Who’s afraid of the big, bad blog?
Deciding to write a blog post can be scary. When I first sat down to write a blog post, I just sat there looking at the screen. I was afraid I had nothing to share – who wants to hear what I think? Do I know enough about anything to actually create an interesting blog post? What if people read it and laugh? What if NO ONE reads it at all?
And that fear – it has to have a name! So I started searching for “fear of blog writing” – and I was AMAZED at how many people are in the same situation! I am not alone! And while I didn’t find an actual “phobia” that was specific to blog writing, I found a bunch of labeled anxieties that may lend to the overall fear of posting a blog.
So what contributes to this widespread and much-discussed fear?
- Glossophobia – The fear of public speaking – somewhat related to blog posting, I think, as speaking publically can be likened to putting yourself and your knowledge out there for the world to see.
- Atychiphobia – The fear of failure – my post is going to FLOP! They’re going to ban me from posting to the site.
- Anthropophobia – The fear of people – All the people reading my post – eek!
- Autophobia – The fear of abandonment – They’re never going to want to read anything else I write!
- Gamophobia – The fear of commitment – Even if I write a great post – how can I possibly come up with something else people want to read about? I can’t keep this up!
- Achievemephobia – The fear of success – So, yeah, a little more far-fetched – What if I do so well they EXPECT it moving forward? They’re going to be so disappointed!
- Technophobia – The fear of technology – So, seriously, you actually have to log in to a website to post a blog? And it is like, out there, on the web, forever?
- Ergophobia – The fear of work – It feels an awful lot like work to me.
- Allodoxaphobia – The fear of opinions – This is a big one – blog posts contain a lot of thoughts, ideas and opinions – what if someone comments on my post? What will I say?
- Scriptophobia – The fear of writing in public – this is the closest phobia match I could find – and the description really sums it up for so many of the apprehensive blog writers out there.
So, for lack of a better word, how do we get over the fear of blogging – or “Blogophobia”?
- You are not alone, by a longshot. My Google search proves that! Taking that into consideration, try and get past it – and take the advice of many of the people out there trying to help!
- Embrace your strengths – What discussions have you had with clients recently where you came away with more information than which you went in, or what did you tell a client that may have helped them with an issue or problem they’re experiencing? What topics interest you? What part of your job would people like to hear about?
- Keep a list of topics as you think of them. I can’t tell you how many real-life experiences that I have had that lent themselves to great blog ideas. Customer service is a big part of my job, and I have experiences as a customer outside of work, and as the person providing the customer service in my job. And after some experiences, I think, wow, that would make a really great blog post. Then I move on and forget. Write it down – on a post it, as a note in your phone – then you can go back to your notes when you need an idea!
- As shown in many of the blog posts in my Google search above, there are very few topics out there that haven’t been blogged about – the great thing about blog writing is that you get to put your own spin on something – you may or may not share the same opinions on a topic – and even if it’s been done before, has it been done for your specific audience?
- Don’t feel you need to blog every day or every week – You can certainly post weekly, but giving yourself a manageable posting schedule will allow you to put together some great posts, and not burn you out in the process.
- Don’t have the time? Maybe one of your clients has something to share! Invite other people to contribute posts on popular topics in your industry.
- Don’t know what to write about? What topics interest the people who you want to read your blog? Ask your audience what kinds of topics they’d like to learn about.
- Don’t like to write, or don’t think you’re a good writer? If you can choose a topic that you’re passionate about, make an outline of the important points, and write more of a list-style post. Include links to other posts you may have found interesting that you’d think your clients would enjoy.
- And while grammar is important, don’t let your fear of making grammatical and spelling mistakes stop you from writing. Use a spell-checker, grab a colleague to give your post a once-over before posting.
- And you’re not writing a novel – a great post can be direct, to the point, and short!
If you’re still hesitant, don’t stress about it – Haley Marketing can help!
Photo by Enis Yavuz on Unsplash