I’ve been blogging for over 20 years. I’m an old-timer now. Heck, when I see the youngin’s sitting there building their TikTok profiles, I feel almost like a “get off my lawn” old man.
But, things have indeed changed quite a bit.
Blogging used to be… easier. Things weren’t so noisy. People weren’t so jaded. People hadn’t seen everything already.
Mediums have evolved. And what’s required to make a dent in this world has evolved.
Here are 10 realities of blogging today. Not necessarily new, but… different than it used to be, for sure.
#1 – A Blog Is Not Enough
Blogging is no longer a novel thing. Hell, these days people seem to ask themselves if blogging is dead.
No, blogging isn’t dead. Not even a little. But, that doesn’t mean you can solely have a written blog and that’s enough. These days, you need to do more. Your blog is just one of millions.
#2 – Your Audience Is Smart And Picky
Truth is, your audience has seen it all. And even if they haven’t, they think they have. They’ve become more… sophisticated. More discerning of where their attention is spent.
So, posting the same trite advice seen on every other site in your niche isn’t going to cut it. Today, you need to take it up a notch and offer something they don’t see everyplace else.
#3 – You Need A Story And A Brand
Today, there’s so much volume when it comes to content that posting another list post of “tips” isn’t going to cut it anymore. If they do happen to find you, they won’t necessarily come back.
Today, you NEED a backstory. You need to tell a story. You need to create a brand with emotion, an interesting story, and things you stand for (and against). These days, people connect much more with the story than they do your massive information-laced blog post.
See: Branding Guide: The Exact Components Of Branding, Personal Brand, And How To Determine Your’s
#4 – Everybody Has Raised Their Game
People have gotten much better at content creation. The content is just… better. The production value is higher.
In this reality, you definitely do need to pay attention to the quality of what you produce. But also keep in mind, engagement is key. Spark a conversation with individuals in your audience. Get people to react to you. Even when it comes to SEO today, engagement is more important than the substance of the content.
Create accordingly.
#5 – You Can’t Be A Generalist And Compete.
The days of being able to pick a general niche and start a blog and become a major player are gone. I mean, if you’ve really nailed an interesting story to rise above the noise, you could do it. But, it is really tough. Every major market has very large players who dominate the attention.
Today, you have to narrow your niche. Pick a niche within a niche. Get specific. And get REALLY good at one unique thing.
#6 – You HAVE To Do More Than Write
You cannot just write a blog and succeed these days. The written word alone, no matter how well crafted, is not enough.
Today, you need to include multiple content types. Even to the same content, it is worth it to create multiple content modalities. This is why almost every blog post I do these days includes a video at the top.
Text, audio and video. You’ve really got to do all three.
#7 – You Need Distribution.
Today, you can publish the most amazing thing…. right into the abyss. Few will notice it. Today, you absolutely need to focus on building distribution mechanisms to promote your content.
In fact, promoting your content can be more work than actually producing it.
Distribution most certainly includes your own email list, but also includes your Youtube channel, social media profiles, others in your niche that you maintain a connection with, and even having a small budget to put toward paid amplification of your content on ad networks.
#8 – Conversion Is Vastly More Important Than Traffic
So many bloggers worry about how to get more traffic. But, traffic is everywhere. If you’re willing to put in the legwork, you can get traffic.
CONVERSION is way more important. And, in fact, you can get big results with relatively small amounts of traffic if you concentrate equally (if not more) on conversion as you do getting traffic.
Getting your visitors to turn into subscribers – then into buyers – is absolutely the most important skills you can develop.
#9 – You Need To Build A Business
Along the lines of the previous, is conversion is the most important thing, then convert into what?
You need to build a real business around any blog you run today. Otherwise, it just burns time and money. Today, an income has to be there to sustain even the flow of traffic. Without an income-producing business behind that blog, you won’t have the means to grow it and you will inevitably burn out.
See: Blog Monetization: The Exact Business Model Proven To Make Money Blogging
#10 – Spend More Time Service Existing Customers, Not Getting New Ones
Today, while the numbers can be bigger in terms of traffic… and the things we need to do to get it have evolved… never forget that less is more.
If you’re constantly chasing the next sale, it is really tough to grow. It is inefficient. Plus, your customers are less likely to get wins.
You can play a big game when it comes to content and getting traffic, but when it comes to producing your income, it is usually best to focus on serving a smaller group of people really well… then to go for raw numbers.
Here’s how I help people every day…
Make everything about managing your site simpler… by having me on your team to help make sure everything goes smoothly. By providing the very best tools, the best hosting and maintaining everything for you… I’ll take care of the mechanics so you can just focus on growth.
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