Why Most Bloggers Will Never Succeed at Blogging

Most Bloggers Will Never Succeed at Blogging

Ouch. That’s a pretty harsh statement. One that is likely to incite a number of different emotions depending on the reader and how they are wired. It also begs for a definition of Succeed but let’s start the bar pretty low and say Succeed means even being active within a year.

You don’t have to spend very much time surfing the blogosphere to deduce that a number of blogs get started and are posted on for a week or two, maybe even a few months, but then go dormant. Another bit of evidence is the sheer number of domains that are available for auction via GoDaddy or the various forums. It is not uncommon to find domains for sale that are at least a year old or more.

I purchased an expired domain “Blogging Essentials” a few weeks ago that was over a year old. No doubt it was someone’s “next big thing” that just never got developed. The owner probably started with the best of intentions but wasn’t ready for the commitment required to be successful.

Comment Section Wisdom

I wrote a post about Make Money Online Blogs the other day and one of the comments inspired me to write this article. The post was a discussion about the disdain that MMO bloggers face every day, most of it deserved.

One of the readers left a comment that I thought was very insightful, if you look for the bigger picture behind the comment. Here it is:

A few of the most creative people stick with writing about how they find new ways to make money is fine, but when everyone out there starts to regurgitate their own list of something that has been written 100 times before because they came to a revelation. If I read another post telling me to guest blog, comment, and blah blah blah to gain readers I’m going to smack that person. - Kyle James

I don’t think it’s any secret that many readers come to a MMO blog looking for ways to make money online. Some blogs do an admirable job of providing this information while others do nothing but take advantage of readers who are seeking to better themselves.

Kyle’s comment summarizes pretty well the general feeling that most people have towards MMO blogs but there is more to it if you really sit back and think about it.

Supply and Demand

The entire MMO industry exists for a reason. Like any other good or service, if there is no demand then there will be no supply and right now there is a tremendous demand for information regarding improving one’s self. This may take the form of weight loss info, quitting smoking or of course making money online.

Bloggers crave this information and they can find it easily because it is EVERYWHERE on the internet and growing daily. Bloggers face NO shortage of information, but what they do lack is ACTION. Let’s use e-books as an example, hopeful bloggers will purchase e-book after e-book in search of something. In many cases they never utilize the information they received in the last e-book before they are off buying a new one.

It isn’t a lack of information that causes you to fail, it’s a lack of action on your part.

It’s no different when it comes to blog posts. A TON of information is out there regarding building a successful blog, driving traffic to your blog, monetizing said blog etc. Instead of doing what these bloggers suggest they, for some reason, will continue to surf from blog to blog never utilizing the information they already know.

Action is the missing ingredient and it the secret to your success. A secret so valuable that many would be willing to pay a lot of money to acquire. The sad thing is it’s not for sale. You can’t buy the gene that makes you take action, it isn’t a vitamin or a Powerbar and it only exists inside you already. You either have it or you don’t, you won’t find it in an e-book.

I read a lot of motivational books and one of my favorites is the Secrets of a Millionaire Mind. If you read this book you will find that the experts will tell you that the average person has more than enough skill and knowledge to become a millionaire. They have the skill but they don’t put these skills to use. Excuse after excuse, rationalization after rationalization, all intended to explain why they don’t succeed. It’s always tomorrow or I’ll start next week.

Am I describing you?

What Can You Do

The million dollar question, what can you do about it? The easy answer is to use the same old Drill Sergeant routine and say get off your butt and get to work. The problem with this is you already know that.

Telling you what you already know isn’t likely going to change your behavior.

This is why I say that Most Bloggers Will Never Succeed at Blogging.

It requires planning, action, skill, marketing and a whole lot of luck. In fact I think the last two are the most important. I would much rather be a great marketer than a great writer. A great marketer knows how to promote average content and make it appear as though it were better than the ordinary stuff you can read on any blog.

Most of you reading this article will have already at least taken the first step and that is to start a blog but have you gone beyond that? Let’s revisit Kyle’s comment; “if I read one more article telling me to guest blog, comment blah blah blah.”

If we have all read that guest blogging is a great way to increase our exposure, how many of us have done it? If we all know we should network with other bloggers, how many of us are doing just that? If we all know that we need to market ourselves to stand out from the crowd, how many of us have done it? If you know you should be purple, what color are you?

Do As You Say

I have written two guest posts, one on Blogtrepreneur and one on Blogging Experiment that are related to this very topic in a way. Did it take away from my blogging here? Yes. Was it content I could have used here? Yes.

Was it worth it? Yes.

I gained about 4 times the number of RSS readers that week than I normally gain in a typical week. The best part is that these posts will keep on giving, just today I had someone from Blogging Experiment visit and read 12 pages of my content and stayed on site for 45 minutes. Did I gain a reader? Maybe. Will I gain more from these two posts? Most assuredly.

Guest Posting is but one piece of the puzzle though and if any of us are to succeed, the truth is that there is no magic formula. I already know what I need to do, I just need to do it, learn from my mistakes and make sure I adjust my plan accordingly.

Nike had it right……Just Do It!

Conclusion

Am I advocating that you remove all of these blogs from your reader? Sure…just not mine. Actually no, I don’t recommend it, simply because you can always use a tuneup.

Even reading the same stuff that you already know might inspire you to think differently about it than you did the last time. Maybe you will look at it in a different way or maybe this time it will prompt you to action.

MLB players go to spring training every year even though they already know how to play baseball.

Before I wrap up I want to qualify what I am saying here as it could come off holier than thou. Every single thing that I have written here comes from my own experience and it applies to me too. I am not preaching to anyone but rather sharing parts of my own story.

I have wanted to start a blog for a couple of years yet I didn’t. I didn’t prioritize it high enough or whatever my excuse was, but I finally got off my butt and got to work. I decided to take action instead of thinking about it.

How about you, are you on track with your plan? Do you have a plan? Are you satisfied with your progress? Where are you going to be at the end of 2008?