Kikolani
  • Homes
  • Posts
    • Style
      • Small
      • Large
      • Fullwidth
    • Layout
      • Right Sidebar
      • Left Sidebar
      • Narrow Content
      • Fullwidth Content
    • Image Post
      • Small
      • Large
      • Fullwidth
    • Gallery Post
      • Small
      • Large
    • Video Post
      • Small
      • Large
    • Audio Post
      • Small
      • Large
  • Categories
  • Features
    • Contact Kikolani
    • 404 Error
  • Buy Theme

Popular Posts

4 industries that need to correlate online & offline signage
Business,

4 industries that need to correlate online & offline signage

by Dan Steiner3 months ago5 comments
Is Your e-Course Just an Online Bookstore?
Blogging, Business,

Is Your e-Course Just an Online Bookstore?

by Sue-Ann Bubacz8 months ago7 comments
How a Modern Day Worker Can Manage Time at Office More Effectively
Blogging, Strategy,

How a Modern Day Worker Can Manage Time at Office More Effectively

by Vartika kashyap11 months ago96 comments
7 Reasons Why Ecommerce Websites Are Underperforming in 2016
Blogging,

7 Reasons Why Ecommerce Websites Are Underperforming in 2016

by Jaffer WilsonNovember 15, 2016

Category List

  • Archives (723)
  • Blog Updates (10)
  • Blogging (517)
  • Business (91)
  • Cybersecurity (1)
  • Featured (3)
  • Fetching Friday (243)
  • Freebies (4)
  • Highlights (5)
  • Marketing (6)
  • Reviews (32)
  • SEO (52)
  • Social Media (115)
  • Strategy (70)
  • Uncategorized (3)

Follow Us

Instagram

Instagram has returned invalid data.
logo
  • write for us
  • advertise
  • Marketing
  • Strategy
  • Business
  • Social
  • Blogging
  • Reviews
  • write for us
  • advertise

Archives, Blogging,

The Pixar Guide to Feel-Good Blogging

by David MastersNovember 26, 2012
0
Shares
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

This is a guest post by David Masters.

Is your blog sending out subtle signals for your readers to unsubscribe?

Most top bloggers will tell you that to hold on to your readers, you must give them value. Value means the providing information they need to solve their common problems.

For example, a photography blogger might write a blog post on choosing a new camera, which is a common dilemma for photographers. A blog on writing might include an article on how to pitch editors so they say yes to your article proposal.

That’s value.

I agree, value is a vital element for any blog aiming for high readership. But with millions of blogs out there all vying for readers, value alone isn’t enough to make your blog sticky. To hold onto your subscribers, and pull more readers in, you’ve gotta do more.

To stand out from the crowd, you must make your readers feel good. You must give your readers a warm, fuzzy feeling every time they visit your blog.

pixar-guide-to-blogging

Photo Credit: Mike Turner on Flickr

Pixar is one at the best in Hollywood at creating feel-good family movies. After watching movies such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo or WALL-E, you’re guaranteed to leave the theater with a smile on your face.

How do Pixar do that? Let’s start where they finish.

Spoiler Warning: Happy Endings

Buzz and Woody escape the toy murderer, Sid Phillips, and are reunited with their owner, Andy. Nemo escapes the dental surgery fish tank and is reunited with his distraught father. Thanks to WALL-E, humanity returns to earth after hundreds of years of intergalactic exile.

Happy endings are part of the reason Pixar’s movies are so good at making audiences smile, but they’re not the whole reason.

Why Happy Endings Aren’t Enough, or Why We Need Spoiler Warnings

If movies started at the ending, very few people would watch them. They’d be boring right? That’s why we need spoiler alerts. We don’t want to know the end of movies we’ve yet to watch. Knowing the end ruins the story.

Happy endings make us feel good because they’re cathartic. Throughout a film, tension builds. The lead characters get into more and more trouble. They’re in a horrible situation, and it seems like there’s no way out.

As you watch the movie, you coime to care about the characters. Seeing them in such as sticky mess, your nerves tighten, and fear ramps up inside you.

