Facebook Pixel
Join our Facebook Community

How Successful Blogging is Just Like Surviving Highschool

Posted By Guest Blogger 29th of January 2012 Miscellaneous Blog Tips 0 Comments

This guest post is by Josh Sarz of Sagoyism.

Do you ever feel like it’s high school all over again?

I’m talking about blogging. The whole “turn over a new leaf, do something great, do epic stuff, get famous” sense of it all feels like high school.

You know that feeling. It’s similar to when you’re just starting out, wanting to make a name for yourself, and hoping that some day you’ll become famous and get buckets of cash.

But just like high school, it’s a jungle out there. It’s not completely safe, nor is it any bit as easy as it seems. There are bullies, psycho teachers, cool kids, not-so-cool kids, and geeks.

You need to learn some rules on how to survive, just like in high school. This time around, you don’t just want to get out alive. You want to come out on top of your game.

1. Work hard

In high school, working hard was just about studying for the exams. Nothing more, nothing less. That would be decent effort, and you’d get decent grades.

When you’re blogging, studying is a prerequisite. There are loads of things you need to do to survive.

You need to learn how to multitask. You need to know your trade by heart. You need to sacrifice a lot of your time, and use it for brainstorming, writing, editing, designing your website, marketing yourself and your blog, pitching for guest posts … the list goes on.

2. Get involved

Getting involved in high school meant joining clubs. Lots of clubs, if you had the time and energy. It also included joining school plays, or getting into sports.

In blogging, it’s pretty much the same.

There are loads of clubs/groups/courses/forums where bloggers, writers, business owners and the like can hang out and socialize in their own little space. There’s the Third Tribe, The A-List Blogger Club, The Warrior Forum, and a whole bunch more.

Now when you want to get involved without having to join clubs (and pay for them), there are a lot of other ways to do so.

We’ve all heard of social media, blog commenting, and building relationships. That’s all good, but everyone’s doing it. What else can you do?

Subscribe to newsletters: But not just so you can get on their list. In a way, you’re getting them on your personal list. Not your “making money” email list, but your “talk to this guy about stuff” list.

Usually, the big boys and girls of blogging use their email list to communicate with their readers, right?

Bam! You have their email. Maybe not their personal email, but a contact point nonetheless. Another similar tactic is to use their contact forms, but some don’t really reply to that.

Name-drop: What’s this? It’s when you just talk about the cool kids; you could also opt to step it up by linking to them. If it’s good enough content, and if they notice that you mentioned or linked to them, they’ll think you’re cool and hang out with you.

Does this really work? I don’t know. Ask this guy.

Personal army: This is sort of risky. I’ve gotten permission from Martyn Chamberlin of twohourblogger to talk about it. Martyn had his friends pinged Brian Clark to ask him to retweet a post. Long story short, Brian Clark got annoyed but now they’re buddies.

There are a lot of ways to get someone’s attention; this is one of them. It worked.

3. Be on-time/present

You might be thinking “Not this again.”

You see, in high school, if you were always tardy or even absent during class, you’d get demerits. But those demerits aren’t that deadly.

With your blog, if you’re never showing up when you’re supposed to, it’s deadly for your image.

This does not mean having to post every day. You don’t want to force out below-par blog posts. No. You want high-quality content, with a story to tell.

So what else is being present and on-time about?

A hundred tweets a day isn’t presence. It’s annoying. Like a mosquito flying around near your ears.

Presence is when you reply to readers’ comments on your blog posts. It’s when people send you emails through your contact form, and you actually reply. Not your virtual assistant. Not an automated robot. But you.

4. Do your homework

High school. Homework. Important, although not life-threatening. But you still had to do it if you want to survive all the way through.

When you’re writing great content, you don’t get it by  just churning them out like a machine. Do your homework.

There are plenty ways to research for information to put in your content.

Surveys: A common website/tool to use for making surveys is surveymonkey.com. You can sign up for a free account, and it’s a decent tool for getting information from people.

Direct email: You can email anyone: bloggers, writers, journalists, friends, strangers … anyone. Don’t have their email? There’s social media to help you out.

Call interviews: This doesn’t have to be through phone. You can use Skype, Google Voice chat or Google Hangouts.

