Let me start this post by saying that I personally don’t see any of the niches that I blog in as being a ‘niche full of jerks’.
OK – now that I’ve got that out of the way – I was recently asked in an interview a question by a blogger who did ask me for advice on working in a niche that was full of jerks (although their language was slightly more colourful than that).
The niche that they were referring to was the ‘make money online’ niche which they perceived as being inhabited and dominated by people who took advantage of others, didn’t mind engaging in unethical tactics, engaged in all kinds of obnoxious marketing tactics.
I’m going to leave the debate as to whether that niche is ‘full of jerks’ to others – but wanted to share part of how I responded because while not every niche is ‘full of jerks’ – we can all probably benefit by presenting ourselves in a way where we are not seen in that light.
You see – whether we like it or not – some people see the internet as being filled with people and sites that can’t be trusted. That may be changing as people use and trust the web more but the if your media is anything like what we see from some parts of the media here in Australia – there’s still plenty of mistrust and examples of shoddy internet use being highlighted every day in mainstream media.
So how does a blogger develop trust, build authority and be seen as authentic?
Following are a few thoughts on the topic, none of them by themselves will flip a switch and make everyone trust you – but I think combined they help:
1. Persist
One of the first things I’ll say about ‘jerks’ is that most of them don’t last the distance. They tend to get found out, exposed or seen for what they are eventually (and perhaps increasingly as the web develops and becomes more social).
Work hard at consistently producing something worthwhile and and in many cases you’ll outlast the jerks or at least will find that people begin to realize that you approach things differently to others and perhaps are someone worth taking a 2nd look at.
PS: one thing I’ll add here is that it’s not just about longevity but also consistency. People get suspicious when your message changes too much. Your ideas will naturally change and evolve over time but if you’re chopping and changing your approach and perspective too much people can find that a little odd.
One example of this that I saw recently was a blogger whose readership pushed back hard at them after he’d been doing too many affiliate promotions of products that didn’t match up with the values that he was ‘preaching’ in posts. He was recommending products that were not consistent with the advice he gave in his teaching.
2. Be Personal
There are times in almost every bloggers career where they will be accused by someone else as being something that they are not. People will form perceptions of you as you blog and some of those perceptions will be far from reality. This has happened to be numerous times over the last 8 years of blogging but in most cases things have turned around (to some extent) with some personal contact.
In some cases its simply about leaving a comment on a blog post to show you’re willing to interact, in other cases its about engaging in a conversation via email, sometimes it is about jumping on the phone or Skype for a voice chat and once for me it even involved a face to face interaction.
There’s something very powerful about personal contact. I’m not just talking about fixing false perceptions – I also mean being personal in the way you go about your normal blogging. Sharing a little personal information or giving a little insight into who you are outside of your blog can have a profound impact on how people perceive you.
PS: one of the things I’ve noticed is that when you put yourself out there in different mediums (whether it be video, audio or in person) you will connect with different people. The occasional video post or podcast will make your ‘more real’ to some people.
3. Be Relatable
Building on this idea of ‘being personal’ is that of being relatable.
We like people who are like us – people who we share something in common with. This might be something personal (like being a parent, or reading similar books) or it could be something a little more on topic to our blogs (like having a similar question, experience or challenge).
Show people that you’re normal – that you have similar problems, passions, challenges, breakthroughs and experiences – and you’ll find people are a lot more willing to trust what you say.
4. Be Accessible
One of the most ‘perception changing’ things that I’ve ever done is to visit industry events/conferences. This is no easy thing for me as I’m ‘locationally challenged’ and live 24 hours travel from most events in my niche – but it’s certainly been worthwhile.
Meeting people in person is perhaps the best way to show someone what you’re like – it’s the ultimate in ‘accessibility’ (unless you surround yourself in people you know and book yourself solid with meetings).
Of course traveling to events does not suit everyone’s budget or life situation – however there are other ways to increase your accessibility. One that I’d like to do more of is livestreaming video events. I try to do these every month or two on Ustream and every time that I do I get feedback that indicates that people both enjoy it and find it to be something that changes perceptions of me.
Adding contact forms, doing interviews, answering reader questions, interacting on other blogs – all of these things can help a lot.
5. Be Useful
Sometimes the only thing that really matters to people is whether you’re useful or not. If you solve a problem for someone or make their lives better in some way… you’ll create a lasting impression. They still might not ‘like’ you but it can’t help but improve your reputation on some level in their mind.
