Have you ever noticed that most of the successful bloggers have some sort of attractive element at play in their blogging efforts? Some might be good looking sure, but beyond that, most of the good ones have some sort of redeeming quality that has people thinking – “wow, I wish I was like that!”
Today, I'm going to talk about how you can do the same thing, and create a level of attraction that has readers pouring in wishing they could be like you. Here’s how:
1. Pull Out Some Attractive Things in Your Life
We all have something neat, cool, or attractive in our lives. For John Chow, it was pictures of cars and houses. For Shoemoney, it was an AdWords check. For Frank Kern, it’s the beach bum lifestyle.
The point is that it doesn’t matter what you don’t have, you need to find something cool for people to associate with you. Find a symbol of awesomeness, and share it with your readers. Make the attractive things part of your image – this is very important.
2. Set Yourself up As an Authority
Nobody likes to listen to a joker, which is why you need to become an authority in your niche. Now, I’m not recommending that you pretend to be an authority, because people will see through that. I’m suggesting you become an authority. Learn, study, and practice until you become a master of your niche. Then, when you’re ready, showcase your skills to the world.
Obviously this means that when you’re new, it might take some time before you become profitable, and that’s OK. The average business takes 2-3 years to become successful, and if you aren’t ready for that grind, then you probably shouldn’t be in business anyway.
3. Don't Be Neutral When You Talk
It doesn’t matter what side you’re on, but you need to pick one and embrace it. Being neutral is boring, and nobody likes to read boring blogs. It’s OK to be wrong from time to time, that’s how people learn, but being boring is a recipe for doom.
The point is that you shouldn’t say anything unless you can improve the silence. If you’re not sure whether you should be writing something, then you probably shouldn’t be writing it. Write with your heart, and the rest will follow.
4. Take Strong Stand and Don't Be Afraid to be Controversial
If you aren’t pissing someone off, then you aren’t doing it right. Try to find one successful person that isn’t polarizing. Steve Jobs is a great example – to his dying day he was loved and hated by many. There were very few that stood in the middle.
When you say something, say it boldly, and say it with confidence. Confidence is magnetic.
This, in a nutshell, is my four step recipe for becoming an attractive and magnetic blogger. Take a look at your favorite blogger and compare these four traits with their own. Do you see any resemblances?
Your ‘having a particular type of image in all my posts’ strategy has followed you in guest posts as well? How about that for a controversial comment? 🙂
Hi Raj, let me say that I added the image to this post. I had that image for awhile and I was wondering what I would do with it. Since I know that type of images Wong has on his blog I decided it would work here (considering the title of the post too). Please take note, that the image is really clean-cut 🙂
Thanks Raj!
The image here being clean cut, speaks a lot about the images in his blog, doesn’t it? 🙂
Mr. Bad Blogger : Frankly, I feel that your content is excellent and your images might be ok for western audiences, maybe. Over here, I live in a joint family and if I open such a page and people keep walking behind me (generally they do), just imagine my embarrassment! Please take readers like us into consideration too…
If I had to take every readers into consideration, then it means I had to please every single readers, but sorry I can’t because I’m not here to please anyone, I’m here to give information of my knowledge.
Look, just imagine I had a content that could cure Cancer, but the content comes with a picture of a beautiful sexy women who was once a Cancer patient, do you think people who had cancer would even think of “embarrassment”?
I don’t think so. And advice for you, in the business and marketing world it doesn’t matter if it’s offline or online, you cannot take every person into consideration, you just had to live with it, because you can only sell one thing to one person at one time, you can never sell everything to everyone every time, even Steve Job’s iphone cannot satisfy every single mobile user, just look at iphone 4 when it was release, so many people complain about the low receiving signal, but people still live with it… that’s life, hope you understand the way the world is being made 🙂
I never had a problem with the content presented in your blog. There were a few times I wanted to click through and read them (as your titles and content stand out, quite frankly), but I closed the browser immediately afterwards because of the images. And I agree with your logic, just wanted to let you know that this is happening.
