It has been a while since my last video and in this one I’ll show you the reason why – my son Henri who arrived just a few weeks ago has been taking a lot of my attention of late.
In this video I want to talk about adding a personal touch to your blog and want to introduce you to some of the ideas that I cover in my previous series – Adding a Personal Touch to Your Blog.
I’m not talking about starting a personal blog where you share lots of personal information – what I’m focusing on here is building a blog that connects with people in a more personal way around your niche topic.
Over the last few years of blogging I’ve found that readers really respond well to when you approach your blogging in a more personal way.
Some of the ways you can add a personal touch to your blog include writing in the first person, blogging with emotion, sharing stories using humor, talking about real life activities, using bylines, featuring video and images, being honest about your mistakes and failings, taking personal notice of readers and blogging with a conversational voice.
When you do these types of things over the long haul readers get to a stage where they feel that they ‘know’ you and a blog becomes more than just a place where you dispense information and it becomes a place where people begin to connect.
I’d love to hear how you add a personal touch to your blog in comments below.
I agree that I am drawn to very personal blogs. My writing is very personal because it is a very personal subject, but I am always wondering where to draw the line about what I make public.
I’ve tried adding a personal touch to my technology blog by recently putting up pictures of the gadgets I purchase. I’ve been wanting to put up videos and have been saving up to buy a Flip Mino! Until then I’ll keep taking pictures. =)
But I believe a certain spice of personal in a blog livens things up!
My favorite blogs are the ones that are personal. The computer distances us enough as it is. It’s nice to see genuine emotion. I just started, but as of right now, I don’t know how to do it any other way.
Henri is a sight for sore eyes! What a handsome little guy. I know it’s not possible when a blog has a large audience, but when I have time I try to personally respond to comments if questions were asked.
I’m actually in the process of moving away from personal a bit. I’m just making it a bit more public friendly so if my boss, mother or whoever read it I wouldn’t have any problems as a result. Still though it is not completely professional either.
Great post, and a cute kid.
I’m glad to see your back to making videos, I’m soon to jump on this band wagon for my new tech blog. I feel you got it spot on.
I dont post personal posts, but i have twitter and plurk etc.. for my readers to connect with me on a personal level. I feel that on the blog i try to be more professional, but that may change as I’m still trying to find my own style in blogging.
As a blogger who just starting out one of my latests posts was exactly what you described. Valueable yet personal. I found that I had the most fun and interest in writting that way.
Thank you for sharing.
Hi, Darren! What a great topic! I mostly share my personal, often tragic, stories from my youth. My readers seem to find these posts the most interesting — such as the time that I was bullied by an entire school which finally forced me to become an extrovert (at least on the outside). In “How to Be an Extrovert” at http://shanelyang.com/2008/06/20/how-to-be-an-extrovert/ readers seem to connect more with my personal story than with the tips on how to be an extrovert. Although the story was difficult (and in many ways embarrassing) for me to tell, I thought it might help other painfully shy introverts (as opposed to the non-shy introverts — which there are plenty of as well) overcome some of their problems. The amazing reaction I received from that post has given me the courage to share more equally difficult stories from my past, which I’m now exploring in my 30-day “All About You!” series.
That brings me to my second most important way to make my blog more personal, I have invited all my readers to participate with me on a 30-day journey of exploring their past, too, along with me as I revisit mine, to end up knowing the answers to the following 3 critical questions: (1) Who are you? (2) What do you want? and (3) How do you get there from here? The series starts at http://shanelyang.com/2008/07/18/all-about-you/
I got the idea for this while I was doing my fasting log and noticed that readers enjoyed following along on a series, watching the drama unfold, if you will. Then, I thought it would be great to do a similar project with the readers as participants (even if they never share their results with me). Anyway, it should be exciting! We’re on Day 2 and I’ve had a great response so far!
Occasionally I share a humorous story about my daughters. To date, one of my most popular posts is a scanned note written by my 6-yr old to God. Quite funny.
I’m trying to find that fine line between being too personal and not being intimate enough.
I find that writing in a personal fashion is more rewarding, but I also realize that online diaries aren’t usually what people are coming to the site for. If a post gives the reader a feeling of friendly conversation while still making a point and offering something useful, I’m satisfied.
You’ll either be totally professional like sites such as Engadget or you can be transparent and personal.
Professionalism scales better, personal seems to have very engaged readers.
Being more personal in your blogging means that your readers will develop a better connection with you. Your building a stronger brand, one where you’re more easily able to share the values you represent.
