Any small business with a blog has a few key goals they strive for. And one of those is increasing their blog traffic.
But what if I told you there was a simple trick that could triple your blog traffic? (Without hours of extra promo work…)
You might call me crazy, but I watched it happen with one of my clients.
This client recently launched their blog, so they’re still testing what’s working and what’s not.
But there was one blog post I wrote for them that got 3 times more traffic than almost any of their other articles. Yes, you read that correctly—three times!
And not only that, but when we promoted that blog to their email list, we got a click rate of 11.4%! (If you look at that and think, OK, so what?, then I should mention that the average click rate for this client’s industry is 2-3%.)
My client’s audience was gobbling this content up.
But why?
Well, it started with that one simple trick I promised to tell you. And I won’t make you wait any longer.
Triple Your Blog Traffic by Writing About Your Ideal Client’s Burning Questions
After analyzing the blog and the sharing methods, I realized that what made this blog post get triple the average number of page views was simply … the topic.
Not the topic in general, which was bookkeeping. The blog post itself answered a burning question that my client’s ideal customer had.
This client is a bookkeeping/accounting business that serves other small businesses.
Turns out, many of their readers are confused about how to pay themselves correctly.
Yep. It wasn’t a sexy topic. It was actually pretty boring: “How to Pay Yourself as a Small Business Owner (And What Not to Do).”
But that’s not boring to a small-business owner. That’s a huge question they have! No solopreneur or boutique shop owner wants to find themselves in hot water with the IRS because they’ve been paying themselves incorrectly.
And there you have it … a high-traffic blog post.
How to Discover Your Readers’ Burning Questions
So let’s turn this around and apply it to your blog…
Start by thinking about your current clients.
What questions do they ask you most often?
What concerns do they have regarding your niche?
What fears compel them to seek out the answers to their questions?
That’s what you need to be blogging about.
If you’re not sure how to answer that list of questions (or if you haven’t been in business long enough to get to know your clients), don’t worry. There are still things you can do to dig up the answers.
Ask around on social media
Ask your email list
Ask other entrepreneurs in your space
Poke around on other blogs in your niche
For that last tip, keep an eye out for their most popular blog posts and note the topics/questions that drive those posts. Don’t copy their topics exactly, of course, but you can use those popular blogs as inspiration for a new topic for your own posts.
Triple Your Blog Traffic With a Solid Headline
A perfect topic is the foundation for a viral blog post. But you still need to write a great headline to get that precious traffic you crave.
But the biggest tip I can give you right now is simply this:
Make your promise as clear as possible.
Don’t hide your topic behind fancy schmancy words. And be careful with too much mystery.
If you have a blog post that touches on a topic your audience really cares about, then the best thing you can do is make it as clear as day how your blog post will benefit them.
Recall the headline for the article I wrote for my client: “How to Pay Yourself as a Small Business Owner (And What Not to Do).”
There’s no razzle dazzle to that headline. It’s really not that much to look at. But if you’ve been confused about how to pay yourself correctly as a small business owner, then you know that blog post is for you.
Of course, topics that work for my client won’t necessarily work for you. That’s why you have to get out there and get to know your readers! Then, try out different topics on your blog and see what resonates most. In no time, you’ll be on your way to triple your blog traffic.
When I launched my copywriting business earlier this year, I wasn’t planning for a pandemic. (Let’s be real… who was?) Yet somehow, it’s all worked out and my business has been steadily growing. I give God credit for that!
Since then, I’ve been blessed to work with some great people, ministries, and businesses.
The last 6 months have taught me so much in terms of running my own business, helping clients grow their businesses, and driving traffic to various websites.
So I thought it was high time to share with you all what the last 6 months of blogging for other people has taught me.
Let’s start with the most obvious lesson:
Blogging Is Effective … if You Do It Right
I don’t have to rely on HubSpot’s data that businesses that focus on blogging are 13 times more likely to see a positive return on investment.
I’ve seen it for myself!
One of my clients saw a 300% increase in website traffic one month shortly after we launched their blog. Another client got some natural backlinks (great for SEO!) because of blogging.
This isn’t to toot my own horn. I say it to show you that blogging truly is effective—and not just for huge businesses that can afford to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on content marketing.
It comes down to writing what your audience wants to read and then getting that content in front of them.
Blogging for other people, whether for big ministries or small businesses, has shown me this principle is true. But it’s only true if you do it right.
If you’re writing content your audience doesn’t care about, then guess what … they won’t read it. (Yep, learned that the hard way.)
And even if you get great traffic to your website, you won’t grow your email list if your lead magnet doesn’t speak to your audience’s felt need. (Also learned this the hard way.)
The best way to get your blogging recipe right is to test. Test everything—your blog topics, your lead magnet, your headlines, your photos … think of yourself as a blogging chef creating her own delectable dish. Keep tweaking until you get it right.
Every Brand’s Voice Is Unique
You’d be surprised how different one business’ voice is to the next. It entirely depends on the image the business wants to project and the people they’re trying to target.
For example, I have one client whose voice is extremely laid back. I’m talking tons of ellipses, all-capped words, emojis, etc. That’s her voice, and it speaks perfectly to her audience. They feel like she’s talking to them directly, and they trust her advice.
That style, though, would not fly with some of my other clients, who prefer to project more professionalism and less personality. This rings true for businesses that need to be taken more seriously and/or serve other businesses (B2B).
So how does this apply to you?
Well, it means you need to decide what your brand’s voice is. Is it more relaxed and fun? Then use more informal language in your blogs and maybe even add a few emojis.
Or is it more professional? Use proper grammar throughout your writing. I still recommend keeping the language conversational—that’s just the nature of online writing nowadays.
Whether Blogging for Other People or for Yourself, Don’t Forget the Data
When blogging for other people, it’s easy to fall into the mindset of simply wanting to make the client happy.
(All my fellow people-pleasers out there, raise your hands… I know I’m not alone.)
But one thing I’ve learned is that I can’t let my natural tendency to want to please people keep me from doing what’s best for the client.
After all, sometimes people don’t know what’s best for them. That’s why they hire someone!
It’s my job to look at the data (traffic, leads, engagement, etc.) and nudge my clients in the right direction.
As I choose to let the data drive my suggestions and writing decisions, the results are always better. What a surprise, right?
And better results ultimately mean happier clients.
When it comes to your own blog, this same principle holds true. It’s crucial you look at the data regularly to see what your audience is responding to, what platforms are working best, and what headlines are getting the most attention.
What are some other lessons you’ve learned in your blogging journey? Share in the comments below! I’d love to hear your thoughts. 🙂
Blogging, when done with excellence, can take dozens of hours of your week. That’s a lot of time you could be spending getting new customers or, better yet, spending time with family. Thankfully, the right tools for blogging can cut your time in half—or more.