This leads us to an interesting question. Is it possible to geo-target content using WordPress? Like, disabling images / and other high bandwidth content for users with low-bandwidth/ users from certain countries? I know certain blogs that even stream video immediately as we land on their pages, and with the kind of limited bandwidth/ GB limits here, I am having to skip those pages too…
I somehow agree with Mr. Bad Blogger. If he starts considering each and every reader then it is hard to sustain over the blogosphere. Everyone has his own marketing strategies.
I think I have to work on #2 adding it to my resolution list.
Thanks for adding #2 to your resolution list, I guess doing lots of guest posting might gain authority faster then any method online, but of course the content should be guest post on authority sites such as Basic Blog Tips or Famous Bloggers, just to name a few.
Thank you for your tips. I have already participated in a contest, and that was my first guest post. Got good response for it.
Thank you once again.
I have been working with my self writing improvement and crawling blog to blog to find out more and more I can get from anywhere..
although I have somehow a boring engineers life but I love sharing my knowledge and that’s why I love blogging… let see in your list , I think ,need to improve more at number#2 never read article like that….really feel the way you write..
that was really awesome…………..
Well, I’m not going to say engineers life are boring, I mean to me engineering life are more of a challenge every single day, but of course sharing your knowledge is a way to show people you know what you are talking about.
To improve number 2, the best and also the fastest way I could think of is guest post as many authority blogs as possible because being featured on authority blogs, creates the authority status.
Something to associate with something? Well I think this is something to think about. This is the first time I’ve read about that and the first person that comes to my mind is the one who is standing out in a keyword niche of mine. He always has this form of accessory that he always seem to wear in his every video blog – and the commenters always take note of that. That’s why, when that accessory was missing in his latest video, the commenters where quick to notice it.
Ya, just like a person you everyday see with good looking hair and suddenly one day he cut all his hair and everyone started asking question “why”.
This is a way to actually called “shock and awe” it’s kind the like you wanted to shock the community that’s looking at you to talk about it and all the rumors will start to spread, just like the death of Micheal Jackson… is he really dead or is just another cover up for the large money he own?
Very interesting post to say the least. I’ll have to consider doing this. I hate being an ugly character 🙂 LOL
Everyone wants to be beautiful, handsome and sexy, but when it comes to online, it is not the image of you but the image of your content that you should considered more, what I mean is you may be the most handsome dude out there, but if you talk trash stuff, no one will even remember you in their mind.
Very good post. I really like your website the point is to be yourself and share the good stuff.
Everyone is unique and has special talents but you have to realize it. Stop focusing on your doubts or you will be come your fears instead of your dreams.
Yes fear is the enemy of success, and if we do not overcome it, it will be very hard to achieve something that we want, here’s one of my favorite quote “Breakthrough appears only when you break the rules”
the only thing im scared of is really being at the beach when godzilla shows up. although from a distance this would be very cool.
Love these reminders to be myself and to be contraversial 🙂 I know that especially with my first niche site, I tended to be more “politically correct” and I still kind of lean that way. I’ve had to go back and revise my site’s content to be a little more memorable. I’m going to keep this in mind as I keep working on my new site, too 😀
Being controversial is not wrong, is just that being memorable is still the best, but of course being controversial can also be memorable, but in what ways… this will be the audience personal image about you.
Just to prove a little controversy is a good thing, after reading the comment exchange between Wong Chendong and Raj, I just had to pay a visit to the Bad Bloggers site!
Thanks – Jay
I appreciate you for presenting this interesting post. It is important to show the difference to the audience. One cannot appease everyone on the face of the planet. We should convey what we feel and what we love even though it may not be received by all.
Well, the world is always up and down, love and hate, just like you said, we can never be received by all, we just had to be what we are and do our best.
Thanks for this post.
Content should be personalized. Everyone has innate talent and that should be presented to your audience in a beautiful way.
