Permission To Change Direction On Your Blog
A reader asks:
When do I have permission from my readers to broach certain topics? There seems to be an unwritten contract between a blogger and his/her audience on what will be discussed and what will not be discussed.
It’s an interesting question and one I thought would be worth exploring with you here.
Permission Blogging
If you’ve got even a handful of readers at your blog (over and above your parents, your girl/boyfriend and your dog) then you’ve got a set of people who’ve given you permission to share your content with them. Although blogging isn’t marketing (for most of us anyway) the concept of permission marketing does come into play here.
Seth Godin defines permission marketing as:
The privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them.
With the advent of RSS (Really Simple Syndication) your readers get a lot of power and control over the content they receive: what they chose to read, to browse for a while, to scan, to skim, or to opt out of if they’ve lost interest in your content.
It’s not hard to see the connections between permission and respect. Your readers are showing you respect in their decision to read your work (out of all the millions of other pages on the web). Something about the respect you’ve shown to your readers – in producing relevant, funny, well edited, intriguing, quirky content – has led them to subscribe to your work. And – if you want to keep them – you’re respecting their decision to keep reading and following… and their right to opt out whenever they chose.
Godin again:
Permission marketing (try substituting blogging for marketing here):
… recognizes the new power of the best consumers to ignore marketing. It realizes that treating people with respect is the best way to earn their attention.
So far so good. But how far does that respect need to go? What happens when you want or need to change direction? Do you need to ask your readers for permission?
10 Things To Do If You Want To Change Direction
There might well be times when you feel you need to change direction on your blog or, as Don mentions, to broach new topics. Maybe you’re aware that you’re initial focus was the wrong one, that you’ve lost passion for your subject, or run out of things to write about. Rather than giving up on your blog you want to introduce some new material – or change direction entirely. If that sounds like you (and I’m sure we’ve all been there at some point) here are some things to think about and do:
Before you do anything
1. Put yourself in your readers’ shoes: what kind of expectations are they likely to have so far? Take a look at your about page, your strapline and layout, the kind of material you’re writing about, your tone of voice. That’s the baseline – what they’re used to, and the picture of you they’ve built up.
2. Check your intention: before you make a major shift, take some time to check your intention. Is this something you’ve thought through or just a temporary state of boredom or loss of interest? If it’s the latter, it may pass before you need to make major changes.
3. Think about the big picture: is the new direction one you want to pursue in the long term? Can you manage it within the frame of the blog you’ve got? Maybe you want to go for another blog (though think long and hard about that one!) or some guest writing elsewhere as an alternative channel for this material.
When you’re ready to change direction
4. Signal your intention: explain to your readers what kind of changes you’re going to make, and what’s led to the change. That way the new direction doesn’t come as a surprise, and they get to chose whether or not they want to come with you.
5. Keep it in perspective: you don’t need to explain ad nauseam. What might seem a major shift in blog strategy to you might be a minor blip in your reader’s RSS feed. Going on about it might be more irritating than just pressing on and doing it.
6. Get the tone right: the way you write about something may be just as much if not more important than your choice of topic. You can make pretty much any topic provocative and controversial if you chose to. If you want to write about an issue that you know will press people’s buttons (like politics or religion) think about the kind of language you’ll use and get clear on your intention before you start.
After you’ve made a change:
7. Respect your readers’ right to unsusbscribe: don’t get het up if you lose followers because you’ve gone in a different direction. That’s the beauty of RSS: it’s easy and painless to sign up and unsubscribe. The benefits work for us too – as readers, and as bloggers (because new people will soon arrive, and sign up to read more).
8. Press on: If you’re clear on your purpose and intention then keep on blogging even if you’re losing readers. New readers will be attracted by the new material – especially if you’re writing about something you feel interested in and motivated by.
9. Remember it’s your blog: There’s not much point writing just to satisfy your readers or to deliver on their expectations. If it’s no longer matching what you want or need then it’s probably time to change direction and take the consequences.
10. Take responsibility: I suppose my answer to Don’s question is that you’ve always got permission to broach a new topic. It’s your blog. Likewise your readers always have the power and the choice to stop reading. It’s their feed (their time, their energy, their attention).
