Summary: Writing That Develops a Personal Connection With Your Readers<br> Have you ever felt a personal connection with a blogger who you’ve never met and have no real reason to feel a connection with? <br> You read their blog day after day and in time come to feel like you know them—as if their blog posts are almost written as private messages to you.<br> <a href="http://problogger.com/podcast/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/ProBlogger_127.jpg"></a><br> This has happened to me numerous times over the years. I almost end up feeling that the blogger is my friend, even though I’ve never actually had personal contact with them.<br> I’ve also been on the other side of that relationship quite a few times. I regularly meet people at conferences who come up and say that they feel like they know me even though we’ve never actually met.<br> That personal connection can bring a blog to life!<br> In Today’s Episode How can you foster this personal connection with readers?<br> Listen to it here in the player above or <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/pb127-how-to-write-in-more/id1012723880?i=1000371475111&mt=2" target="_blank">over on iTunes here</a>.<br> <br> Tell personal stories<br> <br> Sharing your own stories, not only shows you have knowledge, but you have experienced it too<br> Stories make you more relatable to people<br> <br> <br> Write as you speak<br> <br> This may not be everyone’s style, but I’m casual when I talk and I’m casual when I write<br> <a href="http://problogger.com/podcast/52/">How to Use Your Writing to Build Relationships and Build Your Brand</a><br> <br> <br> Use personal language<br> <br> Incorporate language that makes the reader feel you are talking to them<br> Use the word “you” when you write<br> This moves the topic away from theory and makes it more applicable<br> <br> <br> Picture a person while you’re writing<br> <br> A simple way to change the tone of your writing is to actually write your post with a person in mind. <br> <a href="http://www.chrisg.com/">Chris Garrett</a> talks about this a lot and encourages bloggers to visualize a person as they write. <br> Similarly, I like to develop <a href="http://www.problogger.net/archives/2009/09/26/how-to-create-reader-profilespersonas-to-inspire-and-inform-your-blogging/">reader profiles</a>, which I find helps me avoid writing for a nameless crowd of readers. <br> <br> <br> Base posts upon REAL reader needs<br> <br> The more you write about real needs, the more you will connect<br> People feel connected if they feel you understand what they are trying to overcome<br> Get in the habit of asking your readers what their biggest challenge is<br> <br> <br> Write about Your Readers Feelings, Fears and Dreams<br> <br> What really connects people is when you write about what they feel, think, fear, and dream.<br> This makes your reader feel you are speaking to them on a deeper level<br> An example of this was my last newsletter where I asked readers what their challenges were? <br> The responses were fascinating, I analyzed them in a spreadsheet and even made a word cloud on the topics<br> <a href="http://problogger.com/podcast/121-2/">Strategies for Overcoming Imposter Syndrome</a> was a topic I got from these responses<br> After the show went live, I received messages from listeners that felt I was speaking directly to them<br> This is the power of understanding your readers dreams, fears, needs, and challenges.<br> Create that kind of content!<br> <br> <br> Go Off Topic<br> <br> I try to keep my blogs on topic, but I do find ways to weave in other elements of my life<br> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/darrenrowse/?hl=en">My Instagram</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/problogger">Twitter accounts</a> give glimpses into my life<br> Occasionally, I’ll blog while on holiday or from my couch with a beer<br>