Most of these tools are 100% free. A few do cost money, but I’ll be sure to let you know which those are. Also, please note that I’m an affiliate for some of the tools that cost money. (Again, I’ll let you know which those are for the sake of transparency.) As a business owner, I only promote tools I love, so enjoy!
Tools for Blogging: The Writing Process
Grammarly for Editing
If grammar isn’t really your thing, that’s OK. Grammarly, even with its free version, is pretty good at catching basic mistakes. That includes things like spelling, incorrect verb tense, etc.
It won’t catch more complex errors, though. So if you are concerned about your writing, consider hiring a writer or a copy editor.
Hemingway Editor
The Hemingway Editor tool is pretty cool because it doesn’t just focus on the grammar of your article. It also helps you catch clunky sentences, passive voice, and any monotony in your cadence. In other words, it helps write the kind of content people online want to read.
Tools for Blog SEO
Are you trying to research SEO on your own and going over your blog again and again to make sure it’s optimized for search engines? If so, you know how it can suck hours of your precious time.
These tools can help you out, especially if you’re an SEO beginner!
Yoast SEO
If you have a WordPress site, the Yoast SEO plugin can help you optimize every single blog post. Plus, it’s just super satisfying to get that green SEO light when you’re done. 😉
If you need help learning how to work your Yoast plugin, or if you need basic SEO help in general, check out my blog post on SEO for WordPress. The basic teachings in this post will help you even if your blog isn’t on WordPress.
Ubersuggest
Ubersuggest has a free plan that will help you research keywords for your blog posts. You can also type in your site’s URL and have Ubersuggest run a test to check your website’s SEO health. I highly recommend this tool!
Tools for Blogging Graphics
Free Photo Sites
I may not be a fantastic photographer, but I love beautiful photos, especially for my blogs. If you need some sites that offer copyright-free photos that cost nothing, check out this blog post:
A lot of these sites have photos that are absolutely gorgeous. And it beats spending hours each week taking photos yourself.
Canva
I’m a teensy bit obsessed with Canva if I’m honest with myself. I introduced my mom to Canva just a few months ago and she’s hooked too!
We love it so much because it makes designing graphics and PDFs SO easy. And it saves a ton of time… seriously!
It also has a bunch of easy-to-use design templates to get started if you’re not a natural designer (like me).
I use Canva Pro and love it because it gives me access to countless more photos and templates that save me a ton of time on graphics for my business and for clients. In fact, I love it so much I’m an affiliate for Canva Pro!
I’m an affiliate for them as well, so if you use my link to purchase from them, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tools to Promote Your Blog
Later.com: Social Media Scheduler
Later is pretty great as a social media scheduler, especially if you focus primarily on Facebook and Instagram. You can easily switch between your different schedules for your social media platforms and copy/paste any posts you want to repurpose.
Plus, it gives you direct access to Unsplash, so you don’t have to go through the whole process of download the photo and then reuploading it to Later.
One more thing I really like about Later is that when you’re creating Instagram posts, it has a “Suggested Hashtags” tool that lets you find relevant hashtags for your topic.
Tailwind for Pinterest
Many bloggers get most of their traffic from Pinterest—and Tailwind is the reason why. It lets you quickly schedule dozens of posts at a time and join “Tribes” that will help share your content.
I love Flodesk’s templates. They’re beautiful and easy to use and customize to match your brand. Plus, they also have templates that are more plain if that’s what you need too.
I started out my business with Mailchimp and found it to be a little difficult for me to use with the free version. I finally made the leap over to Flodesk in June and I couldn’t be happier with my choice!
While using Mailchimp, my email open rate was between 15% and 20%, which isn’t bad… but a few weeks after switching over to Flodesk, I found my open rate increase. It’s now between 25% and 35% (sometimes 40% or higher), depending on the content.
Because I love it so much, I’m an affiliate with them. If you sign up using my affiliate link, you actually get 50% off of your monthly price–for life.
Flodesk normally charges $38 per month (and doesn’t increase as your subscribers increase like other email service providers do). But with my link, you will only pay $19 for as long as you have Flodesk.
Want to Save Even MORE Time With Tools for Blogging?
I have an entire list of 18+ different tools you can use for writing, graphics, social media, email, and more. Plus, I also have a long list of blogging prompts to get your creative juices flowing.
Are you confused about how to approach SEO for WordPress? If so, you’re not the only one!
When I first started my own blog, I admit I was a little confused, too. How do you optimize a website or a blog for search engines? How do you correctly use these plugins? What on earth is a meta description??
Trust me, I get it!
But after plenty of experience and research, I’m happy to show you what I’ve learned.
What Is Search Engine Optimization?
First, to understand SEO for WordPress, you need to understand what SEO (search engine optimization) actually is.
It’s the process of creating and shaping your content so that it’s more likely to rank in search engines. You know, those coveted spots on Google’s first page…
The higher you rank on search engines like Google, the more likely people are to find your content and click on your website.
That requires understanding the kinds of words to use, how to structure the article, and where to strategically place your keywords and key phrases.
You can go pretty far down the SEO rabbit hole because there’s a lot of tech involved. It includes domain authority, backlinks, knowing which links to set to no-follow on your blog and more…
But for today, I’m keeping it simple and giving you the basics you need.
How to Get Started With SEO for WordPress
Thankfully, WordPress makes it pretty easy for you to optimize for search engines … as long as you have the right tools handy.
Tools You Need for WordPress SEO
There are several tools I recommend you use as you approach SEO for your blog.
SEO Plugins can function like a checklist to make sure your blogs are meeting the basic requirements for SEO. They can tell you if you’re using enough keywords and synonyms or if you forgot a necessary SEO element.
Starting with Yoast is great because you get a lot of guidance, even with the free version. It helps you optimize with SEO by giving you a red, orange, or green light. Red means bad SEO, orange means it needs improvement, and green means you’re good to go!
The free version of Yoast allows you to check for one keyword or phrase. This, unfortunately, isn’t enough if you’re super serious about ranking No. 1 on Google.
That’s because search engines have changed the way they rank content in recent years. It’s no longer about making sure you’re optimized for one single keyword.
Instead, Google looks at your content as a whole.
They want to make sure that anyone who stumbles upon your blog will thoroughly enjoy the reading experience and find your content useful.
According to Neil Patel, new bloggers might have a naive view of SEO and think that it depends almost entirely on repeating the main keyword.
Instead, he says about …
40% of SEO is repeating the main keyword.
30% is your page’s design and readability.
15% is the depth and value of the content.
7.5% is using related keywords.
Another 7.5% is the topic and theme of your page.
The free version of Yoast will only help you with the main keyword and the readability of your blog. For more comprehensive help, you’ll need the paid version.
Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research tools are super important because they help you discern which keywords to optimize for.
