On Monday, I shared 5 ways to build community without commenting.
But today, I want to share a personal story with you that speaks to another important dimension of community building that shouldn’t be overlooked.
At the end of last year, I was bemoaning the lack of visitors I was getting to KludgyMom. People just weren’t coming by – and I could feel it. I couldn’t pinpoint why, though. I just knew that something was fundamentally changing about my blog. All of the things I talked about on Monday to keep my community going? I was still doing all of them. But yet, the community was leaving.
In January, I decided to do a 2011 “Year in Review” post, that would allow me to share some of my favorite posts from the prior year with readers.
In order to do that, I had to spend a large chunk of time going back through my archives and reading through a whole year of posts.
It all started off well enough. I clicked through January and February’s posts, and thought, “Wow, I was really on a roll back then! Great content, some really well-written humor posts, helpful blog tips, right on!”
March through June were pretty good, too. I continued to mentally pat myself on the back.
But as I started to look through July through September, I spotted fewer and fewer posts that made me go, “Oh yeah! I remember that post! That was really good!”
October through December was a veritable blog wasteland.
In a few short months, my blog had gone from excellent to meh to OMG lousy.
My blog was dying – and I didn’t know it before it was almost too late.
Think of your blog as a delectable treat you give your readers – an ice cream sundae with a bunch of amazing toppings.
All of those toppings – the whipped cream, the sprinkles, the hot fudge sauce – are awesome. They make the sundae better. But without the ice cream, there is no sundae.
And you know all those ideas on how to attract and keep readers? They are awesome, too. But they are only the toppings of your blog.
The ice cream of your blog is your content. Without the ice cream, there is no delectable sundae . Without awesome content, there is no delectable blog.
And when your blog is no longer a tasty treat for readers, your community will go away. No amount of paying it forward, retweeting, answering questions or bestowing of blog awards can fix it.
The only thing that can fix it is to add the ice cream back in.
So if you’re feeling like your blog has stagnated, or that you are losing visitors, consider taking a long, hard look at your content and determining whether you’ve stopped giving your readers the ice cream sundae they came for.
I’ve tried to refocus on my content this year. The best compliment I recently received was from my friend Tracy of Sellabit Mum. who tweeted me: “Good to see you blogging like you used to.”
Give ‘em the whole sundae: ice cream, toppings and all.
About the Author Gigi Ross
I'm a blogger, social media geek, mom and wife, foodie, reality TV addict and Jason Mraz fangirl. Not in that order. I write here about parenting, blogging, technology, social media and pop culture.
{ 58 comments }
Going with your sundae analogy. If your blog is full of great yummy delectable offering and you have a few yucky peanuts (I hate peanuts) I can always pick them out. But if a blog is full of filler pieces it’s hard for me to find the high quality posts that I came for. I’m not going to dig through peanuts to find ice cream
Miriam @ Sometimes I Veg´s last [type] ..10 Tips for New Food Bloggers
Amen. yes, everybody forgives a few yucky peanuts every now and then!
Love this. And as I said – glad you’re back. xoxo
tracy@sellabitmum´s last [type] ..Wordless Wednesday – Mystery Edition…What is missing from these photos..
This is precisely the reason why I decided to cut down the posts from 3 to 2 per week rather bombard people with lousy writing – while I’m planning my son’s bar mitzvah for the next 4 months. I just can’t be as prolific, and I figure people don’t leave when it’s quiet, but they will if you give them bad content. Right now, I can only muster two posts a week. I can’t imagine daily posts like you. That would be my undoing, and I think I would want to unsubscribe to myself!
Right now, your stuff is delicious. Nom Nom Nom.
Renee Schuls-Jacobson´s last [type] ..Who’s a cutey?
Yes. People don’t leave when it’s quiet, but they will if you give them bad content. Perfectly said, Renee. Although if you are quiet too long, people do go away. I’ve seen it happen to friends. But posting 2x a week is plenty. I have to always remind myself that it’s okay to not post every day.
This? Is such good advice and the analogy is perfect!
Galit Breen´s last [type] ..Loosen, But Don’t Let Go
I love this analogy. Since my blog is only about 3 1/2 months old, I’m still trying to figure out what flavors people like. At the end of the day, I write what I feel is a good post and hope it resonates with my readers.
