"Writing for your readers". I like this topic :)

I've seen a lot of tips that seem to say "write for yourself". "Find your passion and write about that".

These are nice and might even be true... but if you want to have a successful blog I think there is no better advice than:

Write for your Readers

Whether your inspiration comes from your deepest passions or obsession, the "end product" - the blog article you'll write - has a customer.

This customer is your reader. He's the one you're talking to. He's the one you'd like to have purchase your books.

This prototypical reader, you'd like for him to like you.

Its easy to be blinded by one's own tastes and likings and forget what your customers would like... but since you're addressing them, perhaps knowing what your readers like actually is good information to know....

I saw this behavior often when I used to design custom Web pages for some customers (I do much less of that now!). I always opened with a series of questions about the end-user's tastes and likes; what does the person using the Web site expects?

... Only to be turned down by the customer. "I don't care", he said... and instead proceeded to show me a Web page he liked and insisted that I clone.

Don't do that. Be yourself - that's actually a good thing. But don't ignore what your customers want.

There's a lot of blogging tips about readers that can be found out there. Here's my top 5 tips (along with my take on them) about writing with your readers in mind:

Tip 1 - Know Your Readers

You can't address your readers' needs if you don't know about them.

Sure, you can't know all of your readers individually, but you can probably make a few educated guesses and build a few reader profiles and write articles to address those.

And while you're writing these articles, think about ending some articles with a question - to engage your readers and get to know more about them in the process.

After all, if you show interest in them, it can only help them show interest in you...

Tip 2 - Write With your Readers In Mind

We've touched about knowing the readers and thinking up a reader profile.

When you write a blog article, try to refrain from pleasing all of your reader profiles at once. Chances are it's an impossible task.

Instead, concentrate on pleasing the reader profile you've picked as best as you can. Your readers won't go away when you write to another "profile"... especially not if they've been hooked to your blog when you were writing to the profile that matched them.

Just try to keep all your profiles entertained once in a while - just not all in the same post.

Tip 3 - Find Your Voice

You're writing for your readers, but you are still the writer. Don't try to sound different than yourself.

A key element that seems to be common to most successful blog is authenticity.

You'll find your style - your "voice" - as you blog along. Maybe you'll find your voice only after 100 posts.

But if you try to use a voice that isn't your own, it'll be picked up by your readers and your blog risk feeling as if you're not authentic. Not a good thing.

Tip 4 - Be Relevant

When you're writing (or proofing a post) with a certain reader profile as a target audience, try to imagine a tiny, grumpy reader on your shoulder that's peeking at your work and constantly asking:

  • "So what?"
  • "What's in it for me?"

If you can't answer these questions rapidly, consider giving the axe to whatever section of your post you were reading.

This will help keep your posts relevant and targeted.

Tip 5 - Be Opinionated

Don't be afraid of voicing your opinions. No matter what you think, someone on the Internet - among your readers - will disagree with you. It can't be helped. Be ready to accept your reader's opinions, though.

A lot of tips I've ran upon on this subject mention "don't avoid controversy". If you've got what it takes to handle controversy, it can be something that can really bring in the traffic. Just try not to alienate your readers with that :)

PS: Funny how 'reader' and 'customer' - you know, those you want to purchase your eBooks - can be exchanged in this post...

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Eric