You Already Have An Audience, They Just Don’t Know About You Yet

Okay, so you’re probably thinking “WTF is he talking about?”
“How can I already have an audience, if they don’t know about me yet?”
“Idiot!”.

You’re also thinking:
“I have no views, no followers, no likes, no comments, no hope!”
“No-one is interested in what I have to say, or cares what I think.”

“I feel lost and on the brink of giving up!”

But there is hope…

I’ve been learning a lot from Derek Hughes lately, among others and, through his articles, he’s been showing me how to make better headlines and generally have better structure to my articles with outlines and so on. I definitely recommend you check out some of his articles.

Please indulge me for a second…

No-one Cares About You!

So when I first started writing, I was very selfish and wrote about myself, or what I thought was something everyone else would be interested in.

This got me a few views and clicks – probably by accident – but it felt like no-one was really engaging or caring about what I had to say.

And they didn’t!

<crickets>

Just writing about yourself and how good, bad or indifferent you are and how brilliant (or not) your life is, will not get anyone’s juices flowing. They’ll lose interest and you’ll lose them forever.

You can write about yourself, of course, using your own perspectives, insight and putting your own spin on things. Putting things in your own voice, your own unique style, is what readers will flock to your content for, but don’t make it all about you!

Always try to bring it back to the reader: we’re all selfish creatures and we like to talk (and think) about ourselves all the time.

Selfish bastards that we are!

Make Your Readers FEEL Something

You need to get them wet with excitement!

They need to connect with you in a way that makes them salivate over every article and drool over every morsel, crumb, or titbit of information you provide.

They need to feel something when they read your articles: queuing up outside your (virtual) door to read your next amazing musing!

They need to have a mind-orgasm over your every word and sentence! Okay, maybe not every word, but you get the picture!

You see – once your readers connect with you, once they feel what you are saying, they will start to swarm around your articles like flies around sh*t!

So, whilst you should sprinkle your articles with personal anecdotes and challenges that you’ve overcome – sprinkling in your own sense of humour and personality along the way – always relate it back to the reader and what they can do to achieve the same results, or provide them with information that’s useful to them.

Punch them in the throat to get their attention, then grab them by the balls to lead them where you want them.

And for the love of Dog, write from the heart!

I made the mistake in my earlier articles of writing with SEO in mind: trying to shoehorn my articles to fit within the confines of some random SEO strategy I’d read from some fake, rent-a-lambo-for-a-day instasham-influencer.

Focussing on keywords I’d researched, blogs I’d read and so on, all to kiss the ass of some stupid Google algorithm, or tickle the balls of some Fartbook demographic for getting traffic.

Not only was this paralyzing and time-consuming as f*ck – I felt straight-jacketed and like smashing my head into the nearest padded wall – my writing was boring, insipid, bland, neutral, beige, crap!

The kind of beige crap that gets sh*t out by a sick dog.

I’d had enough! I finally cracked and poured out my mental diarrhoea into an article I posted on Medium.com.

I dumped it all out in this article:

So I implore you – the one key takeaway I hope sticks with you from this article is this:

Write what comes naturally to you and let the words take care of themselves.

In other words: F*ck the algorithm! F*ck Google! It kills creativity!

Be Selfish… Sparingly

It is okay to talk about yourself – giving useful advice and tips about what you’ve done to achieve XYZ, or how you solved X problems, using your own experience or wisdom to achieve something – but don’t talk too much about yourself! Always bring it back to them!

Always write for your reader – with them in mind: ask yourself:

“What is my reader gaining from this?”
“What help can I give them?”
“What knowledge are they getting from this?”
“What lesson are they learning?”

You do need to put your own voice to it of course and, this is where your own unique personality can shine through into your writing and this is what will connect you to your reader.

There will be someone out there, probably thousands, if not millions of like-minded people, who think like you and adore the way you write – especially if you write like you speak! You already have an audience: They just don’t know about you yet.

Add a bit of spice, personality and quirkiness to your writing – get those loins well-girded!

Humans are naturally nosy and curious – we like to have a peak at someone else’s private area (Ooer!) – we all like to read other people’s life stories, their trials and tribulations.

There’s nothing better than peaking behind the curtain of someone else’s perceived “perfect” lifestyle and negatively comparing yourself to them.

But tread carefully, it’s so easy to let your standards slip and self-indulge again.

Always bring it back to the reader.

What can they take away from this rambling, 18-page… (front and back), monster you just created?

“It was five-thirty in the morning…
And you had rambled on for eighteen pages…
FRONT AND BACK!”
Ross Geller – Friends
Friends (season 4) – Wikiquote

7 Secret Keys to Unlock Your Visibility and Outshine the Masses

Getting your writing noticed is a challenge that requires a unique approach.

These 7 less commonly discussed tips can be highly effective:

Prostitute Yourself Out to Micro-Communities:

1. Identify Niche Forums: Look for small, niche communities related to your content. Actively engage genuinely with these groups. Don’t just hit and run.
2. Create Exclusive Content: Offer content that’s aimed directly at these micro-communities. This will create loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion.
3. Host Virtual Meetups: Organise online events, or webinars that focus on the interests of these communities.
4. Collaborate with Micro-Influencers: Partner with influencers who have a strong presence in these niche areas.
5. Utilise Alternative Platforms: Don’t just stick to major social networks. Explore platforms like Discord, Clubhouse, or even niche-specific social sites.
6. Offer Value Beyond Your Content: Provide resources, courses, tools, or insights that are useful to the community members, not just your content.
7. Engage in Community Projects: Participate in, or sponsor, projects and causes that are important to these groups.

By focusing on smaller, engaged communities, you can build a dedicated following that’s more likely to share your content and talk about your work.

This approach can significantly boost your visibility in a way that feels more personal and connected.

Would you like to explore any of these strategies in more detail? Let me know in the comments, or reach out to me alex@mindlake.co.uk

And finally…

This brings me to my final point.

Don’t ramble and don’t overexplain.
Be concise.
If you can explain something in 3 words, why use 10?

I’m guilty of this myself and it takes me a few edits to cut down the crap! It’s still not perfect now, but it never will be!

It’s okay to embellish from time to time, but you risk the “18 pages front and back” incident.

Don’t be afraid to include embellishments or flourishes, but use them sparingly.

I can’t take all the credit for this knowledge – I’m riffing off lots of other articles I’ve read and other people I’ve learned from over the last few months, especially Derek Hughes, who has taught me many things from his articles on Medium along the way.

I’m merely hoping that someone who needs this advice will gain something from it.

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you found it helpful and inspiring.

If you did, please follow me for more content like this.

If you want to learn more about how to create your own reality, join the MindLake MindLetter for exclusive bonuses and offers.

Until next time!

All the best,

Alex

alex@mindlake.co.uk

PS. What do you want me to write about next?

Is there a particular topic or area you’re struggling with?

Let me know in the comments below, or email me alex@mindlake.co.uk and I’ll make sure to cover it.

I will also write back to you personally, to ask your thoughts and recommendations for stuff you want me to cover.