Blog Republic

5 reasons most blogs will fail

by Darren

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I’ve heard estimates of over 95% of all blogs failing after startup. This means very few blogs will stand any sort of test of time. By learning why others fail, we can hope to avoid the same fate ourselves. Here’s 5 reasons blogs fail.

1) It’s tough to exist in isolation. Blogging can be a lonely chore, similar if not identical to keeping a journal of your thoughts. Theoretically, blogs can provide feedback that a journal can’t, but many days the feedback will be very slow to arrive and minimal in impact. Blogging can be a lonely job and not everyone can operate in isolation. If you’re a people person, then outdoor sales would be a better job than chronicling your inner mindscape.

2) Most bloggers can’t write that well. Hey, someone had to say it. By and large, blogging is a medium of the written word. If you can’t write well, it’s tougher for you to stand out. You can still succeed, I’m sure, but it’s a lot easier when you possess a high degree of capability with language. In many ways, blogging is nothing but a writing exercise, so if you’re not even that interested in the hobby of writing, blogging might be a chore and not a joy. It’s no surprise many of the most prominent “A-List” bloggers are professional writers and journalists. They come from a background of crafting words, and their craftmanship attracts vibrant readerships.

3) Many blogger don’t have sufficient experience to be experts in their chosen category. People are most interesting when we learn something from them. It’s great to be entertained, but people who spend time reading blogs are also looking for some sort of information that is usable in their life. The more a person knows about a subject, the more valuable her information becomes. Write about something that you truly have a good deal of knowledge about, or people won’t be sticking around for long.

4) Most blogs don’t have a business model, so the blogger loses motivation. Some people are died in the wool hobbyists, so they don’t care if the spend 100 hours writing a blog and earning no money. But most people aren’t like this. People like me always have a financial advantage in mind when scheduling hours for work. I can’t justify 50 hours a week in front of a computer for a hobby, but I can when I’m making money. Money will motivate many a blogger who might otherwise fail, so having a strong business model makes complete and total sense.

5) Most people don’t stick to anything. It isn’t just blogging, but most people give up on everything they try. Imagine how many closets exist in this world (Closets of Broken Dreams, I like to call them), which have items such as a bowling ball, a lawn jart set, Ouija boards, ice skates, Karate Gis, and various other remnants of forgotten “passions”? Many I would expect, and Blogs can fit in there easily too. If you’re not careful, an unposted to blog can be a sore reminder that you wanted to do it, but never found the time. Do 95% of all people fit in this category? I can’t say for sure, but the stats seem to bear it out.

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