I’m ashamed to say that in the beginning of my blog, I was not writing at all with specific keywords in mind. I was writing only for my audience. Because of that, my keywords were pretty vague and pitiful.
And while it’s important to write for your audience, if you don’t have good keywords in mind when writing, your content will fall flat.
So what is a good keyword? For business bloggers like you and me, it’s a keyword that:
Gets searches each month (at least a couple hundred to a few thousand)
Has lower competition (e.g., the competition for “eggs” is much higher than it is for “how to cook poached eggs”)
Your audience searches for on Google (it’s what they want to read about)
This is why it’s better to try to rank for “long-tail keywords” (which are more specific, like “how to cook poached eggs”) as opposed to “short-tail keywords” (which are more generic, like “eggs”).
Most of those keyword research tools above are pretty expensive to use. That’s why I recommend starting with Ubersuggest if you’re just starting out.
Neil Patel created Ubersuggest with a free version that gives you access to a limited set of features and a limited number of keyword searches per day.
Here’s how to use it:
1. Type in the keyword you think you’d like to rank for.
Let’s say you have a recipe blog and you’re thinking of ranking for “how to cook poached eggs.”
In the photo above, you see that the long-tail keyword has 2,400 monthly searches on search engines like Google. That’s good!
The “CPC” means “Cost Per Click,” and refers to how much each click likely costs if you run ads for that keyword on Google.
“PD” stands for “Paid Difficulty” and tells you how high the paid competition is for that keyword. The lower the number, the easier it is for your ad to rank for that phrase.
“SD” is “SEO Difficulty,” which tells you how high the organic competition is for that phrase. Again, the lower the number, the easier it is to rank organically for that keyword.
2. Click through the various tabs to see synonyms you can use in your article.
The keywords under these tabs may be great synonyms to use throughout your article. This gives Google a better context for what your article is about.
Pro Tip: Don’t try to rank for the same keyword in multiple articles. Instead, choose several short-tail keywords you want your website to rank for overall and use those in as many articles on your site as you can.
But make sure your primary long-tail keyword for each article is unique. This gives Google a better picture of the core theme of your site, which helps them know which searches to rank you for.
How to Write Blogs for SEO
Now that you know how to plan your blogs with keywords in mind, let’s move into how to actually flesh the content out in your blog articles.
The first things you need to keep in mind is that Google wants your content to be authentically excellent and trustworthy. That means spammy practices like stuffing your article full of the same keyword over and over will actually hurt your ranking on search engines.
That’s why you need to …
Write for Humans First and Search Engines Second
Writing only with search engines in mind keeps you from being able to think about what your reader wants to read.
When you sit down to write, think about creating the kind of content that captures your audience’s attention and makes them finish your blog with a smile on their face.
Your goal is to get people to say, “I am SO glad I found this article! It’s so helpful!”
That means using language that your audience easily understands and identifies with. And it also means using examples that they can relate to.
I encourage people to:
Choose their keywords first.
Then write the blog with their audience in mind.
Then go back through the article and optimize it for search engines.
Use Keywords Strategically in Your Blog
The secret to great SEO isn’t slapping your keyword into every sentence where it could possibly go. Again, keyword stuffing hurts your ranking!
Instead, Yoast recommends that the number of times you use your primary keyword be between 0.5% and 3.5% of your total word count.
This includes slight variations of your keyword. For instance, if you’re optimizing for “how to cook poached eggs,” then saying, “I learned how to cook the best poached eggs” still counts.
(The free version of Yoast doesn’t recognize variations, so if you’re not using premium, you’ll have to keep track of this yourself!)
Where to Put Your Keywords
When optimizing for search engines, make sure you put your primary keyword in:
1. In your headings
These are your H2, H3, and H4 headings. Don’t use H1 in your actual blog copy because that’s the same as your blog title and it’ll only confuse Google. Make sure your primary keyword is in at least a few of your H2 headings.
2. In your body copy
Sprinkle your keyword throughout the regular body copy of your blog. Google looks for this as well.
3. In your photo names and their alt text
When you’re saving your blog photo to your computer, put your main keyword in it. To use our eggs article example, a smart blogger would name the photo file “how-to-cook-poached-eggs.jpg”
A smart blogger would also add the keyword to the alt text when they upload their photo to WordPress. Here’s what that would look like:
If you’ll notice, I put the primary keyword in the section that says “Alt Text” under the photo attachment details to the right. (You’ll also notice the “Title” contains the keyword because I named the photo strategically on my computer.)
4. In your SEO title and meta description
The SEO title is the headline that shows up on Google (and if you share the article on Facebook or LinkedIn). It will automatically be the same as your headline unless you change it yourself.
You would want to change it if your headline is too long for Google. If your headline exceeds about 60 characters, Google might cut off your title in the search page.
Meanwhile, the meta description is the blurb of text that Google shows under your title in the search page. In the example below, “Jenny Rose Spaudo: Home” is the SEO title. And the phrase starting with “Through her blog…” is the meta description.
If you’re using Yoast, your SEO title and meta description are all the way at the bottom of your blog editor:
Select “Edit snippet” and you’ll see the SEO title and meta description. Yoast will let you know if you should shorten the SEO title.
For this blog you’re reading now, that’s exactly what I had to do, as you’ll see below:
How to Structure Your Blogs With SEO for WordPress in Mind
I mentioned before that one of the things Google looks at your blog for is structure. By that, I mean how you organize your blog with headings, numbers, and bullet points. These elements direct Google in how to crawl your content.
If it’s confusing for Google (or rather, their spider bots), they may show some funky formatting when showing a preview of your blog in the search function.
To prevent this kind of confusion, make sure you:
Use headings throughout your article (Yoast recommends not going over 300 words before your next heading).
Use other proper outlining markers (numbers, bullets, etc.)
Keep your paragraphs short and your language clear
Congratulations! You’re a Pro at Beginner SEO for WordPress!
Don’t stop at mastering the basics of SEO for your WordPress blog. Keep growing in your knowledge, and overtime, you’ll see real results!
Just remember: Always write for your audience first and search engines second.
Need more SEO training for your blog? I can coach you! Schedule a clarity call with me today.
Is your blog traffic suffering lately? If so, you may want to take a look at your blog headlines.
The simple truth is that blog headlines make or break your traffic.
Don’t believe me?
In the 5 ½ years that I worked at a Christian online magazine, I saw this principle play out over and over.
I recall several times when an article would totally flop. But once we rewrote the headline and posted it again on social media, the views skyrocketed (sometimes by thousands more views).
All because we tweaked the headline.
And don’t just take my word for it. According to Copyblogger, 8 out of 10 people will read your headline (if it’s good).
So why does a headline have so much sway over whether or not a person clicks an article?
Blog Headlines Are Your Articles’ Billboards
Think back to the last time you drove down the freeway. You may have been driving at 50 or 60 miles per hour.