Barbara Davis´s last [type] ..February Progress Pictures
I think just having the mental check each day when you write: “Is this good? will my readers like this?” is a great plan.
I think just having the mental check each day when you write: “Is this good? will my readers like this?” is a great plan.
Great post. For me, it’s hard to find the balance of writing enough to ensure I’m honing my craft and not writing so much that I’m basically posting recaps of my days (which are typically incredibly boring). I write for a living, but blogging is definitely a different animal. Do you have any thoughts?
Misty @ The Family Math´s last [type] ..Month in Review: January
I mentioned to another commenter that the SITS31DBBB challenge and several posts I’m writing for next week will attack this topic, but that knowing your voice, knowing what people respond to, and gearing your writing to those things is the best way to stay on track. I’ve completely scrapped posts that, after re-reading, I’ve concluded will either not resonate with my readers, or just don’t feel like ME writing.
I think whipped cream is great sometimes. I try to vary my posts during the week. Some are better than others.
JDaniel4s Mom´s last [type] ..Knowing There is Scar Tissue on My Heart
What a delicious analogy, but one that makes a lot of sense (or bite as one might say). what are your suggestions in staying motivated in writing great posts?
Debra´s last [type] ..The ABCs Of Getting Into Kindergarten….
SITS (and I) will be focusing all on writing next week and I have a great post I am working on for this. But for me, really knowing what my voice is and trying to stay true to that is what helps me keep on track. So when I want to write a post that is basically “here is my day”, I have to turn that around and figure out how to write it in a way that is ME and in keeping with my blog (which is primarily humorous when writing personal stuff).
This is an excellent analogy and lesson to learn. I would add that you shouldn’t let making money overtake your blogs, because the ice cream melts really quickly when you do.
I started reading a couple of phenomenal mom blogs last summer, but by December I had unsubscribed. Their posts were mostly sponsored posts, giveaways, product reviews and guest posts. The funny, clever, inspiring stories I had been loving were gone. They were no longer putting the same quality into their blog, but they had tons of ads on their sidebars and I’m sure they were making good money. I actually found that following these ladies on Twitter and Instagram became far more interesting than reading their blogs.
Sandra Kohlmann´s last [type] ..Wordless Wednesday #20: My Sickly Family Edition
I think it’s very easy to fall prey to what you speak of. I did a lot of sponsored posts in the winter because I wanted some extra money for myself. I never begrudge how a person chooses to monetize or not monetize their blog, because we’re all walking in different shoes. But I do think as you said, the key is to try and strike a proper balance. It’s a very tough thing to do!
I’ve only been blogging for 2 months and it’s up and down. Personally, I think everything I write is crap, but I do have a few “fans” who keep coming back. It’s kind of strange, really.
Eric Storch´s last [type] ..Goodreads Challenge Update
ha! well, somebody likes you, and if you’ve only been blogging for two months? that’s awesome!
From a girl whose blog is hopefully coming back to life – Amen! After losing the baby I just didn’t have it in me but I still had a lot of scheduled sponsored posts to write and that was basically all I could put out there unless I wanted to blog through my daily grief. Maybe I should have, but it seemed like a weight to put that on my readers. In fact, it still does and when one thing weighs on your mind it is hard to bring the bigger picture back in focus. Even harder to bring the funny.
I am really trying to refocus this year and hoping that my readers will come back. To be honest though it can be tough in a bajillion blogs to stand out, and that gets me down some days.
Off to contemplate that ice cream!
Brittany´s last [type] ..How Some Shit Turns to Sunshine
SO hard to bring the funny when you are distracted by other things. I couldn’t agree more. I realized that my funniest posts were in early January of last year, when I was only working a couple of small jobs. Makes me think that the harder we work, the harder it is to sit back and FIND the funny to write about it.
It is so hard to stand out, every day I feel like even with all the work I do, it’s such an insurmountable hill to climb.
I think that this is what’s happening to me too… I just haven’t had the time to put into my writing that I would like. I think that I need to just figure it out and do it… make that time.
it’s so hard to make the time. i was so busy in the fall and winter that I was neglecting everything and my blog was one of the many things that paid the price!
