From techvibes.com
Sometimes, you nice people surprise me. A guest post by Diane Robinson on PoV for children’s books had so many daily visits last week, that I broke the 1,000 mark. Turns out, this was because someone from StumbleUpon had, well, stumbled upon it, thus generating this crazy traffic.
This kind of surprise is more common than I care to admit. I may receive a ton of unexpected likes on some posts, while other posts that are exciting to me, fail to generate any interest. Simply put, I am not sure what people like reading on my blog!
My day job being internet promotions, social media, SEO and web development, I fully understand the importance of content marketing: rather than selling something directly (for instance, ‘buy my book’) it’s much better to create content that people enjoy. Through this connection, they will get to know you and eventually may buy your book. Again, though, it’s quite tough to find out what makes followers want to come back to your blog.
Inevitably, to understand what people might enjoy on my blog, I refer to what I seek on other people’s blogs. First of all, I like to get a feel about the blogger. I enjoy informative posts, but also like to discover the experience a blogger has, an event in their life or a new knowledge acquired.
As always, the universe answered my prayers and provided me with the infographic below, found on Red Website Design. It presents what people like reading about. Going through the list, I nodded to myself, thinking “Oh, I like reading that’ and “Of course, that makes sense” (incidentally, the Red Website Design Blog has a lot of lovely material, so be sure to check it out).
So, what’s my takeaway from it? I tend to focus on the following:
- Content that takes us along a journey: writing being a journey, I like reading how other people have managed through their travel, what they’ve learnt and how they overcame difficulties. I particularly like series of blog posts that narrate a whole event in small episodes. It makes me impatient to read more on the next post.
- Content that reveals secrets: I check out most posts whose titles have something along the lines “Where to advertise your book”, “How to sell copies of your book” and “Secrets to marketing and promoting your book”.
- Content that confirms our assumptions: I was on Scoop.it the other day (useful tool, by the way – thank you MMJaye!) and I was going through the suggestions they had for me. I checked out every single one that claimed that self-publishing is the way to go, rather than traditional publishing. I did check the supporters of traditional publishing just out of curiosity and to play devil’s advocate. It felt safe and pleasant to feel that what I am doing is the right thing to do.
- Content that encourages us to never give up: Being a writer means that you take a leap of faith and pray that you will grow wings as you fall. I haven’t (yet) given up my day job, but there is hope that someday I will manage to live a comfortable life by selling my books. Reading about other authors or entrepreneurs who, after years of efforts, reached their dreams, encourages me. It makes me want to read more about how they did it.
- Content that has unexpected twists: life is unpredictable (cliché, but real!). Also, there is nothing safe or secure in life: it took me a long time to realize that nothing lasts forever. No matter how much we want it, there is ultimately no security in our lives: things change, we grow older, jobs are lost, people die, crises happen, new people are born, new friendships are made… things rise and fall, come and go. During all this chaos, things and events bring in unexpected twists. Now, twists can be challenging and humbling. But they can also be constructive and favourable. In any case, it’s good to read how a twist led to something new because it gives a new perspective for our own twists in life.
- Content that gives us faith in bigger things: when I first sold 10 books, I was ecstatic. But then, I realized that I had only earnt some $3. I had to believe that more would come (build it and they will come, sort of thing). I started going through blogs where the blogger would explain how the 10 books became 100 in 12 months and how progress was geometric after that. I liked reading something reassuring me that if I tried and persevered, bigger things would come.
As I write these lines, I realize that these 21 types of content are not confined merely to blog content. They actually work in life. People like to hear about things that make them laugh or cry; they want to be reminded that life should be enjoyed; they want to be educated and entertained. They seek validation and a pleasant experience.
So, although I started this blog post with 21 ideas about improving your blog posts, I end it with just a single one: use your blog to bond with people and make new friends!
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thanks for the tips and well done on your coming third. Its hard to get attention for your writing and I have often wondered how come some of my blogs do well and other times they don’t. I write about social things as well as events in the forest but I have never really written about my writing. You have given me lots to think about thank you.
That’s such a sweet thing to say; thank you! I’m glad you found my post useful 🙂
I really enjoyed this piece. As you know, I share poetry and more recently, a novella I wrote for myself a few years ago (I didn’t know the word then). Like you, to be honest, I’m never quite sure what will resonate with readers. sometimes they respond to a poem I didn’t feel too keen about, and the ones I really liked, well, they were not so hot on them. I just keep on writing, for in the end, I love sharing and connecting through my writing.
I know, right?? I have the same feeling with my books. Reader feedback seems so personal and – dare I say – arbitrary, that I’m reminded of Asclepius’ motto: “one man’s medicine is another man’s poison” 🙂
I love the last line: use your blog to bond with people and make new friends! I have met amazing people via my blog.
It is difficult to know what people will read or not. I made the decision to write about what I love, Greek mythology and history as well as world history. I did begin to write about my journey as a writer but found little interaction, and decided to leave it to other writers who did a better job.