You can make a change whenever you want, so long as you respect your readers’ right not to follow, and take responsibility for the impact on your blog (and business, brand and identity).
How would you advise someone who wanted to broach something new? How have you gone about ‘getting permission’ when you’ve changed direction on your blog?
Further Reading:
Permission Marketing at Seth’s Blog
Permission Marketing 2.0 at Copyblogger
What The Heck is RSS? at Copyblogger
How to Know When To Stop Blogging by Lorelle on WordPress
Photo Credit: Permissive footpath by Sean Willis on Flickr
You raise some very interesting points here, Joanna.
As you may know, I am a huge fan of the unique nature of the blogger/reader relationship- one which exists in no other media.
By that I mean the reader has the ability to shape the very content they are reading by way of the comments.
I am an avid reader of blogs because of this.
This links to your thoughts today because, as you suggest, the relationship is very much two way.
The blogger plays their part in the relationship by creating the content, while the audience plays their own part by reading it.
I guess the transition from one focus of a blog to another involves carefully managing this relationship.
I agree with you that being sensitive to your audience’s needs while changing is vitally important.
But, ultimately, the blogger is the one who sets the overall direction.
Valuable advice, Joanna. I agree with Scott. The blogger sets the tone for the content and direction. And a good blogger who has a strong relationship with readers will consider them when changing direction.
I guess that’s the advantage of not having a niche blog. I don’t worry so much about that.
Meryl Evanss last blog post..Painful Lessons from a Pinched Nerve
[...] Blogging: Who would’ve thought? Jump to Comments There is an intriguing post by Joanna on her blog, Confident Writing, about “permission blogging,” including 10 [...]
I’ve been wrestling with this very question. Of course, I already write about an issue that pushes people’s buttons, but i think at times about how to do that clearly and thoughtfully and well. This post does a wonderful job of describing the relationship and the ownership.
Thank you.
Jon Swansons last blog post..conversation at twelve
There’s that interesting line in blogging–who does the blog belong to? The readers or the writer? In the end, it has to be the writer who creates the content, but that sense of ownership by readers is part of what makes it so great.
Thanks for the food for thought.
[...] Young at Confident Writing has a fascinating post about how to handle a change in direction in your blog. When your audience (or customers) feel they have a real stake in what you do, [...]
Scott, you’re right, the way blogs grow and develop as a result of reader influence is fascinating to watch and experience. I love it when I get good questions and feedback because it always spur me on to come up with ideas I’d never otherwise have thought of.
It’s an interesting dynamic though. I know I’ve had times when I’ve thought ‘oh but I can’t do that because my readers’ wouldn’t like it or ‘I must because it’s what they expect’… which is ultimately a road to nowhere. If you start feeling you must or you have to you’ll soon run out of blogging steam. But when it’s in equilibrium – yep, nothing quite like it.
Do let me know when you’re blog’s ready so I can start reading and throwing you some meaty challenges!
Meryl, interesting point about not having a niche blog. I guess that does offer a bit more licence, but do you still feel an ‘unwritten contract’ that there are some topics you won’t cover or some ways of writing that just wouldn’t fit?
Jon, so you do. I’ve been enjoying some of your ’3rd person’ pieces recently which maybe gives you the scope to explore issues with a bit more detachment or is it a slightly different frame? Anyway I know I always think about things differently after visiting your blog.
[...] Permission To Change Direction [...]
Sonia, it’s an odd one isn’t it? Sometimes I feel a bit like a stranger on my own blog, like I’ve lost the thread for a while but everyone else seems to be ploughing on quite happily!
Other times it’s more like you’re in the groove and are dancing along in perfect harmony. I think the blogger/writer has to keep on feeling that sense of ownership – or you’d soon give up – but it’s the relationship and the dynamic which makes it so interesting, creative, challenging and let’s face it… addictive
A few weeks ago I had a series of guest bloggers (including you) engage in some wonderful conversation on my blog. It was a strange sensation to say the least, and gave me a new perspective on my readers, allowing me to get into their shoes as a fellow reader rather than an author. Good exercise, one I’d recommend to other bloggers.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Guest Post on Wired PR Works – Why No Humor?