I had a similar experience when I was formatting my “Pages”, recently. One of my pages is entitled, “Fun”, and I went looking through my content, for the “fun”
.
I had a lot more “fun” in 2009 than in 2010, if you know what I mean.
I’m on a roll, myself, lately. I think my content is better than it’s ever been: my food posts are great, my photography is greater (courtesy my husband), and my humor posts have been cracking ME up. (You know it’s good if you’re giggling while you’re writing it.)
Writing prompts from MamaKat, and linky parties have been inspiring me to write good content, AND they’ve been helping my click numbers.
But I don’t think my followers are growing, and I’m not sure what to do about that. I don’t have any “stuff” to giveaway. Know what I mean? Do I need that?
No, I don’t think you need stuff to give away. I think you are doing all the right things. You probably need to identify what posts seem to resonate with your readers and as I said the other day, think of ways to work with those topics and launch a prompt of our own, or a linky party or something. Create something that your readers can engage and involve with that requires them to link back to you somehow.
I will give you an example.
18 months ago, I noticed that a lot of people really responded to my posts on blogging. At the time, SITS wasn’t doing 31DBBB. I thought, what if there was a way for me to package up all the stuff I want to share about blogging and make an online class? And that’s what I did. It was called Back to School, Back to Blogging, and I had 100 bloggers participate in what is the format you’re now seeing us run at SITS. I wrote content for every week of the challenge, I included a weekly guest poster, I had challenges and tasks for the people participating. It was a huge effort, but one that got people talking and retweeting and it was enormous for the growth of my blog.
You have to find that thing that sparkles on your blog and figure out how to get the people you do have reading to spread your sparkle.
No, I don’t think you need stuff to give away. I think you are doing all the right things. You probably need to identify what posts seem to resonate with your readers and as I said the other day, think of ways to work with those topics and launch a prompt of our own, or a linky party or something. Create something that your readers can engage and involve with that requires them to link back to you somehow.
I will give you an example.
18 months ago, I noticed that a lot of people really responded to my posts on blogging. At the time, SITS wasn’t doing 31DBBB. I thought, what if there was a way for me to package up all the stuff I want to share about blogging and make an online class? And that’s what I did. It was called Back to School, Back to Blogging, and I had 100 bloggers participate in what is the format you’re now seeing us run at SITS. I wrote content for every week of the challenge, I included a weekly guest poster, I had challenges and tasks for the people participating. It was a huge effort, but one that got people talking and retweeting and it was enormous for the growth of my blog.
You have to find that thing that sparkles on your blog and figure out how to get the people you do have reading to spread your sparkle.
Except I don’t know about you, but I could eat hot fudge sauce straight out of the jar. I may be taking this too literal, though.
C @ Kid Things´s last [type] ..My 5 Year Old’s Artwork
I shoot whip cream straight out of the can, so, yeah, I’m with you.
Brilliant analogy, and one to take to heart for sure.
Mrs. Jen B´s last [type] ..Drunken Noodles
Thanks so much! My goal for 2012 is to really work on my content. So far I’ve found having a calendar really helps. If I’ve got all my posts planned out, I can write what interests me and what excites me at the moment it does. Not when I just feel I need to put something out there.
Amanda´s last [type] ..February Fabric Swap!
A calendar can be a HUGE help. I know some people like the pressure of “OMG I have to post today!” but I like the luxury of a little time to think my ideas through!
I agree with all of the above. Some months are definitely better than others but content really is the key.
Carolyn West´s last [type] ..Coffee & Danish #MyBaristaMoment
I almost feel dumb for writing this post because it should be so obvious, but it’s such an easy thing to forget. We all worry so much about finding and keeping readers that we can lose the forest for the trees. At least I did!
I think we all could use a reminder every now and then. It frustrating trying to juggle building followers and producing great material. That’s why the more you do it, the better you get at it. I hope.
Carolyn West´s last [type] ..Coffee & Danish #MyBaristaMoment
As usual, your advice is spot on. I will definitely keep this in mind while I’m writing. I have only been blogging since December, so I’m a freshy, but I know some days it’s harder than others to write something I think is good. I always assume that if I don’t like it, neither will my readers. I want to give them that cherry on top!
