In the course of building a blog, I have faced and surmounted several challenges. Among these challenges, I have been able to identify three critical problems that confronts every blogger; both great and small. Most of the challenges faced by many bloggers usually revolve around these three problems/components and unfortunately; your success or failure as a blogger is solely dependent these three components. Now what are these factors? They are:
- Quality Content
- Traffic
- Money
Without any of these three components, your blog is dead on arrival. So how do you bring these three components to work in synergy on your blog? What’s the missing link between blogs that generate tons of traffic and money; and blogs that struggle in penury? Well, I am going to answer these questions in detail.
I have been blogging for over three years now and have published over 1,000 articles on different platforms. Just recently, I did an analysis on all the articles I have written over the last three years and I observed that about 20% of my articles generated the most money, traffic and publicity. Narrowing my analysis on these 20% articles, I was able to pinpoint the exact reasons why these articles were more successful and generated more money than the rest. So based on this finding, I came up two ultimate rules for writing content that generates money and traffic effortlessly. In fact, these two rules are so simple that most people despise it. Do you want to know these rules? Then read on.
The Two Rules for Writing Great Content
Rule 1. Write what you know
Yes, the rule one for writing content that goes viral while generating money and traffic is to write what you know. I sometimes find it funny that most bloggers ignore this simple rule and yet, they wonder why they are not successful. The reason why I advocate the need to stick with what you know is that your readers can feel your passion from your write-up. They can read your mind just by reading your write-up and they can tell if you are just another worthless writer or someone worth listening to.
Now using myself as case study; I want you to know that i have read a lot of books, articles on business building and entrepreneurship. And because I am passionate about the subject of entrepreneurship, I can easily tell the difference between articles or books written by entrepreneurs and those written by professional writers. Professional writers tend to write on theories; or things they have no experience about. Therefore, I tend to stay away from write-ups written by professional writers because they lack the real-life experience and details of building a business.
The same applies to your readers. They can smell your intelligence, feel your passion and read your mind just by reading your content. So you are better off sticking with what you know. Now take a look at the big names in the information industry and you will observe that they became famous by writing on subjects they were passionate and knowledgeable about. For instance:
- Darren Rowse – Blogging
- Dan Sullivan – Search Engine
- Arianna Huffington – Politics
- Brian Clark – Content writing and marketing
- Steve Pavlina – Personal Development
- Glen Alsopp – Viral Marketing case studies
This list can go on and on but I think my point is made. If you want build a successful blog, then write content that you are knowledgeable about.
Rule 2. Write when you are emotional
If you want to write content that generates traffic and money, then write when you are emotional; write when you are downcast, heartbroken, in pain, happy, sad. Why? The reason is because readers tend to connect with your written words; they feel your soul by reading your written words.
Sincerely speaking, my most successful articles are the ones about my dreams, my goals, my successes and my failures. Sometimes, in my quiet time; I tend to reflect over my life as an entrepreneur. I sometimes recall my highs and my lows, my future plans, the disappointments, the backstabbing and losses I have taken in business and the lessons learned. While recalling all this in my memory, I often get emotional and sometimes shed tears. In such moments, I simply turn on my computer and write my soul out. In such emotional articles, I cry, curse, grumble, rejoice and then share the lessons learned from my experience. Believe me, such articles go viral almost instantaneously after I push the publish button.
The reason these emotional write-ups go viral is because readers tend to feel my soul. They know I am also in the same situation they are in. Through my write-ups, my readers know that I am human with a heart and a soul; not a machine hiding behind a computer. This is why you should write when you are emotional. One of the most viral articles on Problogger was written by Jon Morrow and it’s titled “How to Quit your Job, Move to Paradise and Get Paid to Change the World.â€
I have read and re-read that article countless times. Now if you’ve read that article, I bet you will feel inspired and deep down in you; you are going to say “Damn!!! If Jon can do it, why can’t I.†Well, that’s the power of an emotional article. That article went viral because Jon poured his heart and soul into it.
In conclusion, these are my two rules for creating viral content that generates money and traffic. Do you have any strategy that works for you? Or do you think the two rules above are out of place? Then feel free to share your thought though the comment box below.
Ajaero Tony Martins is a serial entrepreneur and investor with a passion for teaching people how to start a business. He also known for his common sense advice and tips on investing for beginners.