If Nobody Reads What I Write, Am I Still Blogging?
Over the past couple weeks, I have written several posts about our family’s decision to purchase a home solar energy system.
Although I have less than two months of blogging history to base things on, my posts on solar energy have proven to be among the least popular topics I have written about, based upon the number of people reading them.
Amazingly, someone has actually found and looked at everything I have posted on this blog, which is focused on our quest for early retirement and financial independence. But as a newbie, I am still struggling to determine what people are most interested in reading about.
Do readers want cold, hard facts about personal finance, or more entertaining articles about my family’s financial escapades?
Is one long post better than several shorter posts?
Is a broad topic of interest to most people, such as how to save money on groceries, going to garner more interest than a more detailed post on an esoteric subject (with my post about the ins and outs of our home solar installation perhaps a perfect example of the latter)?
I think I am beginning to get a sense of what people want to read about, and what they don’t want to read about.
But I also have to stay true to myself, and write about things I am interested in, since it’s hard to fake passion and sincerity.
I have enjoyed my initial foray into blogging about my pursuit of early retirement immensely. I wish I had started years ago, and would encourage anyone thinking about doing something similar to give it a try.
Six weeks in, and although I still have tons to learn, I am making progress.
I have posted over a dozen entries on my blog, and set up and linked Retiring On My Terms to profiles for my blog I created on Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest.
To be honest, I am still not exactly sure how to use Pinterest, though!
I have gained Twitter followers and had some of my posts retweeted by others.
I have a legitimate comment from an actual reader I do not know – in addition to dozens of spam comments from around the world!
I have commented on other’s blogs, had Retiring On My Terms listed in the Rockstar Finance Directory, and linked my postings to those of other personal finance bloggers.
Retiring On My Terms has been viewed hundreds of times, by people around the Earth. It amazes me how interconnected the world is today. While over half of my page views have come from the United States, people in Canada, Philippines, United Kingdom, Mexico, India, Australia, China, Singapore, European Union, and Austria have also clicked through to something in my little corner of the Internet.
I am viewing Retiring On My Terms as a marathon rather than a sprint.
My goal is to build up a website filled with quality content people are interested in reading, but I know it will take lots of work, and lots of time, to make that happen. I don’t have much interest in filling this space with the same advertisements and affiliate links you can find in hundreds of other places.
I hope over time I offer something unique, with a perspective you can’t find anywhere else.
And hopefully once I’ve done that, there can be no argument about whether or not I am actually blogging, regardless of how many readers I have.
What advice do readers have for an aspiring personal finance blogger? What do you want (and not want!) to read about in the future?
Kate
June 27, 2017I’ve been blogging for 2 years and wonder the same thing 🙂 It’s best to view your blog as your journal, helping to document your journey. Sometimes people will offer suggestions to help you reach goals faster, or give you ideas regarding ways to be more efficient. And that seems to be the biggest benefit of blogging — the sharing of ideas.
Keep at it and good luck!
ROMT
June 27, 2017Thank you for reading and for the feedback! I plan to continue plugging along.
And congratulations on doing this for two years, it looks like you have some great content on your site!
Financial Muse
June 29, 2017My advice is to keep publishing imformative content and the readership will find its way to your blog. Social media is of course part of this journey in terms of promoting your content.
Every post won’t be liked by everyone. That’s impossible and falls into the category of “pleasing everyone” and “being friends with everyone”. That is an exhausting and impossible pursuit.
Instead stay true to yourself and your blog’s intended message / purpose. With time you will build up a readership base which is looking for the type of information you provide.
ROMT
June 29, 2017That sounds like great advice, and is what I am hoping to do. I am still struggling with some of the social media parts, but I will get there eventually!
I know that thinking about the long term and putting in the time and effort is the most likely path to success – not only in blogging, but also in the pursuit of financial independence!
Thank you for stopping by, I enjoyed the recent posts about retirement accounts at your site.
Mrs. Groovy
July 2, 2017The beginning is the hardest but the the RockStar Forum can be a great support mechanism.
I recommend writing what you are most passionate about. Also, when you get an idea, start a draft or an outline, make notes, put in links, etc. You might finish it soon or return to it at a later time.
You summed it up nicely in the sentence about perspective. None of us are reinventing the wheel. Ultimately it’s your unique voice that keeps people coming back.
ROMT
July 2, 2017Thank you Mrs. Groovy!
That is a great point about the RockStar Forum. While I have spent a lot of time reading postings on the RockStar site, I have not spent much time reading the forums and asking for advice – it’s definitely something I need to get better at (Mrs. ROMT would concur)!
The point about using my unique voice is also important for me to remember – it’s really the only differentiator when, as you say, none of us are reinventing the wheel (funny, I actually just used that phrase in a future post I am working).
Thanks for reading, and for the great advice!