I was chatting with two friends last week – one of them is a blogger and the other was considering starting a blog.
My blogging friend was dispensing a few words of wisdom on how to start out (the usually kind of beginner blogging tips) when he said something out of the blue which made me take note because of the wisdom of it.
He said:
“In the early days you’ll feel like you’re talking to yourself (actually in the very beginning you probably are) – but don’t give up because it’s a feeling that will subside. The key is to keep blogging through that awkward beginning because if you do you’ll find people will begin to find you and the memory of talking to yourself will be a distant memory.”
I really appreciated my friend’s words. They reminded me a lot of my own beginnings in blogging when I felt quite foolish about pouring out what was on my mind for everyone (and nobody) to read).
His words also reminded me of another time in my life where I felt like I was talking to an empty room.
Warning – Tangent Ahead (it’s been a while since we had a tangent hasn’t it!)
In my previous life, before I was a blogger, I was a minister of a middle sized suburban church (I still do this work in a part time voluntary capacity in a small emerging experimental church).
Part of my work in this church that I really enjoyed was preaching. I loved preparing for and delivering sermons (in fact I find the process very similar to putting together blog posts).
My workflow for preparing a sermon went something like this (it took a week or more to go through the full process):
- Pick a Topic (or be given one by the senior minister).
- Begin Brainstorming ideas/angles/points
- Research the Topic (bible study, reading the opinion of others, surfing the web/forums/sermon resource sites)
- Putting together some main points
At this point I would jot my main points (usually 5 or so) down on a piece of paper and leave my office to go and find a quiet empty room (quite often the main chapel of the church). Once in that empty echoing room I would do something that felt quite awkward the first time I did it – I would begin to preach.
With my main points before me I would begin to speak them out – playing with how the words sounded – adding stories, illustrations and ideas as they came to mind.
For me the researching/brainstorming process of the first 4 steps outlined above was a fairly dry process. I gathered information – but it wasn’t until I began to actually do it that the real magic happened. While it felt a little weird at first to start talking out loud in a big empty room it was actually a valuable practice.
As I would preach to the empty pews and as my word echoed around the room I found that I learned so much about the topic I was exploring and how to deliver it. I also learned a lot about preaching. New ideas would come, I’d try different ways of expressing it and slowly the final version of the sermon would begin to form – to the point that when I got up in the same room on Sunday to deliver the final version it would flow.
The more I practiced in this way the more I improved as a preacher.
Lessons for Blogging from Preaching to Empty Pews
As I reflect upon my early days of blogging where I felt that nobody was listening I now realize that that was a time where I learned a lot about what I wanted to say and how to say it.
In those early days I tested ideas, tried new ways of expressing them and learned a lot about my topic and the medium of blogging.
So my advice to new bloggers who feel like no one is listening is to not give up and see the experience of preaching to the empty pews on your blog as a learning experience.
The things you learn now will shape your future blogging, will grow your understanding of your topic, will grow your character and make you into a better blogger.
Hear endeth today’s sermon….
Amazing post. Wonder how you come up with such inspiring posts Darren!
This post really hits home as I also have pastored. So often in blogging the quietness is overwhelming. Why can’t people comment you ask yourself!!!
Wait, keep building, keep writing. They will come.
Great stuff….I really dig the metaphor. You know, bloggers complain about that awkward stage of online infancy but I’ve known quite a few webmasters who have had a much harder time getting a message board off the ground. Many will create a bunch of forum accounts and essentially talk to themselves for months. Sounds crazy, but worth it. As bloggers, we have it easier than we think.
I have now reached the milestone of blogging for one year and seen a very small band of readers grow over that time. But even though my audience is small (very niche topic) I agree with Darren that the process of blogging has helped me develop that deeper understanding of my subject.
I agree that with new bloggers that initial period will give you some much needed practice because it’s a lot harder than most people (non-bloggers) think.
I’d also surmise that after you get a couple months of posts under your belt that your subscription rate might be a little higher because your posts will be that much better. Talking to an empty room has its advantages!
Actually, I’ve had this feeling [you describe] over the last couple of days. I started my blog at the beginning of June this year. Since then, the site has progressed with an increasing rate of change in the number of visitors from week to week.