Oh and by the way, Henri is adorable! Congrats to you and your better-half!
CK
having Henry in the video is going personal on the blog. However, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to go. Video started and I (and I can bet I am not the only one) was all like: “Awwwww he’s soooo cute!”, and what Darren has to say went to the third plane. :)
Your son stole the show! I just kept staring at him cuz he is so cute. He kept looking at you then at the camera. So cute! He is a celebrity now! :)
As for being personal. I usually write using “you” a lot and asking questions. It gives the reader something to think about and participate in.
I try to keep it mildly personal in the actual post and then I’m totally personal in the comments. If someone asks about experiences I’ve had I’ll answer it in the comment section.
Oh well isn’t Henri just delightful? What a cutie! Congrats Darren. I try not to get too personal in the actual posts on my blog. I try to stear clear of first person narrative or using stories to examplify… sometimes that is difficult as it seems far more natural to want to talk about yourself a little… but I find that keeping the personal part of me in my response to comments etc has been working quite well… This is still something I’m considering though – doing up a proper “About the Author” page and sharing more of myself. Your post has me thinking – about reader/writer connection etc.
Congrats on the little one he is definitely a cutie. Great post as well. Thanks for the tips
Hey my son’s name is Henry too! But spelled differently. You were cool before this but now you posted this adorable daddy video and I like your sons name. I might be in love! LOL! Great post.
What a lovely little boy!
Seriously I started to see the video because of your son. He is such a cutie!
About being personal, I always try to tell a story about myself whenever possible. Although, my blog is really about my life, there are some posts a bit informative. And I tried to include the thought behind writing it.
The “you’ part is little hard for me right now. There are few people who leave comments. And sometimes I am not sure if anyone is enjoying any post. So I have a question here, If your blog is a personal piece, how do you ensure you’ll get feedback/participation from readers? (because you know it’s about your life and stuff…so people might think the don’t have anything to say.)
The personal touch on a blog tells me that real people who are most probably very passionate are at work. While quality content is required to keep my attention, the personal touch can get me in the door and get me back again.
Congrats on your new little champion. He’s clearly got a dad who dotes on him. Well done man.
I’ve found that people are more willing to listen to you when they know that you care. I’ve been learning to be more open and share some of my own personal experiences and lessons learned on my blog. I appreciate your willingness to share from your heart. Your little baby Henri is adorable!!!!
I totally agree with this. My favorite blogs are where I know the authors and get their stories along with the information that they’re presenting. The most common way to do this is to simply write about your experience in the context of your niche. So, for example, if you’re doing a personal finance blog, you write about your experience with a particular bank. This brings the reader closer to the material.
My primary niche is dating advice and I always mix in personal dating stories as examples, so my readership really gets a sense of who Lance is and what my values are. I’ve just started a green trends blog with some friends, and I’ll be doing the same thing, blogging with my distinct voice and adding a personal touch to the posts so that the audience can identify and relate to me.
This part of blogging looks very obvious, yet some times overlooked by bloggers (like I do). Just from scanning your post, we can already pick up some pointers in blogging.
There’s no doubt he is your son. Even the ‘do is identical. :-) Just kidding mate. More power to your blog.
Sometimes you get personal on blogs coz life ‘just happens’. I’ve just started my video dance lesson blog and have just found out I’m pregnant (which is fantastic!) I won’t be able to keep this a secret from my viewers (and I don’t want to have to wait nine months to make another video post). So I guess everyone is just going to have to watch my tummy get fatter and fatter as I teach them dance…lol.
Anyway, congrats on your bundle.
The video is no longer available! :(
It hasn’t been five weeks! Wow!
Darren, dad to dad, trust me, absorb, video, journal, Enjoy!
I know Henri isn’t your first, but days spin by, and in ten years your memory will not be as sharp is it seems now.
Great case of teaching by example.
Well done mate.
(And you made me ache for the days me boys fit to my chest)
Ah, never mind, my browser must have bugged out.
Our blog doesn’t have any kind of personal information.
Which of course, would defeat the point of this post, right? But give me a second. Our blog (unlike most blogs) is tied to the website. So it’s an extension of the website.
So when the person is looking for something About Us, here’s what they find:
1) A very unusual photo of me balancing on one leg.
2) Several additional photos of people we’ve met, our travels etc.
3) Links to New Zealand (where we live) and luscious photos.
4) Recipes to some really cool Indian food.
