Blog Jealousy: When Your Blog is Just as Good But Doesn’t Get Attention
Do you think your blog is just as good as some others in your niche, but it fails to get anywhere near the attention? Do you suffer from blog jealousy or blog envy?
The Fame Factor: The Famous Get “Famouser” While You Disappear
Invariably, this happens to most bloggers who stay with it long enough. I know I’ve suffered from it. It’s a natural human reaction, especially after you read about the same bloggers over and over again.
It seems that the famous get famouser while most of us toil in obscurity. However, we can get to the elite level too if we look the green-eyed monster of jealousy right in the eye – and then look past him to pick up the lessons.
4 Lessons You Can Learn from Famous Bloggers
Persistence Pays: Many famous actors who achieve “overnight” success have been working for years in summer stock, off-off-off Broadway plays, unpaid roles in student films and the like. Years ago when I lived in New York, I went through this first-hand. It was one of the reasons I quit. I just didn’t have what it took to stick with it.
One summer night in New York as I was walking with my then-beau down the street, who did we run into? Sam Jackson. Or, as he is more widely known – Samuel L. Jackson. Yep, the one of Pulp Fiction and a host of other movies, fame.
My boyfriend had worked with him in regional theatre back in the 80s. Mr. Jackson had been around a long time before movies like Jungle Fever and Pulp Fiction brought him into mainstream consciousness.
Sometimes, you just have to stick with it.
Love of the Game: One of the reasons I didn’t stick with acting is that while I liked it a lot and was quite good at it, I wasn’t in love with it. Sure, I’d do a play if a friend of mine handed me the role and all I had to do was show up to rehearsal.
But, puhleeze, I wasn’t going to go out there and actively hunt for roles, stop hanging out and get up for auditions. Sometimes when I see a juicy role I think, “Man, I could play that character – and ten times better than that actress.”
But, you know what? Whoever’s on the screen actually went to auditions, took acting classes, sacrificed fun and stuck with it. And, that’s why she’s on screen and I’m in the audience feeling smug about what I could do.
Sometimes when you run across a blog you may think, I can write better posts, or why does this girl make all that money.
Simply put? Because they do. They don’t talk about doing or sit around waiting to do. They . . . do.
Take their Advice: Most bloggers who have achieved success readily dispense advice — really, really good advice. Not every one of their success tips will work for you. But, take the tips that do and apply them – consistently.
Most of us will read a success tip, but never apply it to our own work. That’s like giving up free money. If Oprah offered to coach you in TV journalism day in and day out, wouldn’t you apply what she was telling you?
Well, successful bloggers give out advice all the time. When was the last time you applied a tip that you learned?
Be You: One thing about blogging that’s very similar to acting is you have to put yourself out there. Sometimes, you’ll be right for a role, other times not. I remember one time I was actually told that I didn’t get a role because my earlobes were uneven. Huh?
That was when I knew I’d never make it. It was just too subjective for me – too much that I couldn’t control. With your blog, you control the output. Some will love what you do; others won’t.
But, successful people tend to know who they; they are comfortable with themselves. They don’t try to fit a mold or be like anyone else. While it’s advice as old as time itself – it’s a lesson that constantly needs to be repeated.
When you blog, just be you. Don’t try to copy someone else’s style, what they’re doing or even how they make money online. Each of us has a unique path. Being true to who you are will bring you riches beyond your wildest dreams – if you have the courage to just be you.
So, turn that frown upside down the next time you’re reading a famous blogger. There’s gold in dem dere posts . . . if only you can look past the green-eyed monster to nab it.
Rhys - Retro Garden | June 25th, 2008 at 12:40 pm #
Great post, though I will contest one point:
“Well, successful bloggers give out advice all the time.”
Do they though? A bunch of successful blogs don’t often tell me things, can think of about 10 or 20 which actually do have information (and of them about one in 10 posts are useful), a lot of successful blogs are self serving.
Nevertheless, good post
Cassie | June 25th, 2008 at 2:53 pm #
I love every word! Especially the last two points. So many bloggers are trying to be someone or something they’re not. They’re trying to be like so many other successful bloggers and forgetting who they are in the process.
There’s also the epidemic of not using the knowledge you’re given. How many people buy ebooks, then read them, then let them sit and rot on their hard drives without ever putting what they learned to good use? I do it all the time! Same thing goes for blog posts. I get ideas all the time and write them down but in a lot of cases I forget about them or just don’t do them out of pure laziness.