You sped past dozens of billboards and suddenly—“Hey wait! That billboard says I can pull over at Chick-fil-A at the next stop and grab a bite to eat.”
You feel the growl in your stomach and, without a second thought, you pull over at Chick-fil-A for some chicken strips and Polynesian sauce.
How come you saw that billboard but not the dozens of others you whizzed past? Because you desperately wanted what that billboard was offering. It stood out to you above all the other irrelevant signs.
That’s how blog headlines function.
When you’re scrolling through social media, you are constantly scanning for content that is interesting or relevant to you.
If a headline doesn’t immediately meet those two requirements, you’ll scroll right past it.
So how do you write a scroll-stopping headline?
1. Speak to the felt need.
Think back to the billboard metaphor. That Chick-fil-A billboard caught your attention because it spoke to your felt need.
In other words, you were hungry, and the billboard offered a solution.
That’s what it means to speak to someone’s felt need.
A felt need is whatever your ideal readers are struggling with. It’s the pain that they want to stop. The problem they want to solve.
Your blog headlines need to promise the solution your readers crave.
Let’s say your ideal reader is a stay-at-home mom who has a really hard time dealing with her little kids’ bad behavior.
Some blog headlines that speak to her felt need would be:
7 Parenting Tips to Get Your Kids to Obey the First Time
What to Do When Your Child Screams, ‘I Hate You!’
4 Types of Rebellious Kids and How to Parent Each One
A Little-Known Trick to Get Your 2-Year-Old to Stop Screaming
Now picture a mom who just finished disciplining her child for throwing a fit and screaming, “I hate you.” She sighs and flops down on the coach for a brief moment to scroll through Facebook. Suddenly, she sees one of those headlines.
How can she not click?
Bottom Line: Make sure your headline promises a solution to your readers’ problem.
2. Include SEO keyphrases in your blog headlines.
This is helpful for two reasons.
A) It improves your blog’s SEO.
Your headline is prime SEO real estate, so you definitely want your keyword to be in there.
Putting your keyword in the headline doesn’t automatically mean people will click on it, but it will make Google a little happier with you.
That’s why it’s crucial that you first write the headline to attract human readers. Then go over it again and make sure it’s optimized for search engines.
B) It clearly communicates the blog’s contents to your readers.
Typically, you want to optimize for keywords that you know your audience is searching for. And what they’re searching for is usually a solution to their problem.
By highlighting that keyword in your headline, you’re waving a bright red flag to your readers, indicating this is the content they want to read.
3. Be simple yet creative.
Convoluted headlines don’t get clicks. At least not nearly as much in my experience.
Keep your language in headlines as simple as possible. Consider…
3 Easy Ways to Grow Your Blog Traffic
Or
3 Uncomplicated Ways to Get Your Blog Page Views to Increase
Which one would you be more likely to read and click on? Probably the shorter one.
Not only is the first headline shorter, but the words in it are also easier to understand. When writing headlines, make it as easy for people to read. After all, the more they read, the more you can pique their interest so they click.
That said, a little unconventional spark is great for nabbing attention. Try using words that are interesting or uncommon but NOT complicated.
For example: 3 Easy Ways to Skyrocket Your Blog Traffic
We all understand that this article will teach us how to grow our site traffic, but the headline caught our attention with the word “skyrocket.”
It’s not a complicated word. But it’s action-packed and paints a mental picture of our traffic shooting straight up in numbers.
This leads me to my final tip:
4. Write actively and avoid passive voice.
Passive voice is a surefire way to ruin your headline. What do I mean by “passive”? Let me show you.
Passive: I was shocked by his announcement.
Active: His announcement shocked me.
With passive voice, your subject receives the action. With active voice, your subject performs the action.
Passive voice is almost always harder to read and is … to be honest … usually boring. On the other hand, active voice adds life to your headlines and tells readers exactly what to expect.
Here’s an example in a headline.
Passive: How My Blog Was Transformed by This Simple Trick
Active: How This Simple Trick Transformed My Blog
Or even: This Simple Trick Transformed My Blog
Basically… take out unnecessary words when you can and make sure your headlines are active.
I recently asked dozens of bloggers what their biggest struggles were with blogging. Hands down the most common response was: “I struggle to blog consistently.”
And it’s no wonder! We entrepreneurs are so busy nowadays serving our clients and networking that we have little time left for blogging.
The problem with inconsistency is that it kills your momentum.
When you blog consistently, you build a loyal audience. They expect you to have a fresh article at a certain time and they keep an eye out for your content.
Consistency is how you nurture your audience.
But when you start becoming inconsistent (or you go AWOL for a time), it confuses your audience and you lose the momentum you had. The point of nurturing is that it’s consistent. You lose that, and your audience quickly loses interest.
#1 Enemy of Consistency: The Mental Block
In my experience, what prevents people from being able to blog consistently has more to do with mental blocks than it does an actual time commitment.
Sometimes when we think about blogging, we get overwhelmed with all the steps and time involved in writing, optimizing and posting.
We subconsciously freak out at the mountain of tasks involved in creating a blog:
Thinking of a topic
Researching the topic
Creating an outline
Fleshing out the content
Editing and revising
Optimizing for SEO
Finding a quality featured photo
Designing social sharing photos
Posting the blog
Sharing the link on your social media
Phew! That does seem like a lot, doesn’t it?
Here’s the thing, though. It doesn’t have to be as intimidating as it seems!
Let’s walk through 3 practical steps you can take to overcome this mental block.
Create a system and use templates.
Batch your content when possible.
Destroy time-wasters.
I’ll take you through these steps one by one.
1. Blog Consistently With a System
Systems are truly amazing things. When you create a system for a complicated task, you break it down into bite-sized pieces.
Systematizing a process also allows you to accomplish it faster, more consistently, and at a better quality.
An easy way to turn your blogging into a system is by using checklists and templates.
Checklists provide you a step-by-step process for your blog. This way, you know exactly what to do right now and what to do next. It removes the guessing for you so you can walk through the process on autopilot and reserve your critical thinking for the actual content.
Write down everything you have to do to create a quality blog post and turn that into your checklist.
Templates save you time and energy as you create images for your blogs.
When I first started my blog, I purchased social media image templates from Bluchic, and I love them! I slightly tweak the images in Canva, update the headline and—presto!—I have a new image for my blog.
Here are some templates you’ll find helpful for your business:
Please note: The following links are affiliate links, meaning that if you click through and purchase, I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. As always, I only promote products I use and love!
If you’ve spent any time in the digital entrepreneurial world, you’ve heard more than one person praise the benefits of batching.
But just in case you haven’t… Batching is the process of setting aside a block of time to perform one task. Just one.
And there’s a reason so many entrepreneurs swear by it. It’s one of the most effective tools to help you blog consistently!
