One of the biggest mistakes beginner writers make is assuming that their writing is all about what they want to accomplish. They craft a sentence or an idea explaining what they want to write about.
Then they create their blogs with that topic in mind. The problem with this method is that they are writing with themselves in mind. They fail to think about what will help others.
In my early years of blogging, I totally missed the mark on how to help my reader. When I think back to those early posts, I cringe at how unfocused my topics were and how many readers I lost because I couldn’t articulate their needs.
I missed so many opportunities to build an audience of readers because I gave little thought to how I could help them. I wanted to write about whatever seemed important to me, instead of asking one key question:
What can I offer to others that would help them?
Writers who focus only on what they’ve been through or what they want to accomplish, rather than their reader’s problem, will miss so many opportunities to make a life-changing impact in their readers’ lives.
Without meeting their needs, you will never have a chance to connect with their problem on a personal level.
Your purpose guides your writing and gives readers a razor sharp focus for what they should expect on your website. This purpose statement will become a filter for all your content. It will guide your copy for your website, your email newsletters, and ultimately shape what direction you want to take for your books.
Most of the time you have seconds to keep a reader on your website.
You have minutes to attract an editor or agent.
By clearly communicating your purpose, you open the door for them to think, tell me more.
You get their permission to show them more great content. This leads to a relationship between you and the reader.
That’s really what it’s all about: developing that relationship.
To start, I recommend writing at least ten versions of a purpose statement. This purpose statement needs to answer three important questions:
1. Who are you serving?
2. What problem can you solve?
3. What solution can you provide?
If you still haven’t found the right niche, write five more statements, then get feedback on your statement. This is often the most important part. Find some honest friends to tell you whether it clear articulates who your audience is and what you’ll do for them.