Thank you for this!
Another important thing is to remember that you don’t need to pressure yourself to write every single day. It sounds like you are off to a great start with the right mindset!
This is exactly what I needed to read today. With just having my third baby in 3 years, I feel like my content has taken a nose dive, and it great having that extra push to make it great again. Thank You!!!
Joanna´s last [type] ..Desk Makeover
This is really interesting… because I’m having kind of the opposite thing happening. I’ve started changing up my content and I’m finding the numbers are getting a lot better. But that I’m not posting as many of the individual things that I really enjoyed. SO, I think I need to work on my balance. Keep up with the cool different posts that are getting hits and maybe dedicating one day a week/month to my family updates. Because after all, that is why I started…
Ashley @ It’s Fitting´s last [type] ..Super Bowl Party Food : Artichoke & Spinach Dip
This is a tightrope that’s hard to walk. I experience it myself. When I post about blogging, I get OMG crazy numbers. When I blog about parenting, I get solid numbers but not fantastic unless the post is just amazing. Truly, I could make this blog 100% about blogging and probably be killer. But that’s not what I want for my blog and I don’t want the pressure of being confined to a niche…and so I have learned to be okay with the fact that sometimes I’m not going to have great numbers. I’m fortunate to work freelance so money and numbers are not the endgame for KludgyMom. And that is a huge blessing.
So very true!
Charise @ I Thought I Knew Mama´s last [type] ..Wordless Wednesday: Marco Island Family Vacation (LINKY)
I suppose that we should all look back as often as we look forward just to mark our progress.
I’m glad you figured it out!!!! See you soon in Nashville!!
All Fooked Up´s last [type] ..In which i made a purchase
Great post. I’ve been feeling a little stale lately, too. Time to step it up again!
Yes yes yes. Good writing always always wins out.
I’ll admit that I stopped coming here for a little while because it seemed that you were trying to close the door on Gigi. We didn’t see much about your family or what was going on with you — iPhone app reviews seemed to be the “go to post.”
When you started writing about your boy’s TKD woes, I felt that you were on your way back . . . and I’m very, very glad to smile when I see your posts arrive in my inbox again
John´s last [type] ..Where I hope for some new Instagram filters
It’s funny because I seem to be going through a transition recently (both personally and in my blogging), so it seems as if one flavor of ice cream has melted away and I am replacing it with another. In the interim, my followers have gone through a flux, I’m losing some, but gaining more. For each one I lose, I gain two more
I think I might have finally found the flavor I like!
I’m a little worried because I have a couple more tweaks I’m rolling out this year, so we’ll see if my readers stick with me, but in the end I know I have to serve up the yummiest scoop of ice cream I can offer (then I’ll let my readers dictate which kinds of “toppings” they prefer)!
Nicole Rivera´s last [type] ..ROW80 Wednesday Check-In 2/1
Clearly, you’re just giving me instructions to eat ice cream everyday.
I find this to be so true. I personally find that i need to post more to continue to bring out good content–it’s like I forget how to do it if I don’t do it almost daily–but GOOD content is all the difference. I know when I’m phoning it in, and my stats will bear that out.
Ginger´s last [type] ..My Momcomm Blog Critique
So… what I’ve taken from this, basically, is that you think my blog has become stale and boring and my ice cream is all mushy and freezer burned? (What, you don’t have a crazy, narcissistic view of all posts about blogging? Must just be me.)
Megan (Best of Fates)´s last [type] ..When Your Best Friend Has Thyroid Cancer: Stage One (Doctor Who?)
Same thing happened to me when I did my January best of post last month! I could see my blogging going downhill. I’m trying to get back on track!
Natalie´s last [type] ..I’m STACKED, Are You?
I think this analogy works perfectly. I went through something similar. The only difference in my instance was that it took someone else pointing out to me that my content was going to the wayside that made me see what she could see more clearly as a reader. In realizing that my ice cream went bad, I had to refocus on what I was doing right and aim to do that again. It was a humbling experience, to say the least.
Jessica´s last [type] ..Stumbles| A lesson in mothering for a second time
Great post!! I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to “serve” up at my place, and like you said, when I look through old posts I find a lot of what I wouldn’t want eat. Getting some blogging perspective! Thanks for this!