Of course there are contact details, media photos, etc. But it’s those four factors up there that cause people to connect with us. In fact, we’ve had clients who’ve signed up to a course, because they said–and I quote: “You were having so much fun, that we wanted so much to be like you.”
This factor of personality is what I see hidden on most websites. Most people are plainly stupid. You go to their websites, and see nothing but an About Us page that’s impersonal.
And that’s a waste of space.
Being personal is critical. We are humans and we want to deal with humans. Not having a human element on your website/blog is a mistake.
Sean.
http://www.psychotactics.com
This is something I’ve been doing right from the beginning, or trying to anyway. I think it helps your readers become more loyal because they feel more of a personal connection with you. I also find that I am more loyal to the blogs who do the same thing. I like the information they provide, but I also like to hear the personal side of things to help me get to know them better and understand more about where they’re coming from.
Now after seeing this video I want to have another baby! I miss cuddling with them like that. What an adorable little cutie patootie Henri is :)
I try and strike a balance by being just personal enough. I make lots of effort to make my readers feel involved and valued. As well as offering advice I also ask for it. I show of the things I have made when they are good as inspiration for others, but I also show the mistakes I make so as not to appear like there’s nothing for me to learn. I also have recommendations about other blogger’s posts on my sidebar for people to go and look at.
I agree, this is something I have been doing from the beginning. I never really thought about it, but, to me, that’s the reason people read blogs.
Blog are naturally more personally than a regular website, and people come there expecting to get to know the person behind it.
How you write, the things you write, and how you engage your readers are all important. I definitely think this is important.
I would say my blog is almost 100% personal!
I’ve shown “before and after” photos, talked about my victories and defeats, and been very open about my struggle to bring some order to my life.
This is deliberate on my part, and was inspired by the feeling that many professional organizers don’t understand the pain of being chronically disorganized! Though to be fair, I think that’s changing some.
What I have much less of is the “tips and tricks” type of post, which seem to be the hallmark of many successful blogs.
My sites a work in progress and appreciate your advice, thanks.
http://www.profitopia.net
I do notice a bigger response when I put up a more personal post. I have tried to make this a bigger part of my blog lately and really try to reach out and grab people in.
Thanks for the nice post and congrats on the new addition!
Jason A. Hendricks
Recruiting Director
Skinny Moose Media
My blog is also personal, so I can’t really talk.
However, I have found that probably the best way to connect with bloggers on a personal level is through social networking such as plurk or twitter.
In the last few days you’ve posted on your plurk feed that you were having problems with your zip on your jeans and you were having a pizza night with pale ale. That’s pretty personal. Whilst you haven’t diluted this site with this information, for a twitter/plurk feed, it’s perfect, because those are all about connecting with people, and you cannot provide much information in 140 without saying “look at this!” and providing a URL.
But, truth be told, I read & responded to both those plurks, because I felt I knew you better. You were human, with human problems and pleasures, rather than just some faceless A-Lister.
I do connect quite well on twitter/plurk as well, because I keep posts on there relating to my football/other interests, rather than hawking my blog, so people with the same interests, that I follow and follow me, who have similar interests, get in touch.
Great post :)
I’m a father of two little girls and started Addoursearch.com while my youngest was born. So, I love that you’re showing your son… it really hits home.
I personalize my blog in two different ways:
First, there is using personal experiences when reviewing a site and why I find it useful.
Second, I update Twitter with both personal things about my life, but also with my blog posts and business.
For example, this weekend… I had a blog post about a site I reviewed, then updated the same twitter account a few hours later while I was at the beach with my girls. It was the first time they had been down to Lake Superior, so they were fascinated by the waves… it was adorable.
Funny thing is, I have two twitter accounts twitter.com/addoursearch and twitter.com/tpeterson
I get far more traffic to my blog from my personal twitter account (tpeterson) than my business only (addoursearch)
ps. You’ve got the daddy rock… Do you find yourself doing that even when you’re not holding Henry? All my coworkers noticed when I was in the office. It’s a fond memory. :)
One of the very best things you can ever do (if it’s possible) is to hold a real life event that people can attend. Having held a couple of events people are asking us when the next one will be. Only a very tiny percentage of readers will be able to attend but simply that they were invited goes a long way to personally connect with them.
Posting video/pictures after the event is great for letting those that couldn’t attend see the faces behind the blog and for those that did attend see themselves as a real part of the blog.
