This guest post is by Jared Latigo.
I’ve come across possibly hundreds of articles from prominent sites around the web that tackle the 10, 15, or 101 reasons your blog isn’t getting the traffic it deserves. But the interesting thing is that none of the ones I’ve found mention the real reason, the core reason, as to why no one is reading your blog.
This isn’t a stretch, in fact, we all know it. It’s not even something that we’re oblivious to. In fact, it’s obvious but we tend to forget it often.
The simple reason is entitlement. Let me explain.
Your mom is the only one reading your posts
That’s great. I’m glad she thinks you’re awesome. I mean, my mom reads mine and she thinks I’m awesome. At least, I think so. But that’s a problem.
It would be perfectly okay with me if it were her plus, say, 400 other people every day. But that’s not the case. So how do we fix it?
It’s a mindset thing.
The real problem is this
You are writing awesome, compelling, new-to-the-world content that will change the course of history, yet no one is reading it. Except your mom. And the reason is that we forget that we’re not entitled to anyone’s attention. Not any more.
We forget that everyone else thinks they are just as awesome as we think we are. It’s really a problem. We forget to ask permission to talk to them and then wonder why we’re losing followers on Twitter when we post 30 times a day about our recent blog post!
Seth Godin, who I’m a huge fan of, talks about permission marketing. He says that in order to market these days, we have to get people to want us to market to them. And we have to keep that promise forever.
“Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them.”—Seth Godin
The interesting thing is that Dale Carnegie wrote about this in 1936. This is nothing new. The book is called How to Win Friends and Influence People. It’s amazing. But in it, he talks not about marketing a company, but about getting along with people. He references incredible people like Abraham Lincoln, who was known as “Honest Abe” for a reason: he was honest!
But the key takeaway from that book, for me anyway, was this.
“There is only on way under the high Heaven to get anybody to do anything. Did you every stop to think of that? Yes, just one way. And that is by making the other person want to do it. Remember, there is no other way.”—Dale Carnegie
The two takeaways from that quote are:
- The other person has to want to do it.
- Remember.
And we forget.
I have no idea why, but we forget that no one owes us their time, or their money, or their attention. We have to make them want to give us each of those. That’s the only way anyone is going to buy your product or read your blog. You have to make them want to read it.
Seth Godin and Dale Carnegie are a good two generations apart, but they understand the same core tenet of getting people to do something. The same is true for our blogs.
(Luckily) The solution is simple
Well, it’s not really simple in action, but it’s simple in terms of what to do. We need to remember a few things everyday, regardless of the day.
- Not one single person on this planet owes us their attention, not even your mom.
- We must make the other person want to read us or share us with their friends.
- We must never take readership, friendships, or relationships for granted.
- We must fulfill our promises, forever.
- We must never feel entitled to anyone’s time or resources. They are finite.
But how do we implement this?
It takes work. It takes lots and lots of work. I’m not going to define a step-by-step list here because I believe every person and every situation is different. I think it will take some trial and error and some serious creative thought.
But I will leave you with this.
The road to gaining more blog readership is long. I’ve just begun, and it’s slow and hard. But I believe that getting rid of entitlement thinking is the core way, the number one, real way, to get more traffic to your blog.
Sure, there are other things that go along with that, many are on those lists I’ve read plenty of. But, when we get rid of that mindset that people owe us their attention, we open up a door to endless possibilites. And behind it we will be more willing to share content, give free stuff away, ask for permission, and get creative in building a tribe around our platforms.
Will you commit to this mindset? Sign up in the comment area by saying a simple “I’m In!” Feel free to tell us any ideas you have to help others. Post articles you may have stashed away that are great insight into building a blog. And all with the core remembrance of “I’m not entitled to anyone’s attention!”
Jared Latigo is a designer, writer, speaker, and passion guy. As a bonus, an exclusive ebook “The Big Blog Push: How to Turn Your Struggling Blog Into an Empire” has been written for you. Grab yours at JaredLatigo.com/problogger! You can also follow him on Twitter and read his posts on his blog.
No lie, I was thinking the same idea this past week. In order to have other people have ANY interest in my blog, ideas, anything, I have to, not only show, but be genuinely interested in their everything. We are all awesome in our own eyes and think others will simply read our posts, visit our site, buy our merchandise, just because we THINK they will. Read others passionately, comment meaningfully, and show some serious interest. Dale Carnegie is no dummy!