Split testing: This ranges from writing styles, tone, formatting, blog design/structure and more.

Blogging is hard work. Still with me? Good. Let’s continue.

5. Make a diverse circle of friends

In high school, you could get away with sticking to a single circle of friends. If you wanted to stand out and get recognized, you’d have to reach out to a lot more people.

The same goes for blogging.

Remember the age-old advice that the “veterans” talk about, like making friends with people in your niche? That’s great, but you could make it even better by making friends with people from other niches. Why should you bother doing that?

Think of it this way. If you have ten pals who blog about blogging talk about you, that’s great. If you have 30 people from all sorts of niches and industries willing to vouch for you, that’s massive. Think of them as your personal army.

How do you do this?

  • By getting involved with other people’s blogs and activities.
  • By replying to people who comment on your posts, reaching out to their blogs. Circling them on Google Plus.
  • Talking with people who comment on the A-list blogs, since they’re talking, might as well jump in the conversation. Some might find you intrusive, but if you do this with 100 people you’re bound to make at least ten friends.
  • Keeping in mind that one day, they can be your personal army who will vouch for you when you mess up.

6. Keep your locker stacked

We all had lockers back in high school, right? It’s where we put our things just in case we’ll be needing them soon.

In blogging, your locker can be your CMS, whether you use WordPress, Blogger, Hubpages, etc. How do you keep it stacked?

Always have backup posts written, proofread, formatted, and ready for publishing. If you need places to look for ideas, here are some examples that the cool kids don’t preach:

The Bible: A lot of people don’t talk about this as a source of inspiration for their writing because they’re afraid to sound all religious-like.

You’re missing out on a lot.

And if you’re not into the Christian faith, think of this book as the biggest piece of fiction that has inspired countless generations. More than all the Stephen King, John Grisham or Chuck Palahniuk books combined.

Kids’ entertainment: Again, a lot of people don’t talk about getting inspiration from kids’ shows because they don’t want to sound immature.

They’re just scared.

If you want to talk courage, here’s a post from a guy who wrote an amazing, inspiring blog post about courage using a character from the storybooks.

Again, these are stories that had inspired generations. They may be childish, but these stories have enchanted more people than any “mature” show like Mad Men.

7. Be excessively happy

Highschool gives you a lot of stress. Not from classes, but from people.

It’s the same in blogging.

You write your blog post, and expect to get massive traffic, but nothing happens. Why? People will be people. They flock to where the good stuff is. And to top it off, they don’t know you even exist.

Don’t go whining and quit. Hang in there, and smile. Be excessively happy. Crazy happy. Nobody likes to hear people whine all day. Or take out their frustrations on other people.

When someone comments on your posts, be happy. Reply to them in an awesome way. Stop being so uptight. Be more like Ayo Olaniyan. When he replies to comments, it’s like he’s always smiling just like his picture. Crazy happy.

8. Stay focused

Make lots of friends. Get involved. But remember to stay focused on what you’re blogging for.

Write down your goals on a piece of paper, and stick them somewhere in your desk. Someplace where you can see it whenever you’re working. Make your goals specific and tangible. Also, add the element of time restriction.

Here are some goals you can write down:

  • guest posts on X
  • ebook on X
  • interview with X
  • email X about X’s post about X

Writing specific goals lets you know what you need to do, and the deadline helps you avoid procrastinating.

9. Go out on dates

Yes, plural.

If you went out on a lot of dates back in high school (or at least tried to), you’ll know what’s coming when you’re pitching other bloggers for guest post opportunities.

Guest posting is just like dating.

As Sean Platt would say it, you’re going to be wooing other bloggers with your bouquet of words. And unless you already have a solid reputation, it’s going to be hard.

Those who’ve made a name for themselves through guest posting know the feeling of getting dumped. It happens. But you have to be persistent and get better. Get a better bouquet and try again.

People like Leo Babauta, Brian Clark, and Danny Iny all went crazy guest blogging. Jon Morrow teaches a course all about guest blogging. It’s that crucial to success.

10. Get in the yearbook

Getting featured in the yearbook back in highschool meant that you did something great. Something that made other students look up to you.

