#24 Chris Coyier (CSS-Tricks & CodePen) - How to grow a blog and remain true to your audience

11/24/16 • 60 min

The Hacking UI Podcast - with Sagi Shrieber & David Tintner

Episode #24: Chris Coyier It is our pleasure to present to you Chris Coyier. Chris started his journey writing blogs he didn't enjoy, and eventually realized that his passion was actually in coding the blogs and crafting the CSS behind them. He eventually closed down all of his blogs except one, and CSS-Tricks was born. His blog is now one of the largest front-end development blogs in the world and paved the way for his platform, CodePen, which allows developers to share demos of front-end code while inspecting the code at the same time.

Chris is also the host of the podcast, ShopTalk, speaks at conferences around the world, and this year he published his second book, Practical SVG, which is all about using SVG on the web. In this episode, Chris discusses his strategies for blog growth, valuable tips for monetization, the proper etiquette for sharing sponsored content, and much more.

This is the twelfth episode of the second season of the Hacking UI podcast, 'Scaling a Side Project'. In this season we interview designers, developers, and creative entrepreneurs who built and scaled successful side projects that we admire.

Please support our amazing sponsors This episode is brought to you by

General Assembly.

We've partnered with this amazing team to create The 2016 Design Tools Survey to better understand which tools are currently being used by designers all over the world. General Assembly has a fantastic course where you can learn how to code for free! Get started with Dash today.

If you'd like to become a sponsor of the Hacking UI podcast, contact us.

Key points from this episode:

Learn why Chris started blogging, and why he began with a huge network of many blogs and eventually ended up with one, CSS-Tricks.
Chris found that it was a lot easier to write blog posts when he knew someone would be reading the content. Find out how that still holds true today.
What was the most popular tactic to grow your blog back in the day? Chris reveals his tactics and how blogging strategies have changed drastically over the years.
Chris discusses the value, as well as the pros and cons of having comments open on a blog today and why perspectives have changed.
How does Chris find the time to manage old content while still creating new content? He believes that maintenance is just part of the job, and it is a necessary component.
People treat blog posts as a bigger deal than they are. However, Chris believes that a blog post can be anything and that you should treat your blog like a drafts folder.
Chris shares his advice for new bloggers considering using WordPress and the criteria to review before making your decision.
Throughout the years, Chris used several strategies to monetize CSS-Tricks. He reveals how he was able to generate profit while still finding a balance of authenticity for the blog.
One of the biggest changes that Chris has discovered in the last couple of years is that display advertising no longer performs well. Learn what his most effective type of advertising is today.
What is the proper etiquette for sharing sponsored content? Today readers prefer to be disclosed to when content is driven by advertising instead of passing it off as authentic content.
Learn how blogging relates to journalism, and why the same basic rules still apply.
Chris shares how his idea for CodePen came about, and then he realized it would be more than just a blog and how the community became such a strong force behind it.
Find out what Chris is working on for his next book, and why he feels that it is the book others truly want him to write.
Learn who most inspires Chris in his work, and how they have motivated him to go through all the challenges in life and come out stronger on the other side.
Chris shares his top podcasts to listen to, and his favorite books, for everyday inspiration and continuous learning.

Links from the show

Please support our amazing sponsors This episode is brought to you by

General Assembly.

If you'd like to become a sponsor of the Hacking UI podcast, contact us.

Key points from this episode:

Learn why Chris started blogging, and why he began with a huge network of many blogs and eventually ended up with one, CSS-Tricks.
Chris found that it was a lot easier to write blog posts when he knew someone would be reading the content. Find out how that still holds true today.
What was the most popular tactic to grow your blog back in the day? Chris reveals his tactics and how blogging strategies have changed drastically over the years.
Chris discusses the value, as well as the pros and cons of having comments open on a blog today and why perspectives have changed.
How does Chris find the time to manage old content while still creating new content? He believes that maintenance is just part of the job, and it is a necessary component.
People treat blog posts as a bigger deal than they are. However, Chris believes that a blog post can be anything and that you should treat your blog like a drafts folder.
Chris shares his advice for new bloggers considering using WordPress and the criteria to review before making your decision.
Throughout the years, Chris used several strategies to monetize CSS-Tricks. He reveals how he was able to generate profit while still finding a balance of authenticity for the blog.
One of the biggest changes that Chris has discovered in the last couple of years is that display advertising no longer performs well. Learn what his most effective type of advertising is today.
What is the proper etiquette for sharing sponsored content? Today readers prefer to be disclosed to when content is driven by advertising instead of passing it off as authentic content.
Learn how blogging relates to journalism, and why the same basic rules still apply.
Chris shares how his idea for CodePen came about, and then he realized it would be more than just a blog and how the community became such a strong force behind it.
Find out what Chris is working on for his next book, and why he feels that it is the book others truly want him to write.
Learn who most inspires Chris in his work, and how they have motivated him to go through all the challenges in life and come out stronger on the other side.
Chris shares his top podcasts to listen to, and his favorite books, for everyday inspiration and continuous learning.

Links from the show

Previous Episode

#23 Harry Roberts (CSS Wizardry) - The ups and downs of dominating a niche

Episode #23: Harry Roberts Today we had the pleasure of talking to Harry Roberts, the founder of the well-known blog,

CSS Wizardry. Harry started his career as a web developer at a very young age and has become one of the world’s most well-known experts in CSS. He was named young developer of the year in 2014 by Net Magazine, and now runs workshops all across the world in large companies such as BBC, Google, The Financial Times and The United Nations.