That’s so true. Effort has to be put in to interact and engage with people and only then will others take an interest in us. Hard work, promotion and marketing helps a lot as well.
Eric and Dylan, couldn’t have said it better myself. Thanks so much for stopping by, I truly appreciate it!
We need to interact not only with the author of the post but with our fellow bloggers commenting as well. Relationship with fellow bloggers is important as they could also be one of our readers like as we are reading another blogger’s post right now.
Good point, Thanks for bringing that up and getting involved! It’s all about community!
I’m in!
Also, not trying to be a spelling nazi, but it seems as though in the Dale Carnegie quote there might be a few typos. In the first sentence of the quote, it appears “on” should be “one” and in the second sentence of the quote, “every” should probably be “ever.” Feel free to delete this comment entirely or not even publish it. Just trying to help out a fellow blogger.
Glad to hear you’re in! :D Thanks for the typo catch, I’ll let the editor make the necessary changes. Thanks for commenting and reading!
I’m in! I try to keep things short and sweet, because I know time is precious and I don’t want to waste anybody’s. I think what we’re all looking for is a ‘shot in the arm’ to send us away from the computer and into the day with renewed purpose and community.
I would agree. That’s why the leaders in the industry often post “minute with…” videos and what not. We have to be intentional about what we read and intake, we only have so much time. Thanks for making note of that!
I’m in! I believe all content on the net should be shared because I believe we’re all connected. We’ve just forgotten how much we love each other while we’re traipsing through this particular Life School. I know that’s a bit wacky/new-agey but I believe it anyway. Right now I’m looking for photographers to do a celebration of beauty blog called Under 1,000 skies. I’m also re-starting a group called Rx for Healing to do something that created a miracle in my life relating to mirror affirmations and self-love. I got the idea from the movie Hungry for Change — a medical doc/nutritionist literally wrote this on a prescription pad and promised it would create a miracle in their lives if they did it consistently for 30 days. I was ready for a miracle and it delivered, big time. The blog I write on T.com (Transformation.com) is just journey notes that include the highs, lows and all the things I’ve learned. I don’t have adSense and never really learned how to get paid by blogging. I believe my life is meant to be a life of service -and- abundance. The latter comes by letting go and just, basically, “doing the next right thing.” My two cents. Thanks for a great blog!
To some degree content needs to be shared, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say everything. There’s some really junky work out there that doesn’t need to spreading. The thing is, if it’s junky, it won’t spread. Only truly great content can spread just like only a truly great product will. Great notes and best wishes with your blog, sounds interesting!
I’m in!
I love that this website has great insights from people who are “professional bloggers”, but I would add that many bloggers will not be “professional bloggers” and that is okay. Some of us will not have 400 readers per day for a long time – yet the blog will continue to build our brand.
We need a certain amount of engagement. Certainly more PEOPLE than our mother, but not necessarily a LOT of people. If you can build a devoted tribe of 50 or 100 people, that’s a start…over time you’ll get there. It’s inevitable.
Agreed. Please note that I’m no professional either. I only started blogging about 3 months ago. :D And yes, start small for sure and over time, if your idea is worth spreading, it will. The key is to be intentional about what you’re trying achieve. If you only want 50 readers…and you get to that goal, then you win. Make sense?
Thanks for reading!
Down to the core of what content should instill in those not heard about your recent article. Your article just did explain that!
Gaining friendships can start the “want” factor to help you out. That is why it very crucial to have some relationships in there in the mix.
Also helping them out will in return want to help you out as well.
Content isn’t king anymore, quality content that is shared thoroughly is the king:
http://internetdreams.com/blogging/content-isnt-king-anymore
Thanks for the compliment! I’m glad it hit exactly where I was trying to!
As for content…I believe it’s still king, it just has to have the “share” factor now instead of just being awesome. But being awesome can add that factor pretty easily. And yes, we pretty much read those that we know. Connections are WELL WORTH the time.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Jared,
This is a popular issue where people are complaining about not getting traffic to their sites. However, the reality is, like you mentioned, the entitlement. We can’t just sit there and wait for people to come no matter how much awesome content we have.
