We’re all familiar with the fad, with the flash in the pan that’s here one day, inflates to catastrophic proportions the next and then is, almost as quickly, gone without a trace.  While it’s no small ambition to try and make your blog be the next Hannah Montana, there’s also something to be said for going after the long term.

Things like breaking news and hot button issues are great for short term traffic boosts, but in a week, or a month, or even six months, no one will care about these things any more.  If your posts can be useful not just today, but also years from now, you will do more to preserve your traffic flow than any hot interview.

Remember the old adage–give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.  Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.  It’s not always that cut-and-dried, but there’s a lot to be said for going after the long term.  Your readers–both today AND tomorrow–will thank you for it, and as we all know, the best thanks readers can provide is attention, loyalty, and clicking on ads.