The word on the street amongst the cognoscenti is blogs are dead. These aficionados of online argue the way humans consume content is changing and reading is a thing of the past. Blogs are largely being replaced by podcasts and video content.
But I don’t buy it! Not entirely, anyway.
One argument goes something like this. The written word is more prolific than at any other time in history and so, supply and demand being what it is, written words are now being dispensed at the rate of ten cents for the dozen. Said another way, the problem is that most of the good words are being swallowed up in the deep black sea of mundane words. Every new blogger is just more noise added to the cacophony facilitated by the creation of the internet and the blogosphere’s democratization of word publishing.
But, in the same way blogs have democratized the publication of the written word, podcasts and video content, while still somewhat still novel only for mainstream adopters, will also go the way of the written word—so prolific it will only add to the existing noise. Truthfully, if we stand by this logic, because the early adopters have already staked their claim and have become the anchor of the podcast platforms and vlogospheres, the mainstream adopters are just new noise from the get-go.
My contention is that words are not dead.
Words are still powerful and people are still reading them on blogs and still paying to read them in the books. The real problem lies in how we look at the democratization of information and get people to pay attention to our words.
An obvious but dishonest approach some bloggers have resorted to is clickbait. “This middle-aged mom opened her kid’s toy box and you won’t believe what happened next!”
Another degraded approach has been to sell out the real message by writing to the market. Find out what’s trending now and try to write the next best seller. Is this year going to be stories of American war heroes, virus-infected zombies, or love-struck, teen-aged vampires?
Still another distasteful approach is to sell “aspiring writers” your new and improved report on writing or self-publishing program. You know, the approach you used to become the successful writer of the slick self-publishing programs for which you will always be known.
The simple key to getting people to pay attention to your words is to get your words in front of the right people.
The simple key to getting people to pay attention to your words is to get your words in front of the right people. This is simple, but not easy. It takes time. It takes patience. And, it takes consistency and persistence. It takes time for you to hone your writing skills, hone your message, and frankly, become a better writer. It takes patience for the people who need your message to discover it, realize they resonate with your words, and begin to pay attention. Finally, it takes consistency and persistence to build trust and confidence with your readers.
So here’s my two-cents worth of advice to those who feel called to write.
The first penny’s worth is a change in thinking. Specifically, we have to change the way we think about the noise. Think of your platform like a dish at a buffet or smörgåsbord. The trick to getting the most bang for your buck at a buffet is not to believe the “all you can eat!” sign and try to eat everything there is on the serving line. That usually ends badly. Waddling out of the restaurant with heartburn and a stomachache because you felt the need to get your money’s worth by eating some of everything on the line is a bad way to think about the buffet. Believe me! I knew this guy once…
Instead, we’re better off if we think of the buffet (and the blogosphere) as a multitude of options where a person can choose the specific dish they want and fill their plate with it. A good blogger will perfect their niche dish for the fans of that dish and keep preparing that dish for their fans while sparingly experimenting with other relevant dishes along the way.
The second penny’s worth is more practical than theoretical. Keep writing everyday. Give your best every time you write. Don’t hold off on writing the “big idea” you’re saving for when your blog is more popular. Practice honing your message now. You can revisit the idea as much as you like and explain it or tell the story better next time.
Also, be honest with yourself and your readers and write from your worldview. Additionally, be generous and serve your readers. Develop relationships with them as the real human beings that they are and add value to their lives.
Finally, be public with your own development. In other words, share your journey and let people watch you grow.
Keep doing this consistently for a long time and you will attract the right readers–readers who will almost always be delighted and satisfied with the words you serve them.
Subscribe to get updates in your inbox every time I post.