The reason is that when you batch, you give your mind time to get into a rhythm regarding that one task you’re working on. Once you hit that repetitive groove, you accomplish more than you would have with the same amount of time split up into several different occasions.
Try to use batching in one of two ways:
You can set aside a chunk of time each month to hammer out your whole month’s worth of blogs, start to finish.
You can set aside several chunks of time throughout the month to accomplish specific blogging tasks.
So for instance, you could set aside an hour to flesh out all your ideas for your next four to six blogs. Then you use another chunk of time to create outlines. Take another chunk to flesh the blogs out and optimize for SEO. Then another chunk to create all the images, and another to post all the blogs.
Both these methods can work! But to make your batching effective, I recommend that you dedicate at least 1 or 2 consecutive hours at a time.
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3. Destroy Time-Wasters So You Can Blog Consistently
How many hours in your week do you waste on nonessential activities? That’s time that could be going toward your blog! (And as I’ve said before, blogging is one of the best ways to grow your brand in 2020.)
Have you ever wasted hours on one of these time-wasters? (I know I have!)
Social media scrolling
YouTube rabbit holes
Perfectionism
Daydreaming
Arguments
Tech confusion (perhaps inevitable, but still a time-waster)
Chatting/texting with friends
Watching TV
These are just a few of the things that can steal our time from our most valuable investments. Can you identify a few more throughout your day?
Of course I’m not saying that you shouldn’t talk to your friends or that you can’t relax and watch some TV. But when you let those things take up too much of your time, you lose opportunities to blog and grow your brand.
Your turn! What are some suggestions you have for blogging consistently? Leave a comment below with your thoughts!
Are you missing out on serious blog growth because you’re not utilizing your unique personality strengths?
There are timeless marketing and copywriting principles every single blogger needs to use to grow their blog—to be sure. Writing for “the one,” using calls-to-action, promoting a lead magnet on your blog … these are all best practices you should follow. They don’t vary from person to person.
But I also believe one of the all-time best ways to grow your blog is by leveraging your personality strengths.
Here’s what I mean by that:
Most personality tests use classifications of some sort to group us. Think of introversion vs. extroversion, abstract-oriented vs. sensory-oriented, logic-based thinking vs. feelings-based thinking and so on.
But every single personality test or metric has two things it reveals: strengths and weaknesses.
Always.
Studies show that you will grow far more (and feel overall more satisfied) by focusing on honing your strengths than you will by simply trying to improve your weaknesses. Just a fact for you there…
So how do you use your personality strengths to boost your blog?
I’m so glad you asked! It starts by recognizing what your strengths are.
I’m going to guess that a lot of people have a hard time recognizing their strengths. (Unless one of your strengths is confidence… in which case, you likely already know them!)
I want you to look at this list of words and write down the ones you think describe you.
Charming
Smart
Practical
Creative
Empathetic
Strategic
Systems-oriented
Free-spirited
Gentle
Confident
Loves to take charge
Outgoing
Quiet
Passive
Intuitive
Logical
Emotional
Great with people
Loves having multiple projects at once
Great with numbers
Go-with-the-flow
Charismatic
Laser-focused
Talkative
Action-taker
Concise
Diplomatic
Deep thinker
Have you written down the words that describe you? Great!
Now, what I want you to do is refer to your list as I go through some key strengths that are helpful when building your blog.
You most likely won’t identify with every single one of these archetypes and that is totally OK. Your goal is not to be some “Renaissance blogger.” Your goal is to find out which of these strengths you naturally have so you can leverage them while building your blog!
Note: Please keep in mind that these strength archetypes are largely oversimplified. You may find that you identify with parts of a strength I describe but not all. That’s fine! Leverage what you’ve got, my friend!
The Charming Ideator
Words most often associated with this strength: Charming, Creative, Free-spirited, Intuitive, Emotional, Loves having multiple projects at once, Charismatic, Confident.
People who are Charming Ideators love coming up with new ideas. In fact, they can’t help but come up with new ideas.
It was probably a Charming Ideator who came up with the phrase “brainstorm.” How fitting!
If this is you, you’re probably the person a fellow entrepreneur calls when they need some fresh inspiration. By the time they get off the phone with you, they have a list of 25 new projects or topics they can pursue.
When it comes to blogging, Charming Ideators usually have no problem coming up with what to write about. This is a huge advantage because statistics show that the more regularly and consistently you blog, the faster your blog will grow!
According to a HubSpot research study, companies that blogged 16 times a month had 3.5 times more traffic than companies that blogged only four times a month or less.
Now, a word to the wise: This does not mean you have to publish 4 blogs every single week. Depending on your schedule, that might lead to burnout and inconsistency.
Because of that, I encourage Charming Ideators to harness their creative energy to batch their blogs.
When you get a million ideas for your writing, make sure you get them out of your head and onto a Word doc (or Google doc… whatever you use).
But don’t post them right away. Instead, schedule them out over the next several weeks. This will prevent you from posting four blogs in one week and then nothing for the next month or so.
Harness your personality strengths!
The Strategic Networker
Words most often associated with this strength: Charming, Practical, Strategic, Confident, Loves to take charge, Great with people, Charismatic, Talkative, Action-taker.
A Strategic Networker’s strength is exactly what you would expect it to be … networking!
Strategic Networkers love forging powerful relationships that are mutually beneficial, and they also love connecting their friends when they know they could help each other. Win-win!
This is such a fantastic strength to have because authentic networking is one of the best ways to grow your blog, especially when you’re first starting out.
Until you grow past a certain point, most of your traffic to your blog will come from people who have a relationship with you in some way. Whether they met you at a conference or a networking event or they connected with you in a Facebook group … knowing you is what drives them to care about what you’re writing and offering.
Not only that, but being able to make genuine, strategic connections is helpful when trying to cross-promote with other content creators in your niche.
Guest blogging and being a guest on someone’s podcast or video show are incredible ways to expand your audience and put your God-given message in front of new eyes and ears.
Remember: Leverage your personality strengths!
The Practical Systematician
Words most often associated with this strength: Smart, Practical, Strategic, Systems-oriented, Logical, Blunt, Great with numbers, Action-taker, Laser-focused, Concise.
If you tend to be a more practical person who drools over step-by-step instructions and how-to articles, you might have a little bit of the Practical Systematician in you, my friend.
One of the personality strengths of the Practical Systematician is that they’re great at breaking down complicated processes and turning them into step-by-step journeys that make sense.
This is a huge asset because when it comes to learning online, people tend to automatically look for how-to pieces. It’s just natural to us.
If I have a problem, I want to learn how to solve it. If I need to learn how to set up my TV, please give me detailed, clear instructions on how to do it… not a poem about how TVs make you feel.
When it comes to blogging for your business, it helps to provide instructive, clear-to-understand blogs about whatever it is you offer.