In blogging, there’s no physical yearbook. But there are blogging roundups, like the ones on ProBlogger, Copyblogger, Write to Done, and a bunch of other sites that give recognition to other bloggers at the end of the year.

It’s not biggest achievement that you could get with blogging, nor does it mean you’re the best out of all the other blogs not featured in them. But if you’re in one, you must have done something fascinating and remarkable, right?

Marcus Sheridan of TheSalesLion talked about this on his blog:

I’ve written my share of these types of posts in the past simply because I enjoy shedding light on great people who are blessing others through their work. This, in my opinion, is a very good thing and will never grow old.

But it’s also time we all understood and defined our true individual metrics of success, as it’s this vision that will carry us through the good and bad times that come with all the hard work, effort, and deep passion that is blogging.

When asked about what he thinks other bloggers could do to “get noticed” and grow their blog, he says:

I read the a-listers, and if they something I feel strongly about, for or against, I write about it. I’m not a blind follower. And I don’t want others to blindly follow me. I think A-listers respect you more if you disagree with them, but do it tactful. I’m not a jerk. I don’t demean. I think people demean A-listers too much, and that really bothers me. We’re all imperfect.

Keep in mind, I’ve been at this 2 years now. I’ve never written less than 9 articles in a month. I’m extrememly consistent, and show up to work everyday. A-listers notice up and comers, but they don’t necessarily embrace them right away (nor should they) because so many folks come and go in this business. Once they see someone who is talented and consistent, then they’re much more likely to notice.

I also did a quick interview with James Chartrand of Men with Pens, as she was also featured in a roundup at Copyblogger. Here’s what she had to say:

What’s really important to me (beyond having my hard work and efforts recognized) is that by having my name on the list, people can discover my blog and find helpful advice they need.

That’s always been my personal mission. I’ve been writing advice for writers, freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners for years because I want to help these people earn more money and more clients.

So it’s fulfilling to hear from people who’ve applied my advice and seen positive results. They’re changing their lives for the better and reaching their success goals. I feel good about being part of that!

But she also said this:

I think people should actually stop blogging until they have something to prove that their knowledge helps other people accomplish goals or that they’re achieving important milestones and can share proven techniques with others. Many bloggers don’t actually know what they’re doing—they’re faking it until they make it.

I feel that recognition comes from the ability to show results—and results come from working hard, putting in the effort, being willing to take risks and having a strong drive to succeed.

Getting included in these roundups is great. Your name and your brand gets more exposure to people who haven’t heard of you yet. That being said, getting featured in these roundups at  the end of every year shouldn’t be your ultimate goal.

It’s great and all, but achieving your personal goals as a blogger, like getting clients, selling your books, and so on, is way better.

Survival isn’t the end-game

Surviving highschool wasn’t the end-game. Nor is it the same for blogging.

After you’ve established yourself and your blog, there’s a whole new ball game.

It’s going to be about continuously delivering content that inspires people, and helps them in some aspect in their lives.

Are you up to challenge of surviving the blogosphere? What other tips can you add to the list above? Share them in the comments section below.

Josh Sarz is a Freelance Writer, Blogger and the founder of Sagoyism, a blog which talks about Epic Content Marketing and Storytelling . He also likes punk rock and metal, among other things.

About Guest Blogger
This post was written by a guest contributor. Please see their details in the post above.
Comments
  1. Again Nice article. Thanks Josh Sarz For sharing with me. I am newbie in blogging arena and this kind of article really help me to boost My Blogging Journey. Thanks.

  2. Well that’s a nice parallelism. High school too is as diverse as the blogosphere. And everybody wants a shot at popularity.

    Nit-picky comment: Would be cool of free blogging clubs existed aside from those vague ‘social circles’. I think an attempt of building that at Google+ is worth a shot though.

  3. Really enjoyed your article! Very insightful. Totally agreed with your point on the Bible too. Interesting perspective. Keep up the good work, I can use the blog advice! :)

  4. Josh,

    Great post and I like how you tied it back to the memorable days of high school and all that entailed.

    I had a little deja vu because just yesterday I was driving across town and I was toying with a post that I am working on and I was planning on referencing a Bible verse and was wondering if that would be over the top, offend some, etc…

    I really like how you pointed that you do not need to be a Christian to appreciate what the Bible offers in the way of literary contribution.

