Build A Blogging Empire with Deception | The TRUTH Behind Successful Blogging

24 Dec 2008

Build A Blogging Empire with Deception – The TRUTH Behind Successful Blogging

Author: Jim | Filed under: Blogging Tricks, Observations

How many people could you name off the top of your head that have great looking websites and blogs? Probably quite a few!

My second question is how many of these people actually write solid content?
About half.

This disturbing fact has gotten me flustered over the course of blogging up to this point, I’m not going to hide that fact at all. In fact, it seems that when I advise people about starting their first blog… or even how to make money online in general… the problem is not how you are doing it… but your ability to project a professional appearance! I want to talk to you today about how to build a blogging empire online simply by deceiving your users, simply because so many people have been able to do this. Sometimes, it’s not about the content that you write, but how well it is received on the other end.

Deception? What Are You Talking About?

That’s right ladies and gentlemen, you are being duped by many bloggers into the belief that because they are putting up content… they are the “real deal.” In fact, it stretches far beyond this. While some people simply make blogs on generic-looking templates that have some level of credibility… but never really get over that bump… quite a few bloggers go the extra mile and order custom templates that make them seem downright immaculate. Once a blogger orders a custom template and you visit their blog, simply seeing their personalized settings immediately triggers in your brain the notion that “oh, they have a custom built blog… they must be good… I think I’ll subscribe!” Let’s take a look at an example:

Which blog would you subscribe to?

If I were to show you the two websites here, you would probably think I was crazy if I were to recommend you actually subscribe to the second one… right? Well as it turns out, the one on the left is theNetFool.com. The one on the right… is theNetFool.com.

For about 4 months I operated under terrible conditions with around 20 RSS subscribers (including myself) at the peak. Why? Simply because my design was generic. I decided to invest a few hundred in a professional template… and boom! My quality of work didn’t go up at all, yet my RSS subscriber chart was off to the races! The bottom line here is that you could be the best blogger in the world with money-making ideas that will feed a family. If you cannot relay your information on a professional-looking website, you will never succeed.

Sounds Simple Enough… What’s Wrong Then?

I consider myself to be a writer that gives you useful information and a reason to read. I don’t trap anyone into scam deals, and I sure as heck don’t waste your time with posts about my personal life, my next contest or even constant advertising. The problem is that for the same reasons that you would rather choose blog LEFT over blog RIGHT are the reasons that there are so many success stories out there that don’t deserve it. It’s not your fault, it is human nature to trend toward the aesthetically pleasing, eh?

No, I am not going to name names… that wouldn’t be fair or very nice of me. I like to be constructive, not destructive. Because of this, I want to challenge you to go through your list of “favorite blogs” and really take a look at the content. Have a quick glance at the archives and see if they are still writing interesting content! Chances are… if it is a fashionable blog, they are giving you about as much information as (insert metaphor here). I could run off a list of bloggers 20+ in length that I know personally, that only exist because they have “cool” looking blogs that people subscribe to because they associate good looks with good content.

Using Deception to Your Advantage!

Let’s turn it around, eh? Perhaps you are a fantastic writer and you are still using a “premium WP theme” that is completely free for anyone to download. A quick news-flash to these “blogging hopefulls:” anything “free” is by definition not premium. In fact, if I visit your website and I see a design that I have seen somewhere else, I am already half discrediting your authority in my mind! It’s sad, but it’s entirely true! If you want to be a successful blogger in a tough niche, one thing that you absolutely need is a customized theme… or at bare minimum a fancy logo that will designate you from the pack. Heck, you can grab an awesome logo for under $20 if you set up an auction on GetAFreelancer.com, DigitalPoint or WarriorForum.

Another great tip is to create a mascot for your blog. With me, I represented myself in a cartoon rendered version. There are many professional cartoonists out there on the internet just waiting for you to drop a few bucks in their direction. Think about it this way, the cost of an RSS subscriber is somewhere around $10-$18 as estimated by comparable blog sales in the past. A new mascot will run you anywhere from $40 to $100 depending on the quality of work you choose. Because of this, any cost you take on the front end will be almost immediately recovered by an essentially automatic RSS boost.

Bottom Line: You NEED to upgrade your blog to stay competitive! With the amount of bloggers that run around with professional designs these days (and not much else), you need to be able to make a name for yourself with a flashy new design, new logo or a new mascot for your blog. Never sacrifice your content to put out what only has the appearance of professionalism, but remember that it’s not always what you write… but how you write it!

-Jimvesting

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