I’m back this Friday participating in another Let’s Talk Bookish post, as always hosted by the amazing Rukky @ Eternity Books and awesome Dani @ The Literary Lion! For this week, our topic is: Blogger and Audience Relationship, recommended by Rukky!
So, the actual prompt is “do bloggers owe their readers and vice versa,” but I reworded it a bit to try and be a little more SEO friendly. (Talking about SEO like I know anything, who is she?) I thought this prompt was so interesting, so I’m excited to give it a go!
Let’s discuss!
Blogger and Audience Relationship
I really enjoyed some of the questions that Rukky asked in help prompt this discussion. Questions like: Do bloggers owe their readers anything? Or deserve anything from their readers? Is there’s a specific etiquette that bloggers/readers should follow when interacting? Do you as a blogger pressure yourself to provide certain things to your readers?
So, I think I’ll try to cover some of them, when discussing the blogger and audience relationship.
What Is It
Mostly namely, I believe the blogger and audience relationship is both simple and complex. It’s simple to define. It’s the relationship that I have (and set) as a creator with those who choose to read (and return) to my blog. Yet, it’s also complex, in that it can vary, it can be threatened and it can evolved.
Personally, here’s the relationship I want to have with my readers, as a blogger. When readers stumble upon my blog, I want them to:
- Feel safe and know their identity is respected and heard here
- Enjoy the content I publish
- Know what to expect
- Be willing to engage, so I’m reminded I’m not just in the void
In return, as an audience, I believe they:
- expect content to be published regularly
- want bookish content (since I label myself a book blogger, after all)
- Enjoy discussions and don’t mind personal posts (based on stats and post engagement trends)
And thus, our relationship has formed.
Expectations + Etiquette
So, as you can see above, I have a list of expectations I hope to set and a set of expectations I believe readers currently have, based on the limited data I can access/interpret. I think it’s also important to back up your expectations. For example: my first and most important expectation is to create a safe online space. How to you implement that, though? For me, it’s been a combo of things, like:
- Including my pronouns in my about me page and front page
- Using inclusive language
- Reading diversely
- Sharing my own allyship journey
- Supporting diverse bloggers (via linking their posts in my monthly wrap-ups, engaging with their content)
- Going self-hosted so I could make my blog more accessible
Some of these measures are simple, small things, while others require work, sometimes money (like self-hosting to access the accessibility widget) and time. But all of them go towards creating a (what I hope to be) safe space within this blog for my readers.
Likewise, etiquette is something you can set up, too. Readers might feel more conversational because that is the tone and voice of my posts. I also share personal posts, reflecting vulnerability, yet also curse all the fucking time, reflecting a less serious nature, too. It’s no surprise that readers might feel comfortable being more open in comments to personal posts because of the etiquette I’ve set up.
Pressures + Pitfalls
Do I feel pressure? Absolutely, but never direct. Like, I’ve never had a reader or a member of my audience ever pressure me directly. They’ve never reached out and said, “hey, you promised a MWF schedule but you missed a post last week, how are you”. The pressure is all inward expectations I’ve set upon myself. Especially as I’ve continued to grow my blog, starting to see regular engagement (something that floors me to this day).
I think one of the pitfalls, though, is that you can set up all of these expectations and have the “reality” fall flat. Meaning, you could post consistently, with the expectation to grow your readership, but that’s not a guarantee. Or, I can set up a safe space, but still have a random troll on the internet try to invade it. But, I don’t think that my readers owe me anything. Yes, I want engagement, I want community, I want growth, but this is a space I’ve created that no one asked for. Whatever time, kindness, attention and support a reader gives me, I cherish.
To me, the blogger and audience relationship isn’t a guarantee, but it’s like a traditional relationship: it takes work, a willingness to grow and communicate, and an openness to listen, with the hopes that it’ll be supported into something positive and strong.
In Sum
This was a super fun topic to write a discussion on! I’m curious to hear from you all, though. What are your thoughts about the blogger and audience relationship? Are their expectations that I missed? Pressures I didn’t cover? Benefits or pitfalls that you’ve experienced? Let me know in the comments!