To create authority, there should be a continuous process of learning new things, implementation of new ideas and remoulding yourself as per the requirements in your niche. You should always try to achieve highest standards. Even though it is slow and steady in the beginning, you will have success soon with consistency.
Ya, the word consistency is very important to success, without it, is almost like without a soul and to become an authority, the best way is to guest post on well known authority sites such as Basic Blog Tips or Famous Bloggers, to name a few.
Raj – Yes, I think you are able to do that, but I had yet look into it, may be you could find such information by doing a search on Google.
I think #1 is what I needed to focus more on. 2012’s going to be a new and exciting year so hopefully, I can do even better with my blogging. Thanks for the expert advice.
Thanks for reading my guest post, and I believe you will achieve good results in 2012 🙂
I’m still working on numbers #2 and #4. Between the two, #4 is definitely a challenge since I’m, by nature, the shy and conservative type of person. It’s definitely something that I want to work on this 2012.
Number 4 is definitely the most difficult of all, because being controversial you need to be strong in what you believe, for example I always believe in “content is king” rather then “SEO” which some people think is the key to success….
Hey Wong!
Great article. At the end of the year it is so beneficial for one to reconsider his or her business plan and perhaps make some strategic changes! Your four advices made me think my one blog, and gladly I did improve my preliminary draft of my next steps. Thanks Wong.
I wish you Wong all the best for 2012. May the coming New Year bring you joy, love and good health, and career success.
Thanks for the wishes and I hope you have a good year end and a good success in the coming new year 🙂
This is a great post. I especially like the first tip and the third tip. Having something that makes you unique will always interest people and being neutral on certain topics is boring. Thanks for writing this post.
No problem and thanks for reading my guest post, it’s greatly appreciated 🙂
Great tips Ileane! Its so important to have a specific niche when blogging, so that you stand out from the massive crowd that blogging as become!
I think it’s always really important to pick a side and have an opinion when you’re blogging. It gives your audience something to either agree with or argue with, and get some comments going. But it also makes for a more interesting read
The key to being controversial is not to have lots of comment, the key is to let your audience know that’s your cult, and if you agree you will be a member of it.
Very informative! I will be seeing how I can implement these suggestions. Sally
Hey sally, it’s been a long time, haven’t seen you lately and thanks for reading my guest post, and to the best in 2012 🙂
Ya, it is those that are standing in the middle that doesn’t get notice, so it’s no good deal to be neutral, it’s best to be either on the good side or the bad side, and it is up to personal to decide which want he will go, but I will recommend of course the good one.
Thanks great tips, I can suggest another one.
Every blogger has to have their voice of writting posts. Most of them likes it to be professional or humorous. Whether which ones of it you’re going to choose you should keep it consistent in most of posts and match blog’s topic and content. And you might even decide to combine both extremes and find a happy medium.
That’s a tips, please let me have your thought about it.
Actually, that’s an important tip, because the way you write does affect the way your audience look like you, for example, I’m the type that “speak it like it is, if you don’t like you can leave.”
Confidence and Authority-two words I’d pick. By learning a lot anyone can become knowledgeable with his/her niche. Then every single sentence from him/her will contain the sign that, he/she possesses a firm knowledge on the subject. Then authority will come automatically. Secondly, being confident about a controversy. Yes, controversy catches more eyeballs than normal news. So, biasing the readers to the writer’s view needs a lot of confidence with the subject. Very well analysis Wong.
Being controversy, you need to choose side, no matter what, I mean… you just had to choose either good or evil, if you choose evil, then you will be in the cult of evil where you should always talk about evil rather then good, if you talk about both, then your audience, will have to doubt your knowledge.
Thanx badblogger for the tutorial…. awesome tips…. need to follow what is written…
Thanks, and I’m glad to hear that 🙂
another great post from you, interesting point about being yourself and sharing the good, positive things, who wants to read negative doom and gloom, there`s enough of that around us as it is
Well, but seriously, there are some negative stuff that’s just awesome, what I mean is those gossip blogs, though this only occurs in the entertainment niche.