If you’re a health coach, consider writing step-by-step blogs about how to set up a healthy meal plan, how to eat foods that work with your metabolism, or how to work out safely after an injury.
This is how you use your personality strengths to your advantage!
The Empathetic Listener
Words most often associated with this strength: Empathetic, Intuitive, Gentle, Quiet, Passive, Emotional, Great with people, Go-with-the-flow, Diplomatic, Deep thinker
If you think you’re an Empathetic Listener, well then welcome to the club, my friend. It’s so good to meet you. 🙂
Those of us who have this strength tend not to see it as a strength. And really, it’s no wonder … a lot of our characteristics aren’t typically associated with entrepreneurship. But that’s OK, my friend, because Empathetic Listeners have a crucial strength that every single blogger and entrepreneur needs to learn to have.
What is it? Well, simply put… we listen. People love to come up to Empathetic Listeners and share 1) how they feel, 2) what they believe or think, 3) what they need or want, and 4) literally their entire life story.
Now, I could write a whole different blog about the importance of having boundaries with this strength, but for now, let’s focus on the positive. 🙂
This strength is actually really important when it comes to blogging for your business because it equips you to find out what your target reader (or target client) wants, needs, feels, and believes.
And if you’ve read any of my other blogs, you know I’m a die-hard proponent of writing for your audience. The only way you can possibly do this is by listening to them.
Only by listening can you learn to use the words your target readers use to describe their pain points (the problem you can solve for them) and their goals (the solution you can help them achieve).
When people hear you using their language to talk about the same feelings or experiences they have, it builds trust. That trust is a core ingredient in growing your business and making sales.
Take These Personality Strengths and Make Them Your Own!
So, friend, did you see yourself in any of these strength archetypes?
Maybe you saw a little of yourself in a few of them. Or maybe you didn’t really identify with any of them. That’s OK too.
What I want you to do now is create your own, unique strength archetype. List your strengths and how you can leverage them to help build your blog—and your business.
If you liked this blog, make sure you share it on your social media! (See that colorful little bar on the side of your screen with all the social icons? Just click one of those and spread the love!)
Do you have a blog that’s not doing much for you? Well, chances are, you’re falling for a common blogging mistake that’s sabotaging you and your brand.
When I tell you what the mistake is, you’re going to furrow your brows at me and say, “What are you even talking about? I don’t do that!”
Well, maybe. Or maybe you do. But first, let me tell you what it is.
You’re treating your blog like a hobby.
Maybe you feel like you don’t do this. But… what if you do? And I’ve done this too, so don’t feel bad! It’s easy to slip into this mindset every so often.
Here are some symptoms that you’re treating your business like a hobby…
You only write what you’re passionate about.
You’re blogging only when you feel inspired.
You blog inconsistently (This one is huge!)
Your blogs aren’t resonating with your audience.
Your blogs aren’t converting readers into subscribers.
I’ve said this a million times, but I’ll say it again: Blogging for your business is nothing like blogging for fun.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. I didn’t say “Blogging for your business isn’t fun.” I said it’s not the same asblogging for fun.
Blogging for fun means blogging about whatever you feel like—whenever you feel like it.
Why Is This a Blogging Mistake?
It’s a mistake because treating your business blog like a hobby undermines the core strength of a blog: consistency.
List-building guru Amy Porterfield says that consistency is what sets apart the entrepreneurs who are here to stay—and those who are simply a flash in the pan.
I have a feeling you and I are the type of entrepreneur who does not want to be simply a flash in the pan.
But consistency isn’t really the fun part of blogging. It’s not flashy or attractive. It’s… kind of boring sometimes.
Consistency means you blog even when you don’t feel like it, even when you don’t feel “inspired.”
That doesn’t sound very “fun,” but it does sound like a recipe for success!
The other reason treating your blog like a hobby actually sabotages your efforts is that it tricks you into writing about things that don’t actually move your business forward.
In other words, you’re blogging about whatever seems interesting to you instead of blogging according to a set strategy that you know will fuel your business with quality leads.
At best, this confuses people who come to your blog because they’re not exactly sure what you’re all about.
At worst, it repels the very people who could have become your ideal clients!
3 Tips to Combat This Blogging Mistake
So now that we’ve talked about why hobby blogging for your business is counterproductive, let’s discuss some action-packed ways to fix the problem.
(Again, this doesn’t mean your business blog can’t be a total blast! It really can be… when you do it right.)
1. Come up with a strategy.
Do your blogs push your ideal clients closer to buying your offer? When people are finished reading your blog, is your offer on their mind? Does your blog help them see why they need what you’re selling?
If not, now is the time to get strategic. Come up with a plan to write about topics that exacerbate your ideal clients’ pain points surrounding your offer.
If you offer made-for-you healthy meal plans, a blog about exercising or vitamins isn’t necessarily going to make people see the need for your offer as much as a blog about the financial benefits of planning a week’s worth of meals will.
See what I mean?
In my 1:1 coaching sessions, I help clients walk through this to come up with a strategy that’s tailor-fit for them. But hopefully these tips and examples are enough to at least get you thinking in the right direction!
2. Batch your content.
The easiest way to get behind on your blogging is by waiting till the last minute to do it.
No joke.
When I first started my blog, I was at least a month ahead! Then, as life’s duties overtook my time, I started getting less and less ahead… to the point that I was writing them the day before they were supposed to go up.
That’s when I started missing a week here. A week there. A week over yonder.
Yikes.
That’s why I highly recommend batching your content. If that phrase is new to you, all it means is that you schedule a set time on your calendar when you write multiple blogs at the same time.
This is especially helpful because when it comes to writing, it can take a little while to get into the flow of it. But once you’re there—wow, the words keep coming!
Your goal is to get in that flow. And why not use that flow as an opportunity to whip out 2 or 3 blogs?
The key is scheduling that time on your calendar and keeping your commitment to yourself.
3. Stay connected to your readers.
Always remember that your business blog is about your readers more than it is about you.
Are you writing about things they care about? Problems they’re facing? Issues that keep them up at night?
Are you using the language they use to describe their problems?
And are you writing with a desire to bless them?
I hope your answers to all those questions is a resounding “YES!” But if not, I encourage you to pray about this and ask God how you can better use your blog to help your audience.
God has given you a unique and beautiful message that He wants you to share with this world. Maybe it’s in how you teach or in services you offer or in products you make. Your blog is the tool you can use to spread that message.
Whatever it is … I pray you allow God this week to use your blog as a way to build your business—and His kingdom. 🙂
And hopefully this article gave you fresh ideas for fixing that common blogging mistake!
By the way… have we connected yet on Pinterest? If not, you can follow me here. And if today’s blog helped you in any way, please share it on your social media!
Has the pandemic left you scratching your head, wondering how to effectively grow your business right now? Well then, let this sink in today: A business blog is still one of the cheapest, safest and most effective ways to promote your brand in 2020.
