It’s a claim that I have heard more than once since I started Alternatively Speaking – People claiming that blogging is nothing more than a thing of the past, a waste of time to take on today for anything more than an online journal. But is blogging really dead?
**Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links that earn me a small commission at no additional cost to you. I will only ever recommend products/services that I love, and feel are valuable to my community. For more information, please visit my Disclaimer page.**
For those that are just getting into the blogging game, it’s an incredibly disheartening idea – Have we officially hit the point where there simply isn’t room for another blogger to succeed? Is the market completely saturated? Have people quit reading blogs entirely? All of these claims have been made and more!
However, I don’t believe any of these to be true! In fact, marketers are using content marketing and the power of blogging to drive traffic to business websites today with a great deal of success! There are many bloggers still making a decent income from their efforts, building loyal communities and large audiences and attracting the attention of brands for collaborations. In fact, with the rise of the ‘micro-influencer’, newer bloggers are finding success with brands even earlier!
So, where did this myth come from?
One thing is true, the world of blogging has changed significantly from its early roots. There was a time where a blog was the equivalent of an online journal, where bloggers would share their daily activities, thoughts on recent events and experiences through life on an ongoing basis. Readers would connect with a blog and follow it religiously, reading every post and commenting to build a relationship with the person behind the blog.
Today, these ‘online journal’ style blogs are not seeing the traffic that they once experienced. We live in a fast-paced society where we’re constantly on the go. Rather than spending hours upon hours reading through blogs and engaging with various people, the average reader today is looking for information that will provide value in their lives.
Ready for a little tough love? The average reader in today’s society has one thought when opening up your blog posts: What’s in it for me? That’s right… when it all boils down to it, they need to know that they are benefiting somehow from your content.
This isn’t to say that there is no community building anymore, or that your readers don’t trust you and your opinions, quite the opposite actually! If you continually offer reliable information and value in their lives, you will establish a level of trust. This is where loyalty starts in today’s blogging world. Your readers know that they can trust what you are telling them because you have shown them time and time again that what you share is credible and reliable. When they are looking for information on a topic in your niche, you will instantly come to mind.
In order to make this happen, we need to shift our focus when writing. If you’re looking to simply create an online journal without a focus on monetization or growing a larger following, then keep doing what you’re doing. There are some great bloggers who truly enjoy themselves through engaging in blogging as a hobby and that’s great! The blogging community isn’t reserved solely for those that are looking to blog as a career choice.
However, if you have your eyes on monetization, your blog is your business and it’s time to focus on business best practices! The blog posts that are performing well in today’s society are those that are considered evergreen content, sharing value with your audience. They identify your audience’s needs and provide a clear solution.
‘Value’ comes in a number of different forms, but it can largely be classed into 4 categories:
Inspirational content: Inspired and motivate your audience to face and overcome life’s challenges. This includes motivational quotes and images, or personal stories of overcoming obstacles and achieving success.
Educational content: This content focuses on sharing facts, information and knowledge with your audience. This is your chance to use your education and experience, sharing your expertise in a particular topic. This includes tutorials, product reviews and fact-based content.
Entertaining content: Have you ever wondered why videos of ‘epic fails’ or kitten videos perform so well on YouTube and social media? With our demanding and fast-paced lives, sometimes your audience is simply seeking an opportunity to escape for a moment from the stress and responsibility.
Engaging content: Finally, people are often drawn to content that encourages them to engage with one another. There is incredible power in the concept of community building, and this type of content helps them to see that they aren’t alone. These are posts that trigger a conversation among your readers, connecting them not only with you but also with one another.
Don’t feel like your content has to fit nicely into one of these boxes! In fact, many of the most successful posts out there today have combined 2 more of these. For example, you may write a detailed post sharing facts and information about mental health, sharing statistics and your personal experiences, leading to an ongoing conversation in the comments. Content like this would be considered inspirational, educational and engaging.
Industries are constantly changing, and businesses have two options – identify and change with society or be left behind. Those that dominate are the companies that have found a way to embrace the idea of change and innovation, looking forward to the future rather than holding tight to the past. They recognize that they can still succeed, as long as they are willing to put the necessary work into making it happen. Success or failure is in their control.
Look, for a moment, at the changing face of retail. There are some companies that have embraced the concept of online shopping, putting the resources in place to leverage this marketplace by establishing their own easy to navigate websites. However, there are also retailers who are determined to hold onto the brick and mortar style of business and in doing so, they are limiting their chances of success.
This brings us back to the very first question, the start of this whole conversation. Is blogging dead? Far from! Blogging is alive, well and thriving, and there’s always room for more people. The question is, are you willing to adapt to a changing community?
How long have you been blogging? Have you noticed a change in the world of blogging? I would love to hear your experiences in the comments below!
