Blogs today are a dime a dozen. So many blogs cover the same subjects, so how do you get yours to stand out? The answer is fairly simple. To stand out utterly, you have to talk about subjects people are interested in, but topics that aren’t discussed frequently topics that will accurately capture the hearts and souls of your readers. You can also capture people’s hearts by transforming the way you present your articles. Instead of just discussing how vital it is to maintain a positive mindset at work, for example (a highly over-used topic), you might make your article stand out if you described your personal experiences trying to keep a positive outlook at work. How did you preserve that perspective? What effects did it have on your workday? Did your co-workers pick up and emulate your enthusiastic attitude?
Even when you’re addressing a familiar subject, you can make it more engaging by turning more personal, going deeper than other people are accustomed to going, instead of copying comments and anecdotes from other bloggers. Here are five ways you can do this.
1. Ask your readers what they want to read about.
You’ve put a lot of work into your blog, and you probably have some amazing stories to share. You certainly have all the time in the world to publish them. That’s the best thing about a blog: You can publish as many articles as you want because there’s no limit. However, since people have different experiences, your readers might have invaluable insights into not only which of your own tales they would like to know more about, but what might draw them further … beyond the scope of your personal experiences. Ask your readers what they’d like to see you talk about. They might be delighted to know you’re open to discussing topics that are meaningful to them. Don’t be afraid to explore topics you don’t know much about. If you only write about what you know, you could be missing opportunities to learn something new.
2. Share revealing stories.
Entrepreneur Sam Ovens is no stranger to what it means to reveal a lot. Ovens told the Epoch Times about an experience early in his career when he gave up everything he owned and spent all his money to create a business that eventually failed because nobody wanted the service he offered. He failed because he hadn’t done sufficient research to find out if what sort of market might be out there for what he wanted to do. In spite of this experience, perhaps even because of it, he later rose to become a successful businessman and even a millionaire. Sharing Ovens' story from failure to success is inspiring to the readers of Epoch Times. Many people might see their own lives reflected in this type of story. It gives people hope; because if someone else can do it, they could, too. People want to read about folks who aren’t perfect. It’s comforting to read about failures that preceded success because it gives you something to relate to.
3. Take a stand for something.
There’s obviously a difference between taking a stand against something and standing for something. The former is destructive, the latter is creative. Assuming you launched your blog to make some kind of difference in the world, you should try to keep this distinction clearly in mind. Too many people are afraid to take a stand for what they believe in, or for what’s right. Too often, that’s reflected in their blog posts that come across as lightweight. The writer is afraid of what people might think so he or she holds back, or takes the easy route of pointing out only what’s uncool, not working, and irritating. If they have a large readership, such bloggers are fearful of losing some of their readers so their numbers drop. But as Alexander Hamilton said, "if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything." If you’re going to change the world, you have to get over the fear of criticism and ridicule. Speak your truth. Take a stand for what you believe in. People will respect that even when they don’t agree with you.
4. Explore a new viewpoint or perspective.
Our experiences typically determine where we stand on an issue, so when we haven’t had certain experiences it can be difficult to identify with other people’s viewpoints. Exploring new perspectives on current events might sound difficult, but it’s an excellent way to explore the other side of an argument. You don’t have to agree with other people’s point of view. But when you acknowledge that other perspectives exist and explore them fairly rather than through the lens of your own experiences and beliefs, you’ll not only learn something for yourself but you’ll show your readers that you respect and value others regardless of what they believe -- that you’re not dismissing their experiences just because you disagree. According to TheOdysseyOnline, biased arguments risk a loss of credibility. Even when your readers agree with you, they may lose respect for you if they see you’re unwilling to look issues from different perspectives.
5. Explore a new solution instead of complaining.
It’s easy to complain, but not so easy to come up with a solution. Whenever you feel an urge to complain about something on your blog, think about identifying a solution or two before you voice your complaint. People appreciate practical solutions they can apply to their lives. Probably everyone has a solution he or she can give to the world -- and that includes you -- so your blog is the place to share it with the world.