However, over the last couple of days, my traffic has been below “normal” and extremely minimal. I feel really disheartened since I’ve put so much effort and work into the blog. Your post gave me a bit more encouragement :) Hopefully, I have what it takes to keep it going.
i in fact think, its a lot better if you only hav a few readers in the beginning.. it gives u, like u said a lot fo room to experiment, but more than that it allows you to make mistakes and kind of get away with it. When you launch a new blog you ahve a dozen ideas and in the haste of putting everything down u end making a royal mess of the blog.. “talking to yourself” will give yout he chance to look at your own blog from a third persons perspective and correct yourself…
anyway, am off todelivering sermons in empty rooms.. :p kiddin.. nice post darren, guess it goes without saying!
Boy, you’d be surprised at what people did before blogging huh? And nice post, we’ve all been there before at the beginning when we’re talking to ourselves. But you know what? – I like listening to my own voice. (#):)
Thanks for the great post Darren. I have been blogging for about a month now and am right where you describe. I also previously worked as a minister and the empty pews is a great illustration. I find the more I blog, the better words I use and the more comfortable I become with my subject. It is gratifying to see “lots of hits” on my blog; however, it is even better to see how much my writing has grown in such a short time. I press on, blogging to empty pews, while perfecting this craft and praying for new readers! Thanks a bunch!
Wow Darren, I didn’t know you were a religious man!
Well said, Darren! I really enjoyed reading this post. Yes, haven’t we all had that feeling of “talking to yourself” and “who would ever care about, what I’m writing?”. I’m glad you pointed it to something positive, like rehearsing and refining.
Very solid advice. I’ve been a teacher, and my niece is beginning her career as a teacher. We’ve been discussing some of the very issues you’ve defined so well. Thank you.
As a current pastor, I like your illustration! I just hope I am not preaching to any empty pews this Sunday!
Great post,
As a new blogger (3 months) and having just done my first preach last Sunday this post really hit home!
Very Informative. I’m new to blogging and i can really relate to your post. Its very uncomfortable to write something your not sure if anyones going to relate to or even be interested in reading for that matter.Thanks for the helpful tips.
I definitely learned some things while preaching to an empty room. While I still have a lot to learn, it gave me a chance to iron out a lot of things.
Along those lines, as traffic started to pick up (I’m still at a fairly low traffic level) there was a point when I became aware of it. The day that I crossed 100 visits in a day, it suddenly hit me. That day, it was like I had been preaching to an empty room then in the blink of an eye, the room was packed (not really, but in my mind that was huge). And for a couple of days I lost my train of thought because of the feeling like there were 100 people staring at me waiting for something relevant to come out of my keyboard. Fortunately, I quickly recovered and hit the ground running again.
So, I’d say: embrace the empty room but don’t panic when it starts to fill because that’s why you’re blogging in the first place.
I was happy with the 40 reads my post would get in the first few days (it would gradually trickle up more through keywords over coming months).
However a couple of days ago a post was linked by a bigger site that resulted in 22,000 hits in 36 hours.
That’s great but accounts for 25% of all the hits I’ve had over two years. Perhaps I have been wasting my time…
[)amien
When I started to get some readers I actually felt a bit weird. I felt more self-conscious about my work because I was being “watched”.
Very timely for me–I actually did a post last week on “setting the table,” that is getting ready for a dinner party without knowing exactly how many guests were coming, who they were, or what they would be like. It’s a bit spooky! My first commenter was Seth Godin, though, which was tremendously encouraging.
Thanks for the encouragement here as well. I’m a believer in slow & steady on the Web–short term gains are often just that, short term. Building loyalty (for anything–blogs or static sites or whatever) the right way, with quality posts that provide value, takes time.
I myself am a new blogger and i can honestly say that this feeling does hang over your shoulders, but we all know that hard work and dedication are what pull us through and make things happen. It’s good to hear that other people feel this as well.
What’s even more frustrating than not having any readers, is having readers who don’t comment. I can see 200 clicks on my blog each day with only a handful of comments. As a writer, this can be especially disheartening and make me second guess my abilities.
I agree with Melissa. Having non-commenting readers is quite frustrating. I’ll see hundreds of views a day on my blog, with not a single comment.
You start wondering what you’re doing wrong, if you don’t know what you’re talking about, and if there’s something wrong with your blog.
This post definitely struck a nerve with me! I remember for first few weeks of my blog.. I really was talking to myself. I have also spoken at various events on business, and your preparation strategy is very similar to mine.
Good stuff!
-Terra
http://www.BetterForBusiness.Com
I enjoyed your tangent Darren, good read!