It really depends on how much action we take to market out sites. Persistence and consistency are essential when comes to traffic generation.
Intentionality like Michael Hyatt says. I think that’s probably more key than anything.
Glad you liked the article!
Writing content that people actually want to read is only the half of it. I guess that goes along with the catchy title part, however, you have to be able to keep that person reading! Being able to write helpful content that the person can take home with them or want to link back to is the secret to writing great posts and keeping them coming back.
Very true. There are plenty of things that need to be done and they all have to work in sync with one another perfectly. But, the intention and thought behind what we do is almost always the core. Thanks for reading!
Jared,
Thanks for the post. It’s good to be reminded of this:
“…we forget that we’re not entitled to anyone’s attention.”
Very true.
I think Gary Vaynerchuk got it right when he said it’s about content and community.
I think a successful blog definitely starts with great content. Without that, nothing else really matters. People may visit a blog, but they typically won’t come back consistently without great content. And it is not easy to produce great content.
However, as you mentioned, you can produce great content and still only have a small number of readers. If bloggers don’t comment on other blogs, share links to other great content, respond to comments on their blogs, etc., then it’s going to be tough to get a lot of readers.
However, if you give to the community (without expecting anything in return), I’ve found that people will usually give back to you. Basically, I believe you usually have to get outside of yourself and be genuinely interested in other people and their blogs in order to get people interested in your blog.
Just like with most things in life, the more you give, the more you receive.
By the way, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is one of my favorite books of all time. I’m glad you liked it a lot, too.
You definitely got it right about giving! Jeff Goins has taught me a lot about how important that is to build a tribe and succeed in your goals. Check him out if you haven’t! Take care!
There will always and forever be a steady stream of beginners who dont think they are awesome, yet. They are your prospective followers, not other advanced minded bloggers.
Good point. As it’s been said, “there will always be more people who are not your clients than those that are.” The same goes for readers, friends, whatever. Thanks for commenting!
Jared, you’re all over the internet right now! I visited pastors.com this morning and there you were. I check out ProBlogger, and here you are. Can’t wait to see you over at GodlyWriters.com real soon.
PS: Your mom thinks you are awesome because…well…you are! ;-)
Haha, that’s awesome to hear! But…where on pastors.com? I have to admit that I’ve never even seen that site!
I will be submitting something to you soon, just trying to come up with something awesome!
Thanks for reading!
Did you just put Seth Godin in the same category as Dale Carnegie? Really??
Haha, well, not intentionally. I highly value them both but they are totally different people. Good catch, didn’t really mean to associate them other than the fact that I value their ideas on entirely different subjects. :D
I have a regular blog that I try to write in everyday, but lately, I’ve been building these “image” blogs where I don’t do any writing but instead, have some of the most kickass instagram feeds going.
I made a insta blog for Kat Von D (total hottie)
I made a insta blog for my man Snopp Dogg
I made one for #hotties – sorry, must post this URL: http://instahotties.blogspot.com
I made one for me @Thorkill71
The great thing about these “image” blogs is that I don’t have to log in, think of what to say, or anything…the pictures speak for themselves. (The 1,000 word concept).
The point of this reply is to say that, yes, I agree with you. Mom has been my only reader ever…I suck at blogging, either that, or no one has found me yet and I’m really really good at it. LOL.
Anywho…great post.
Gary
Haha! Well, the key is to think of what you really want to blog about. We all have to find our voice. I’m still refining mine so I can’t speak much to this. I suggest checking out Jeff Goins and Michael Hyatt for learning to build a successful platform and get intentional about what you’re trying to achieve. Hope that helps!
Thanks for stopping by!
Yeah, I’m in. I definitely struggle with feelings of entitlement.
We all do. You’re not alone!
What you are really saying is the number one reason people aren’t reading your work is a lack of networking effort, in a repackaged way.
I would argue that entitlement is necessary. You need it to stay motivated, or to even start blogging in the first place. It’s a feeling of “people should be reading my work.”
If you truly believe that, then you will put in the effort to get noticed.
If you think people will find you based only on your quality writing or awesome personality, you aren’t entitled, you are just ignorant.
So, I say, embrace entitlement, but use it to spark your confidence and motivation to do the work necessary to get noticed.