[...] Permission To Change Direction [...]
Brad, what a great point. It does feel strange to get off the stage and let others blog and host conversations. It’s a good way to get a feeling for what you works (or doesn’t) for you, as host, but I hadn’t really thought it before as viewing things through the perspective of your own readers.
What came out of it for you – were there things you felt you’d like to see more of, or less of?
PS I think there’s an interesting synchronicity between this piece and your JJL post on intention(s) – it’s that constant dynamic between staying true to our values/intentions and respecting the needs and interests of our readers
Loved this post, Joanna. I try to make changes either all at once or in tiny chunks. For example, I recently made a bunch of changes to my blog’s design. I did that all at once so I could write up a post and be like “Here’s the new stuff. Here’s how to use it. Tell me what you like and what you hate.” Other things I try to ease in, like guest posters. I’ve just started excepting guest posters, but I’m only posting one a week. That way, if folks don’t want to read today’s guest post, they can come back tomorrow and read me. I think if I did a full week of guest posts, a lot of my readers would unsubscribe. Also, I’m working on a series, and I’m only posting one post per week for the series. I could have done one a day for a week or two, but I think that would be information overload for some folks (and for me). My rule of thumb is if it’s going to shock the ODD half of my brain or bore my ADD half of my brain, then it’s likely going to cause a reader upset too. I don’t want anyone’s brain to explode, mine included.
Wow Joanna, this really got my wheels turning. You have taken a subject that we’ve all faced, and undoubtedly will face again and given us a clear blue print for handling it. I can’t choose one thing to comment on in this post as there are so many morsels to continue to chew on. I can say that it has given me much to consider not just for the blog but for my business as a whole. Thank you Joanna and thank you Don for the question that sparked this thoughtful post.
Karen Swims last blog post..Customer Responsibility – The Other Side of Service
Amy, that sounds like a lot of good practical suggestions, thanks for sharing them. There’s a lot to be said for making incremental changes till you get where you want to be – like moving an oil tanker round – so each shift is fairly imperceptible for your readers. It also gives you as blogger the chance to test and adjust rather than announcing it all in one go and then realising it wasn’t quite what you wanted!
Design changes are interesting too – and probably easiest done all in one go. There’s a whole other conversation to be had about how we as readers feel about design – it can be unsettling to go to a familiar blog and see it looking different. We feel like ‘our’ space has changed. Which reinforces the point that readers can have a strong sense of ownership about a blog.
Interesting stuff.
PS Not exploding anyone’s brains is definitely a good rule of thumb
Thanks Karen. I’m pretty sure this is an issue we’ve all faced or will face – maybe because blogging by its very nature is something organic, that grows and develops as we create, collaborate, read, learn from feedback, and interact with our readers. (A point the wise Brad made about ‘what blogging is’ some while back.)
[...] Permission to Change Direction: Must read if you have a niche blog and strong reader relationship… you don’t mind if this blog turns into one about sewing, right? Just kidding. [...]
[...] Permission To Change Direction [...]
I have two blogs. The posts at Transforming Stress Into Personal Power are loosely related to stress management.
The ones at Cheerful Monk are about anything that catches my fancy. They’re bound to be related to my basic philosophy:
“Stay curious and open to life. No matter what happens keep learning and growing. Find what you love to do and find a way to share it with others.”
Why do I write? I agree with Brenda Ueland’s sentiment:
“… at last I understood that writing was this: an impulse to share with other people a feeling or truth that I myself had. Not to preach to them, but to give it to them if they cared to hear it. If they did not—fine. That was all right too.”
Her feeling is if we write something that’s meaningful to us we can’t lose. Also I’ve found when I’m changed by a post I’ve written, then there’s a good chance that someone else might be touched by it, too.
Jean Browman–Cheerful Monks last blog post..Touching Hearts and Changing Lives
Jean, I think a blog grounded in a personal philosophy like that is very powerful, and gives you the room to change direction so long as you remain within that framework and those values. I’m sure a lot of people would take heart and confidence from writing from that kind of source.
Thanks for sharing the Ueland quote too. It captures the dynamic between reader and writer very well.