This first appeared on Gushcloud.com on 12 April 2013.
I stalk the Internet for a living.
Well, sort of.
As a full-time PhD student (surviving on a tiny stipend) attempting to climb the rungs of academe (hopefully to eventually emerge as a social media scholar someday!), prowling through the inter-webs is my rice bowl. I read, analyse, and write about everything to do with the Internet. I am excessively passionate about the Internet. THE INTERNET!
My current research project focuses on Commercial Lifestyle Bloggers based in South East Asia, so if you’ve ever made money through blogging in SEAsia, chances are I’ve stalked you! (Also, send your URLs to me, pronto.)
Having sieved through countless blogs for the past couple of years, allow me to humbly present two tips to up your game in the blogosphere (the ones no one has told you about!)
- It’s not all about ‘high life glamour’
People often have the misconception that in order to be an attractive blogger, you’ve got to write a bunch about special/unique/exclusive things and happenings. Well that’s only half true!
While exclusivity may attract an initial audience – you know, atas media previews, extravagant yacht parties, and a plethora of overprized leather goods on display – it also creates a social barrier between blogger and reader over time. Voyeuristic envy only sustains reader interest for that long.
- Show us the ‘everyday mundane’
Readers are actually interested in the everyday life of a blogger, the mundane, the things that you and I have to do to get through a day. It’s comforting to know that on some level, ‘we are all the same’. Being accessible is a leveling experience that draws in readers. Maintaining a fine balance between marketing ‘up’ your distinctive feel and retaining an attainable commonness is the key.
Be it trudging through hectic school or work schedules, fretting over banal things like household chores and the bills, or dramatically recounting relationship crises, be sure to slip in a couple of these anecdotes every now and then to sustain your relatability with readers!
- Sneak in peeks from behind-the-scenes
There is something very captivating about transformations, ala the reality show The Swan where women were given extreme makeovers to evolve into glamorous beauties. In fact, most of the enchantment lies in the ability to witness the process and not just the end product!
Depending on the genre of your blog, there are different types of ‘revelations’ you could pursue.
So you’ve recently attended an exclusive event? Show us the backstage! Were you nervous or excessively excited? Which outfits did you reject? Who did you meet? We’ve seen the glamorous photographs, but we really wanna know what went on in your head!
Are you a tech blogger? Recount on the early days when you were still a tech noob. Bring readers through your journey of technological enlightenment. Chances are some readers will be able to relate to that exact instance of joy (or pain) while navigating digital civilisation.
Up your game now! Till the next, happy blogging!
Crystal Abidin,
Gushcloud Research Scientist
WISHCRYS 