I can also relate to Melissa and Brennan re: 100’s of readers but few comments….makes you wonder just how many 1000’s of readers you need each day to get perhaps 10 or so comments! :)
Very great read, I believe sometimes the same thing. I feel like I’m talking to myself, although I have over 200+ unique visitors from my first week of being up. Maybe a little more hard work and effort will pay off.
JoLynn,
Ha! It’s true. You start look at the one comment or so per couple hundred readers, and start figuring out ratios to determine how many you’ll need to get a discussion going.
When I began blogging 6 years ago now, I blogged for two months without as much as a comment. There comes a point in most blogger’s lives when their blog becomes readable – when people subscribe and start contributing to your site. I wake up now in the morning and have a number of comments people have sent overnight. It’s a wonderous feeling, that people are beginning to read what you say. It may go up, and it may go down, but I can’t remember a post when I’ve had zero comments. It must be over a year ago, probably three or more.
Of course, the following tipping point is making your blog profitable. That I’m yet to achieve!
Nice words of encouragement.
Darren,
I really appreciate this post. It’s cool to hear where God has taken you over the years. I am looking to go into missions myself and would love any insights you can give me to raise support for this on my blog. Thanks and look forward to hearing from you.
Ken
Well, you’ll always be able to preach online, anyway.
But seriously , there is good info here. I just started blogging and am actually getting hits to my blog. But no comments yet.
Will you take a look? and leave a comment.
thanks
The words your friend wrote remind me of Seth Godin’s “The Dip.”
“The Dip” is that time period just after you start something new, but before you reap the benefits. The best way to come out shining on the other side is not to simply tolerate and ride out that awkward period, but to put your shoulder down, double your efforts, and push through like a champ!
Darren:
Since I have both preached to empty pews and blogged when no one was reading, I can relate.
Great post!
I agree that when you start talking and imagining someone is listening, the creative thoughts really start to flow. When I get in front of a real audience, it’s even better. I plan to record my talks from here on out so that I can capture the spur of the moment inspirations.
Your blog has such great info. for new bloggers like me.
Keep up the great work.
Craig
Just started blogging in the last week. Have had three visitors so far, which I guess isn’t bad for a week-old blog (I hope). It was really exciting to see that I had some visitors even if they were “just passing through.” Can’t wait for my first comment! Thanks for the encouraging words!
Darren,
It is refreshing to see a man of faith allow His light to shine through on the day job once in a while. Thanks for your words of wisdom!
Wow, what an education I receive from this site. It seems that blogging really grows in stages (from what you guys are saying).
Stage 1: Blogging with no audience
Stage 2: Blogging with no comments (up to 200+ visitors a day)
Stage 3: Blogging with an active audience
Stage 4: The media (print and audio) as part of the audience
Stage 5: Blog profitable
Do I have the sequence right?
It is awesome to see the word Church and it be used as a positive thing. I am the music director at my Church.
Darren, your blog is always an inspiration and I brag about it to everybody I can find. Thank You.
Blogging to nobody can sound as depressing experience, but it is good thing to do. Couple of weeks ago I went through the same topics I was blogging when I started my blog. I was exposed back to my first post, had to read them and to face all those “this thread has no comments yet” notes.
but, it is good that nobody (ok, so few( people red those posts. I was still finding my topics, my style… my way into blogging. As any other activity, blogging needs to be excercised. Nice thing about it is that one’s excercises are visible to other. And for ourselves.
Advice to starters… keep writing, even if nobody reads. If nobody reads, that means that posts are, still, not good enough and that it takes time to promote the blog. But practice leads to improvments. And, one thing maybe even more important, blogger needs to feel that it is writing that is important to her. If one is ready to write just because of writing, then everything will be ok. Or so I hope :)
I can definitely attest to feeling like I’m just talking to myself on my blog. It seems like the only posts I make that get comments is when I post a new WordPress plugin.
Great point. The same can be said of the university classroom. It can be a humbling experience to actually SEE your audience. When I just started out I was given great advice. Just lecture to those who show up (mentally and physically). Hopefully this attitude will get me through the quiet beginning of my own blog.
I was just thinking about this issue last night as I’m coming up soon on my six-month mark as a blogger. During the first few weeks, readership built then it leveled off and has stayed stuck at a level far lower than I’d like.
I can’t decide whether I need to do more promoting, be more patient, or accept that in my topic area (food) there is so much competition–and well-established competition–that my readership may never get bigger.