“They don’t talk about doing or sit around waiting to do. They . . . do.” - The secret to the successful people’s success!
The Freelance Writer's Blog | June 25th, 2008 at 3:19 pm #
@Rhys: Sometimes the message may not suit your particular needs, but I’ve found that most top bloggers are very generous with their information. It can be hard to get “personal” attention, but digging through their archives and interacting with others on their blog helps.
Thanks for lending your point of view.
@Cassie: I think we all do that, ie, run across some good advice and then fail to follow through. It’s just human nature. But, I’ve learned that it’s not hard to succeed. In fact, it’s relatively easy — if you’re willing to get off your tukus and do what’s required.
About 98% of the population doesn’t do this, which is why those who do succeed seem so much smarter, talented and more brilliant than the rest of us. I’m trying to finishing moving my wannabe lazy butt into that other 2%.
Yuwanda
Internet Marketing Joy | June 25th, 2008 at 5:24 pm #
Thanks a lot for this wonderful tips..^^ I have to admit sometimes I go jealous whenever I see blogs that have high PR plus a lot of subscribers..^^ but I guess I have to be more persistent with my blogging habits and always be open to new trends on blogging..^^
cush | June 26th, 2008 at 3:47 am #
wow….that post can be applied to just about EVERYTHING in life! Such wisdom. A pleasant reminder.
The Freelance Writer's Blog | June 26th, 2008 at 11:02 am #
@Internet Marketing Joy: Come on, you can do it. You can move yourself into the 2% group.
@Cush: True dat! True dat! — to borrow a slang phrase from the 90s.
Yuwanda
sean808080 | June 26th, 2008 at 11:29 am #
such great advice here. as someone who has been blogging consistently for about 8 years, i have come to realize that like most other things, popularity ebbs and flows. what i mean is sometimes i’ll have no readers and other times i’ll be getting comments and attention without doing anything different.
another thing i’ve come to realize is that like everything else, it’s a transaction of sorts. if you pay attention to other people’s blogs, you’ll find that your blog is getting attention back.
some great advice. tip of the hat to the bloggers who consistently share themselves either personally or professionally without expecting anything in return.
Kevin Muldoon | June 26th, 2008 at 11:58 am #
Great post Yuwanda. You raise some great points. I think some people forget that most successful bloggers have worked incredibly hard to get to where they are and many of them have been involved in the industry for years. You can’t just assume that they got a successful blog or website or luck. Infact, I would say most successful webmasters learned the hard way : by making mistakes and learning from them.
website design | June 27th, 2008 at 6:28 am #
“HARD WORK IS THE MOTHER OF GOOD LUCK” .AND ALSO THE ADVICE BY FORE RUNNERS ALSO SERVE AS SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR THE ASPIRANTS
Search Industry Blog | June 27th, 2008 at 8:35 am #
Ugh - I hate it when the big guys cover a story already talked about another blog and get much more credit. Case and point:
June 16th: http://www.matthewsdiehl.com/google/google-in-new-wanted-movie-trailer/
June 26th: http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/080626-095601
Similar - I think so. However, being search engine watch definately has its benefits.
Well, all we can do is continue to keep on keepin’ on.
Audrey | June 29th, 2008 at 6:32 pm #
What a great parallel you created. I so understand acting as my daughter has been acting in plays for quite some time.
I’ve only been blogging for a short time. I love when folks feature some of my posts.
Thanks for the reminder to constantly offer new and helpful advice to others.
Joao | July 3rd, 2008 at 3:48 pm #
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Mark | July 6th, 2008 at 6:09 am #
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Addiction Rehab Blog | July 20th, 2008 at 1:56 pm #
Very good advice. Some might be marketing geniuses and can figure out how to become famous quickly. But many others can succeed by plugging away at creating great content. That is the first step I believe. After you have a good deal of great content start following advice on how to market your blog effectivly. And keep creating great content.
Janko | July 21st, 2008 at 4:28 pm #
I must say that this article cheered me up. Sometimes I just feel dissapointed, and re-evaluate my blog and myself.
@sean808080: I’m not that long in blogging (it will be a year soon), but I also noticed the same thing - sometimes it’s so quiet and sometimes I can’t manage to answer all emails and comments - althoguh I don’t do anything different!