Then, suddenly, at the climax, everything turns out okay. The tension’s released, and that’s what makes you feel good.

Happy endings only make you feel good because of the tension is released. Without the tension, happy endings would be boring.

Here’s what that means for you as a blogger.

Value = Happy Endings

When you only provide your readers with value, you’re giving them a shortcut to the happy ending. They might appreciate you helping them, but you haven’t given them a powerful emotional experience. They’re unlikely to remember you, recommend you to others, or subscribe to your blog.

In other words, if you only offer value, you’re only giving spoilers, and ultimately, that’s going to drive readers away rather than pull them in.

The Fluffy Bunnies School of Blogging

Another mistake I see many bloggers making is assuming their readers don’t have any problems. So, they blog about how wonderful the world is.

I call this the fluffy bunnies school of blogging, because in the world of these bloggers, pink marshmallow rabbits frolic about in meadows of candy flowers as chocolate rivers flow pleasantly by. (Confession: My first ever blog, Be Playful was a lot like this).

This is another way of only providing happy endings, and while it might engage some readers, it will bore many others.

How to Make Your Readers Feel Good

Follow the Pixar model.

When you’re writing the blog post, before you provide a solution, ramp up the tension. Explore the problem from the reader’s point-of-view. Make sure they understand exactly how much difficulty or pain it causes them.

Often, we don’t understand how big our problems are, or even exactly what our problems are, until someone helps us find the words for them.

Keep tightening that tension. Show exactly how bad this problem is.

When your readers are finally saying “Enough already! Show me the light at the end of this tunnel,” then reveal the solution.

As well as helping your readers solve their problems, you’ll provide them with cathartic relief.

They’ll feel a whole lot better, and they’re sure to remember you. You’ll be the blog they choose to subscribe to and tell their friends about.

Blogging
Previous

Fetching Friday – Resources Mashup, Black Friday & Cyber Monday Deals

November 23, 2012
Next

The Best Blogging Education: ProBlogger Ebooks Review

November 27, 2012

David Masters

David Masters is a freelance blogger and ebook writer. He blogs about social media marketing with soul at Social Caffeine. Come on over and <a href="http://lorirtaylor.com/">join the party</a>.

Related posts

Blog Content Is King
Blogging, Featured, Marketing, SEO, Social Media,

The secret to creating magnetic, high-traffic blog content

by Inna Yatsyna1 month ago12 comments
Marketing Tools and Strategy
Blogging, Freebies, Marketing, SEO, Strategy,

The marketing jackknife that fits YOUR needs

by Deborah Anderson1 month ago4 comments
Brand Identity
Blogging, Business, Featured, Marketing, Strategy,

Solve for “X” but, take your brand to why

by Sue-Ann Bubacz1 month ago27 comments
Blog writing.
Blogging, Featured,

5 Questions To Help You Write Better Blog Content

by James Lang2 months ago6 comments




Follow Kikolani

Kikolani

Trending

  • The secret to creating magnetic, high-traffic blog content

    The secret to creating magnetic, high-traffic blog content

    1 month ago
  • Editing PDF Files with Movavi PDF Editor

    Editing PDF Files with Movavi PDF Editor

    1 month ago
  • The marketing jackknife that fits YOUR needs

    The marketing jackknife that fits YOUR needs

    1 month ago
  • Solve for “X” but, take your brand to why

    Solve for “X” but, take your brand to why

    1 month ago

Featured Contributors

  • Kristi Hines

    Latest - Become a Digital Marketing Certified Associate (DMCA) with Simplilearn

  • Fetching Friday

    Latest - Fetching Friday - Resources Mashup & Kitten Hugs

  • Deborah Anderson

    Latest - The marketing jackknife that fits YOUR needs

  • KristiH

    Latest - The Return of Sleep Paralysis

  • Sue-Ann Bubacz

    Latest - Solve for "X" but, take your brand to why

logo
  • Marketing
  • Strategy
  • Business
  • Social
  • Blogging
  • Reviews
Join Our Newsletter
  • Copyright 2018 @ Kikolani.com All Rights Reserved
  • Privacy Policy