Last time, we chatted about the terrors of writing poorly. Today, let's flip the coin and talk about the fear that your blog will become the next viral sensation overnight. Spoiler alert: it's about as likely as finding a unicorn in your garden!
The Myth of the Mass Audience
1. Marketing Through Fear – A No-No
Marketers can be like magicians, turning your fear into a giant monster under your bed. They'll have you believing that every post you pen is a potential viral bombshell. But remember, not every magician’s rabbit is real.
2. The Reality Check
Quick, a show of hands: How many had a readership of a football stadium (and not Manchester United at the cup final) on their first blog post? I'll go first: A grand total of 36 read my debut. A month later. Yep, not exactly the crowd at Wembley.
3. Seven Billion People? Not on Your Blog
Let's be honest, with around 7 billion people bustling about on Earth, the chances they're all reading your blog are slimmer than a lottery win. If they are, we need to talk – you've got some serious magic at your fingertips.
4. Write, Publish, Repeat
Realise this: not everyone will read what you write. My own blogs have seen traffic from bustling to ghost town and back again. And that's okay! Blogging isn't about packing out stadiums; it's about sharing your voice with one reader at a time.
Tossing the Fear in the Bin
- The ‘Everyone Will Read It' Fear? Bin It!
When you see those articles hyping up the ‘everyone will read your blog' fear, here’s what you do:
- Print the article.
- Screw it into a ball.
- Aim for the bin. Score!
- Embrace the Edit
Unlike printed mags, blogs are living things. Spot a typo post-publish? No biggie. A quick edit, and you're golden. The worst that can happen? You publicly thank someone for spotting a rogue apostrophe.
The Blogging Boogie Man Isn't Real
Remember, blogging isn't about hitting viral jackpot every time you hit ‘publish'. It's a journey, sometimes with a crowd, sometimes solo. Keep writing, keep sharing, and who knows, maybe one day you'll be pleasantly surprised by who reads your work. Until then, enjoy the ride – typos, edits, and all!
Sarah x
Yours is an interesting perspective. I thought everyone who blogged wanted as much exposure as possible. It seems counterintuitive that someone would want to limit their readers. Thanks for the information.
LOVE! this article was so reassuring because I don’t know anyone who isn’t a bit terrified to hit the publish button. even if it’s not your first post, there will be some content you write that you know is going to stir up some controversy. I recently relaunched my blog and I told myself that for it to work and be 100% authentic I had to be ready to voice my opinion, even on the difficult topics AND be ready to hear about other people’s opinions. In response to Zach’s comment, I agree that a lot of people love traffic and exposure but personally, it should be the bonus. Blogging or writing is so therapeutic to me and is one of my few passions. You should write with the same effort and love for 1 person as you do for 1000. Writing like that and making great content will get readers to come….with a little promotion help of course 🙂 great post!
Yeah, I think about this all the time. I also think about the people I’ve been associated with who I would draw negative thoughts from and scuttle the blog once more.
My first blog was fiction only!l, and some of it was read. Most of it was it garbage.
This previous incarnation of my current blog was read a little bit, but I wasn’t speaking to the right audience. It was hard to not be me.
I believe this incarnation should be right, but we’ll see as time passes.
Thanks for writing this, I have a lot to think about and keep in mind
Hi Matthew, I know where you’re coming from, I find it hard not to be me at times 🙂
But here’s the thing, we’re writers whether we like it or not (or even feel comfortable with that label) and the more we do something, the more we learn about it and grow. I hope your future blogs are exactly what you want them to be x
I’m not sure if anyone read my first blog post other than a couple of friends and my boyfriend! Now, I’m less worried about the quantity but rather the quality of readers – and thanks to your challenge I’m just getting on with writing and publishing and sharing.
Hi Sarah,
So glad you put this one into perspective. So many people will either procrastinate or even worse, not even write a post. New bloggers do need to see this.
Even pro-bloggers write and most people will skim through the post and then leave a comment.
The great thing about writing a blog post is that we can always go back and tweak it. I know many bloggers that do!
-Donna
Hello Sarah! Great post my friend! Now to answer your question? How man y people read my first article ever published?? I hope none LOL I actually never should have published it, but we all have to start somewhere Right?
Now this article right here is one everyone should read,
Thanks for sharing
Chery :))
Awesome encouragement for a newbie like me! Thank you!