Blog Mastermind Reopens, And The Secret Of Blogging Success
July 29th, 2008
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In ten minutes, Yaro Starak will reopen Blog Mastermind. This is his coaching program, where he teaches people how to make a full-time income from blogging part-time. It has been closed since December, and now it’s reopening with updated material.
I’m not planning to join it right now. I’ve read some reviews, all positive, but I just haven’t been convinced that it’s worth the money ($97 a month for six months, or a one time fee of $497). I’m sure it’s a great program, but I’m just not sure that anyone really knows the secret of blogging.
Actually, Leo Babauta recently told us his secret of blogging that made Zen Habits one of the top 50 blogs in the world in its first year:
“There’s no secret, really. If I have any secret, it’s this: pick topics that I know about that people want to learn about, and then provide as much useful information about those topics as I possibly can — and then write it in a clear, fairly concise, easily scannable (because people are busy) form with a catchy headline.”
That’s a simple formula for success, but there are a couple of problems here.
One is that not all successful bloggers follow the same formula. For example,
- Stuff White People Like is not about topics that people want to learn about (it’s funny, but you don’t learn anything).
- Brian Clark built up Copyblogger with two posts a week, not as many posts as possible.
- Manolo is not clear, using a strange voice in the third person.
- Leo himself is not concise. Not that I’m one to talk, I’m just saying…
- Steve Pavlina often writes posts that are not scannable.
- Seth Godin does not use catchy headlines.
The other problem is that many bloggers are following Leo’s formula without success. I’m not saying it’s a bad formula, just that it doesn’t make success guaranteed, or even likely.
If I were asked what I thought the secrets of blogging are, I’d say these are the three most important things (in order):
1. Don’t expect overnight success. It doesn’t matter what you do if you don’t give it enough time. Leo was an anomaly; the average age of blogs in the Technorati Top 100 is 33.8 months (this stat is almost two years old, but it probably hasn’t changed much).
2. Provide lots of value. There are countless blogs out there, and it’s too easy for someone to come across yours and say “next!” If people don’t have a reason to feel drawn to your blog, they won’t subscribe, stumble, link, etc. The tricky part is that value is highly subjective. All that matters is how your target audience perceives it, and this can be hard to figure out. (But one thing I know is that value is not cumulative; lots of low value posts do not add up to a high value blog!)
3. Do lots of promotion. I have no idea where people got the saying “If you build it, they will come.” I mean, yeah, Field of Dreams, but did any top blogger actually say it, or are we really taking blogging advice from a disembodied voice in an 80s movie? And wasn’t the quote “If you build it, he will come?” As in, one person, who happened to be a ghost? Regardless, the reality is that people won’t find you (until you’re well established). You have to find them, by leaving comments on other blogs, posting in forums, writing guest posts, and so forth.
Of course, if you’ve spent any significant time reading blogs about blogging, you probably already know this. And every blogger has plenty more secrets to share. In fact, I should have a guest post appearing this week where I talk about some more. (I wrote this upcoming guest post a month ago, and I don’t remember what I said!) Despite all this knowledge being passed around, plenty of bloggers still seem to be struggling.
Yaro did give some new (new to me, at least) blogging advice in his conversion blogging video. Using an email list in conjunction with a blog seems like it could be a good idea in theory, but if I had an email list I’d want it to be genuinely useful, and so far I haven’t seen a good example of a list that isn’t made up of sales pitches and duplicate content from the blog.
I’d be interested in joining Blog Mastermind, but for now, I just haven’t been convinced that it really holds the secrets of blogging. Yaro’s Blog Profits Blueprint is a great value for free though.
If you know the secrets of blogging, please share them in the comments!
July 29th, 2008 at 10:49 am
My dad sent me a link to things white people like about a month ago. It is truly, truly funny.
Writer Dads last blog post..You Can Keep the Thrilling Rides, I’ll Take the Floating Rock
July 29th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I don’t think I have anything to add… you’ve said it pretty well.
I do agree that you need to provide VALUE to your readers, but the value doesn’t have to be advice. Entertainment has value too, as is making your readers THINK.
Vereds last blog post..Powerful Men, Half-Naked Women (Best Shot Monday)
July 29th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I have read Yaro’s Blog Profit Blueprint. He has given some great pointers. He has classified activities which yield small results and those which yield big results. That was one point which got me thinking about how would I like to spend my time online considering there are so many blog-promoting activities that one can do – commenting, social media, forums, guest posts etc. I keep experimenting now to find out what works for my blog. And am still experimenting
One additional thing that Leo Babauta has done is link generously other bloggers. Each of his old article has more than 3 external links.
Avani-Mehtas last blog post..Cheat Codes To Have A Happy Marriage
July 29th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
This is all useful information for experienced – and new bloggers – alike, Hunter.
I agree that blogging success comes from a combination of first class content and ceaseless promotion. Together, these factors put any blog on a sure footing.
July 29th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Hi Hunter,
I guess if we all knew “the secret” we would be rich and famous. When I look at the popular blogs like Steve Pavlina and Problogger, I also note they have been blogging for many years. The put in their time, paid their dues, and yet, continue to keep blogging. Look at Lorelle, she was blogging before blogging was “blogging”.
To me, I think it takes patience, perseverance, dedication, a love of writing and sharing, plus the other points you mentioned, i.e promoting yourself.
Then, we have to ask, what does success mean to ME? Sometimes, it’s not about the money.
July 29th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Great analysis!! I’m also not joining the program. After paying tons of money previously, I realise that the secrets are often no big secrets. If others can succeed based on simple formulas, why can’t I?
July 29th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
@ Writer Dad, I discovered it a few months ago, and yes, it is pretty funny, even if a bit stereotypical!
@ Vered, sure, value could even mean lolcats! I was just responding to Leo’s comment that you should write about topics that people want to learn about, which I think is not actually necessary, since people are looking for things other than learning.
@ Avani-Mehta, right, the streams and the rivers. I’m still experimenting too! And yes, linking out definitely gets people’s attention.
@ Scott, and pre-bloggers too, right?
Without both strong content and promotion, a blog will probably never have a chance.
@ Barbara, do you mean famous in the online world or offline? Steve Pavlina says only a few people recognize him in the offline world. Fortunately, we can become famous online and still maintain a low profile offline.
So you’re saying Lorelle was BBBWB? A new acronym for you!
July 29th, 2008 at 11:25 pm
Hi Hunter, “secret” and “success” are two words that are so subjective in the world of blogging … or anything for that matter. I think there’s a lot to learn out there, but I’d call them guidance instead of secrets. I agree there are some common rules to abide by for success in any field, but I’d be skeptical about claims of being THE BEST. There’s really no one-size-fits-all solution. We make our own definitions of “success”, and pick our own sets of “secrets”. I second what Barbara said — if we all knew the secret, we would be rich and famous. I wonder how many people who paid for “secrets” actually got rich and famous?
Irene | Light Beckonss last blog post..Ask Why
July 29th, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Great blog banter Hunter. I appreciate your take on the mystery of success, as it is true in any venture. Just about the time you think you have a formula, the conditions change.
I have been away for a while. It was good to come back and find you roaring onwards.
Blessings!
Harmonys last blog post..Sometimes Silence is the Only Way
July 30th, 2008 at 12:35 am
@ Irene, very true! These are very subjective terms, and there’s certainly no magic pill you can take that solves everything (or everyone would have taken the pill by now). I’ve never paid for “secrets,” but if you find someone who did, ask them if they’re rich and famous!
@ Harmony, welcome back! I guess Ginger is back too? As for “roaring onwards,” did you know I recently wrote a post about a lion?