Great advice. This is really all about branding and coming up with an identity that helps you stand out in this crowded world of blogging. I like the way you have branded yourself as the “bad blogger”.
Thanks, I hope my brand won’t offend you, as I had offended quite a few by using sexy pictures all around my blog…. but that’s the way I am… and though there are people who doesn’t like me, but still there are a lot that likes my style…
I think that the most successful blogs are the ones who are created with heart and personality. If your blog is just a way for you to make money..then it is very complicated and will make your readers feel umimportant.
Yes, always had to be giving before making, if any person only think of money, then it is really very hard the money will come to him…
Your article is very helpful not only for new bloggers but also for experienced one’s. The four qualities as you described are really very necessary not only in blogging but also in other parts of life. According to me little bit joking is also important if not then why some peoples take interest in joking and jokers.
Ya, we doesn’t had to be serious all the time, we can enjoy jokes from time to time, but we always need to be ourselves and speak the way we are.
Nice advice this is really appreciated , important is when you re blogging it also makes for a more interesting read, is that it doesn’t matter what you don’t have, you need to find something and share it with your readers. Thanks for sharing information
Thanks for coming by reading my guest post, greatly appreciated 🙂
Yes fear is the enemy of success, and if we do not overcome it, it will be very hard to achieve something that we want, here’s one of my favorite quote “Breakthrough appears only when you break the rules”
thanks for this post i like it ….. 🙂
Hey, if you have nothing to say, don’t waste your time in copying my comment, don’t you feel stupid and dumb…
and do not thanks if you didn’t even read the post, what type of idiot are you?
Nice post badblogger, being authority is very important and you can become one by guest post and creating good content. I hope to guest post here very soon.
Yes, guest posting can build authority very fast and I’m looking forward to your guest post here 🙂
Hmmm… I’ve seen one blogger that earns his throne in the blogging world by being humble. And he’s my favorite blogger to this day. Darren Rowse of problogger.net
Darren Rowse was a great blogger with great ideas, but I don’t usually read his blog anymore because most of my comment never got any reply from him, for example when I ask a question about something I’m not sure in the content, he never reply and I don’t think he is humble, I think in his head, money come first before anything.
Yes, and he gives really good advice as well. I think one of the reason he’s just that good is like what you said. Being Humble and truthful.
Thanks for this great article. I really like this because I always want to know how to improve my blog. Thanks!
Glamour has become very important part of promotional activities, I would like to share the examples of bit auto expo where we find a beautiful model beside each vehicle.
Hey Wong,
Awesome post!
It will be very useful to me to get my blog up there 😀 To build a “successful” blog.
You really have some unique points here. I haven’t really thought about having anything attractive on my blog. But, I think should do something about it. Maybe funny comics that support my blog posts 😀
I also like your 3rd and 4th points. The thing with me is that I have written many posts supporting both sides of the argument (example: whether to write long or short posts; at the time of writing those posts, my opinion was different. But no longer. Right now, I don’t care much about writing long or short posts. It is not about post length. It is about the quality of the content :D).
Thanks for the post, Wong!
Jeevan Jacob John
I expected you to be the author of this article, when that picture of beautiful blonde loaded. LOL don’t mind.
And I’d be so grateful if you’d read the post linked below and, if you enjoyed it, leave a comment to let me know!
Well, really a nice and informative post and I am agreed with all of points mentioned by you. I think that building an authority in your niche is probably the most important thing in a specific blog. Anyways I will try y best to follow all of the techniques mentioned by you in my umrah packages related blog.
Agreed with what you have said. In fact in today’s dynamic environment of huge competition, it is utmost necessary to build your reputation in market for a long-term success in any business.
Very good post. I really like your Blog the all point is to be yourself and share the good stuff.
The much I know about blogging, it is a very niche market in some areas/countries. Building an attractive character is a very crucial factor, especially in the blogging industry.