Adrienne´s last [type] ..When date night is a dud…
Oh thanks for this yummy ice creamy flavor blog post and we all know very well how ice cream is favorite for all in any season either it’s winter or summer everyone wants to eat this.
So i am agreed with you content is like ice cream in your blog post and all readers try to search yummy ice cream in every blog post but where they will find yummy ice cream then no doubt in that more reader will go on that blog post.
I love this analogy. Except as I read the post (and then scrolled through the comments) I think I have the opposite problem from some bloggers and it, too, can limit the growth of my site…
I slave over the ice cream (which is why I still post only once a week or so) and the “extras” just aren’t my thing. Unfortunately, most people like the fudge and whipped cream and cherries (and nuts, yes I like nuts, too).
So I have loyal readers who like my words, but I’m not the blogger whose traffic explodes after getting pinned or stumbled because of my awesome photography, recipes or craft ideas.
And giveaways? Yeah. You have to have stuff to do that.
SO.
It’s okay. I’m not sponsored or monetized and I don’t look at my analytics. I’m a writer at heart and can’t seem to break free of focusing on the words. I guess I’m just a plain bowl of ice cream here on the internet.
The best I can shoot for is trying out different flavors…
I like your ice cream just the way it is, Julie. A lot of people do. (hugs)
Gigi, this is a great analogy, and I know exactly what you mean. I was having some not so nice feelings about my blog around the end of the year. I felt I was doing too much of the filler stuff, putting things up so that I could stay on my M/W/F schedule and stay consistent. Basically after a lot of thought and emailing with another blogger I greatly admire, I realized that I wanted readers, not necessarily other bloggers reading my blog (although I am always grateful for the support of the blogging community). Non blogging readers don’t relate to a lot of of the memes and writing prompts, and I wanted to increase my readership, not the number of bloggers who subscribe to my blog because we run in the same circles. So I had to take a long hard look at my ice cream and start building my sundae with the flavors I liked best. And if that means that I can’t post on one of my scheduled days because I didn’t have the time to complete a well thought out post? Then so be it. I’m much happier, and my readership is actually growing since I made that decision.
Leigh Ann´s last [type] ..That time you guys were all right
So glad to hear that Leigh Ann! One of the things I struggle with is how much blog content I right.I love it, my blog friends love it, but my other readers aren’t interested. So I get what you mean totally. I’m glad you found a balance that seems to be working for you!!!!
Outstanding analogy Gigi! I love all of your posts through the SITS31DBBB challenge because they are so right on target and truly help us all gain some renewed perspective which is nice. Thanks for that!
Nicole @MTDLBlog´s last [type] ..My Bucket List {Listable Life}
This is truly a lovely analogy for blogging. The ice cream is so important. All of the other things are great, but readers will come for just ice cream but not for just sprinkles. Or something
I know this is precisely what is going on with my blog! Wow, it’s hard to keep going and going, sometimes. But lost momentum is very hard to get back.
The Damsel in Dis Dress´s last [type] ..cleaning tile and grout
I decided a long time ago that I’d rather post nothing at all than a bunch of filler crap. Sometimes this means only posting once or twice a week, and it often means not sticking to as rigid of a posting schedule as I used to. But neither of those feel as “off” to me as posting something that, for me, feels hollow or incomplete. My blog has always been, and will always be, primarily about the writing.
I’ve never really liked a lot of toppings on my sundaes anyway. For me, it’s all about the ice cream.
Kristin @ What She Said´s last [type] ..Friday Tapas: The Personal Growth Edition
The ice cream analogy makes so much sense to me. I realize now that those blog posts with the most reactions (both violent and pleasant!) are those that I spent the LEAST amount of time writing, because the words just flowed freely, from the depths of my experience. I have to keep going back to this; otherwise, my blog will be nothing more than all “toppings.” And I agree with Kristin: Sometimes the toppings are unnecessary, especially if the ice cream is the main attraction.
Martine | Work at Home Mom Writer´s last [type] ..Mompreneur: Joanne Sison of Mathemagis & Habits of the Mind Tutorial Centers
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