There are different types of bloggers with various levels of success. We have the average blogger and the super-successful blogger (often called the A-list blogger).
Many new bloggers think becoming an A-list blogger is all about writing content and promoting your blog. There is more to it than that, and there are reasons why many people will NEVER be more than average. The following are 7 reasons you might never be an A-list blogger.
1. You Don’t Manage Your Time
One thing I noticed from observing many successful bloggers is that they effectively use their time. A-list bloggers don’t spend every minute of their day on Twitter or on doing things that don’t matter.
One major problem I noticed among most new bloggers is that they obsess and waste their time on things that don’t matter. Time is very important and it waits for no man. It doesn’t help spending every minute chatting with friends or checking your stats. It is also of no importance checking how many new comments you have gained every minute.
A-list bloggers manage their time wisely and they only focus on what matters. You’ll hardly see A-list bloggers checking their stats 10 times a day or tweeting every now and then, but they rather spend their time on what brings results, such as creating new content, promoting their blog, and developing their own products.
Lesson: Manage your time wisely. Focus on what matters, not on what doesn’t.
2. You’re Not Disciplined and Consistent
Another reason many bloggers will never be an A-list blogger is because of their lack of consistency, they do things anyhow they want. If you take a look at highly successful bloggers from Darren Rowse to Brian Clark to John Chow and others, you’ll notice they have one thing in common and that one thing is consistency.
Being an A-list blogger isn’t as easy as many people think and one reason I so much envy A-list bloggers is because of their high level of discipline and consistency. I was so amazed when I read that Darren has been writing on his blog every single day for more than 5 years. Tell me, how will someone like this not be successful?
Being an A-list blogger is not only about you doing what you want. You sometimes have to do things you don’t want. You have to go out of your comfort zone and maintain a high level of discipline. You might not find it easy writing consistently but you have to do it for the sake of your success.
Lesson: Define your goals and how you will go about it. Always be consistent with it.
3. You’re Always Pissing Off Your Readers
Some people will never be an A-list blogger because of how they treat their readers. A-list bloggers are highly successful because they have a lot of readers, but one thing I noticed about them is how they treat their readers. They treat each and every one of their readers with respect.
Your readers are the building block of your success and you shouldn’t treat them as if they don’t exist. You should treat them as if they are a major part of you. One major way to make sure you don’t piss your readers off is by getting and acting on feedback from them.
Lesson: Listen to your readers, and treat them with respect.
4. You Don’t Have a Specific Niche
A-list bloggers are A-list bloggers because they’re respected in their niche. Some people won’t be an A-list blogger because they lack a niche. We know Darren Rowse as an A-list blogger in the blogging niche, Brian Clark as an A-list blogger in the copywriting niche, and Leo Babuta as an A-list blogger in the personal development niche, but we are yet to see an A-list blogger in all niches.
You can’t be an A-list blogger by being a jack of all trade and master of none. You have to be a master of one trade. Try to find the niche that fits you best, adjust yourself to it and work on making yourself the best in that niche.
Lesson: Focus on being the best in one niche.
5. You’re Not Analytical
A-list bloggers are highly analytical, and when I talk about being analytical I am not talking about being addicted to stats. A-list bloggers easily spot opportunities and make the best of them.
Many new bloggers just visit the blogs of the A-list bloggers and copy and paste everything they see. A-list bloggers don’t use elements on their blogs because every other person uses it – they analyze and test everything to make sure it works for them.
Another great thing about A-list bloggers is that they easily spot and capitalize on traffic sources. I’m not talking about the highest traffic source, but the best. Anytime an A-list blogger notices traffic from a particular source and they see that the traffic is quality traffic, they will work on getting more traffic from that source.
Take a look at ProBlogger, for example. He noticed the importance of building a mailing list (that’s part of being analytical) and he capitalized on it, he’s not just building a list because others are, but because it is working for him.
If you are looking to build an email list and use WordPress for your site, see our post on WordPress mailing list plugins.
Lesson: Don’t follow the crowd. Test and use what works for you.
6. You’re Not Focused
Lack of focus is another major reason why many people will never be an A-list blogger. Highly successful bloggers don’t rush things together, but they spend time to find what works and then focus on it. You don’t necessarily need 10 blogs before you can succeed. Instead, you can focus on making one a huge success. Even if you see A-list bloggers having more than one blog, it is usually because they’ve made the earlier ones a success.
A-list bloggers don’t just work on a project for two days and then quit in the name of not getting results. They work and focus on one project until they get results.
Lesson: Having one blog that brings result is better than having 10 blogs that don’t.
7. You’re Not Patient
If you have all the above traits and you don’t have this one, you’ll never be an A-list blogger. Not only are A-list bloggers wise, they’re also very patient.
Most new bloggers start a blog with the hope of getting rich overnight, then they later quit after months of not seeing results. Some bloggers have been in this space for years, and if there is one thing you can learn from them it is that he is a great example of patience. You shouldn’t quit at every challenge. You should give your blog a lot of time to see if you’re on the right track. Many people quit when they’re almost successful – keep on trying and waiting until you get results.
Lesson: Lack of patience won’t get you anywhere. To be highly successful, you have to be patient.
What Do You Think?
Which of the above mistakes do you think is most common among new bloggers? What do you think about this post? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.
