London, UK
“What a jerk!”
Anger seethed through my beginner blogger being.
The above thought and raging feeling coursed through my veins after receiving yet another curt reply from my alleged mentor 17 years ago. He replied with “yes”, “no” or one sentence pointing me to his training.
I vowed to never ever treat my readers and customers in such fashion. I would give them 2, 3 or even 4 paragraphs of mindful, detailed counsel to deepen their understanding.
Of course I thought that way some 17 years ago.
Nobody read my blog.
Nobody found my blog.
Nobody emailed me.
Nobody replied to my social media updates.
Nobody messaged me on social media.
Nobody pitched me to guest post on my blog.
I had all the time in the world to email 3, 4 or 5 paragraph replies.
Being a struggling or failing blogger would have been a step up from me back then because I basically did not exist as a blogger.
I was a righteous jerk.
I really was.
But the arrogant jackass changed his tune really quickly when he too became slammed by an avalanche of requests.
The Righteous Jerk Changes His Tune
Gradually, after a great deal of work, I became The Hunted versus being The Hunter.
5, then 10, then 100, then 500 then 1000 and more folks emailed, messaged and chatted with me about everything under the sun. A few craved my blogging advice. Most wanted me to hire them. Some begged me to support their orphanage. Others projected a far more peripheral desire (code for women wanting to jump my bones, for whatever reason).
Anyway, I took it all in stride, basically, but I changed my arrogant, beginner blogging jerk tune really fast.
I had a similar experience to the mentor who replied with 1 word or 1 sentence directing me to his system because I actually experienced some success and did not have all the time on earth to write a 5 paragraph email for one individual. I fully understood his strategy. I also doubled down on publishing blog posts as references to send to questioning bloggers. Frequently asked questions beg for blog posts.
Humbled deeply, I wished to send that guy flowers. Wherever he was in the world, he did not deserve some of the snippy emails I pettily lobbed his way.
I’m not looking for your tears. I do have immense compassion for impatient new bloggers unaware of the scheduling demands consistent with being an established pro. But expressing compassion entails guiding new bloggers in truthful fashion to correct errors and to begin walking the successful blogging path.
Seeing through the Eyes of a Pro Cuts Your Learning Curve Dramatically
Most new bloggers see the world only through their perspective.
Separating yourself from the world detaches you from reality.
Compassion, empathy or flat out reading the room become impossible for those who think only about themselves and never about the needs of others or the demands experienced by others.
See things through my perspective not to let me off of the hook but to connect more deeply with me.
Imagine circling the globe for 13 years while building an online business. I love each but combining two of the more at times uncomfortable things for humans to do means my reply times will vary and reply content will be brief. I may point you to an in-depth blog post for reference. Or I may drop a few sentences. Any answer is good money. But any irritation on your end dissolves into gratitude the moment you see my experience through your mind.
That’s it. That’s how to drive organic traffic and blogging income. See things through the mind of another person, aka your ideal reader. Solve their problems. Baby step them to solutions. Build a loyal blogging community. Earn blogging income.
I’m not your blog reader. I am more like the blogging leader who walks with my followers side by side. Consider me a blogging big brother with more experience than most. I am your equal but it makes sense to listen to someone who likely knows what you do not know when it comes to blogging.
When I write a post like this, it makes sense to think how I think, at least if you desire to reach your blogging goals.
Practical Tips to FollowÂ
- humble yourself; stop winging it, allow pros to correct your errors and follow their guidance closely
- publish blog posts answering frequently asked questions
- keep responses/replies brief when required to respect your time and their time
- drill down with in-depth replies intuitively when it feels appropriate; although you probably would be wiser to publish a blog post to reference again and again via a one-liner pointing folks to the resource
Conclusion
As we wrap things up, consider when you have been impatient with other bloggers and yourself.
Radically forgive (meaning look past) all parties involved to clear that gunk from your mind.
Nobody is really a jerk although we appear to act like one at times.
Understanding the perspective of others dissolves the jerky nature quickly.
Consider this to be one starting point for a prospering blogging career.
Seeing the world through the eyes of pro bloggers builds posture.
Framing the world through the eyes of your ideal reader is the foundation of a pro blogging career.
