Your Life Story is the Key to Getting More Readers
Why writing about your wins and losses will build your fanbase.
‘I didn’t ask for your life story!’
How many times have you heard that snide remark?
Maybe it’s discouraged you from sharing your passions and experiences. With so much content online, you’re doubtful that anyone would ever want to hear from you.
But nothing could be further from the truth — people want to hear your life story.
Don’t believe me? Have a look at some of the best-performing articles on Medium. You’ll soon see:
- Writers share their coffee-drinking habits.
- Writers share the reason they quit their job.
- Writers share how they balance a 9-to-5 with Medium.
I’ll take a wild guess and assume that many of these experiences aren’t too different from your own.
You might think that you’re nobody special. And you might be right… but guess what? Being ordinary is actually a point in your favor. Most readers can relate to ordinary people.
You can show them that they’re not alone in their fears and struggles.
But it also goes beyond that.
The average person, by definition, is ahead of 50% of the population.
People admire the accomplishments we take for granted. Getting a decent job, finding a partner or building a reading habit is all stuff readers want to know.
Five years ago, when I was single, jobless and distracted, I would’ve killed for some good advice there!
Sure. You can say you’re not an expert.
But here’s the dirty little secret — people don’t always want to hear from experts!
Going from A to Z is daunting.
Most people want to know how to get from A to B first.
I don’t know about you, but I haven’t found a lot of great advice from famous authors about how to get noticed or write a query letter to publishers.
Someone who’s found modest success is often a lot better at bridging the gap between where they are and absolute beginners.
Even your screw ups are valuable.
They let you tell others what they need to avoid. Plus, it makes writing a breeze! You could probably write the following articles off the top of your head:
- The Mistake That Nearly Ruined My Life
- 3 Bad Habits That Made Me a Dating Disaster
- 5 Lessons From My First Year of Online Writing
Most importantly, this type of content gives your writing that X-Factor which hooks readers.
It shows you’re authentic.
We live in a world where people are constantly sold ridiculous promises.
They’re soaked in advertising and spam. They’re bombarded by people who only want their time or money and don’t give a damn about making their life better or treating them as human beings.
When you share your story, you’re not asking them to give you anything.
You’re giving them an opportunity to listen to you — without any pressure — and share their own story in response.
You’re talking to your readers like a new acquaintance.
Maybe they’ll like you, maybe they’ll hate you. But at least they’ll know you’re not just another conman who’s full of BS.
That’s how you make friends in real life and that’s how you make fans on the internet.
Now go out there and win them over with your life story.
It’s worth sharing.
