What Sookie Stackhouse can teach you about being a better blogger
TrueBlood. Killer show. Let's face it. It really is a weird-ass perfect storm of timing, promotion, and just straight up quality storytelling. Don't even dare to compare it with those Justin-Beiber-esque-Saved-by-the-Bell-type-Vampire-Twilight-Movies that are currently sweeping the minds and loins of young teens these days. They are an inferior product - vamprires (fictional or not) do not "sparkle like diamonds" in the sunlight (no matter HOW blatantly gay they might be), its just Nickelodeon brand bullshit. (Damn kids these days!)
Anyways, the highly-accliamed HBO show is in its 3rd season now and has been a huge success (and hasn't really even "jumped the shark" yet). The wicked popularity and ratings can be attributed to many reasons I think - but I'll just boil them down to a few simple ones...
Its Edgy, Sexy, Graphic, Funny, and just plain Fucked Up.
Its not exactly the most polically correct "safe" choice for Sunday night viewing. Honestly, that's why we LOVE the hell out of it. I'll admit, it took a few for me to "get into" it - but once you've acclimated yourself to their world and particular brand of southern Lousiana beastiality - you're HOOKED.
How does that relate to your blogging (or lack thereof)? Who are you talking TO, who are you talking LIKE? What are you afraid of?
Be interesting. Be abrasive. Be yourself. Be REAL.
There is no point in trying to sound all 'professional' these days unless you're a Doctor, Lawyer, or BP Executive.
People don't have to be cute, blonde telepaths to be able to smell bullshit.
No sir. You'll be much more interesting to your target audience when you stop posing as something that you probably are not. We're more like the characters in the show than you think (well, minus most of the murdering and mythical abilities anyways) - each very unique, troubled, and has a different story to tell. We are taught growing up to tell people what they want to hear, say what we're supposed to say, don't color outside the lines. Bound by Status quo - Social contract - and Baby Boomer expectations. All this is supposed to be that glue that holds "society" together. Bullshit. Its social manipulation. Its the glue that keeps us from moving forward.
All Generation X and Generation Y - we're all a bit "off" to begin with. Us Gen-Xers are slowly taking the reigns away from the retiring Baby Boomers, and we don't need to get 'pitched to' the same way. Be a damn human, talk to us, if your shit is good and we like you - we buy. Its as simple as that. No need for 3-piece suits, dazzlingly clean copywriting full of $13 adjectives, or Hard Sell verbage.
Give it a try - let your fans get to know you, trust you, and (ultimately) maybe even buy from you. Feed them like little baby birds. Mmmm freshly regurgitated worms...
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