When I started my second blog a few months ago, I actually was glad for the period where no one (or very few people come). It gives you time to fix the mistakes, go back and later posts and the template. I can only imagine if I had started with a splash what people would have seen and read.
Brilliant analogy and great story. I have been blogging since April, so that would make it, 4 months. I have learned loads since then about blogging, seo, promo, marketing, and also about the tech side of it, like the blog platforms such as Blogger, and WordPress. Actually i started on Blogger, and last month upgraded to WordPress, a feat i am still proud of. As i am not a techy, it has been slightly difficult for me, but a challenge that i purposely set-up for myself. There is still loads more for me to learn and fully grasp, but i love it just the same.
Yes i absolutely feel like i am talking to myself many a moments with my blogs, but i still move forward with it. I do get comments and i would say (most) of the comments and/or community i have on my blogs, i owe to my constant participation in blog communities like, Blog Catalog. As i have met many bloggers this way, and have created relationships with many of them. Highly recommend this to all NEW bloggers.
I so look forward to all your posts, Darren. Thanxs for the wonderful motivation and inspiration, this particular post has created (in me). I will admit that you post alot, and it is hard for me to keep up, but i do read like 80% of them.
Nice words! It’s always nice to read and re-read what you are writing and thinking to yourself ‘Will I read this? If I do will I like it, will it be useful, will I comment?’.
It’s hard work but it pays!
Here is what I did to launch my blog to get readers from day 1:
— Make posts with plenty of links to other bloggers in your niche/market. Bloggers tend to be the most prolific blog readers. Others with click the trackback links, instant reader base.
— Posts must hit highly relevant topics. When you only have a few posts, you need to differentiate yourself from everyone else. Later on you can get lazy and go off topic or ramble. Now is not the time. Good posts are what bring in RSS subscribers.
— Communicate with other bloggers. I interviewed influential people in my market. Besides giving my blog credibility it also gives you high value readers.
Darren, well done motivational blog post. I’m sure you can remember what it was like starting, the rare bit of encouragement can be great.
The two things I always say are: don’t stop learning, and never give up. If you follow that you’re bound to succeed.
Thanks,
– Mason
On my old blog (which was only in existence a few months and not really advertised anywhere) I never got comments — until one guy started commenting on every post and attacking me. He even said, “Who are you talking to? I’m the only one reading your posts!” He was very unpleasant, but at least he was taking the time to comment, LOL:) One of the big things that prevents me from commenting on others’ blogs is sometimes I have to register for that particular blog (understandable these days with all the spam) but I’ll misplace the password I set up or sometimes the comment form won’t work or I’ll lose a comment I typed and not want to go through typing it all again. Many comments have been lost that way and I just don’t take the time to notify the blog owner that their comment form is wonky because I get too frustrated with having lost my post. :(
I agree with you (at the beginning, only 2 or 3 friends reads you and it’s over)…
Over the time, however, new users arrive… Traffic increases and, one day, there’s a comment! :-)
That’s, maybe, the best day of your blogging life: someone writes you to say something (whatever it is, someone left a message)…
I think, out of tips for beginners, blogging is a question of patience: learn to enjoy to dedicate some time every day to blog something and wait for reactions (if any) or just write it and leave it there…
But, for me, I must say, I feel great when somebody leaves me a message: It’s “feeback time” and I love it :-)
Regards/feedback from Spain :-)
Paquito.
http://paquito4ever.blogspot.com
Thanks for this post. It helps a lot, as it applies directly to me. I just started my blog last month, and have not seen much traffic yet. I finally started getting a couple of comments, and am now starting to try to publicize my blog a little more.
I love your blog because almost every post is useful to me. I read it almost daily, so thanks for all of the time and effort you put into your blog!
I’m more than six months since starting my blog and I still feel like I’m talking to myself. But that’s okay because I’ve been concentrating on producing quality content and I’ve seen my daily hit count steadily rising over the last two months or so. People are also starting to leave comments, though I’m not “popular” enough to comment spam.
Great post! I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one who feels like I’m talking to myself with my blog.
Yes, absolutely right-on…
The point of preaching to an empty room — or of writing when there’s no one to read a brand new blog — is to hear/read your own distinctive voice, of course. Our ears/eyes are filled with other voices all day long — if we don’t learn what our own voice sounds like, we never learn to use it properly, never learn to communicate effectively and with ease and pleasure.
Nice tangent, Darren. It’ been a while… and your tangents are always instructive!