First post on ProBlogger 11 tips for creating a personal connection with your audience.
Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash
Have you ever felt too attached to blogging?
For me, there have been many times over the years that I've felt like a blogger is speaking to me directly through their writing and/or podcasts. Some content creators have the ability to (almost) communicatively engage in conversation with anyone on the other side of their content and their reader/listener/viewer.
A personal example of this is podcaster Rob Bell , who feels like he's speaking directly to me every time I listen to him. It's probably because he comes from the same background as me and talks about subjects that interest me, but it also has to do with his personal and engaging delivery.
Whether you've had this experience before or not, I think it's really interesting and important to watch what these content creators are doing to make that connection with them. Of course, some people have a natural ability to make a personal connection. But for the rest of us, I think there are a few lessons we can adapt and use to create a more personal experience for your blog audience.
In this article, I want to share 11 tips for making a personal connection, techniques I've noticed from other content creators, and things I've tried and worked with my audience.
1. Tell personal stories
Storytelling is a very interesting technique. people love stories, and the more stories you can tell, the better known you will be. The stories you tell don't have to be deeply personal stories from the heart (although they can be), but any story that demonstrates you have some experience with the subject you're talking about creates a powerful and insightful connection. . your reader
Here are 14 types of stories you can tell on your blog .
Photo by Kevin Erdwig on Unsplash
2. Write down how you speak
Everyone's writing style will be a little different, but for me, I find that I communicate much better when I write in a conversational style. If you listen to me speak at a conference or listen to my podcast , you will know that I speak in a very conversational tone. And I've noticed that I get a lot more feedback when I use this style of writing: blog comments and emails. than when my readers' letters take on a more formal and authoritative "pedagogical" tone.
For more on writing like a human, check out this interview I did with Beth Dunn .
3. Use personal language
Just a small change in the way you write makes a big difference in how it is perceived by the reader. Anytime you can use the word "you" in your letters or presentations, that's a powerful thing. For example, the title of this blog post: "11 tips for creating a personal connection with your audience " instead of (de-calculated) "...audience..." this change immediately makes the reader think about their experience . it's more personal than theoretical. Once you start speaking to your reader personally, they start to apply what you're saying to their own situation and make it concrete and specific.
4. Imagine your reader
When you begin to imagine your reader/listener/viewer, instead of typing words into a computer, speaking into a microphone, or presenting in front of a camera, you will instantly refine your message, delivery, and style. A very useful technique for bringing your reader to life is to create an avatar of your reader and then have it in front of you when you create content for it.
Here 's how to create a reader avatar for your blog
5. Meet the needs of a real reader
One of the things you learn when creating your reader avatar is their needs. Of course, you can use your experiences, issues, and problems with your topic, but you need to ask your readers questions to find out what their issues are. You can conduct a survey (if you have a large enough audience), ask questions on your blog, mailing list or social networks to find out the needs, problems, dreams, motivations of your readers. The more you understand what your readers need, the more you'll know who they are (and they'll know you), and the more you'll be able to solve their specific problems.
6. Write about your readers' feelings, fears and dreams
When you get feedback on your readers' needs, you get topic ideas, but (if nothing else) you'll also get an idea of how they feel. You may need to read between the lines of your audience's responses.
For example, in a blog, I asked my audience:
- What is your biggest dream?
- What is your biggest challenge?
I put all of their answers into two word clouds (one for “Dreams” and one for “Challenges”) to see which themes stood out. Yes, there were topics like 'Traffic', 'Content', 'SEO', but there were also general feelings of 'Fear', 'Afraid', 'Afraid' in the context of the topic; for example "I'm scared." SEO.” By identifying these feelings, I was able to write with more empathy and build an emotional connection with my audience in my content.
An example of the content I created as a result was a podcast episode on Dealing with Impostor Syndrome .
7. Go off topic once in a while
I rarely stray off topic on my two main blogs, ProBlogger and School of Digital Photography, but if you check my Instagram or Twitter account , as well as my podcast and newsletter , you'll see I'm off topic. enter more blogs and personal mentions of things other than photography. Off-topic quotes can resonate and resonate more with your audience.
8. Use multimedia
Use different types of media to humanize yourself. When you write, you can write in a personal tone; but if you add your photo, your audience will see your face. if you use audio, they can hear your voice; Video brings you to life as a person and people can see your body language, your energy, your enthusiasm, your sense of humor… and live video can really make things better by increasing engagement and engagement public. Of course, all of these things aren't for everyone (some of these things scare people away), but anything you can do to personalize your message will help.
That's what happened when my wife, who started blogging anonymously, started sharing more about herself with her audience. How posting a simple selfie increased new blog traffic, shares and comments .
9. Go to Events
One of the most important things I did when I started blogging was attending events related to my blog topics. It can take some time and investment when attending events, but there are also plenty of online meetups and events these days. Attending important events and interacting with people will help you understand your readers' needs and how they might be feeling. Even if you don't meet your real readers, you will meet people like them, which will tell you a lot and help you create more personal content.
10. Interaction practice
A reader once told me at an event that she had read the ProBlogger blog for years but never felt a personal connection. It wasn't until he joined the ProBlogger community group on Facebook and left his first comment that the blog popped up and he did something that felt more personally related to me. Most of your readers will be very passive. they will read/listen/see your content but say nothing.
You can force people at any time. Leave a comment; join a group; send an email; signing up to vote in a poll...makes them a little more engaged and involved, making it a more personal experience for them and feeling more connected to you. So call people to action. And when they interact with you, it's important to be aware of and respond to their interactions. Even if you are communicating with a small audience, other people in your audience will see and feel included.
11. Create content with your heart
One of the best things you can do when creating content is to listen to what you're writing or talking about. Writing about things you care about is one thing, but writing about things you care about takes it to another level. Not every message you send has to be emotional and heartfelt. But once in a while, allow yourself to use your emotions, whether it's a tantrum, a sad story, or a sweet story. Allow yourself to feel and express those emotions, and you will create a deeper connection with your readers.
"No tears for the writer, no tears for the reader. No surprise for the writer, no surprise for the reader." -Robert Frost
An example of the content there was when I talked about the abusive awakening that changed my life and my blog . It came from the heart and I got this answer.
If you don't want to connect personally with your readers, they won't contact you personally. They take your order. It's important to tailor what you expect from your readers and create the personal experience and connection with your audience that they expect from you.
Now it's up to you... Tell me what you think! Have you seen examples of bloggers creating personal experiences with their audience? Have you tried any of these methods (or others) yourself? What happened
Creating a more personal connection is one way to build community with your audience. To go beyond engagement and unleash the power of community, ProBlogger's Community Build course will help you turn your regular readers into passionate fans.
First post on ProBlogger 11 tips for creating a personal connection with your audience.