“There are lots of reasons why people flock to certain blogs, but I think one of the most important is that popular blogs are written by popular people — the sort of people who attract others.”
This is from Dean Rieck’s “The 7 Secrets of Running a Wildly Popular Blog”, and it shows — go figure! — that I was totally on track when I mused that Chase Jarvis’ blog is so damn popular because Chase Jarvis is so damn popular.
It’s the Quality of Visitors, Not Quantity
Reick’s popularity-building advice for bloggers includes “Have a conversation,” “Lighten up,” “Help people” and “Stop trying so hard.” This is all good stuff. However. . .
Notice that while these strategies can make your blog more enjoyable, they will not actually make you more popular — not in the real-life, flesh-and-blood world.
Regarding Jarvis I noted:
In person, Jarvis is more charismatic than most photographers will ever be (or would want to be).
This is true, and my point is simple: In blogging, just as in real life, it’s not the quantity of interaction that matters, it’s the quality.
If your blog is an enjoyable destination that honestly presents your work, skills and personality, it will prove invaluable as a portfolio and marketing tool — as a “landing pad” for potential customers. And that is worth a lot more than any number of “hits.”
Unless you’re Madonna or Lady Gaga, you don’t need people worshiping you. You need people interacting with you. You need people interested in using your services. You need to make connections with real people who can expand your creative and professional horizons.
If your blog readership goes from zero to 10, that’s great! If you end up with 50 regular followers, that’s awesome! If you have 200 hundred people who stop by once in a while, that is un-freakin’-believable!
Blog for Your Friends & Family & Most-Likable Clients
The key to taking advantage of Rieck’s advice on blogging (or my advice on improving your blog writing style) is to blog as if you are addressing, in person, the people you actually know and like, or who you would like to know — personally.
There’s an important difference between Rieck’s intended audience and the intended audience of this blog. I’m assuming that you don’t need to create a “widely popular blog.” You are not in the business of writing a professional blog; you are in the business of professional photography. Don’t forget this.
The best way to reach out to these potential customers through blogging is to write content for a specific, real audience of friends, family members and the clients you most enjoy working with.
Yes, “family and friends” sounds cliché, and if you hate your family, um, keep them them out of the equation. But if you only write for potential clients (abstractions of your imagination) your blogging will fall flat.
So read Reick’s advice and work to make your blog more popular (for friends, family and real-world clients), but don’t try to make a blog that is widely popular (just for the sake of being popular).