Interesting spin. I like it :D
Thanks for sharing!
I agree, it’s all about making and keeping friends.
I’ve reflected on this a lot. My approach to Social Media and blogging has been a bit like how I was at school – shy, introverted and unlikely to make the first move in making friends.
The exact opposite, in my opinion is key. It’s time to ‘get out there’ and make friends. Everybody loves something for nothing as well, so the more we give, the more we get back. I’m taking some different approaches on Twitter to build friendships, my ‘brand’ and trust, over time.
Takes time, persistence, effort and a positive attitude too, as well as ‘returning favours’.
Best wishes and Thanks for this great article.
Mandy
Thanks Mandy. I agree with that. Truly connecting is important and I’ve found more people like me in the past few months than my whole life. Pretty awesome!
Great post Jared. We, as marketers/pr people/bloggers etc., seem to over-disect the easiest of problems.
I believe good content along with the ability to be sociable will eventually gain you a following (along with other, less important tactics).
Very true. Content is always at the core of it! Thanks for reading!
I’m in.
To rephrase what you’re saying, I think that a certain amount of humility is in order. A writer should keep in mind that his is not likely to be the smartest guy in the (virtual) room. It is always a possibility someone else knows more about your subject than you do. Therefore, humility dictates that you say it in a way that invites critique or challenge from those that disagree.
Reasonable people will not be upset if you have an opinion, but they will be upset if you are condescending or rude to those who disagree.
Ah yes, humility. That’s a whole post in and of itself! Probably a whole blog topic actually. I find that I often have to put myself in check over things. I think we all do to some degree.
Thanks for pointing that out and for reading!
True said Jaired,
The road to gaining more blog readership and making others wants to read us and share us with their friends is long and It needs a lot of hard work, effort and countless hours of time.
And when you done, There will not be any reason for anyone to not read your blog.
I think people pick up on the effort we put into things. They may see us as experts over time…or just feel bad for us and follow us :D Good point though, I like that description! Thanks for your time!
Share, share, share and give always. You will receive abundantly. That’s what I have found. I share my knowledge and links. I share my stories and my life so that what I went through can help others. I may not have a lot of subscribers to my blog, but I have some, which is more than I had when I started. Celebrating the small successes and keeping those that have subscribed or who are following you in vitally important. Baby steps! Keep engaging! Thank you for this article!
Absolutely. Never forget where you came from. I’m just getting going as well so sounds like you may even be a step ahead of me! :D Thanks for your time and for commenting!
This post actually was encouraging to me. I have been blogging for about 3 weeks. I have received feedback friends that they enjoy the content, but are they being honest? I was expecting my subscriptions to grow exponentially, so in week 4, I have become discouraged (lack of comments, no new subscriptions). However, based on this post, it’s a long time, so I am encouraged.
Yes, I’m a bit impatient as I think we all are sometimes. Celebrate the small victories and truly connect with each person that comments. It’s cool when you finally get 1 or 2 people that seem to comment on every post you have. That’s when you know you’re making some progress and it can help you keep moving forward!
Thanks so much for your time!
You have right!! But if you will not post articles how you will increase your blog? Doing blog comments? Waiting your answer!
Guest posting is a great way to get traffic and reach a new audience. You need to post articles on your own…just make sure you’re committing to something you can actually do. Many people seem to start out strong with 4-5 posts and trail off quickly. Consistency is key too.
I think you’ll find Jeff Goins and many of the articles on this site helpful. Develop a plan and stick to it over time. You can tweak it of course, but try to be as consistent as possible. There’s no one thing to do that will get you read :D
Thanks for reading!
I think this post is a great reminder for many of us. We get so caught up with the many aspects of blogging, that we forget what it’s like to just be a reader.
Sure as bloggers we jump around reading post after post to leave our mark (and sometimes a link when there’s a website field), but it’s not always just to read. It’s so important to leave comments and interact on other blogs, especially in the beginning that it becomes a job.
I’ve never really felt entitled to traffic or reader loyalty, probably because I’m shy and don’t possess any spectacular writing abilities (or even just standard). I would love to have more traffic and interaction on my blog, but I just figure I’m not doing enough to get what I want.