As this pandemic continues to wreak havoc on people’s health and the economy, many of us are looking for ways to save money and time. We know we still need to keep promoting our businesses to draw in fresh leads, but who can afford expensive ads right now?
We’re looking for cheaper ways to organically grow our businesses that don’t consume a ton of our precious time. (Because don’t let anyone tell you differently—your time is valuable.)
This is where blogging enters the picture. You may not feel like you’re a naturally gifted writer. Or you may think you truly don’t have the time. But I’m telling you: You don’t have the time not to blog.
Here’s why I’m so convinced blogging is one of the best ways to build your business right now:
A Business Blog Doesn’t Cost a Ton of Money to Get Started
Starting a blog costs $0 if you already have a website. After all, your website theme probably already has an option for you to host a blog. You just have to use it.
And on top of that, many plugins that you need for a blog (SEO, social media sharing, etc.) are completely free.
Now, if you don’t have a website, I do recommend you build one. (And no, you don’t have to be a professional coder or a tech genius to build a website.) Nowadays, you can easily set up a website and download a theme you like.
Getting your website up and running can cost you as little as $3.95 a month when you sign up for Bluehost. When you purchase Bluehost, you also get a free domain name for a year (that’s the URL people type in to go to your website) and a free SSL certificate (which tells people your site is safe to use).
Important Note: The link above is an affiliate link. That means if you click on it and end up purchasing Bluehost for your website, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. And just so you know, I only promote products I use and love. 🙂
If you don’t have a website and you really can’t start one right now, you can still “blog” on your social media with long-form posts. But I do highly recommend blogging on your own website. For starters, it looks much more professional.
And the other reasons? Well…
It’s Safer to Blog on ‘Your Own Property’
Here’s the ugly truth, my friend: You don’t own social media.
That means that when you make any social medium your blog’s home and post all of your messaging and promotion there, you are at the mercy of that platform.
Just yesterday, a fellow online entrepreneur shared his horror story of how Facebook shut down all his promotion for his online course. They deleted every one of his prior posts and blocked him from posting for at least 21 days. He said he felt “gutted” because he had put all of his course promotion on social media.
Chances are, this fellow business owner somehow broke Facebook’s promotional rules. But he’s not the only one who has accidentally done so. Social media platforms often have strict rules you need to follow when it comes to posting content for your business, and it’s easier to break them than you think.
The lesson here is clear.
You don’t own social media, but you do own your website. When you blog on your own website, you face far less danger of your hard work being deleted or shut down.
Plus, when you blog on your website, it’s like inviting your readers into your home. When someone reads your blog on your own site, it lets them see a clearer picture of who you are and what you do. In some ways, it fosters a deeper connection between you and them.
The last reason I highly suggest you use your own website to host your blog is that it gives you way more opportunities to lead readers into your sales funnel as you promote your lead magnet on your site.
Blogging Lets Readers Consume Your Content at Their Own Pace
People often don’t have time to listen to an entire podcast or watch an entire video, especially now during the pandemic. Studies show that during COVID-19, time watching TV and on social media is up. Meanwhile, though, some studies suggest that podcast listenership dipped after the coronavirus struck.
With people spending more time on their phones and computers, they have more time at least to skim your blog post. If what they see fascinates them, they can save it and go back to it later.
Or if they have more time on their hands, they can binge-read your blog to easily find the info they’re looking for.
A Business Blog Gives Better Opportunity for SEO and Backlinks
This is a huge reason why I love blogs.
With blogs, you can optimize for SEO, link to credible resources and link to other pages on your site.
Podcasts can’t really give you that same opportunity unless you create show notes and transcripts. That’s totally doable, but it does take a lot more work. With blogging, you do all that in one fell swoop.
Blogs Are Easier to Promote on Social Media
When you post a blog link on Facebook or LinkedIn, all the reader has to do is click the photo and it takes them directly to your post.
Here’s an example of that:
See how the photo in that FB post is clickable?
You can’t do that with a podcast because a podcast link doesn’t have a featured image. (Unless you’re hosting the podcast on a blog, which is something I recommend!) So when you post a podcast link, it shows up like a normal, ugly link within the Facebook caption.
Yuck.
What most podcasters end up doing when promoting their episodes is they put the ugly link in their caption. Or they have to direct people to listen on iTunes or GooglePlay. Then they upload a separate photo to attract attention.
There are two things that make this difficult for an audience.
1. This adds an additional step for potential listeners.
They have to either scroll through your caption to click the link, or they have to leave Facebook and find the podcast in iTunes or GooglePlay. You lose potential listeners in that process.
2. People love clicking photos.
People are far more inclined to click the picture than they are to click the link within the caption.
Believe me.
When I was online news director at a Christian magazine, I actually tested this. Facebook was malfunctioning one day and not loading the clickable pictures for articles. So I put the link in the caption and uploaded the photo separately for our articles that day.
Traffic suffered. Badly.
My scrappy substitution posts were better than not posting at all. But the dip in traffic until Facebook fixed the bug in its system was pretty noticeable.
A Business Blog Makes It Much Easier for Your Audience to Take Action
Every content creator knows that they should end their message with a call to action (CTA). Something that tells the listener/viewer/reader what to do next.
With podcasts, or even sometimes videos, you have to explain to the viewer/listener what to do and where to go. For example, on a podcast, the host may say: “Hey, please rate and review my podcast! Go to iTunes or GooglePlay and click the ‘Review’ button.”
Again, the host is asking the listener to do an extra step. Far fewer will actually follow through and go the extra mile to rate and review the podcast.
With a blog, though, you can provide a clickable link that directly sends your readers where you want them to go. Hyperlinking those CTAs makes the process so much simpler.
For example, if I tell you, “Hey, go to Facebook and like and follow my page! My handle is @JennyRoseSpaudo,” you are far less likely to actually do what I’m asking.
But if I say, “Hey, would you take just 2 seconds to go like and follow my Facebook page?” All you have to do is click twice to follow through with what I’m asking. So much simpler.
I’m Not a Podcast Hater, I Promise
My goal with this article is in no way to hate on podcasts. Podcasting can be a great way to organically grow your business, and if you have the time and resources to do it, I highly recommend it!
But during this pandemic, when time and money are in short supply, blogging is certainly the ideal way to go for many small-business owners.
You have a lot of things to do for your business—like make money and serve people. So for those who are just starting out or are trying to tighten their money belts, all I have to say to you is: start blogging.
Do you want to start a blog to promote your business? Grab my free roadmap to receive the clarity you need to get started the right way. Just sign up below to get started!
And, P.S., if you’re already blogging and want to make sure your blog is optimized for your business, this roadmap will still be super helpful for you.
Maybe you know starting a blog would be great for your business, but you just haven’t done it yet.
