Speak TO Your Readers, Not AT Them: Good Bloggers Persuade Rather Than Simply Assert and Command

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This is the second post in a roughly 10-part series I'm calling The Most Haunting and Profound Blogging Advice Series. I’m sharing blogging advice I've picked up on from more established bloggers, different bits of advice which have haunted me profoundly ever since I came upon them. Read the introduction to this series here.

A couple of months ago I stumbled over the following simple, yet profound, advice on writing that has haunted me from the moment I read it.

Matt Keegan, a freelance writer and blogger, wrote a post in which he offered some tips to "intrepid writers everywhere," as he put it. He explained his motivation:

"Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to review some submissions from fellow 'writers' and have come to an important conclusion: a lot of people need to spend some extra time improving their work while others simply do not have the talent."

Persuade Your Readers

Keegan listed seven tips based on his observations--the one that jumped out at me was this one, which is the second bit of most haunting and profound blogging advice I've encountered:

"Speak to me, not at me — Conversational writing is fine, but you are missing an important point: I don't want you to tell me what I should do, rather you must persuade me. I hear your opinion, but you don’t back it up with compelling reasons. Instead of saying 'you must' use 'consider this' and you may keep my attention." (Bold emphasis mine)

I've seen a good number of bloggers who just declare things, just command their readers to do this or that, just say that thus and thus is the truth and the best way, the only way of doing whatever it is they're advocating--as though their perspective is THE perspective and they're some sort of authority to whom we ought to defer.

Often, the bloggers doing this aren't authorities or experts on the subject at all; often, they're just some guy who put up a blog and learned fairly quickly that the way to attract readers is to use bold, catchy headlines such as, "THE Top 10 Ways to Accomplish Whatever," or "You MUST Do These 12 Things to Be Successful at Whatever."

Whatever.

Novices and Authorities Are Both Doing It

So you have two basic types doing this:

1. Utter novices who just declare things as though they were the Gospel Truth in the hopes that readers will view them as experts and they can thus gain a readership.

2. Bona fide authorities who are in a position to write on their chosen subject and have something legitimate to say, but--they've bought into the idea that they have to use bold and loud titles to grab eyeballs and then, in the body of the post, they continue to just declare things (often without any acknowledgment that they could be wrong or that there are other valid views that contradict theirs), commanding but never really persuading.

Novices: Get Real

The former need a healthy dose of reality and humility and to realize that they have to earn the right to make such bold declarations, by demonstrating real experience, achievements, and qualifications in their chosen subject matter before anyone should pay any attention to their pronouncements.

No more just shouting at your readers that they should do this or that--as people who are more experienced and have achieved much more in real life in certain arenas begin to enter the blogging world, the posers will be pushed out; the truly accomplished folks will attract the readers.

For example...someone calling them self a "professional writer" but the only place they've ever published anything is on their free blog or at Associated Content...if that person starts declaring that "real writers" do this thing or that other thing...I'm not paying attention. Especially if you're just declaring; at least, try to persuade me, try to convince me, try to argue your point and make your case through persuasion instead of just saying "this is the way it is." You're not qualified to just declare things yet. Just sayin'....

By the way, that's not being elitist--it's just expecting you to give me some reason to listen to you other than that you have a blog and can say whatever you want. There's too many people shouting in the blogosphere (and on TV and radio and most everywhere else) to pay attention to it all. It's all about writing about what you actually know.

Another example:

I've been freelance writing for some local health and business publications for over a year now (getting published and paid), I wrote public relations and marketing copy for a local science non-profit during an internship before that, and I earned a Bachelor's degree in English, with a concentration in writing before all of that. Thus, I do know something about writing well and even getting published a little. I can blog about that because I've done it and have actual knowledge of it.

But if I tried to emulate Brian Clark and starting doing posts like he does at Copyblogger about online marketing success, I'd look like a foolish amateur. I haven't had any online marketing success yet and don't really know much about it. Thus, I keep my mouth shut about it. That's what I'm arguing here, to blog about what you truly know and have some authority to speak on, but if you insist on blogging about things you don't know much about so that you can explore it and learn through the experience--at least be clear that that's what you're doing and don't pass yourself off as any kind of authority, just declaring thus and thus. Be real.

Authorities: Relax

As to the true experts--just chill out. You don't have to stake out such hardcore positions and make such dogmatic, universal declarations about everything. Sometimes, it's enough to simply make your case clearly, yes, but also persuasively--show your reader why you think you're right and give tangible reasons. Even, gasp!, interact with opposing viewpoints, acknowledging their existence and potential validity, and then point out to your readers why your position trumps those of your opponents.

Even if you are an expert with some great information to share, it's not necessary (and actually it's increasingly a major turnoff for me) if you write a title like, "The Top 5 Things You Must Do...."

Really? You're certain that those are the top five things and that nothing else could possibly supplant one your top five whatevers? You've done extensive research, comparing all of the possible options and found, through rigorous examination and thorough analysis that these are the top five things and there are no others?

More likely (though I'm sure in some cases there are only five main things) you've fallen prey to the temptation to write a bold, outrageous, eye-catching title because that's what so many of the blogging experts say is necessary to attract readers in the first place. Problem is, you're stating a definitive when sometimes it's highly debatable that these are the most important points and there are no others. I'm advocating more realistic, honest, yet provocative titles.

Yeah, it takes more effort to write one of those, but it'll gain you credibility. It's worth it.

Bottom Line

In short, bloggers, remember that you're not necessarily the first or last word on any subject and that you could be wrong.

So, I'm hoping I can persuade you to adopt a more realistic assessment of your views and I'm hoping to persuade you to speak TO your readers and not AT them. Just like you would if you were pontificating to them in person.

How'd I do? Did I persuade you or did I, too, succumb to just speaking at you, just declaring my view?

Jesse Hines is a freelance writer. He has written company profiles, press releases, marketing copy, and investigative articles. If you have any writing needs, contact him at jessehines@hotmail.com

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