Maybe I need to focus more on what people actually want to spend their time reading opposed to what I feel like writing about. What’s in it for them? How is this post going to help them or change the way the look at or do things?
But then again, my blog isn’t so much instructional as it is sharing my journey. Still, if I can’t include something for them to take away, maybe I’m wasting both of our time.
Thanks for the great post and reminder. :-)
That’s the thing, your blog can be whatever you want it to be. If depends on your goals and what you want others to get out of it. You just have to be intentional about what you’re doing. Thanks for getting involved here, best wishes to you in finding your voice!
Writing great content is no longer enough, you need to engage your readers and then interact with them. You’ve made some great points. It is up to us to execute in our own way.
So true. Glad you got my underlying point of the post! Thanks for visiting!
I’m in! This is excellent information Jared. I had not thought about this topic in precisely this way and it is really helpful to read it this way. I am relatively new to blogging and I ask myself regularly ‘what is it about X blog?’ that I like, that I think makes it work and sometimes I just can’t quite put my finger on it but there is definitely an element of what you are writing about that ties into it. So thanks for the clarity!
Glad I could provide something of value to you. It’s always so neat when we hear of people that truly “got” something from a post we write :D
Create content that answers people’s questions.
You write very well but there’s no answer, no solution.
If someone wants to know the best way to hold a camera, tell them.
Don’t ramble on about irrelevant crap
5 ways to hold a camera
10 ways to solve the same problem
Understand your readers:
challenges
frustrations
needs
goals
If you understand this, you can create content that’s:
relevant
useful
unique
Agreed.
Good points. Thanks for the tips. I’m always learning, tweaking and finding what people want more of. This was meant to be more thought provoking…not so much of a How To though. I hope it gave you some insight in theory if nothing else. Thanks for your time and again, for the tips!
So, how DO you get your mom to read your blog? :)
Permission marketing wasn’t a term I’d heard before, although I’ve heard similar thoughts. Pondering how to apply to my blog…at least enough to get my Mom to read it…thanks
Haha, awesome question. The funny thing is, our families are probably the least likely to be part of our tribe. I encourage you to read some of seth godin’s materials in terms of Tribes. You can also check out Jeff Goins for information on that. It’s not really the amount of traffic you’re after, it’s more the quality of it.
Hope that helps a bit and thanks for visiting!
Mindy, I cant tell the lest day I got my mom to read mine lol!
Hi Jared,
Practice using words to inspire people to act. Awesome advice here.
People crave an inspiring message. People want to read your blog. To read your newsletter. To opt-in to your website.
But you must make your message interesting. Inspiring. Captivating. Practice your writing. Develop your copy skills.
Seth Godin is a pro because he says a lot in a few words. Awe-inspiring stuff really, because he conveys a clear, cogent, insightful message by writing short and punchy posts.
Few do this, but few really think about the clarity of their message, and who they are writing for.
The select few who do, rock it out…and a few more people than their mom read their blog ;)
Write something helpful, usable, and moving. Make people respond…not by force, but by using the power of your written word.
Thanks!
RB
Blogging is one thing and getting readers is another…Both are skills that must be learnt independently but be applied together…
People simply think being able to blog will bring traffic…No, same way if you got the skill to bring in traffic and you can’t blog (write), you won’t be able to build a successful blog…
So it is time people look at both skills with seriousness and also consider them as two different skills that must be acquired/learnt…
Thanks Jared for sharing. For some of us, it’s a reminder. Patience is key. You see, I’m coming to terms with the fact that this whole platform-building should never been seen as competition. It’s not about the numbers, but the relationships and the influence that comes as a result.
I’m in!
I had a SpeechComm professor at Texas A&M that always kept his classes overflowing with attendance. He was the one that students brought their parents to when they were in town. This happened even when he taught courses like “Rhetoric of Western Thought.” Despite what we might think, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle aren’t the hippest cats in college.The difference was the way he lived out his theory through his lectures, be that for students or as a part of his speaking engagements where people booked him as a motivational speaker.
The main takeaway from his class: Always adjust your message to fit your audience. It wasn’t that his material was groundbreaking. It’s that his material was put in a way that spoke directly to the people in that room.
