After a year and a half of blogging—and after launching my blog from obscurity to Top Ten Blogger Status within that span of time—I can safely say that most Expert Bloggers do know better than Rookies.
But I’ve also learned that there are some things that Rookie Bloggers get right, that Expert Bloggers still get wrong.
Here’s a list of 5 practices I think Rookie Bloggers are pro’s at, that Expert Bloggers need some more “schooling” in:
1. Rookie Bloggers tell stories, while Expert Bloggers forget how effective storytelling can be
I use storytelling techniques in my blog posts all the time and with great success.
I have found that these types of posts get more attention in the blogosphere and leave a longer-lasting impression on my readers.
The power of storytelling to convey meaning isn’t a new concept. In fact, it’s centuries old.
Human beings have always hungered for great stories. Back when humans were cavemen, we didn’t have television sets or video games to entertain us—all we had was a wild campfire and one great story after another.
Storytelling, in this way, is in our genes. It’s evolutionary.
Stories are useful to bloggers because stories are whole lot easier for readers to remember and identify with. Stories help illustrate very complex ideas by making them simple—and therefore easier, and faster, for the average person to understand.
2. Rookie Bloggers are more personal, while Experts forget how this personal touch solidifies a stronger relationship with readers
Many Rookie Bloggers use their blogs like a personal journal.
Expert Bloggers hate this about Rookies.
And yet, despite all their success, Expert Bloggers lack something that Rookie Bloggers always seem to have: a profound connection with their readers.
For example, I know of a blogger friend who uses her blog as a personal journal.
My blogger friend has gone through very intense struggles in her personal life, all of which she captures magnificently on her personal blog.
Unfortunately, these intense, personal struggles have also led her to delete her blog (and then later return to it) many times.
Even though my blogger friend has been absent from her blog many times, whenever she returns, her fans forgive her, come back to her in droves, and shower her with their comments, love, and support.
That’s the power of a personal, deep connection.
Although Rookies can learn a lot about the value of a consistent posting schedule from Experts, Experts can utilize the techniques that make deeply personal blogs so successful by adding a personal touch to their own blogs.
A “personal touch” requires you to be more vulnerable and more open about your personal life.
It may be scary to do this at first, but, in my experience, this openness creates a deeper connection with your reader that results in a stronger fan base that will stick with you through thick and thin.
3. Rookie Bloggers are not afraid to try new things and take risks, while Expert Bloggers sometimes get stuck in old ways because they’re afraid change might scare away their readership.
Recently, my blog surpassed 400 subscribers and was featured on Problogger.
This blogging milestone was wonderful for me. But it was also very scary.
For the first time in my blogging career, I found myself being cautious.
I started to think about my posts differently and started to censor myself.
I started to do this because I was terrified that I would lose all the progress I had gained. I was terrified that if I took too many risks, I would alienate my readers.
But then I remembered one of the reasons why my blog was so successful in the first place: it was because I took big risks.
I created a writing blog, yes, but many of my regular readers will tell you that this is a little white lie. The dirty little secret is that my blog is really a holistic, self-help blog disguised as a writing blog.
I can prove it to you because no other writing blog I know of talks about romantic relationships, exercise routines, mental and emotional health issues, and spirituality all in one blog—and most certainly none of them do so all in the span of a single week.
That’s what makes Courage 2 Create so unique. It was born out of experimentation and risk-taking.
It was born out of a simple philosophy of mine that writing had a lot more to do with how one lives their life than anything else.
In avoiding new risks, Expert Bloggers are taking an even greater risk: they’re risking losing what made their blogs so unique and loved in the first place.
4. Rookie Bloggers don’t post all the time, while Expert Bloggers sometimes post so much that they end up creating “white noise”
Rookie Bloggers don’t post as often as Expert Bloggers do.
Ironically, this actually makes me look forward to posts written by Rookie Bloggers more often than posts written by Expert Bloggers.
You see, when Expert Bloggers post every single day (or more than once a day), I start to feel overwhelmed or left behind as a reader. I feel left behind because I really want to catch up with the blogger as they progress and move forward.
Also, when there is a greater post frequency, I feel less eager to want to comment and share a post because I feel like, before I know it, a new post will come that will warrant my attention. So, I will read the new post instead of dedicating more time to share, comment, and analyze the previous one.
Expert Bloggers can learn from Rookies about how a “less frequent” posting schedule can actually drive more comments, more shares, and more excitement for each new post.
5. Rookie Bloggers feel human, while Expert Bloggers appear to be superhuman androids that make everything appear easy—when it never is.
I know of a popular blogger whose blog is phenomenal. I read it all the time and his blog has helped me improve my life in many areas.
But sometimes, as a reader, I feel intimidated reading his blog. I feel as if this blogger’s life is perfect and that everything comes easy to him. This makes me feel as if I can’t accomplish what he can because there’s something special about him that I don’t have.
Rookie Bloggers, on other hand, will consistently remind you of how they’re imperfect and flawed.
To be honest, I don’t learn much from these Rookie Bloggers, but I can tell you this:
I identify them.
These Rookie Bloggers remind me that I’m human, and when I hear their personal woes, I feel more capable of addressing my own problems.
I feel capable instead of intimidated.
That’s a good thing. That’s what you want your readers to feel: completely capable.
In my personal experience, when Expert Bloggers share their personal struggles and reveal the tools they used to overcome them—the affect on readers is extraordinary.
When you share your personal struggles with your readers, they feel more inspired and more capable because they know that YOU have been where they have been.
In a strange way, your imperfect nature gives your readers the sense that they can truly overcome anything.
And that’s the last—and probably most important—lesson The Experts can learn from The Rookies.
Do you agree with me that Expert Bloggers can learn a lot from Rookie Bloggers? What else do you think Expert Bloggers can learn from Rookie Bloggers? Please share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
About Ollin Morales
