These Blog Posts Always Get Noticed

I couldn’t crack the code.

Copy Junkie, my second attempt at blogging, was failing fast. Even though the blog was packed with information and tips they were getting ignored.  What sucked was that I was doing everything right.  I was commenting on other blogs.  I was pitching and begging for guest posts.  I even bought Google Adwords traffic!

Copy Junkie still sucked wind.

I remember staring at my screen muttering – “What the hell am I doing wrong?”

Sci-Fi To The Rescue

I am a huge Battlestar Galactica fan.  I watched every show faithfully and routinely watch past shows in marathon sessions every few months.

I’ll do my geek public service and tell you why BSG rocks.

The crew of the Battlestar are in an impossible position.  Their civilization has been nuked.  Cyborg machines, they have created, are chasing them across the galaxy. The captain is a borderline alcoholic.  Their top fighter pilot is a functioning sociopath.  Their president is ruthless, compassionate, and overwhelmed.

Even though the show is off the air, I’m still frackin hooked.

Why?  (Especially since I hate watching TV)

Well, I’m a drama king.

Specifically I love seeing people conquer impossible problems.  I like morally complicated characters.  Themes like redemption, forgiveness, and passion draw me in like a moth to a flame.

I’m not alone.  Human beings have hungered for drama ever since they chalked their first sitcom on cave walls.

The eureka moment for me was realizing that I needed to soak my posts in drama if I wanted them to get noticed. Looking at my posts I realized that they didn’t have the “human” element.  That made sense because I really wasn’t all that passionate about copywriting.  I was passionate about how social media could be pushed to achieve huge goals.  I used that passion to infuse my next project with all the drama I could muster.

Your Posts Lack Drama

If you hear crickets when you publish your posts then I’m 100% sure they lack drama.

Don’t be too hard on yourself.  It’s not your fault.

School and business work hard to beat drama out of us. Teachers and corporate do-gooders insist that logic and data are the “correct” way to persuade and teach.  Wrong.

In fact, writing with a pole up your butt is a surefire way to flushing your blog down the toilet.  Believe me, CopyJunkie died a miserable and lonely death even though it was filled with perfectly logical essays.

Instead, you need to find the core struggle that your audience wrestles with everyday and write about it.

You don’t have to be a Hollywood screenwriter to find drama in everyday circumstances.

Plumbers you can talk about the inconvenience and embarrassment of a clogged toilet.  Divorced empty nesters could  talk about the uncertainty around restarting your love life.  First-term mayors speak about eliminating parking meters downtown to increase business to struggling entrepreneurs.

It doesn’t matter if you are talking to consumers or executives.  Everyone appreciates someone who can communicate in turn the mundane into the extraordinary.

“Drama Posts” Always Get Noticed

I’ll be straight with you.

You need to trash your intellectual and logically structured blog posts.  They are boring your readers to tears.  Even if they do like them, they don’t want to be the boring corporate suck-up that shares them!

Instead use down-to-earth drama-driven posts to smuggle your logic into your reader’s brain. 

In my opinion, that’s what being a professional blogger is all about.  Anybody can sound like Wikipedia, the fun part is getting complete strangers to nod their head in agreement because you spoke directly to their heart.

Self-Centered versus Reader Centered

There’s a difference between journaling about your personal drama and connecting your perspective with the challenges your readers face.  Too many bloggers think professional blogging is about spouting off about their personal annoyances.

Sometimes these posts work, most of the time they bore your readers to tears.  Ultimately your readers want to know what you have to say about THEIR lives and THEIR struggles.  That’s where the drama lies in wait for your creativity and expertise.

Please Be Dramatic

I want to hear about the drama in your reader’s lives.  How are you using this drama to connect with you readers?  Tell me about it in the comments below.