I have to be honest in the past I haven’t been a fan of blogging. Only recently have I begun to enjoy and see the value of blogging other than helping a website’s SEO. I agree with you blogging is not dead but as with everything it will evolve and continue to grow to meet the changing market.
I think that’s the part that a lot of people are missing. Yes, the old style of blogging is fading away as society changes – but that doesn’t mean the whole blogging industry is doomed!
I certainly hope blogging isn’t dead! I haven’t been in this long but I’m just starting to find my little place in it. We’re in the lifestyle niche, talking about 4-5 different things, and one of our struggles has been how to market that. Great post 🙂
Lifestyle can definitely be a difficult one to market. I found by creating a ‘niche’ within my lifestyle blog (alternative lifestyle) has helped with my marketing efforts. It makes it easier for me to build a community when I have a more defined idea of what target audience I am trying to reach.
Excellently written, you cover all of the points. I love how you have broken then into four easy to remember chunks. Inspiration, Education, Entertainment and Engagement. Thank you.
It’s so important to step back and ask ourselves if our content is bringing value, otherwise, why would people want to share our posts or return to our blog again at a later time?
I think the rules have definitely changed but I haven’t been in the game long enough to be affected by this change.
It’s so important for us to recognize that the rules DO change over time, just as they do with everything else. Could you imagine trying to take on the biggest companies today with a 1980s style marketing plan?
I’m glad you’ve written this – I only got into blogging recently but there’s so many other bloggers out there that it can feel oversaturated and disheartening at times! Definitely not dead though – I guess the amount of bloggers is really a sign that it’s more alive than ever.
This is so true! It’s also important to remember that there are many bloggers who do this as a hobby with no intention of growing it into something to make money. Therefore, they aren’t competing for brand deals, etc. They just want to be part of the community and share their creativity with the world, which is great too! I believe there is an audience out there for every blog!
This really resonated with me and made me think about what direction I may want my blog to go in. Great post!
Thank you!
I don’t think blogging is dead! Before I started blogging though, I tended to agree with the negative things that others were saying about it. It seemed like so many people were turning to it that there was no way it would be possible for someone new to be able to make their mark.
I’m so glad I gave it a try anyway. I’ve found myself apart of a community that is ready to help and support each other.
I’ve only been blogging a short time (since November 2018), but I’m glad that I started! It’s really rewarding.
Yes! The community is so incredible and supportive (even if we have our drama moments). I am always thankful for having gotten involved with it.
This was an amazing post! It was actually super informative and I liked that you split the content up into four categories – it provided some great insight! Thank you for sharing.
Arshelski | arshelski.com
Thank you! It kills me to see newer bloggers getting discouraged right from the beginning by people telling them that there is no point in starting a blog in today’s society. It’s so far from the truth!
This article is helpful for the people who are thinking to start Blogging! You have explained well the answer of the question in title of the blog post.
Blogging is not dead at all just we need to be updated with the world.
Thanks for sharing!
Exactly, the world is changing and evolving, and we must be willing to change with it if we’re going to succeed.
Ok, who are these people who are claiming that blogging is dead? I am seeing it more alive than ever. A lot of bloggers are out there producing amazing content. One thing that is for sure, blogging has changed over the years and I’ve heard people not liking the changes, which is completely fine. I like the different types of value that blogging generates. The more of those categories that is incorporated, the better. I mean I get it, where people are now being paid to slip in a shout out but you can’t go wrong with earning money as long as you’re not harming others.
Nancy ? exquisitely.me
I agree, I believe blogging is alive and thriving, the only people who think it’s dead are those that refuse to let go of their vision of what blogging IS from the past.
Change is inevitable in every area of our lives, blogging is no different.
Great insight in this article. I agree that blogging isn’t dead but, only the strong will survive. It’s evolving in a way that if you don’t keep on top of the game, you’ll get frustrated and walk away real quick.
Evolution is key – we can either evolve with it or find ourselves fighting change and, ultimately, losing… Let’s be honest, none of us have the power to stop change entirely!
A great read! I think blogging is far from dead. You perhaps have to adapt if you want to consistent numbers and make a business out of it but even if you don’t and you’re sticking to a more traditional style of online-journal type blogging, it’s still blogging.
I’d suspect that more people are blogging today than ever. It’s a competitive market but there’s still room for newbies 🙂
I think the problem is that people are so resistant to change. The people claiming it’s dead are the ones that want to do the online-journal type of blogging but make the income of those who have adapted to today’s marketing world.
Like everything else, blogging is evolving but far from dead. We have moved far from where we started. I love your post!
Yes, yes we have. It’s incredible how much the world of blogging has evolved over the years!
Pingback: Sunday Musings #51: One About The Trip To Musandam, Oman | Elgee Writes