A lot of beginner bloggers do a heavy about of sinning when they first start out…
I’m not saying they’re bad people, it’s just that they are committing nearly all of the deadly sins that bloggers need to look out for.
“But wait, aren’t there 7 deadly sins?”
In the religious context, yes, but as a blogger, there are really only 5 sins you need to worry about…
Simply put: when you “consume” too much and don’t create some kind of output, you are being gluttonous.
For bloggers, this comes in the form of information rather than things like food.
The over-consumption of information is dangerous, it leads to someone who is always out on the prowl for the newest trick or tactic, but who has never put them into practice.
This is especially important if you read a lot of “blogging about blogging” blogs (hey, I’m just being brutally honest, as usual).
It’s not that they don’t provide value, it’s that they can get you captivated in the “ooh shiny” mentality, getting caught up in the so called ‘latest and greatest’ when you should be busy implementing a solid foundation of techniques that work, including things like creating great content and writing guest posts to promote that content.
So, what is it about greed that can really hold a blogger back?
First of all, greed often has people putting up invasive advertisements & promoting crappy products, all the while not maintaining a focus on building a thriving audience.
Your readers are not commodities, they can be loyal customers if you treat them well, and brand advocates if you treat them very well.
They are also people, would you want to be treated in misleading ways on another person’s website?
Of course not, so don’t promote filth with an affiliate link just to make a quick buck, and don’t throw up advertisements on your second week blogging: build an audience, build an email list, and treat people with the courtesy that they deserve, there’s much more to blogging than making a quick buck.
“My content is so good, I don’t have to promote it, the quality will do the talking!”
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but here’s two things why that won’t work:
There are people who are paid to do what you are trying to succeed with, how can you hope to compete?
Great content is now the price of entry, NOT the defining factor for a successful blog.
So, how can you market your content without being a sleazebag?
You’re reading a method right now: write for other blogs in your space, that one should be obvious to you if you aren’t totally new.
You also need to be creating content that’s easy to plug into conversations.
You needn’t be afraid of emailing people about a new piece of yours if it relates to them in some general way, such as if they are in the same industry.
Want to know how I got Neil Patel, a guy with 100,000+ follows, to tweet about my article?
I asked him!
Crazy, ain’t it?
I told him that I had this planned as a guest post for his site, but thought it went with my brand better.
I also (via email, the best social network) asked if he wouldn’t mind sharing the piece if he enjoyed it.
He tweeted it within the hour, he’s a nice dude!
You shouldn’t be badgering the same people every time to you post something new, but reaching out to new folks from time to time will do amazing things for your blog’s promotion, trust me.
I’ve had people email me about their struggles with their blog, and when I got to visit it, they haven’t posted in 2 months!
That’s an extreme example, and sometimes it’s more insidious: people who are posting regularly, but doing nothing to market their content.
Sometimes, it might even be necessary to have a “1:1″ ratio for posts, or an “80:20″ ratio for marketing vs. posting.
Yes, you read that correctly.
I’m saying that posting 1 guest post for every post on your blog can be the ideal way to actually build an audience.
I’m also saying that, in some cases, spending upwards of 50, 60, 70, or even 80% of your time marketing your posts can be the way to go.
As a new blog, you should be focusing on creating a unique angle and outstanding content: don’t worry about posting once a day, that’s a load of bull.
Instead, create posts that are worthy of promotion, and spend the next week promoting the hell out of them (and your blog in general) with guest posts, emails, networking, etc.
Sounds goofy, but people far more experienced than me will tell you the same thing.
People like to think great content promotes itself, and that’s true, but in such a crowded place as the internet, who’s going to get the ball rolling?
The answer: you.
Caring too much about what other’s are doing.
It’s easy to get envious of others reach & audience, lustful of their income, and even angry that you cannot seem to do the same.
But such is business, and such is life.
Everybody has to start from square one in some fashion or another, and worrying about others does nothing for your own projects.
It’s okay to “observe” others; learning from people who’s advice you actually trust is a great way to skip having the same failures as them.
Be wary though: in the world of online marketing, there are some seriously shady characters.
What to be weary of: “Quick” fixes to anything, bizopps that target people who are total beginners in business, software that promises the world, people selling shady SEO techniques, anything that makes a process you know to be a lot of work (like building a successful blog) look easy; if it looks too good to be true, it’s a scam.
I’m not saying they’re bad people, it’s just that they are committing nearly all of the deadly sins that bloggers need to look out for.
“But wait, aren’t there 7 deadly sins?”