As you mentioned, content is king, and what matters most is the writing.
Thanks for the share Nicholas 😀
Thank you – you always say the kindest things 🙂
Like you, I have found my blog the best way to connect with similar-minded people and make new friends. Present company included 🙂
Aww… thank you. Always wonderful to meet such nice people 😀
You can’t tell what people will go nuts over. As you pointed out, what you love they might just by-pass. lol But there are general topics they seek out the most.
I suppose. Although I still scratch my head every now and then 🙂
Thanks for the comment and welcome! 🙂
Really useful information. I pinned it on Pinterest and tweeted it.
Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for doing the search for us! You obviously know what we like, hence we always come back here! 🙂
Thank you for coming back here. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it! 🙂
https://who-is-awesome.com/who-is-awesome.jpg
Blushing! 😉
Reblogged this on theowlladyblog.
Thank you so much! 🙂
Perfectly inspirational. So much so, that I reblogged. 🙂 Thanks for a great post!
Aw, thank you! I very much appreciate your reblog 🙂
Great things to ponder.
Thanks, K! 🙂
Well its very exciting when your stats suddenly go through the roof on a particular post, isnt it? As you said to me once, ‘you’re trending!’ Enjoy it!
I’m always surprised by which posts do well and which dont, on my blog… its quite unpredictable! Which makes it difficult to learn from. I guess I’ll just keep writing about what interests me, and hope it will appeal to others.
I started my blog to support my writing but it has become an entity in its own right. I love the community it has generated around it, genuine supportive fellow writers, creatives and readers whose comments and interactions I really look forward to and enjoy. That means far more than stats and numbers.
I love trendy Ali’s posts. Heck, I also love plain Ali’s posts. 😀
I know, I’m surprised by some huge successes on my blog, and stunned by how other posts flop. Oh well, I trust my readers to know best! 🙂
And you’re absolutely right. The blog has become my main way of reaching out and making new friends, and I love that. The relationships I’ve formed over here tend to be much more real than on Twitter/FB. Indeed, most of my real relationships on Twitter/FB are those that have grown out of my blog! 😀
I second that! But Google+ is like that too. Ive met some really lovely people there too.
Nicholas, you cannot please all of the people all of the time. Just write about whatever you want to say. Someone somewhere is bound to like it my friend. 😉
Words to live by! 🙂
Fantastic advice!
Thank you, I’m so glad you enjoyed the post! 🙂
Great post, and I like your last addition best. I’ve made some wonderful friends through my blog.
Same here, present company included 🙂
I found that it’s hard to get people to wade through more than around 1200 words in one setting. Thanks for the tips.
Agreed. Length does matter, and 1,200 words sounds like a good cutoff point. I guess that longer posts can always be divided up to a series.
I loved this post, Nicholas! It’s so true! I started my blog to spread the word about my book as I was writing it and found that I loved connecting with people! My words mean more than some agent telling me my book sucks. 🙂
As for what brings people to my blog, I think it boils down to being genuine. I write what’s on my mind and what I feel my readers will enjoy. Months go by and suddenly the article I wrote last year gets twenty likes and shares. 🙂
Keep doing what you’re doing and the follows will happen. What’s that old saying, the richest man in the world is one who is surrounded by good friends. 🙂
I couldn’t agree more!!! Thank you! 🙂
Very good tipps. Thank you for sharing. Guess I am on the right track regarding it! Thanks again!
Super! As a follower of your blog, I can verify that yes, you’re definitely on the right track 🙂
Oh, I didn’t mean to fish for compliments. But your post really motivated me to keep it up! Glad I am following you!
Lol – I know you weren’t fishing for compliments, don’t worry. Likewise 🙂
🙂
I love the warm spirit of this post and the message at the end. It sums up more than just the blogging experience, but life in general, doesn’t it? We have to relish the richness of the human journey and not worry too much about the destination. Thanks.
Exactly! I have, say, 1000 people who follow my blog. Say 100 of them do so religiously. Even if they all buy one of my books, I will have made, say, $50. Or even $100.
It’s still a pretty paltry result for all the effort I put into my blog! 🙂
But to have a hundred new friends; people who interact with me on a daily basis? That’s absolutely priceless! 🙂
Everything boiled down to one goal, which is so true. I’ve tried several times to ask people what they want to see on my blog and it always backfires. I basically get ‘we want everything and nothing’ because every audience member has different tastes and interests. I’ve heard a few bloggers state that one should write first for themselves and then for their audience. A couple authors have stated that sentiment too.
Makes sense to me. People want to connect, and they have a pretty great bull meter. If you start worrying about metrics etc, it is easy to lose the bottom line – to have fun and make new friends 🙂
And one would think that having fun would attract more people too.
It does! 🙂
I’ve prepared a post on that, scheduled to be published towards the month’s end. It explains the secret of my marketing strategy. It can be summed up as, “if people like what you’re saying, they’ll like what you’re selling.” 🙂
*standing ovation*
Lol – you’re so sweet! 🙂