    Thanks so much.

    Jeremy

    • Right, if you’re not into the Bible you can still use it as inspiration for a blog post. And you don’t even have to mention that you got the idea from the Bible. A lot of people consider it a big story book. :)

  5. Really cool post! Nice analogy with highschool, it really helps many people to relate – and well better understand the post. Thanks. :)

  6. Great article, like that comparison. I still need to work on getting more dates. But just like in highschool, sometimes I’m to shy to ask. ;)

    • I was meaning more guest posts, not literally more dates. hehe

      • Hah, guest posting definitely is a big step. Like they say, the first one is always the hardest. After a couple guest posts you won’t get scared of rejection anymore. Most probably you’ll get used to it, guest posts get beat up multiple times before they get through.

        Keep going at it, Mathew.

  7. Great article. I agree with everything you said except “Make a diverse circle of friends.”

    Too often kids in high school stick with their own click and don’t get to know enough people.

    The idea definitely works as far as blogging goes, though. :)

  8. Hey Josh,
    After reading your post I can see how blogging is exactly like high school. Great analogy and so true from my experience.

  9. As a new blogger, this article is exceptionally helpful. I’ve been thinking about guest bloggers and who I can ask within my new network of bloggers in my niche. I also didn’t know about the yearbook! Something to strive for – it’s good to have goals for my blog!

  10. These are some of the best points that can be made! I agree that blogging is a lot like those activities in high school!

  11. Hi Josh.
    Yes.., making friend with people from other niche then yours work. Especially if you don’t understand something about their niche, just asked your friend via email, Facebook, Twitter or on their blog, they will be glad to help you.
    I am going back to school now…, bye…. :D

  12. I really enjoyed this post. Found it kind of funny in a true kind of way. Good relation. My favorite of the two had to be “do your homework” as I agree with it the most. Researching I feel like is always the most important part of writing a blog. 1st off, if you try to make a statement seem like a fact and it isn’t, then you look stupid. Being wrong just isn’t good for anyone and that’s why research is so important. Relating it to doing homework made a lot of sense

    • Yup. You can’t build your authority over empty advice and information. You need to back it up. Thanks for reading, Anthony.

  13. So now we have a religious posts in problogger. Sure, why not.

    Josh, could you please write second article regarding how the color of my skin influences the successful blogging? Thanks in advance!

    I am scared to imagine what guest posts were rejected here, if I can read THIS.

  14. Nice analogy. Never thought of blogging like High School, but it is an accurate analogy.

  15. When I first read the title of this article, I was a bit confused. After I got into it, I really liked it. It offers a unique perspective on blogging I hadn’t thought about before, and I picked up some ideas to improve my own blogging in the future. Thanks for sharing.

  16. Awesome article! It’s funny because I was thinking about high school every now and then when I’m blogging. (and high schools was quite a long time ago) Am I going to be in the popular crowd or am I thought of as an artsy outcast? Am I cute enough to be in a video or will people think I’m just a crazy old fart? Brings back memories and a little trepidation but you are right on about every point.

    • Exactly. The thoughts racing in my head when I first started blogging reminded me so much of high school where a lot of people are trying to fit, and a some are standing and outperforming everyone else.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

  17. Nice anology and brings back memories of me and my friends in our close circle. lol

    I got in my yearbook with a funny picture because i was trying to be different from the rest. I can relate highschool to blogging for sure. :)

  18. Great post, I have never really thought about that analogy. So true man :)

    Joe

  19. Great read and great advice, can’t wait to put it to use.

    Tiffany Rodkell

  20. My High School Haven’t been good, but I hope to do well in blogging.
    And one thing came in mind after reading you 3rd point “Be on Time” is that in my final exam I was late by 30 Minutes in Computer paper :) But then also I got the highest marks in computer.

  21. Hi Josh,

    Cool analogy.

    Being focused and present work well for high schoolers and aspiring bloggers alike.

    Focus on the task at hand. Practice concentrating on what you do. Leaving comments, writing posts, interacting with fellow bloggers. Few people are fully focused on each task, so most tasks are done poorly.

