If you want to connect with your blog audience, get naked.
No, pull up your pants! Not that kind of naked!
What I really mean is, tear down your protective armor and share the unvarnished truth about your life.
Now I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but I’ll tell you how this strategy worked for me.
Then, I’ll show you how you could potentially achieve similar results.
How Sharing My Business Finances Scored Me Tons of Traffic
Recently, I wrote an article that showed my audience how I make $5,000 per month from blogging. After I posted it, I thought, “Hrmm. Do I really want to expose myself this much on my blog?”
I almost deleted it, but I finally decided to leave it up, and wow! The response blew my mind. To date, this article is, by far, the most popular blog post I have ever written for my blog. As a matter of fact, my server crashed.
What a good problem to have, right? So much traffic that my server crashed!
Why did this post attract such a crowd, whereas my other equally useful articles didn’t?
I became vulnerable to my audience by revealing my personal finances. Why does money demonstrate vulnerability? It’s a taboo topic that most people don’t talk about, so when I did, people came from all over to read it.
What if your blog isn’t about making money? Don’t worry. It’s not just about money. It’s about getting naked, and the ability to increase blog traffic.
How to Get Naked on Your Blog the Right Way
There are two ways to get naked on your blog (without taking your clothes off). You could share the personal, mundane details of your life like what you fed your cat earlier this morning, but come on! No one wants to know that. It’s boring!
Instead, you should try to reveal a personal story about how you overcame a problem that people in your audience may have. In other words, good nudity requires you to share lessons from your own life so readers can apply it to their life.
Remember, there are some things we are truly better off not knowing about you. So, be cautious about oversharing. Making your readers uncomfortable won’t help. You also probably shouldn’t incriminate yourself by admitting to doing something illegal because then your blog post could be used to prosecute you. Either way, use good judgment.
The 6 Rules for Great Naked Blogging
- Don’t be coy. We don’t want foreplay. You’ve promised personal revelations, so put out. If you ramble, you’ll lose us. So, cut to the chase because your audience will be on the edge of their seats!
- No partial coverups. If you’re going to reveal yourself, do it. You can’t censor yourself by getting vague on dates and places. Readers lust after real, nitty-gritty details, so drop that sheet and show us what you’ve got.
- Set the mood. Good naked blogging has a pleasant, accessible tone. People don’t want to read a 5,000-word rant about a client who screwed you over. Instead, tell readers how the client screwed you, and then show them how they can avoid the same fate. Be as straightforward as possible because your readers will appreciate the honesty.
- Be positive. Think of your blog readers as your date. You want them to find you alluring, so being negative is a no-no. Be funny, be matter-of-fact, but don’t be rude.
- Confess. Have you screwed something up? Tell your audience. People love to read about other people’s failures so they can avoid a similar fate. For example, check out Chris Garrett’s article about how he sucked at SXSW.
- Compose a sonnet. Just because you’re spilling your guts doesn’t mean you can toss your post off and leave us flat. Instead, craft your story carefully and keep your readers’ needs in mind.