Maybe you already do blog, but you haven’t posted in weeks.
Or maybe you’re just going through the motions but have zero confidence that it can or will move the needle whatsoever in your business.
I get it. Been there.
There’s a common misbelief we content creators tend to fall for. And this misbelief could very possibly be one of the main things holding you back. (Another major one is that you just don’t have the time, which I talk more about here.)
If you continue to fuel this misbelief, you eventually give up on pushing forward. You fold your hands and sit down nicely—and miss out on what’s ahead for you.
And the most frustrating part of this misbelief is, as the name implies, it’s not even true!
So what is it? I won’t keep you in suspense. Simply put, it’s that you have nothing to offer.
Has anyone else struggled with this lie in their head? Or is it really just me?
Even just this past week, I was wrestling with that thought.
I have nothing to offer. What am I even doing? What could I possibly teach people about blogging or writing or content marketing that’s worth anything?
Wow.
Once I realized I was throwing myself a major—and rather embarrassing—pity party, I stopped what I was doing and took my thoughts captive as Paul says in 2 Corinthians 10:5.
Why Is This Misbelief So Prevalent?
From listening to a lot of other business owners, writers and content creators share their experiences, I know I’m not the only one to have struggled with these kinds of thoughts.
Chances are, somewhere along your entrepreneurial journey, you’ve thought it too. Maybe you’re struggling with feeling this way even now.
It’s easy to feel like a tiny guppy in a vast ocean. You’re trying to move forward, get the word out about your business, and serve the best you possibly can, and it’s hard.
I mean, face it. Growing your business, your ministry or even your personal blog isn’t easy. It’s hard work and sometimes it requires a lot of trying new and different things until you discover what really works for you.
It can be daunting and frustrating and confusing and overwhelming.
And in the midst of all that, we can tend to feel inadequate. We begin to think that we’re not strong enough to push our adventure forward. Or we don’t feel smart enough to strategize. Or we don’t feel outgoing enough to network. (That last one was definitely a thought I’ve had several times since I launched my business in January.)
And then that thought slips in: What do you really have to offer?
In essence, why are you even doing this?
At the heart of “What do I even have to offer?” is the fear that I’m not enough.
And, in a way, that fear is actually true. None of us are enough to produce anything good in our lives apart from Christ. Jesus makes that super clear in John 15:5b—“apart from Me, you can do nothing” (NASB, emphasis added).
So really, when we’re in that place of saying we have nothing to offer and we shouldn’t even be doing what we’re doing—we’re telling ourselves that God is not enough to produce something good out of us and our endeavor. That’s a bold statement.
If we give that misbelief ground in our minds, it works its way into our entire business. It corrupts every blog we write or every podcast we record. The words we use to help or teach people lack conviction. We shy away from telling someone about what we do, even if we know it could help them.
It causes us to shrink away from opportunities to grow, to put ourselves out there, to push forward toward the goal we believe God has put in our hearts.
That would be a huge mistake. A mistake I really don’t want you to make.
So How Do You Deal With This Misbelief?
Now that you know you’re dealing with this misbelief, it’s important you know how to deal with it. But how do you do that?
1. You have to recognize that it’s not true.
The same Paul who told us to take our thoughts captive also told us to think on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8).
So if something isn’t true, should we really be wasting our time thinking about it? Obviously not.
And yet when we’re in that place of telling ourselves we have nothing to offer, it’s because some small (or big!) part of us truly does believe it.
That’s when we have to remind ourselves of what’s actually true.
For me, that might mean sketching out a quick list of what I actually do have to offer, why I’m in this business to begin with, and my motives for serving my audience.
Why am I writing about blogging, writing and content marketing?
Because in the last 5 ½ years of working for a Christian publishing and media company, I’ve written hundreds of articles and hosted hundreds of podcasts. In the process, I’ve learned the difference between an article that gets 100 clicks and an article that gets 100,000. It’s not an exact science, but I’ve experimented enough and written enough to know what it takes to write compelling content that people are eager to consume.
In that time, I’ve also seen dozens of writers struggling to know how to write content that speaks to their ideal audience or write headlines that catch the eye. I’ve been able to give them pointers along the way and, hopefully, equip them with better tools to improve their writing.
As soon as I remembered that, it was almost like an “Aha” moment. It snapped me out of my funk and back into reality. It was if my brain remembered, “Oh yeah, I actually do know how to write well and have experience teaching others to do the same. I can help people!”
What is it for you?
I want you to take a moment and write down what you have to offer.
What experience do you have? (It doesn’t have to be a job! Real-life experience is just as important as, if not more so than, corporate experience.)
What have you done or accomplished in your niche?
What lessons in your niche have you learned the hard way?
Write it down. And remember it.
2. Remember the people you serve.
Yes, it’s important to earn money and make a living. But ultimately, that’s not really why you’re doing what you’re doing.
Whether you’re writing for your business, your personal blog or your ministry, you’re ultimately not doing it for you. You’re doing it for the people you’re serving.
I remember one writer who really took to heart what I was suggesting as an editor. This person was submitting content for our online publication, but the articles just weren’t resonating with our audience. I talked to this person on the phone and just coached them a bit on how to write for our audience better and how to choose topics our readers care more about.
The next article I got from that person was a home run. The content exactly catered to our audience, and no surprise, it got a lot more views. That’s the power of coaching.
Being able to help that person reach the goal they were after was so encouraging.
So now it’s your turn. I want you to think of one person you’ve helped along the way. How did you help them reach their goal? Or if you sell books or products, how did those books/products impact them?
Great. Now think of another. And another.
That’s why you do what you do.
3. Fix your eyes on Jesus.
You know, this one really should’ve been first because it’s most important. But I wanted to save it for last because it’s the most precious to me.
When I’m struggling with the misbelief that I have nothing of value to offer, I can guarantee you I’m not thinking about Jesus. I’m thinking about myself.
I’m upset because I’m not enough or I’m not getting the results I want or I’m not like so-and-so.
That’s all about me.
But choosing to look at Jesus instead is a completely different experience. When I remember that my life is not about me at all but about the One who owns me and loved me enough to die for me, suddenly I gain a fresh perspective.
Suddenly, I remember that my business is not about getting the results I want. It’s about honoring my Master and my First Love. It’s about being faithful with what He’s given me.
If He has given me a talent for writing and coaching, you better believe I’ll use that talent for His glory.
If He has given you a gift for writing, for networking, for speaking, for ministering, for singing … do it for His glory! If He’s entrusted you with an idea that can help other people or a product that can change people’s lives, then pursue those for His honor.
Remember that He owes you nothing. And yet He’s given you everything.
Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.”
Next time you find yourself thinking, What am I doing? What do I even have to offer?, I hope you remember these truths. And most of all, that you remember to look at Jesus.
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