3 Reasons to Geek Out on Your Blog
The principle of Occam’s Razor states that the simplest answer is most likely the correct answer. This truism may be applied to nearly anything in life, including the blogging arena.
How would we simplify the components of a successful blog? Surely there must be a formula that will work for anyone, right?
And there is … sort of. It’s not so much a precise formula that consists of clear steps to follow, but more a particular personality trait that every highly successful blogger has managed to identify and express in his or her commentaries.
It’s the trait of being yourself.
You can’t charge money for simplicity
The advice to “be yourself” is too obviously simple to charge money for, so you don’t see this being discussed in most of the marketing programs available for download via the Internet. But this advice contains the key ingredient for guaranteed success.
When it comes to marketing your blog, Occam’s Razor is all about the simplicity of being yourself in a world where many are too nervous to speak their truth. People with genuine ideas, creative thoughts, and unique perspectives are usually the ones who get the most high-quality attention, the greatest pool of subscribers and paying customers.
Thus, if you want to get noticed, you shouldn’t be afraid to geek out on your blog. And by “geek out,” I mean indulge in, and share, your passion freely with your readers. You have to find your unique voice and be your authentic self, without apology.
Letting your geek show for your readers is key to creating a successful blog for the following three reasons:
1. Fully self-expressed people get respect
Playwright Fay Weldon said, “The desire for self-expression afflicts people when they feel there is something of themselves which is not getting through to the outside world.” People universally feel the need to express themselves in some manner, whether it’s through the spoken word, writing, music, or art.
When the desire to express oneself is held back, one may easily experience a feeling of restriction and restlessness. Perhaps that’s why people who can fully present themselves to the world in writing, music, or art garner so much respect from those who cannot.
Just watching someone express themselves without regard for the opinions of others is enough to inspire admiration and awe. (The urge to express oneself also can be sensed in destructive activities, among folks who lack the talent, training, or patience to go the positively creative route.)
People are always paying attention
Try to keep in mind that you may have visitors to your blog who never sign up for your email list, but nevertheless will read your posts regularly. Not everyone will respond to your commentaries through comments or send you an email, so it’s impossible to know how your blog could be affecting all your readers at any given time.
The best approach is to keep writing for yourself and try not to become dependent on the approval of others. Fully self-expressed people don’t need an external reason to express themselves; they just do it.
2. People benefit from your information so don’t hold back
If you fear the information you want to share could be boring, think again. Any time you find something interesting, someone else will, too — guaranteed.
You’re doing your readers a disservice if you skip writing about something because you believe nobody will like it. The fair and honest thing to do is give them an opportunity to decide for themselves.
Here’s a great example of what it looks like to geek out on your blog. This math website has a blog that dives into an inquiry about who created the periodic table of elements.
Some businesses might be afraid to publish something like this, but the reality is that certain people will love this kind of content. People love to learn about things, so when you can feed them information that connects to the content of your blog, they’ll come back for more.
What stories, which thoughts and ideas, have you been holding back from your readers? What else could you feed them to fuel their interest in your blog?
3. People love to share in someone else’s excitement
If you’re excited about something in your life, share it! No matter who your readers are, and whether they can relate directly to whatever you want to share with them, the ones who have gotten accustomed to reading your thoughts will share in your joy and excitement in any case.
They’ll be excited just because you’re excited. It’s not always the specific content of your posts per se that will keep people interested in your blog; it’s also a function of who you’re being.
To be honest, when you decide to become fully self-expressed on your blog, you could unearth a few people who no longer wish to subscribe, but that’s okay. More than likely, you’ll find more folks on the other side who appreciate what you’ve shared, and want to be a part of your permanent readership.
Anyone can tell people what they think they want to hear. It takes someone special to speak their individual truth, and you’d be surprised how much that can draw people in.