Blogging has been around a long time – and has mutated a lot. Let me know what works for you when you’re searching for something interesting to read…
So, this year hasn’t been particularly profitable for me.
But it has been a year of life changes.
Burnout coaching, learning to be grateful, making an online course, starting to write a book – I said I wanted 2024 to be a year of adventure and for once the universe delivered on my manifestation.
No, not really. I don’t think the universe cares about me in particular.
It was all me, deciding to do things differently.
And now, after a long and cold and wet and, at times, very dark winter, it is spring in Cape Town.
The birds and the bees are singing and buzzing in the garden and I was able to be barefoot on the cold bathroom floor for the first time in months this morning.
Spring cleaning my business
I’ve decided I’m ready to plan for the next ten years – and that’s a first. I started freelancing in 2016 with no idea what I was doing.
I’ve done more planning and review exercises than most people (I would guess), with varying degrees of success.
But this September I am doing My Big Fat Spring Planning Exercise.
As part of that. I’m looking at everything I do and asking why I do it.
My weekly blog post is one item on my list. I enjoy writing it, but I’m not sure if it works for readers, at least some of the time.
What do readers want?
I’m interested in the question in general – why do we read what we read? What makes us sign up for an email newsletter to receive someone’s writing? I know that some of the newsletters I read are useful to me professionally, and that some I read avidly just because they are well written, or present different ways of looking at the world.
But I’m also interested to know what you, as a reader of this post, are looking for. I asked Krater.ai, my latest AI tool, to come up with some questions to ask and I’d love it if you emailed me your thoughts, or used the comment form. (And I think the questions are interesting in and of themselves: they might be helpful to anyone wanting to prune their newsletter subscriptions down to the ones they really want to read_.
General questions:
Which type of blog post resonates most with you and why?
personal stories?
productivity tips?
reflections on current events?
philosophical meanderings?
something else?
How do you usually find new posts to read?
social media?
email newsletters?
word of mouth?
forwarded emails from someone else?
something else?
What would encourage you to share a blog post with your friends or network?
compelling content?
useful tips?
making a personal connection?
something else?
Specific question
Krater had this way of describing my blog posts: “personal and introspective, often with a nostalgic or philosophical tone”. That’s because the links I gave it were to the more personal posts I write. I alternate those with articles about my field of expertise.
If you feel so moved, could you let me know what you’d like to see more or less of?
Thank you for anything you can tell me about what you like reading!
READ MORE
The small business year ahead: Adventure – and fear
What makes an email newsletter worth reading? | Safe Hands
Main picture: Andraz Lazic, Unsplash
How to reach me
Contact me if you would like to chat about how I can help with all your communication needs (writing, editing, coaching and training, social media). I also help small businesses and organisations with project and operational management.
Sign up for my email newsletter: I write a post every week, alternating between talking about my professional life and work (The Content Guru) and reflecting on personal or broader issues (In Safe Hands). You can get either of those, or both, in your email, by subscribing here.