One of my favourite posts is still the video of our blogs 1st birthday party (http://www.tamebay.com/2007/11/move-over-scorsese.html)
If you get the chance to host an event I highly recommend it.
Thanks for sharing a video of your baby. He is so cute (and attracting a lot of attention to your post, I’m sure).
But about this post—aaack! I do try to personalize my blog posts by adding a little of my personal style, tastes and opinions, but it has been difficult for me, mostly because of my upbringing, probably. To be honest, I grew up in a home where I was encouraged not to share personal information about my family and life with people, and also where my opinions and feelings were not really encouraged or welcomed, so I often wonder why anyone would want to know what I think, anyway, and I am often hesitant to speak my mind, even over the internet. I have gotten bolder over the past year and am more confident about expressing myself personally, but it is not natural for me, even though I realize that this is what readers want.
Is it possible to be a successful but mysterious blogger? I would imagine that some bloggers, due to the sensitive nature of their blog topics would not want to share any personal info except maybe their emotions about that topic.
This was a timely thing for me to read. I was just thinking that what Jeff and I do with our site is becoming quite clinical now, and 8 months into the website and 1,000 subscribers later, we still don’t have an About page. Hah. It’s just that I come from a good eight years of personal blogging and I think I’ve been subconsciously trying to put as much distance between that (personal blogging) and myself.
Henri is ADORABLE, by the way.
Cute baby. Adding a personal touch is definitely a must to separate yourself from the other million bloggers online.
I’ve made it a point to try to write in much the same way that I talk–as if I was having a conversation with my readers. Some writers have a way of talking over, or down to, their readers and I personally find that to be a turn off. Set out with a goal to connect with people, not prove how expansive your vocabulary is.
By the way, Henri is adorable–what a blessing!
tnx for the tips darren!!!:)
Now im applying the method on your video in my site.
heres my latest post using first person which is me and having contact on the reader.
http://naldzgraphics.com/tutorials/photoshop-tutorial-on-how-to-make-simple-3d-box/
hi to you cute Henri:)Hope ul be as good as your father. Hope you understand what im saying now.lol
great post. Thanks! This is something I really need to work on. In general, though I write in the first person and I always like to add a bit of humour. I think more and more lately though I am revealing a bit more about my own life…little anecdotes here and there…
Thanks again, and Henri is a great name.
jess
My posts that include photos with me or friends in them get the best traffic over time. Totally agree with a personal touch, hence why my comments are up over 20 per post these days … well most anyway. Occasionally i do cover what i ate last night too ….. living in Japan the food is a very interesting topic for many.
Good luck with the new born too.
Personal stories, in moderation, are perfectly appropriate and even necessary on a personal blog — or a blog in a niche that addresses home- and lifestyle-based topics. It is much more difficult to find the right tone for a business or technology blog, or indeed any blog where readers are seeking solutions more than entertainment.
The blogs I enjoy reading the most in that area, and those where I feel most connected to the blogger – and yes, we do seek to make human connections, even in reading online – are those that have a bit of a conversational tone. It’s like a knowledgeable friend who shares his own experiences and discoveries and techniques. What could be better?
And why should we, as bloggers, be concerned about making a personal connection with our readers? Simply put, it is human nature to feel *invested* to a greater extent in the success of a blogger with whom the reader can feel a connection.
Where that human connection can be established, there will inevitably follow the RSS subscriptions, the comments, the social bookmarking, the word-of-mouth recommendations, the purchases or clients – whatever the ultimate promotional or business goal might need. And besides, isn’t it just much more fun to be able to feel that we’re writing for people who have more than a passing casual interest in our opinions? :-)
Putting a video with your baby on the blog is going to get me in every time! :)
LOVED the way you used music at the start and end of the video too. Very effective.
Congrats Darren, the baby is adorable!!!
This is so true, you can instantly “feel” a blogger when you enter their blog, and many times there is no connection there to the human person behind the blog, personalization is so important in making an emotional connection to your readers.
Thanks,
JR
I try to make my wealth blog as personal as possible with photos, videos and personal stories. Thanks for the tips
Congrats D & V, Henri is such a lovely boy! He is very photogenic too :)
Congrats Darren – darling Henry has the makings of a real star! I eagerly await your next vid where we get to see you change his nappy, burp and give him a bath. Now THAT’S personal!! ;))
It is high time to leave traditional marketing hype beyind and GET PERSONAL when it comes to fun and business. I truly believe that’s the only way to make a positive, lasting and worthwhile impression others will want to connect with. ;)