    Presence is the secret to success. Being in the moment makes all of your other tips a piece of cake. You naturally do what it takes to become a success when present. All failure is based in fear-driven thinking, and being in a hurry stands at the head of the fear-driven list. Not many know this, and even fewer practice intense, vigilant mindfulness in all of their dealings.

    This is why I enjoy leaving longer comments. It shows when when I am in a hurry to run onto the next task. When I fear being criticized for the comments I leave.All the low energy limiting beliefs arise when I am mindful, and present.

    What a blessing. By observing these negative blocks I can release them, move back to being mindful, and simply make a positive impact with all I do.

    I feel the extra 3, 5 or more opt-in’s for my cash gifting club is worth it, really, for simply mindfully stating my opinion for a few minutes in the form of comments. It becomes really easy to do if you make it a habit, and receiving a handful of clicks from problogger has greatly improved my search engine rank for hyper competitive keywords in the cash gifting niche. It’s worth it, just a few minutes of mindfulness.

    If I knew about the whole presence thing in high school, I would have showed up more.

    Thanks for sharing your keen insight Josh.

    Ryan

    • Wow, nice thoughts there, Ryan.

      You got it right. When you’re ‘really’ present in whatever it is you’re doing, it builds on to your path to success. Being in a hurry and providing substandard work doesn’t really help in the long run.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

  22. now i see that..thnks

  23. Again a great article. Thanks for your experience!

  24. LOL. Good comparison. Too bad no one asked me out on dates in high school :O( Nor did they respond well to my date requests.

    • Hah, don’t worry, I didn’t go out a lot in high school myself. Here in the blogosphere though, you have the chance to make your experience better.

  25. Yeah I’m having high school flashbacks reading this article. I think I’m going to go look for the senior yearbook.

  26. Nice Article !
    Bloogging is really like a highschool.
    We need to do lots of homework everyday.

  27. This is actually frightenly true when you compare high school to blogging

  28. Love love love this. It’s like you were reading my blogging mind! Thank you for sharing.

  29. Ahhh W~O~W ! I am speechless, my family can vouch for me on this one Josh! You hit every single area of why people don’t succeed. I especially love the “Results come from working hard, putting in the effort” quote.

    Thanks Joe

  30. Nice article :o) But: NOT multi-tasking! The correct term for people is “task switching,” i.e., you need a good plan and a schedule to fit it into. Now hold to the schedule.

  31. I enjoyed reading this, and now to put some things I’ve learnt into action!

    Disagreeing with the A listers:

    You write: “I read the a-listers, and if they something I feel strongly about, for or against, I write about it”

    Did you mean “if they WRITE something I feel strongly about…”?

    At least it proves I read the post properly :p

    • Thanks for spotting that, Mark. I didn’t edit that part because it was a quote. Wasn’t sure if I should have changed it, but anyway thanks for paying attention.

  32. Great comparison. High School is surely the time period of hardwork but on the same side, its the time that we tend to enjoy the most too.

    You brought all the memories back :) Thanks a lot for post.

  33. being a newbie I share the same feelings…back to school again…great read

  34. Wow, I’ve never quite thought about it like that but after reading that, it somewhat makes sense. I just started my own blog and it is quite a battle to try to become relevant but hopefully I can join the cool crowd soon :)

  35. Hi Josh — great post!

    And speaking as someone who has used SpongeBob Squarepants and Bugs Bunny cartoons as touch points in blog posts, right on to using those childhood touchpoints. They make for some great, popular posts readers can instantly relate to.

  36. Interesting point of view. I never thought of it being like high school. Nice.

  37. Another great article!

    Loved the comparison and it couldn’t be more true… blogging can be as tough as high school if your not doing most of the above!!

  38. Fantastic article and great comparison! :)

  39. Great post. It definitely has given me some food for thought (although right now I’m thinking ‘oh god, not highschool again!’) in regards to my blog. Specifically what I’m doing right and what I need to improve on. So thanks.

  40. Amazing ! Hope i will get success like this site :'(

  41. Good article, like that comparison. I still need to work on getting more dates. But just like in highschool, sometimes I’m to shy to ask
    Tous

A Practical Podcast… to Help You Build a Better Blog

The ProBlogger Podcast

A Practical Podcast…

Close
Open