Rock Star Bloggers, Chase Away Readers (or Keep Them) in 3 Easy Steps

I’ve been reading since I was short. I’ve only been blogging for a couple of years. . . . but I’ve noticed something about bloggers. We’re all rock stars. It’s true and there’s nothing wrong with that. You don’t have to have 1000 readers to be a rock star. You only need one loyal fan.

The problem is that, over the long haul, we sometimes change the way we blog. Like rock stars, some of us peak too early. Some of us get better as time goes by. Some of us get tired of the daily grind, and some buy into our own PR.

What’s sad is when a rock star blogger I love quits doing what won my heart and starts phoning it in. What’s devasting is when a rock star blogger I know begins to think the universe revolves around his or her blog.

Blog writing’s tough, and though being a little Internet famous can be fun, keeping up with readers can be a pain. I guess a rock star could make a case for wanting readers to go away — more leisure, less stress in a rock star day. In a case like that, I think the best thing might be to help.

For those rock star bloggers, I offer these 3 easy steps.

1. Act like you’re something that you’re not. You’ve got attributes and strengths. Ignore them. Pick other ones that you want people to see as yours. Make sure they’re really just pipe dreams–wishes not realities. Make promises about what you know — promises that you can’t possibly keep.

As readers, we can be a little slow, but we’ll figure out that you’ve oversold yourself. Your credibility will be gone and so will we.

2. Be unpredictable in the comment box. One minute be sweet and charismatic, then fall apart. Make any issue on the web about yourself. It doesn’t matter if that particular issue is about us, we’ll understand that one day a conflict will arise, and you won’t choose us over yourself.

3. Think that our attention is an entitlement. Excuse me. Excuse me. Some days it isn’t easy to show up, and if you decide that we’re a sure thing, it’s likely that we we’ll feel a need to prove you wrong.

Of course, no one actually sets out to chase away readers, do they? Yet, it happens that they do. To make sure that’s not what’s happening in your life, here are three things you might do.

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1. Be attentive to your readers’ needs for great content.

2. Be consistent and transparent. Be grown up with self-respect.

3. Be authentically you in service to them.

Invite your readers to be themselves too. That’s how communities begin.

Communities offer experience and wisdom that a rock star blogger might never see.