Do the same as everyone else. Have an inoffensive design, a bland social media presence and content that can be found on 100 other blogs. Would be how not to make your blog stand out.
Doing the research
First, go and research 100 blogs and see what they are all doing. You’re not going to do that.
Next, follow 100 bloggers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and for a week pay close attention to what they post, when they post it and how they engage with their followers. You’re probably not going to do what they do.
Next – search your soul and answer this question: “Why are you blogging?”.
Finally, identify one thing that only you can do for your blog (ie. something that those 100 blogs and bloggers are not already doing), that still keeps you happy when you think about why you are blogging. There’s no point in deciding to write a text-only blog to be different, if you’re a photographer. Or stop doing sponsored posts if you need the money.
What’s your unfair advantage?
Pat Flynn calls this ‘finding your unfair advantage‘. There is something out there that you can or will do, that no other blogger can or will do, that will be your ticket to start rising head and shoulders above the other millions of blogs. Think out of the box, nothing is too outrageous to consider if you really want to stand out. Here are some ideas to get you started. (I’m not suggesting any or all of these will work, I’m just putting them out there as things not many bloggers are prepared to do.)
– Turn off your comments and move your engagement to Twitter.
– Get rid of your sidebar to make your blog an easier read for your visitor
– Only write 2,000 word posts.
– Spend more time on your Instagram posts than on your blog posts.
– Stop competing. Stop being jealous. Ditch the competitive, jealous blogging friends you have and make new connections with supportive, collaborative bloggers. Read this post: How To Ignore Everyone Else And Be Yourself.
– Have you got more time than other bloggers? Are you more productive? More efficient? Would you be prepared to make more time, get up earlier?
– Have you got more ideas than other bloggers? Are you prepared to put out more content?
– Do you take better photos?
– Have you got a photogenic cat, a way with words or a sense of humour?
– Can you video blog or podcast? Yes? Then are you prepared to do it weekly?
– Do you have a newsletter that is actually useful and interesting – one that you would open yourself if someone sent it to you? Can you call it something other than a newsletter? Maybe you know how to use MailChimp or Aweber, understand about lead magnets and are prepared to put some work in to take care of people who give you their email address. Are you prepared to put all your best stuff in your newsletter, not on your blog?
– Can you be vulnerable, show your mistakes, share less than perfect pictures on Instagram?
– Do you know influential people who would help you out by raising your profile?
– Is there a smaller social media platform you can own? Snapchat? Ello?
– Would you go on television or speak at a conference?
– Are you prepared to write for an extremely narrow audience (vegan grandmothers, or fathers of quadruplets)?
– Have you got strong opinions that you will publish and then defend politely when challenged?
– Can you make your blog incredibly easy to navigate? Are you prepared to go the extra mile and put links to other posts, and also go back to old posts and add links to later posts? Instead of using an ‘if you liked this post then you might like this one’ plugin, are you prepared to add recommended posts manually to the end of posts so they are more likely to be relevant?
I have turned off comments on my blog until they make it easier to comment from a mobile. I'd love to know what you think though - click here to send me a Tweet. Tell me what your unfair advantage is, or suggest something another blogger might try.
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3 takeaways
Take your advice from bloggers YOU like, not necessarily the gurus with a massive following. What worked for the gurus a couple of years ago might not work anymore.
Write content that only you can write.
Be you. Be sociable.
If having knock-out photography is one of the things you want to try, you'll be needing my free weekly photography lessons, delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here, and you'll also get an invitation to join the private Facebook group for feedback and photography chat:
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