Be useful over the long haul (persist) and you will grow that reputation and hopefully in time garner some respect also.
6. Be Transparent
Even trustworthy, authentic and honest people stuff up every now and again. Mistakes are made – tempers are lost – bad days are had – temptation to ‘do evil’ can get the better of most people.
No one is a complete angle and on those occasions where things get the better of you the best way forward is to be transparent about one’s failures and own up to our short comings. In fact in my experience – it’s sometimes when you own your mistakes and failings that you become all the more authentic and trustworthy to many.
7. Be Trustworthy
Ultimately it comes down to actually being the type of person that you want to be treated as (sounds like something most Mums probably drum into their kids). If you want to be seen as trustworthy – be trustworthy. If you want to be seen as authentic – be authentic. If you want to be treated with respect – treat others with respect and act in a way that will be respected.
Being true to yourself and a trustworthy person doesn’t guarantee that others will perceive you in that way – whether it be a personality clash or someone else having had previous bad experiences, some people just don’t trust easily – but ultimately the best way to be seen as ‘not a jerk’ is to avoid being one.
This is pretty cool post for me as I choose a common topic for blogging. There are really big blogs out their so it is pretty hard to stand out. Couple of time I thought I should give it up and start a new blog. However, still I am continue blogging about it.
This is going to be really useful. How about try to do something different to others. Or something crazy. Once I start giving out free advertising to people who are interested and it when really cool. I manage to build good relationships through that.
Happy Blogging
Sjay
Hey Darren,
Thanks for sharing this simple components to follow. They seem so basic. But yet, so many still ignore them.
To be honest this tips doesn’t fits only for Make money online but for all the blogs. I have seen lots of tech blogs posting ample amount of posts daily but hardly manage to grab a single comment where as many blogs with limited no. of posts are getting tons of comments just coz they are being personal. Nice point Darren.
It is interesting how many people think not being transparent or easy to contact is part of an online business. I recently saw a debate about this on a popular forum.
These 7 points can be reversed to whom should you trust.
Heh heh… when I saw the title teaser yesterday on Twitter, I was trying to guess what the niche would be. All I could come up with was reality show judges, but I’m not sure that’s a niche. Maybe it should be ;)
Thanks for another excellent post on how to be excellent :)
I try to make it a point of actually using any products I recommend as an affiliate (31 DBBB as a charming example!). This may lend me credibility, but I have yet to solve the problem of the free advice seekers. Regardless, I shall continue to promote the items that work the best for me!
Wendy
I just experienced your point number 3. I’ve started a service setting up WordPress for small business websites.
An old hand in the industry saw a few interactions of mine on a forum, visited my website and sent me an email. He was worried I was ripping people off.
I simply told him I’m a real person, I’m genuine, I’m committed and I’m learning on the job.
I was so happily suprised by the change in his tone after that.
I am in the “make money online” niche and I think its more about inexperience than a bunch of jerks. I can tell you first hand that it is exhausting… Sometimes I want to quit Social Media because it is all spam out of this niche and it feels like a traffic exchange. Lately, I have realized why MLM companies tell their distributors to stay offline.
Well this is a beautiful post Darren and as usual very unique, but a post which tells you a way to stand out in a niche full of geniuses would be much more appreciated, because my niche is filled with people like Darren because mine is the blogging and make money online niche. Just kidding!! Wonderful post again.
http://www.dumblittleblogger.com/
Thanks for this post.tIn These Days There are millions of articles about making money online, and it’s difficult to decipher which ones are real and which ones are just scams. And I don’t want to be lumped into that pile of mush.
If you just Try to google “how to make money online” and you know what I’m talking about. To Write about Making Money Online you should have a real experience so you have the proof, and then, you can plan on showing people how you’ve done it.
Younes TARCHOUN
http://TutoriaLog.com | I Learn… I Share
Taking the time to create a transparent and friendly “About Me” page that has a picture of you – not a logo is also a great way to bond and gain the trust of readers.
cool post this time…
hey darren,which theme you used in this blog??don’t worry,i’ll not steal that theme…i am choosing arras theme for my blog…is it better to choose premium theme??and why?
nice post, obviously standing out for begginers in their niche is very hard, but not impossible.
@jayant: i think darren is using thesis theme.
I love all of these tips. My blog is about love and marriage so being personal and relatable are two very important things in my niche.
In the end I do believe the persistence is key. Thanks for pointing out that it’s so important to work hard at consistently producing something worthwhile – I do believe that in most cases you will outlast the rest, which all in itself will set you apart, great post.
