Blogging 101: Listen

So you have a blog about pineapples. You’re the only person in the entire world with a blog about pineapples and you’re thrilled. You’re the expert and nobody knows pineapples better than you do. You publish post after post about the joys of a pineappley life (yes - I made that word up). Every time a reader comments on your post you smile. Your hits increase. You write some more. You cover all aspects of what it means to love pineapples. Then gradually you see a disturbing trend. Your hits begin to decrease. They slowly dwindle to almost nothing. What happened? One day, in a fit of melancholy for happier time, you begin to read old comments. Your eyes begin to widen. You read things such as:

What was the biggest pineapple ever grown?
Why do they call it “pineapple”? Is it like an apple?
Can I grow pineapples in Alaska?
I love your site! What is your favorite pineapple recipe?
Has a pineapple ever hit you on the head and does it hurt?

You read scores of comments. Some from the repeat readers you once had and others from readers who accidentally stumbled by your site. All were inspired enough to comment at one time. You realize with dawning horror that there was a wealth of information contained in their comments. Post ideas, questions you could answer, connections you could make. You effectively ignored every single one of them. So they went away.

The most valuable thing you can do is to respond and to listen to your readers. They are the perfect sounding board for your ideas and can lead you in directions you may never have considered.

Oh - and by the way… I couldn’t find a single blog out there about pineapples. So if you love pineapples there’s a world out there waiting to hear from you….

Please Share This Post: