Although writing for recognition is often frowned upon, some writers still need the assurance that someone out there is reading their content. A meaningful comment or conversation would be great, but even a simple +1 to the view count can trick our brains into being satisfied. However, what do we do when our work fails to get any engagement… or worse yet, even any views?
For owners of small businesses or blogs, it can certainly feel like a death sentence – what good is marketing content without an audience? Should we just pack it in? Should we solicit our family and friends? Or should we buy up ad space and hope for the best? If you have ever found yourself in such a situation and have had these thoughts, this article might be the solution to your troubles!
Write for others by writing for yourself
It’s incredibly depressing to find a lack of an audience, but we should refrain from peer pressuring others into reading our work – especially if they are from our social circle. Reading should be fun and/or informative, but guilt tripping or make someone read out of obligation defeats that purpose.
Having been in the business of writing for so long, we’ve found that the motivation to write is often tied to our mindset.
For hobby writers, this is easier to adjust. It’s important to remember why you write. An outlet for your creativity? Because you felt a burning desire to make a story? Whatever the reason, having someone engage with your content is just an added bonus.
Hobby writers also have the luxury to write about whatever and whenever they like – and if you don’t have an audience, an optimist would also say that you don’t have to work around their preferences either. Many writers would kill (metaphorically speaking) to have this amount of freedom and control in their career.
Furthermore, to be able to write consistently, you also need to read consistently. After developing a consistent reading schedule, there should be several authors whose works you frequent – from there, you can identify several things:
· What do you like about this particular author’s content?
· How do they structure their writing to make a convincing argument or good story?
· What can you take away from this author and how can it be applied to your future pieces?
You should never directly copy another writer (that’s plagiarism), but emulating how they write and structure their material is an important step in becoming a better writer – how you fit your perspective or argument with this emulation will lead to the development of your own writing style. Since this is a process that takes lots of refining, so you can expect to be at it for quite some time!
Once you have an initial writing style developed, then you can think about who you want your primary audience to be and where your material will be published for others to see. A potential reason why a writer can get little recognition and interaction is because they are writing for the wrong audience – after all, writing for a Star Trek fan fiction forum is very different from a blog focusing on SEO tips. Having an audience type in mind will help you to refine your writing style even more, especially if you are writing about niche subjects.
When writing for yourself is not enough
For business owners, however, a positive mindset alone isn’t enough. With your potential career and livelihood depending on audiences engaging with your content, you’ll need to be more proactive to get noticed.
If you’ve already fixed up your website with the usual SEO suspects and still aren’t getting the expected amount of traffic, don’t fret – there’s still more you can do!
Many people often get hung on the idea that they can only influence audience traffic by optimising their website, but did you know that you can use “guest posting” on other platforms to attract new readership? Websites like Forbes commonly feature content from non-affiliated contributors, and by pledging to write exclusive article(s) for such platforms, these contributors can harness the power of Forbes’ massive readership and promote backlinks to their personal website.
“You can demonstrate your authority and build trust with potential customers by sharing your experience and offering valuable insights to a targeted audience,” writes Kristen Shea, Entrepreneur Leadership Network Contributor and PR expert.
In addition to reaching new audiences, writing guest posts help you to establish vital credibility. If you Googled a subject and had to pick between an author with no known credibility versus another stranger who has been published on Forbes or Entrepreneur, you are probably going to trust the latter more. For many consumers, this bit of credibility is key for motivating engagement (and even sales). Did we also mention that having backlinks to your website is a great SEO power move?
When writing a guest post, Shea outlines an important 7-step plan to follow:
1. Identify your audience
Just like with writing a regular blog post for your website, your target audience demographic determines how you should present your content and the location where you should guest post. Are you trying to write for a specific industry or channel (eg. an astrophysics peer-reviewed journal, SEO best practises website or such)? Or for a generalist content hub like Forbes?
2. Choose a relevant and compelling topic
“Choose a timely, informative and exciting topic for the publication’s audience,” explains Shea. “Your article should be relevant to your industry and provide value to readers.” If you are having trouble narrowing down a topic, she recommends scanning through various magazines and articles regarding your industry – from there, you should be able to identify topics that haven’t been receiving much coverage.
3. Create a clear structure
Simple structures work best. A headline and introduction followed by several supporting arguments is tried and true. Proper formatting (like subheads) are also handy for dividing up content and making it easier to read.
4. Provide valuable insights
If applicable, don’t forget to back up your arguments with research or data. Although not everyone bothers with fact checking, the people who do won’t hesitate to discredit you!
5. Use a conversational tone
A light tone (like one used in a conversation) can help to make your content more approachable – it’s also useful for making complicated subjects less daunting – skip on the jargon and convoluted words to be extra safe.
6. Write a catchy headline
A good pieced without a hook is like expecting fish to bite at loose string. “Your headline should accurately reflect the content of your article and entice readers to click on it and read more,” describes Shea.
7. Edit and proofread
Your first draft will rarely ever be perfect and it’d be foolish to expect that. If possible, have someone else look through your draft for their opinion and to reduce writer’s bias.
As long as you have knowledge worth sharing or valuable insight to share, general business websites like Forbes and Entrepreneur are a great place to start guest posting, as they are always on the lookout for more talented contributors. From there, you can also try and find other reputable writers on the platform to see if you can cross-promote your content on each other’s websites.
There’s more to advertising your content than just managing SEO on your website. By taking advantage of guest posting, you not only get your name and material seen by more audiences, but you also establish better credibility as a writer as well!