I completely agree with what you are saying. Our entitlement comes out as arrogance when it’s placed in the written word. And no one is going to read that blog. Besides the fact that it is simply a more thoughtful way to live, it’s a heck of a way to sell your product or promote your thoughts.
Keep up the good work, Jared!!
i think somewhere you are mixing the pro blogging with amateur blogging. though being amateur blogger myself, don’t agree with some points of you. like once you have left the impression on your blog reader, he will come back again to read you and he will automatically will share the words. and one thing it take time to develop the traffic, its not like the fairytale story. So have patience,
I’m SO in! … now about all that remembering ….
Totally agree with you Jared. We won’t go far when we make it about us! Awesome post!
Great reminder, Jared
One thing I do is thank my followers for following, commenting, reading, and sharing. I know I wouldn’t have come this far this fast without their help and it’s important to put that out there every now and then. I do it through words, giveaways, and making that connection with them every day. Lots of work, but well worth it, because after every “thank you” I can see readership/followers increasing, because I’m reminding people that there’s a person behind the blog.
And at least your mom is reading your site. No such luck here. LOL
“I am In”
There is a good conversation going on here. Jared, this is a hot topic and I am glad you posted about this – especially right now. I started a new blog in May and am posting away day after day, waiting and waiting for new comments.
However, I must admit that I like the spin that John @ Married (with Debt) put on it when he said, “I would argue that entitlement is necessary. You need it to stay motivated, or to even start blogging in the first place. It’s a feeling of “people should be reading my work.””
One of my weaknesses right now that I know I have to work on is taking the time to have conversations and comment on all the great stuff I have coming into my Google Reader each day. Some of the blogs I have been reading for years without commenting on (even though I love the bloggers and their content!).
I really think it’s the building community portion of blogging that is key.
Looking forward to following you.
This article is very helpful. I’m trying to build a community with my blog, and it is slow and difficult. The primary thing I want to do is provide excellent content, but I needed to be reminded that this is the most important thing.
Thanks.
Gaye
Great post. It sure can be tough and frustrating getting an audience for your blog. However, I have really come to enjoy reading and commenting on other blogs. I think its a great way for Google or The powers that be to rate pages. Thanks again for The post. I’ll make sure to share.
I’m in!
One of the beautiful posts I ever read. Problogger.net has always been my favourite sites. The quality of the content is as usual admirable. Thanks again for this post.
Entitlement: you are so right. Just because an article is posted on a website/blog does not mean it will be appreciated, or even read. Just because a book sits on a shelf in a bookstore does not mean it will be purchased.
When a reader buys a book she gives the author permission to share his thoughts. As bloggers, this is the permission we need to get from our readers before expecting them to read our words.
I’m in! And I’m not entitled to one damn thing.
I am pleased to see you take your own words quite seriously and take the time to respond to reader comments here! Good for you. Earning your keep, every step of the way!
This article an excellent reminder for me. I love it. My daily motivator is, How is this useful to my readers? How is this unique content that will bless them in a way that another blog isn’t? I’ve deleted enough half-written posts that were interesting to ME, that I realized would not bring value to the readers that visit my page. (Let’s face it – they aren’t MY readers … )
They don’t need to read my blog. They could do other stuff.
I’m in! I’ve just created a personal blog and I’m also in the process of setting up a joint project blog with a friend. So much to learn but the info on Problogger, and in this post, is gold!
I couldn’t agree more. The entitlement attitude in the blogging world is kind of huge right now. I love that seo this year is trying to be more about sharing the love. We should go out and be a community, learn from each other instead of ignoring or being jealous, and work to support one another.
I’m in….
Entitlement subtly feeds instant gratification. I feel it is that instant gratification based on numbers and more viewers, more comments,etc that perpetuates the move toward entitlement.
As the definition for permission marketing (as given above) is to make them want to….we honestly cannot MAKE anyone want to….Whether we are professional or amateur, the truth behind a good blog isn’t always the traffic….its what we give at any given moment…..
some people stay around for just a moment, some come back day after day….
but it may be that one time visitor that gets what they need to change their life, when you say something that sparks their desire…their want….and they may NOT need anymore than that…but they will always remember you….
Isn’t that what’s important?
I’m in and I can’t believe I keep forgetting that I’m not entitled to anything. I’ll keep in mind everyday when blogging.