Who do you write for?
How you answer this question will make the difference between your success and failure as a blogger. That’s a big statement, isn’t it?
Look at it from the point of view of your own experience as a reader: when you visit a blog, what do you look for – do you want to find information, entertainment, or inspiration?
I’m sure your answer is ‘yes’. That’s because…
In other words, successful posts need to be useful.
In order to write useful posts, you need to step out of the mind-state that revolves around I, mine, me.
Instead, you need to step into the world of the reader. Even if you recount your own life, you need to think about how your experiences could benefit your readers.
Here are three traps you need to avoid as a blog writer.
Here’s a simple test for you: what do you notice about the following two sentences from a blog post?
As I am aware that I might not see you again, I see you differently…there are things I want you to know that I am withholding because of a grudge, laziness, the foolish belief that there will always be tomorrow. But as I am aware that this moment is really all I have for sure…then I have the opportunity and even the impetus to do or say what really matters.
I’m sure you noticed that there is a small word that appears eight times: the word I. You can see that this post is focused on the blogger, and it seems that he or she is oblivious of the readers.
Does this style of blogging attract readers?
To answer the question, forget about blogging for a moment. Think about your friends.
Who do you like to hang out with? I reckon our best friends are people who tell us what’s going on with them, but who also listen to our stories. These are people who know how to strike a balance between talking and listening.
There are others that are more difficult to hang out with: they talk about nothing but themselves. I bet you know some people like that too …
It’s the same with blogging. If you get stuck in the Me-Tape, you will struggle to attract subscribers.
You may think that just changing I, me and mine to you, your and yours will fix the problem. However, that gets you stuck in the You-Tape.
If you avoid the Me-Tape and use the You-Tape all the time, your writing will sound preachy. (That’s something I struggled with when I first started Goodlife ZEN). The key is to mix I and you, and my and your in a posts.
A simple way to check your posts is to count how often you use I, me and my – and see how that balances with you and your. Of course, it depends on what kind of topic you’re writing about. If the post is a tutorial, the balance will be more on you than on I.
When you say we, you join with your readers. The word we makes your readers feel that you are on the same level.
This can be useful, but it can also be a trap.
If you use we most of the way through a post, there is a danger.
You see, people read your stuff because they see you as an expert, or at least as someone worth listening to.
Each time you use we, your authority is diminished.
If it’s just a couple of sentences, and you then address the readers again with you, your authority is reinstated.
But if a writer hides behind the word we and uses it most of the way through a post, this writer is stuck in the WE-Tape and the reader’s interest will wane.
Here’s why.
Readers want to be taken on a journey. They want to learn something new, or be inspired, entertained, moved, or transformed. Non of this is possible if the writer hides behind the word we.
That’s why it’s important to use a careful mix of we and you in order to join with your audience, but still retain your authority.
A blog can be boring if you leave your own life, personality and experience out of the picture. That’s getting stuck in neutral. In order to see what I mean, compare About pages that are written in the first person to those that use the third person.
About pages written in the first person are so much more interesting and attractive. However, there is also a danger you need to avoid …
Make sure there is a sensible balance between personal disclosure, and the safety and well-being of yourself and others.
It pays to carefully consider possible consequences before disclosing anything that can harm you or others in the future.
Here’s an example: a blog post like, The Story of My Overdose and Recovery will guarantee that you won’t get employed anytime soon. Employers these days tend to research what you’ve written on the Net and a post like this may well cost you a job in the future.
Here’s another example: a few years ago, blogger Tina Su had a breakup with the partner she was with at the time, and gave her blog readers a ring-side seat with blow-by-blow descriptions of each domestic incident. An embarrassed Tina removed the posts later on, when she married someone else. Of course that material is still accessible somewhere on the Net…
To avoid getting stuck in one of these three traps is tricky.
The key is to look at each post from the perspective of your readers. If you can use your personal experience with appropriate care, and still write for your readers – you’ll shine as a blogger and your blog will grow.
Author: Mary Jaksch