my posts themselves should have bullet points, numbered lists, and images whenever possible. Every post should also include a clear call to action as well as plenty of relevant keywords to boost SEO.

This is all sound advice, but it’s clearly intended for bloggers looking to reach as many eyes as possible. But that wasn’t my goal. Sure, it would be nice if millions of people read my stuff each day, but I’m enough of a realist to know that that is unlikely to happen. Even though I’m trying to make the British constitution more accessible, I’m still writing for a relatively select audience. 

I also couldn’t help but notice that the other blogs in my niche weren’t using these tips. There were no headlines like “5 crazy steps for passing documents under the Great Seal (#3 left me speechless),” and images were rare aside from the occasional author headshot. Bullet points and numbered lists were almost non-existent unless they were part of a statute that was being quoted. Granted, many of these publications were aimed at academics instead of the general public. However, I knew that academics and other professionals would likely make up a significant portion of my audience, and I didn’t want to alienate them. If I insisted on presenting my content like a BuzzFeed article, it would conflict with the online persona I’ve built for myself. 

Some of the blogging advice was simply impractical. It’s easy to do keyword research if you’re writing about brands of suntan lotion or ways to save money on car insurance. It’s far more challenging if you’re writing about the language of ministerial submissions to the Monarch. A lot of the topics I write about just don’t generate enough searches for keyword research tools to be useful. 

Trying to drum up user-generated content is also unlikely to work in my particular corner of the blogosphere. In the ten years I’ve run A Venerable Puzzle, only a handful of posts have attracted comments, and even then it’s usually only a few. This is true even for posts that have gained a lot of traction. Likes are even rarer. In my experience, readers are more likely to contact me directly if they wish to discuss something instead of leaving a comment. 

Tips I did use

Some of the advice I found was useful. Embracing social media proved to be unexpectedly helpful. Not only does it allow me to promote my content in an organic way, but it also offers new opportunities for engaging with readers and other scholars. Also, people have a surprising appetite for pictures of official documents. This image of Theresa May’s submission to the Queen regarding ministerial appointments received a lot of attention because it was a peek into a process that normally takes place away from public view.

It’s also easy to create these posts since I’ve amassed a large cache of official papers over the years. All I have to do is take a screenshot and then explain the context in the body of the post. To learn more about my experiences on social media, check out this post.

Don’t be afraid to walk a different road

When you’re a new blogger, it’s always tempting to defer to the wisdom of more experienced creators. But while this can be a valuable source of guidance, at the end of the day these are just suggestions. There’s no surefire set of tips that will guarantee your success. Blogs aren’t a monolith, and you shouldn’t feel obligated to follow advice just because it comes from a popular source.   

• A lot of blogging advice is aimed at entrepreneurs or marketers.
• SEO best practices can be difficult for niche bloggers to implement given the nature of their content.
• Always be authentic.