The Real Reason Nobody Cares About Your Blog Posts

Photo by Daria Nepriakhina on Unsplash

It’s not because you’re a bad writer.

It’s not because of algorithms.

It’s not because of your niche.

The real reason nobody cares about your blog posts is straightforward..

You don’t care about who’s reading.

Caring: The Only Marketing Tool You’ll Ever Need

When I first started writing, I used to respond to every comment.

Nothing new there. No new marketing strategy, but I did do something a little extra..

I’d visit the profiles of the people who commented, see if they wrote any blog posts, then I’d read + respond to their articles too.

Further than that, I wrote their names down on a piece of paper to remind myself to check in with them later in the week (I’m a forgetful person).

I did this because I was thrilled at 24 years old that anyone gave a damn about my ideas. I was humbled. I was honored. I had attention — a boy who couldn’t even talk to someone for 45 seconds without their eyes glazing over.

I’m a bad talker.

This new avenue for attention was addicting. I found online relationships could often be deeper than in-person ones.

You should’ve seen some of the comments I was getting. Paragraphs on paragraphs. Sad stories. Stories of triumph. All in the comments section for me to read after I posted a new story.

And I cared. I cared enough to respond to everyone back then and not just say “thanks for reading!”

It was a “Thanks so much for reading! I had something similar happen to me where I…. etc. etc.”

And my response went on for paragraphs.

It took away from my writing time. It made my eyes hurt to stare at the screen for another hour every night.. but I saw one crazy thing happen that I didn’t expect.

The same people kept coming back to read me. Then they’d respond again. Then I’d respond back to them. Then I’d reference a comment they gave previously. Then they REALLY felt overjoyed.

And then, somewhere along the timeline of comments and responses, they came to enjoy speaking with me — and came to my profile of their own accord.

Commenting back was already fun, but it became more MEANINGFUL after that. Like I had 5–6 digital pen pals that I actually cared for and who actually cared for me.

I loved that time. I miss that time.

My friends.. this is the way you build audiences. This is the way it has always been.

You cannot build an audience of 10,000 without first caring about the 1.

It will not work.

It needs to be one person at a time.

And for some reason SO. MANY. PEOPLE. get this wrong.

Putting ‘Caring’ Into Practice: Avoid These Pitfalls

I can’t believe I have to spell out how to care for someone, but on the other hand this is a pretty common problem I see all over the internet amongst creators.

So avoid these pitfalls when you start using ‘caring’ as a way to get more eyes on your stuff.

• Actually care.

• Don’t ‘care’ because you want someone to buy from you later on..Want to know what feels better than selling someone something? Them legitimately caring about you.

That’s it.

1 More Lesson In Caring From My Friend

Michael Thompson

Michael Thompson has to be one of the best people I’ve met online. He’s truly a mentor to me and I enjoy our Whatsapp conversations when we can have them (the time zone difference is 7 hours).

He is so good at caring about other people that he’s ACTUALLY become known for it. In the past he used to consult people on how to use meaningful relationships to drive business.

A few years ago he told me he landed a coaching call without even looking for it. He just messaged someone on LinkedIn trying to make a friend and a few messages later the guy was asking to get on a call with him.

My lord.

Being thoughtful is such a lost skill that on the internet it can ACTUALLY set you apart.

When’s the last time you remembered someone’s birthday and sent them a personal message? I can’t remember the last time I got birthday wishes that weren’t sent through Facebook.

Michael has single-handedly built a brother/sisterhood of great creators who love him.

I love him, too.

And I love him because he’s genuine and I know for a fact that he doesn’t give a damn about turning me into a customer one day. Which makes me want to support him all the more.

So what’s the lesson from Michael?

Call one new person every week.

Have one new conversation with someone per week, and by the end of the year you’ll have 52 new friends.

Talking to someone on the phone is a lost art. Not many like to do it anymore. I have no doubt I feel closer to Michael because we spend a lot of time physically talking.

So care. Please, just care. Expect nothing in return. And you’ll be surprised just how much you DO get back in return.

Get my free 6-day course ‘How to get 100 subscribers on Substack in 30 days’ right here. Let’s keep real writing alive together.