11 Ways to Be Yet Another Average Blogger No One Reads

There are at least 152 million blogs on the Internet right now and tens of thousands are created each day.

Why should anyone read yours?

The fact you add your links to Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn doesn’t guarantee readers will flock to your block. But you might have noticed that already.

I’ve about what makes a perfect blog post before. But the truth is that, even if you follow that recipe, you may still fail.

Blogging isn’t for everyone.

Mine isn’t the only guide about perfect blog posts on the Internet. I’m sure you’ve read a few others, too. But if you make the mistakes below, no “off-the-Internet” blogging recipe will help you win your readers’ hearts.

So, let’s take a look at what kills blogs for a change.

1. Just Write as much as You Can. The Readers Will Come

No, they won’t.

I’m sorry to say it, but it’s the truth. Blogging is more than excellent penmanship. Successful blogging is also strongly connected to social media, SEO and influencer marketing.

Just think about it: with 2 million blog posts published every day, how can readers find yours? It’s like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack (without the purposefulness, mind you).

So it’s your job as a blogger to help readers find their way to you.

Yes, today’s (successful) bloggers don’t just adhere to the writers’ guild. They are also savvy digital marketers.

2. Tell a Story

Everyone believes they have fascinating stories to impart. And, whether you do or not, is not even the point.

What matters is if you can tell your story in a fascinating manner. Brand storytelling is an art, one in which you need to be initiated (unless you’re somehow born with the ability – but this is rarely the case).

Oh, and in case you didn’t notice the distinction, there’s a HUGE difference between telling a story and storytelling.

Yes, you can weave in a short narration within a blog post if the power of example helps making your point. But don’t make a habit out of it.

People like to read stats and verify information from reliable sources. Your adventures aren’t either.

3. Write When You Have the Time

This one should go without saying, but, since I’ve noticed that a lot of bloggers and companies do this mistake, I’ll spell it out:

You need to blog constantly.

Just look at how much Mark Manson writes. Not to mention Neil Patel or Seth Godin. Do you think they would have become iconic bloggers if they wrote “when they had the time”?

And here’s another interesting thing: Neil Patel and Seth Godin are marketers by trade. Mark Manson isn’t – but he definitely has a team a savvy marketers backing up his efforts. Look in every niche you want – all the successful bloggers write constantly.

You may not have the time to write one article per day – not everyone is Seth Godin. But you should try to come up with a calendar and stick to it.

One last thing: add more than two blog posts per month in your calendar, OK?

4. Write Short Posts

I know, I spoke of Seth Godin and now you’re going to throw that in my face, aren’t you?

But let’s take a moment to remember that you are not Seth Godin. Even if you had his skills, you still need his reputation to gain the readership he now engages with 200-word posts.

Long-form content works best. This has been an undeniable fact for a few years now.

Why, you ask?

Because when you speak of quality content, you speak of in-depth content. Mind you, not fluff! I’m talking about blog posts that exhaustively “dissect” a subject and have the necessary research to back-up their claim.

That being said: you should never publish articles that are shorter than 1,000 words. But if you really want to be more than an average blogger, you should think about 2,000-word posts.

They are not just shared on social media more. They are also favored by search engines.

Again: if you don’t have a lot to say, don’t fluff it up just to hit your word count. It’s better to stay relevant and readable, even if this means you draw your conclusions at the 700-word mark.

5. Keep Writing the Same Way even if Results Fail to Appear

I know, it hurts to think that there are probably hundreds of thousands of successful bloggers and you can’t be one of them.

Here’s another harsh truth: not everyone is a writer.

If you’ve already tried everything, from paid ads to social media groups, but still got less than 20 visits per blog post, maybe it’s time to pass the torch.

It’s no shame to outsource content writing or blogging. Most companies do it anyway because they understand they can’t be jacks of all trades. So they prefer to focus on their core business and hire a copywriting agency to blog for them.

This is especially advisable if you run a business blog. There are professional writing services providers out there who can do a better a better job than you faster and cheaper.

Why not focus on something you’re really good at instead?

6. Make Originality Your Top Priority at All Costs

I get it: you don’t want to copy other bloggers. You want to make your own ideas shine and be acclaimed for it.