Harry has built an incredible personal brand and we’ve been following CSS Wizardry for years. We discussed with him exactly how he got started, what made him successful, and what he thinks is the best way to blog, build a personal brand and start a side project today.

This is the eleventh episode of the second season of the Hacking UI podcast, 'Scaling a Side Project'. In this season we interview designers, developers, and creative entrepreneurs who built and scaled successful side projects that we admire.

The Side Project Accelerator Registration for the next batch of the

Side Project Accelerator closes on November 10th. Apply now to reserve your spot.

Apply now for batch #2 →

Key points from this episode:

Learn how Harry became a front-end developer, and how starting a design company at the age of 16 helped him find his true path.
Understand Harry's tactics in keeping his blog authentic, and how he niched down in order to properly serve his goals.
What are Harry's views on academia? Find out why he decided not to go to university and how he launched his career as a developer instead.
Learn about the only time not having a degree let Harry down, and how it cost him a job at Apple
Harry started his career really young and was trusted in a senior position early on. Learn how he navigated the intense scale of responsibility.
Find out Harry's key to a successful career, and why he urges others never to miss out on big opportunities and why he believes you have a duty to take them.
Get the behind-the-scenes of how CSS Wizardry got started and why he decided not to treat the blog as a job, but just to write whenever he had an idea.
Harry gives his tips on how to find your writing style and his best trick to get started again.
Understand how you can overcome the roadblock of not feeling qualified to write an article. Harry gives his advice on how to establish your credibility as a writer.
Learn about the positives and negatives about a narrowed approach to business, niching down to a specific market.
Find out how one positive of having such a specific niche market got Harry the opportunity to work on a project with UN.
Understand how he finds the balance between learning new skills or specializing even further.
Understand Harry's views on putting lifestyle over riches and how his current business model is not a get-rich-quick scheme — he does his work mainly because he loves it.
One of the best pieces of advice Harry ever received was, "Don't do it for the money, but never do it for no money." Find out how he has implemented this concept in his work.
Learn how Harry uses his speaking engagements to promote his blog and funnel new readers to his website, and why self-promotion is still a challenge for him.
Understand why Harry believes in not only delivering high-value service but also creating the best client experience.
Harry gives his tips for developers looking to enter open-source.
Find out how to get started running workshops, and how to adapt your content to your audience to deliver specific value.
Learn what inspires Harry and how he uses fundamental elements from the work of others and real life constructs from engineering and manufacturing to better understand processes.

Links from the show

Transcript If you'd like to read the full text of this episode, you can

download the transcript.

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Next Episode

#25 Khoi Vinh (Principal Designer, Adobe) - Influencing an industry and building a personal brand

Episode #25: Khoi Vinh Our guest today is none other than Khoi Vinh, Principal Designer at Adobe and former Design Director of The New York Times. Khoi is the founder of the popular blog,

Subtraction.com and a true family man. He was born in South Vietnam and immigrated to the United States as a young boy. He attended Otis College of Art and Design, and after graduating with a major in Graphic Design, Khoi moved to New York where he co-founded the design studio, Behavior. Khoi was named one of Fast Company's "50 Most Influential Designers in America". He is the author of two books and has a long history of launching successful startups and side projects.

Today Khoi is working on a side project called Kidpost, which makes it easy for parents to share social media photos with people who are not on these networks. In this interview, we dissected how he does it all, and discussed some of the new projects that Khoi and his team at Adobe are working on.

This is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the Hacking UI podcast, 'Scaling a Side Project'. In this season we interview designers, developers, and creative entrepreneurs who built and scaled successful side projects that we admire.

Please support our amazing sponsors This episode is brought to you by

An Event Apart.

An Event Apart hosts the best conferences for both designers and front-end developers in cities all across the US. They bring in legendary speakers, like Jeffrey Zeldman, Eric Meyer, Dan Mall and Rachel Andrew. So if you haven’t attended one yet, it's time to get tix for 2017. Register now and get $100 off tickets with the code AEAHACKING.

Find your event →

If you'd like to become a sponsor of the Hacking UI podcast, contact us.

Key points from this episode:

Learn all about Khoi's exciting time at the New York Times and how they transitioned into digital products.
Khoi shares how his team there focused on user experience and creating lasting products and experiences, which completely transformed the world of journalism.
Understand how writing has helped Khoi and served him not only in his career as a designer but also to form long-lasting friendships and create opportunities.
Learn why Khoi believes writing is crucial for designers to continue to challenge themselves, grow with new ideas, and refine their expression.
As a designer, find out how telling a story around what you do can help give you an opportunity to stand out from the competition.
Khoi shares his secret to keeping a consistent writing schedule, and how passion gives him the extra motivation needed.
Find out what it takes to write a book, and why Khoi found it to be much more difficult than expected.
Understand why Khoi believes that writing a book gives you a certain amount of credibility, and why he would not trade his writing experience for anything in the world.
Learn about Khoi's main insights from his book, How They Got There, and the behind-the-scenes learning points from key interviews.
Khoi discusses his current role at Adobe and gives a sneak peek into Adobe XD.
Find out how a shift to cloud-based products has motivated Adobe to develop new products and allowed them to adapt to the changes and demands of the market.
Adobe allows employees to explore their own side projects. Find out how that type of culture has benefited Adobe in its' overall growth.
Khoi shares his tips on growing your social media following and his strategies for integrating different platforms and keeping his profile authentic.

Links from the show