Good points indeed. Sometimes the word “jerk” is, however, based upon jealousy…
As you have pointed out, persistency, good content, social marketing and constant inspiration are key elements to success. Pointing that out to lazy people may earn anyone a similar title of being a “jerk”, but true nonetheless.
Thanks for writting, Darren. :-)
Great advice here. My niche (fitness) is full of rip-off people selling complete garbage in the name of health. Being transparent and trustworthy are so important.
How about Be Reasonable? I mean be reasonable in terms of:
1. What niche you are blogging in
2. What products you are offering or recommending
3. What you are boasting about yourself
4. What do you expect from readers
I have seen bloggers who promote things which are hardly related to their niche or provide services hardly worth the price. I remember a speech given by Gary vaynerchuk where he said listening to the readers, giving damn about readers is the most important thing as a part of building your personal brand and that’s where most of the bloggers are lacking. Building community just for selling affiliate stuff not gonna work, simple as that. I agree with all the points mentioned here, but being reasonable about your area of blogging, products you promote, your area of expertise is one of the most important thing. Faking yourself to be somebody else won’t work
Just when I need it :). Since my niche is in many cases full of jerks, I can use the advices above for real.
I’m thinking of one person in particular who’s readership pushed back a little, but from some of the comments those readers left (I was at some of the rudeness), at least some of those people would never be customers, of any sort, ever.
It’s really easy for people to see the “making money” online niche as full of jerks, but in many ways these people are often bitter. They don’t realize that the people who do make money online have actually worked really hard to get there. When there is so much free information out there that bloggers give away with no expectation of anything in return, it’s kind of amazing that people get pissed off that these people.
That being said, there’s alot to be said for transparency and trustworthiness. I never really made any progress with affiliate promotions or revenue generation of any sort until I really started only promoting the products that I use every single day and genuinely support.
Thank you!!! This really helps me things real.
Very nice post Daren , I too keep experiementing with different niches and usually fail at quite a few .. now I know why !!!
Thanks Darren!,
I guess it’s all about thinking what are you actually good at!. Because people say they are good at making money and working hard, we can all do that, but what do they actually do?…
I work hard and make money, but that’s boring to talk about. I’d rather talk about flash animation and cool stuff on the internet!…
Nice one guys ;]
Darren,
Your advice to be accessible is the winner – IMO. Someone described as
“dominated by people who took advantage of others, didn’t mind engaging in unethical tactics, engaged in all kinds of obnoxious marketing tactics.”
is not going to be accessible in any real sense. This is a great way to find out if there is any “substance” behind the persona.
Great advice for those who want to do it better.
Darren I’m absolutely loving this post mate!
Hit the nail on the head for me buddy! Unfortunately the Internet Marketing niche is full of idiots but there are also some great influential people who really are the real deal.
This was always my intention with my blog – Interview the people who are living proof that this stuff actually works and that all of this hard work does pay off!
Some really good tips that I shall certainly be using in the future.
Luke
Thanks Darren,
This is really great and useful advice, among the thing that I like the most is by being personal and being trustworthy, people do like people they can trust. Thanks again for your great post full of useful advice.
Probably it will take some time to build trust with readers and kick some jerks out of the MMO community, but those are great tips to consider while working!
Great link for a post I am working on!
If you’re in a niche full of jerks, most people aren’t going to want to subscribe to the jerks information or be around the. All the points you mention above show that. I relate this to the guy that sends me 10 emails in a week about buying his product when I subscribe to his newsletter to get content.
Persistence is what you will beat most people with. Not many people are looking for a long-term commitment. Everyone wants the fast buck.
Right on… I suspect, like you do, that I find exactly the people I expect to find… and I find most of ’em are darn good folks to know.
I only recently found you here. I’ve been a follower of DPS for some time. Do you have other blogs I should know about???
This is an amazingly relevant post (and site in general) for anyone who wants to succeed on the internet.
Thank you for sharing such great info.
I also think that adding in a light touch of humor can endear us to our readers and establish a more friendly relationship with them. I personally love to read and frequently visit blogs that from time to time incorporate a good sense of humor in them.
It’s fair to say that there are jerks in some fields such as the one you mentioned. They actually get more readers by behaving like jerks and doing jerky things so I like to think it’s just a persona and they’re not really like that. Like you I don’t recommend using a persona though, much better to be yourself and keep it natural, that way you won’t make mistakes, contradict yourself or come over as a dork. Well, hopefully.
