Ok, apologies for that linkbait title. First of all, I’m sure there are people reading your blog…just not as many as you want, right? Second of all, the advice in this post doesn’t just apply to business blogs; it’s also just as relevant to personal blogs, whether they’re about tech, fashion, parenting, film or…you get the picture.
The biggest problem with blogging and online journalism is that it’s often motivated by greed; whether it be a desire to generate advertising money (online mags), hits (company blogs) or freebies (tech and fashion blogs), the line between blogging and blagging is a fine one. When people blog for selfish reasons, it always comes across that to readers; posts don’t add value, so they leave and they don’t come back!
Another problem is a lack of regulation; there’s no doubt that the fact that anyone can write a blog empowers people, especially those who may not have had such opportunities in the past, to share their views but it has also resulted in a lot of noise that’s difficult to cut through.
‘Innovation’ and ‘disruption’ have, to an extent, become buzzwords in recent years. However, it’s these qualities that your blog needs to be successful. It’s not just what you say that’s important, but how you say it. Take the following scenarios as examples –
A YouTube clip of you unboxing your iPhone 5? Unless you were the very first person to upload this (or you’re doing it topless…), no-one’s going to watch it. Likewise, if you’re blogging about a skirt that EVERYONE has it’s unlikely that you’ll have anything new to say about it unless you’re writing, say, to warn people that it often results in a #MaMoMo (Marilyn Monroe Moment. Just invented that hashtag. You’re welcome, world.) when a tube whizzes by.
In running your business, or indeed in your personal life, you probably do something ‘different’. When you’re blogging, it’s key to figure out what it is about you that sets you apart from everyone else and apply it to the subject matter you’re writing about. That’s what gets you readers, not just rehashing things that are ‘so in right now’.
Just taken on a new member of staff who’s come straight out of school? Sounds like their experience adjusting to the workforce compared to someone coming out of university would be an interesting read. Bringing your PR in-house for the first time? Making your first foray into e-commerce? There are myriad things that happen in your life every day that belong on your blog and are far more interesting than summarising the announcements Apple made at their Developer Conference last night or rehashing a press release from Topshop because you think it will get page views.
Once you’ve figured out how to spot what those things are, that’s the hardest part over. The second hardest part? Actually writing the blog posts. Luckily, I know a guy who can help you with that bit…