Fuck Blogging: Why Blogging (& Addressing Your Resistance To It) IS IMPORTANT
Maybe it feels like shameless self-promotion or spraying. Or like some insurmountable dragon of active verbs, grammatically correct sentences, and pithy advice. Perhaps the thought of linking and interlinking and longtail keywords and UX just makes you shudder (yeah, we get it). And even though you know blogs are basically free advertising, and you’ve read countless other blogs about why blogging is important for your business, the bottom line is you don’t want to do it. No matter which way you skin the blog cat, the resistance to wielding the flaying knife is real. And it needs to be addressed.
So let’s air this shit out and nail down some useful approaches to getting that daunting yet oh so important blog written! To hold your attention span in our tiny hands, we’ve dismantled this “Fuck Blogging” post into a few shorter, more digestible “Fuck Blogging” segments. We hope you like them.
Part I.
Write What Makes Your Heart Sing
Or some shit like that. What we mean is: don’t just write about trending topics simply because they’re trending, and don’t just write about what you think your audience is going to be into.
We can hear you already, “Bu-bu-but, that’s the exact opposite of what all the blogs about blogging say…”. Well, yes and no. Just like any other relationship, if you’re always doing what you're doing in order to please the person or the people on the other side of the doing, the experience is never going to be authentic for you. Or them, for that matter. And you’re not going to want to do it, ever.
Our two cents? The people you want reading your blog and liking your company aren’t people who are going to want to read a slightly different rendition of every third blog post out there. If you’re going to say something, say something worthwhile and then stand behind it. Chances are your confidence will transfer to your customers. And who knows, sprinkle in enough relevant long-tail keywords and write authentically and with verve, and you just might start a trending topic yourself. Imagine that!
The Takeaways (lo mein & eggrolls, please)
1. Swagger.
Of course you want to address subjects relevant to your area of expertise, ones that folks you’re targeting will want to read, but you most certainly can do that and do it your own way. Cue Jay Z’s spin on Sinatra’s My Way.
2. Beware the template.
When you take a trending subject and explain and present it in your own way, it lets you poke your head out from a sea of the same. Yeah, we know lists and chunking and catchy titles are great (we’re using a number list this very instant), and we're not advising you to loosen your grip from these useful blogging techniques. We are, however, talking about approach and style and authenticity. Because if we have to see one more blog post about “7 Reasons Why You Should…”, we're going to hurl. Seriously. Stop shoulding on us and everyone else. Like the Growler’s frontman, Brooks Nielson, likes to croon: nothing’s as depressing as good advice.
3. On the Spectrum
Snag a relevant subject, do your research, then do things differently. Hone, focus, listen to your gut. And not just to be different, but rather to do something in a way that's meaningful to you and your company. “Different” is a spectrum and a perspective, so find your different and roll with that. Filler is for the birds.
When you do, we promise the task of blogging will become less of a task and more of a moment to explore, experience, ruminate, and air out yo’ shit (Yeah, we know it’s your company’s blog; DO leave out the bulleted list about your exes and DON’T leave out the voice, tone, expertise, and awesomeness that is your business, your shit!).
Don't have time or still can't bring yourself to write a weekly, monthly, or even bi-monthly blog post? Want a few blog-writing babes you can trust to take “your different” and run with it? Hire Frank Mouth today and we'll take care of your beautiful mess of a blog for you!