My problem is the opposite. All the people in my blogging niche (self improvement) are genuinely lovely people who enjoy helping others. Even the many youngsters who seem to have little life experience write great stuff and are genuine in their desire to help people. So how do I differentiate myself there? Not by being a jerk that’s for sure:)
Great post Darren. There a many ways of saying it, but a lot of your posts have the same content.
Not a slam. On the contrary it’s refreshing because success is really about the doing the right things well.
I appreciate your mix of consistency, fundamentals, and real life experience.
Jerk: a MMO blogger who talks about how much money he makes and shows you techniques he uses.
Great artist: a graphic design blogger who talks about his graphic design projects and shows you techniques he uses.
My suggestion is simple: be not jerk. :D
I’m in the grow taller niche. Their are no more bigger jerks than in that niche. I just quietly plug along and try to use some of the tactics of the make money online niche :) Mainly trying to use keywords more, long tails, and keyword anchors.
It doesn’t hurt that I’m miles ahead of everyone else in the field of growing taller other than sky from easyheight.com who’s a pretty distant second :)
Offering real value in a niche full of jerks is a good start.
Great post darren. Being personal is definitely the best way to stand out, I think. That’s what has worked for me.
Agree totally with this article and I myself have written about blogger trustworthiness before. Excellent post about the basics of being a better blogger.
I love it when successful entrepreneurs and business people offer such sage advice, it proves useful not only for doing business well, but living well ~ for being a decent human being.
Many entrepreneurs hold the impression that getting ahead involves clawing your way to the top, requires a ‘competitive edge’, finding another marketing angle to boost sales of a product they wouldn’t buy themselves. It’s this kind of thinking that can lead to being a “jerk.” Personally, I prefer to concentrate on building relationships with strategic partners, fostering a positive identity for myself and my business while offering something I believe in and hope others can benefit from.
Abundance is ever so much more powerful a goal than profit. It’s a little more difficult to tally up than dollars and cents, but the riches are incalculable.
I look forward to your posts because your brutal honestly is so refreshing and makes me laugh. I have your RSS on my blog site under “learn from the experts”. If you find one of “those” bloggers who has really made a six-figure income in 30 seconds like many of them boast, promise me you will let me know. When i click on some of the disguised as valuable content URLs and get to one of those sites that YELLS at you when you try to immediately click off the site, it is like finger nails on a chalk board to me.
Thanks for another brilliant post :)
Unfortunately the MMO niche has the max number of jerks – I am trying to be different there in LOL
Be the change you want to see; start showing a positive attitude and others will follow!
I agree with Kiesha, a photo makes a huge difference.
I also think that personal “stuff” can be shared (I remember a post by Darren with a pic of him and his kid) This makes people find areas in which to relate to you. I never thought of Darren as a parent – I am too!
As usual a great post.
“No one is a complete —angle—”
Nobody is perfect either :P
Im sure it was intended!!! :D :D
I think persistency is the most important factor to determine the success of a blog. However, the niche of make money online is really a popular niche. We really need to put a lot of efforts to stand out of the cloud for this niche.
Three little words: integrity, self-respect and dignity.
I don’t see these words being used much but they have powerful implications. Be true to these words and life becomes a whole lot easier.
Surely these words should be core principles that we should live by and doing so will make our social presence on the Internet far more honest, enjoyable and believable.
Good post Darren, I can relate to practically everything, especially about how other percieve you, I have only been running my men’s lifestyle blog for 6 months, and I have come under attack a few times, mainly because of my brash nature and outspoken views.
I had one reader completely slate and trash my blog, saying it was sexist, egotistical, poorly designed etc etc, and I felt pretty dam rubbish I have to say, I work very very hard and when someone says stuff like that it can get to you, but looking back on that situation I laugh, because that guy who slated my blog and disagreed with the whole concept of it actually left his URL in the comments section of the site, now how is that for contradiction, he hates my site but is willing to be associated with it all because my traffic is better than his.
I have come to learn that blogging about your chosen subject is going to wrile many people in many different countries. And yeah I have thought on many occasions ‘am I the jerk’ and ‘am I really cut out for this’ but as I watch my analytics graph slowly climb i say to myslef….yes I am good at it, and I will keep on doing what I love.
I like “persist”. That is a word I find very valuable in any online venture. This was down to earth, practical advice. Keep it real.
thanks again for a great post.
DR
Darren, thanks for this post and the reminders. You give bloggers something to think about. I’ve written your list down and taped it to my computer screen.