How To Share Advice On Your Blog In An Authentic Way
Advice posts can be found in every niche out there in the blogging community and they're one of the most popular formats amongst both content creators and readers. Sharing useful, implementable, and motivational advice through your online space is awesome, as it's both fulfilling to create and hopefully full of value and interest for your audiences as well. Whether it's on business, blogging, creativity, beauty, style, design, and anything and everything in between, in my experience the best advice content comes from an authentic and honest place.
If you already share advice, or are looking to branch out into it, today I'm sharing four things to keep in mind so you can create content that is as useful and authentic as possible.
You don’t have to be an expert to share useful content The definition of what makes an expert changes from person to person. Some say it's when you have nothing left to learn on a subject, others say it's when someone is very experienced and knowledgeable in a certain area or skill. Whether you consider yourself an expert or not, that title isn't necessary for sharing useful and interesting content for your readers. Whatever your experience and lessons you've learned along the way so far, you will have so much to say and share with the world. Maybe you can't help the leading experts in your field, but if you think about anyone who is where you were six months ago and how much you've learned since then you will probably see so many engaging things you can share.
Share from a place of experience The most important thing when sharing advice in an authentic way is to share from a place of experience. Take all the lessons you've learned and talk about it in an open and honest way. Don't worry about what you think you should know or what others are sharing, instead take your own experiences and let them guide you. When sharing advice in the hopes of helping others, it has to come from an honest and authentic place. We can't authentically share advice on areas we have no experience in, even if it is something we'd love to talk about, so instead explore what it is you can share. Add in personal anecdotes, specific lessons you've learned, and be as open as you feel comfortable to.
Don’t replicate the advice of another To share from a place of experience is so important as it's just far too easy to rewrite and replicate advice you've read from around the web. For example, I couldn't write about how to make 100k in your first year of business as I don't have that experience, even though I've read the wonderful advice from entrepreneurs who have done so, all I would be capable of is replicating the authentic advice they've already shared. There's so much advice to digest from around the web that it's easy to get caught up and want to add your voice in the mix and end up replicating everything you've read so far. Write about what you know, think up new areas within your niche that no one else is talking about, and be comfortable with the experience you have to share.
Give room for interpretation Advice isn't concrete fact, and one of my biggest intentions when sharing content over here is to always leave room for interpretation. I try and share content that is a jumping off point for you to then explore yourself, instead of just telling you straight up what I think you should do. Be conscious of the fact that people are reading and respecting your opinion, and stay open to the fact that even within the same niche everyone's experiences, needs, and goals will all be a little different. Be clear and open, but leave room for your readers to interpret your advice in a way that works for them and their goals. Even experts don't have all the answers and in my opinion the best advice starts a conversation while it informs, instead of being a one way conversation.
The online community is full of noise, and if sharing advice is a focus of yours I think the best thing you can do is focus on sharing authentic, helpful, and fresh ideas with your readers in a way that is true to both your voice and your experience.
I'd love to know your thoughts?
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