Why no one reads your content?

Houston, we got a problem. A big, fat problem.

You want to get better job offers or grow your career or land clients. For that to happen, you know that you need to stand out from the rest, become a brand, and be recognized. And you know there is only one path to recognition.

The content path.

So you embark on the journey. You are all excited at the unlimited opportunities it’s going to open up. You set up a blog and start publishing content, or you start posting on your preferred social channel.

You wait for the visitors, comments, and shares to come.

Nothing happened.

Then you share it on the Facebook and LinkedIn groups. A few visitors are trickling in. You feel disappointed.

Yet you don’t give up. You pull yourself up, sit tight, write another post, and publish.

Again you wait and share it on the Facebook and LinkedIn groups, and it happens again.

A trickle of visits. No comments, no shares, and certainly no avalanche of visitors.

Well, you aren’t giving up. It takes a bit longer to pull yourself again, but eventually, you write another post and publish.

And the same thing happens again. It’s like no one is giving a damn about your content.

You feel like no one in the world has the slightest idea about the content you just published or posted, and the entire online-verse is conspiring against you.

And you have this question staring at your face – do you even have to write another post?

Your confidence is shattered.

You start thinking that you aren’t good enough, and you aren’t cut to write content. You don’t feel like writing anything.

Then life gets in the way. Your focus gets shifted.

Though you want to forget about your ordeal with content creation, you can’t.

It’s an unfinished battle.

After a while, you want to give a shot at it again. You set out to create your best work, write the post, and publish. You are pretty sure that things will be different this time. It’s going to be a win, and it’s going to be sweet. You write and publish the post, and you wait for the visitors to swarm in, flood it with comments and shares.

But…

Nothing happens.

The same old story.

It looks like the online-verse is still working against you, and the world doesn’t give a damn about it.

You lost the battle. You feel stumped.

You feel so bad that you take a vow that you’ll never write another post or publish any content. You try to forget it and move on with life until the next time you want to give it a shot. And the cycle repeats with the same results every time till you finally give up.

I have seen it happen to a lot of people I’ve interacted with, and it could have happened to many of you.

You are left with one unshakeable question – “why the heck no one is giving a heck about your content?”

Well, it could be because of any one of the following reasons.

1. Your Content is Not Different.

That’s the first reason.

You are just repeating the same things everyone else in your niche is writing.

Think about it for a minute. Will you read the same thing again and again?

I’m sure you wouldn’t. You will want to read something new. You’ll want to read something that gives you a new takeaway or perspective.

But “how am I supposed to write something that’s never been written?”

I hear it, and I agree with you 100%

It is literally impossible to write anything new in any niche because everything else has been written already.

It doesn’t mean you can’t differentiate it from the other content out there.

You can add your experience and perspective to it.

Take this post for example.

I’m not telling you something new, but I’m adding my perspective to it.

I’m telling it from my experience and point of view. I’m adding a story to it. I’m saying it in my voice and style.

That’s what makes this email different from the similar content out there on the same topic. And you are reading it because you want to hear it from my point of view.

You can do the same. You can approach the same topic in your unique style and approach.

It doesn’t matter how crowded is your niche. You can still create content that stands out.

All you got to do is before you start writing, ask the question first.

How can you add something extra that will make your content stand out from the rest?

Let me share an example.

You know that SEO is one of the most competitive niches, and a lot has been published on the topic. Hundreds of blogs are out there.

Even then, Brian Dean of Backlinko was able to carve his name because he approached the topic in his unique style and became an expert out there. He has become the go-to person for everything SEO and link building.

So, stop writing the same thing. Give it a fresh perspective.

2. You Aren’t Providing Enough Value

This is the big reason why no one gives a damn about your content.

People consume for three reasons – to learn, for entertainment, and inspiration. If your content fails to fulfil one of the goals and provide value, it gives no reason to pay attention.

If my content didn’t educate, entertain, or inspire you, you wouldn’t be following me, reading my emails and blog posts, would you?

So when you plan your next content piece, ask yourself

Will it educate or entertain or inspire?

What value will the reader get from it?

And make sure your content stays true to the answers to those questions. When it does, people will give it the respect it deserves.

3. You Don’t Know Your Audience

This is the most frequent reason behind content failures.

You might think you know them, and you know what they want and probably create your content based on it. That’s the mistake many marketers make.

Because there is a vast gap between what you think they want and what they really want.

It’s OK to start with an assumption about your audience’s wants and needs, but you should validate the hypothesis before you proceed, and it is not that difficult.

You can ask open and close-ended questions or run surveys and polls. If you can talk to a couple of them personally, it will be even better. This is the best way to learn more about your audience.

Or you can publish a few posts and see which of them gets likes, comments, and shares and which aren’t. Though this might give you an indication, it could take a while and effort to get the pulse of your audience.

4. You Aren’t Consistent

Rome wasn’t built overnight.

You might have heard it countless times, and it applies to you too.

You cannot start a blog or open your social account and expect people to follow you.

You have to be consistent to gain a following. When people follow you, they will see your content and interact with it.

As they interact, they will gain the value your content is providing them and they will recommend you to their friends and peers.

And that’s how you can grow your connections, network, and reputation.

There you go. Now you know why no one is giving a damn about your content.

All you need is to fix the mistakes you might be making, and you’ll be on your way to your stardom and achieving everything you ever wanted.

So what’s the mistake have you been doing, and how are you going to fix it?

Cheers,
Deepak Kanakaraju