In the religious context, yes, but as a blogger, there are really only 5 sins you need to worry about…
1.) Gluttony
“What does gluttony have to do with blogging?”Simply put: when you “consume” too much and don’t create some kind of output, you are being gluttonous.
For bloggers, this comes in the form of information rather than things like food.
The over-consumption of information is dangerous, it leads to someone who is always out on the prowl for the newest trick or tactic, but who has never put them into practice.
This is especially important if you read a lot of “blogging about blogging” blogs (hey, I’m just being brutally honest, as usual).
It’s not that they don’t provide value, it’s that they can get you captivated in the “ooh shiny” mentality, getting caught up in the so called ‘latest and greatest’ when you should be busy implementing a solid foundation of techniques that work, including things like creating great content and writing guest posts to promote that content.
2.) Greed
A lot of bloggers are susceptible to this sin, hell, even established bloggers are suspect.So, what is it about greed that can really hold a blogger back?
First of all, greed often has people putting up invasive advertisements & promoting crappy products, all the while not maintaining a focus on building a thriving audience.
Your readers are not commodities, they can be loyal customers if you treat them well, and brand advocates if you treat them very well.
They are also people, would you want to be treated in misleading ways on another person’s website?
Of course not, so don’t promote filth with an affiliate link just to make a quick buck, and don’t throw up advertisements on your second week blogging: build an audience, build an email list, and treat people with the courtesy that they deserve, there’s much more to blogging than making a quick buck.
3.) Pride
This sin is a surefire way to failure.“My content is so good, I don’t have to promote it, the quality will do the talking!”
I hate to be the one to break it to you, but here’s two things why that won’t work:
- You are probably overrating how good your content is (it’s your “baby”, you’re bound to see it differently)
- There is a ton of great content on the web now, businesses often have content strategists that work on just their blog (like I with my posts on the HelpScout blog)
There are people who are paid to do what you are trying to succeed with, how can you hope to compete?
Great content is now the price of entry, NOT the defining factor for a successful blog.
So, how can you market your content without being a sleazebag?
You’re reading a method right now: write for other blogs in your space, that one should be obvious to you if you aren’t totally new.
You also need to be creating content that’s easy to plug into conversations.
You needn’t be afraid of emailing people about a new piece of yours if it relates to them in some general way, such as if they are in the same industry.
Want to know how I got Neil Patel, a guy with 100,000+ follows, to tweet about my article?
I asked him!
Crazy, ain’t it?
I told him that I had this planned as a guest post for his site, but thought it went with my brand better.
I also (via email, the best social network) asked if he wouldn’t mind sharing the piece if he enjoyed it.
He tweeted it within the hour, he’s a nice dude!
You shouldn’t be badgering the same people every time to you post something new, but reaching out to new folks from time to time will do amazing things for your blog’s promotion, trust me.
4.) Sloth
Oh man, this one can get a lot of people.I’ve had people email me about their struggles with their blog, and when I got to visit it, they haven’t posted in 2 months!
That’s an extreme example, and sometimes it’s more insidious: people who are posting regularly, but doing nothing to market their content.
Sometimes, it might even be necessary to have a “1:1″ ratio for posts, or an “80:20″ ratio for marketing vs. posting.
Yes, you read that correctly.
I’m saying that posting 1 guest post for every post on your blog can be the ideal way to actually build an audience.
I’m also saying that, in some cases, spending upwards of 50, 60, 70, or even 80% of your time marketing your posts can be the way to go.
As a new blog, you should be focusing on creating a unique angle and outstanding content: don’t worry about posting once a day, that’s a load of bull.
Instead, create posts that are worthy of promotion, and spend the next week promoting the hell out of them (and your blog in general) with guest posts, emails, networking, etc.
Sounds goofy, but people far more experienced than me will tell you the same thing.
People like to think great content promotes itself, and that’s true, but in such a crowded place as the internet, who’s going to get the ball rolling?
The answer: you.
5. Envy/Lust/Wrath
I’ve combined the last 3 sings because they all relate to one thing (in my eyes)…Caring too much about what other’s are doing.
It’s easy to get envious of others reach & audience, lustful of their income, and even angry that you cannot seem to do the same.
But such is business, and such is life.
Everybody has to start from square one in some fashion or another, and worrying about others does nothing for your own projects.
It’s okay to “observe” others; learning from people who’s advice you actually trust is a great way to skip having the same failures as them.
Be wary though: in the world of online marketing, there are some seriously shady characters.
What to be weary of: “Quick” fixes to anything, bizopps that target people who are total beginners in business, software that promises the world, people selling shady SEO techniques, anything that makes a process you know to be a lot of work (like building a successful blog) look easy; if it looks too good to be true, it’s a scam.
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