And I’m not saying you should copy.

But if a certain tone of voice works or a certain topic is hot in your industry, why not offer your own take on it?

Let’s face it: it’s hard to be the first one to write about something today. From heart-wrenching love stories to powerful brand storytelling, it’s all been done before.

What you can do, instead, is offer a fresh perspective on age-old topics. Yes, there are tons of articles on blogging, content writing and marketing in general. But look at me still writing about those.

Why?

Because different people respond to different arguments and different tones of voice. I haven’t invented the wheel – and you probably won’t, either.

7. Focus on Social Media

Yes, social media is a great way to get your blog posts read. But you’re a blogger first – social media is just there to support your efforts.

Get a list of blog subscribers first and then worry about growing your social media profiles. After you have at least 500 people constantly reading your blog, you know you’re on the right path and you’re ready to welcome new readers.

If you’re a brand-new blogger (or an older one but with close to 0 readers), Facebook ads will be just a waste of money. Sure, you’ll get some people to click on your links, but how many of them will come back?

8. Go about SEO the Wrong Way

All bloggers know (I hope) about the power SEO has to make or break a blog. We all crave that sweet organic traffic that validates our efforts.

People find you via Google searches, so you must be doing something right.

True, but not as important as you think.

Before you get all excited that you got 50 organic clicks, check your bounce rate in Google Analytics. How much time did people coming from Google searches spent on your page? Did they want to stick around and read more, or did they bounce just as soon as the page loaded?

If your bounce rate is more than 70%, then your content is simply not good enough and it doesn’t keep people wanting more.

So, instead of focusing on stuffing your copy with keywords, focus on making it great. There’s nothing more obnoxious that a barely readable (but SEO-friendly) article.

I’m not saying SEO isn’t important: I’m just saying it won’t make you more than an average blogger. Especially if you’re focusing solely on getting readers and not keeping them, as well. Keep SEO in mind, follow the best practices in the field, but don’t make it your primary concern.

9. Expect to Succeed Instantly

There’s no way in which your blog can become popular in less than six months. And I’m not talking about happy accidents or the occasional post that goes viral. I’m talking about forming a community that can barely wait to share your next blog post on every social media network there is.

Six months is barely enough for your pages to rank in SERPs. And you’re expecting to become the Internet’s next sensation?

You shouldn’t!

Building a successful blog takes time and commitment.

      10. Place a lot of Importance on Appearance

Yes, it’s important to have a nice blog design. It’s even more important to have a mobile-friendly blog. But that’s about it.

Pick a color scheme or a WordPress theme and start blogging. You really don’t need more than that. Social media plugins, “click to tweet” integration – all these can wait.

And none of them matters if your blogging is not up to par.

I’ve seen bloggers with horrible (horrible!) blog design, but huge success. Why? Because people push through the terrible colors just to read the awesome words.

Of course, I’m not recommending a yellow and purple background just to test your readers’ fidelity. I’m merely stating that you shouldn’t blame the design for the lack of success of your blog.

11. Give up too Soon

The Idunn blog is the fourth one I constantly write on. Before this, I had a non-specific blog and even a cooking one. They all enjoyed moderate success in their niches. I let them go because I could tell they weren’t exactly what I wanted to do.

Now, I also guest post on platforms like SiteProNews. But my main focus is still the Idunn blog.

Even if I am a marketer and copywriter by trade, the Idunn blog didn’t get success overnight. It took a lot of work (and time!) to get to a point where not a day goes by without getting tens of unique visitors. And there’s still a lot of work to be done – I know it.

And so should you. Just because you’re not successful at first, it doesn’t mean you should give up blogging altogether. It may take time to find your niche (as it took me) or to find your tone of voice.

I know it’s discouraging to pour your heart and soul into a blog post and see that, a week later, only 20 people bothered to read it. But if you keep to it, some of those 20 people may share it on social media and attract 20 more. And so on, you get the point.

Bottom line: you don’t need much to be a successful blogger. In fact, focusing on unimportant details can actually deter you from reaching your awesomeness goal.

Just keep to it. Allow yourself to make mistakes – we all make them. But learn from them!