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This is a really interesting topic! I especially like your discussions of how you try and make your blog a safe space. I’ve just gone self-hosted this year so will definitely be investigating how I can improve my blog accessibility as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts! X
Yay for going self-hosted, Florence! That’s fantastic. I use accessibility widgets to help make sure my website is accessible and one of my projects is to go back through and update all of my posts to make sure they are all screen-reader friendly and provide alt-text! Thank you so much for reading! xx
What a great post, and you’ve expressed much of what I’ve thought about at different times on my blogging ‘journey’. I appreciate the thought and consideration given, particularly around the issue of pressure. Like you, the pressure I feel in regards to blogging is self-imposed. Over the years I’ve created blogging routines which work for a while, but I’ve now accepted that a bit of flexibility is needed too as circumstances and interests shift and change. I agree too on the importance of connecting with people who are reading and commenting on blog posts – it is humbling when there is so much content out there. I also love how some posts, such as this one, make me think deeper about the whole process. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
Aww, thank you so, so much! Gosh yes, pressure is so hard (and usually self-imposed, from what I can tell). We all need to be a little kinder to ourselves!
Great post, Nicole. And thanks for mentioning inclusiveness and pronouns – I had to run and update my bio as soon as I read that!
Thank you, Erin! Yay, I’m so glad it helped you, too!
This is a very interesting discussion! As I’ve learned more about digital marketing, the audience/blogger relationship is something I’ve thought a lot about as well. I think your purpose for blogging also helps define some of these areas. For instance, if you’re blogging to help sell services, your audience might expect a certain type of content and a more professional style of engagement. I think it can be easy to feel pressure to give our audiences a certain thing, but depending on the reason you blog, I think the most important thing is just to keep blogging enjoyable and fun for you and your readers.
Great post 🙂
Oh yes, I think bringing up your intent for your blog is also a very great point, as that can definitely influence expectations and relationships with your audience. Thank you so much for stopping by, reading and sharing your thoughts, Mel! It really means a lot!
I just posted my answers. I think this is a fascinating topic!
Oooh, I can’t wait to check it out!
I’ve always found readers to be exceptionally respectful and polite. Only once did I face concerted effort to have me take down a review. I posted my honest thoughts but I received a barrage of mean comments on the review from fans of the author. That was uncomfortable.
Yes, I have been really lucky, as well. My readers have always been so kind! I’m glad you’ve (usually) had that experience!
This is both a terrific topic and a terrific discussion of the topic, Nicole! I think you’ve covered everything in a respectful and compelling way. Thank you for bringing up this topic. Although I’ve thought about it before, I don’t think I’ve ever put it into words myself. You’ve made me think.
Aww, thank you so much, Mary! Your comment absolutely made my day!
This is a really fun post and honestly, I haven’t thought of it THAT much. I usually just think about what I can provide and what I want my audience to feel when they come to my blog, but I never thought of the other side of the relationship. I love how you’ve structured this post and you discussed it very well. Now I have to go have a crisis about the relationship I have with my audience and what I wish it was haha. But you’re totally right in that this relationship is the same as any other requiring effort.
Honestly, I didn’t think about it much until I read the prompt for Let’s Talk Bookish, so you’re not alone in that! Ahhh, don’t have a crisis!! 😅
Oh what an interesting topic, I loved reading your thoughts on it! I think my position is kind of the same as yours, with my audience. I know, being a book blog, people will expect bookish content and I am doing my very best to deliver and to take into account what my audience is saying in the comments, too (when they suggest topics, sometimes, for instance.) That being said, I’m just like you sometimes and I’m having all of these expectations I’m putting on myself, on my own. My audience never directly pushes me or criticizes me for missing a posting day, but as soon as you start having a bit of people coming regularly, it’s hard NOT to feel that… invisible pressure to do your best.
Anyway, I love this post! 🙂
Thank you so much for reading! I am not surprised that you are putting (if I may be so bold, too much) pressure on yourself that isn’t validated from the audience, but I think so many bloggers do that!
oh wow, i love what you wrote here!! everything is so spot-on. i think there’s definitely a sense of external pressure when you’re a content creator and there are people who like to consume your content regularly, but most of the time it truly is just pressure we place on ourselves—i don’t think i’ve ever had someone tell me that i suck for not putting out content regularly, even if that’s what i might’ve thought about myself! but i think the blogger/reader relationship is truly so beautiful, especially when it’s been cultivated over months and years <3 fantastic post!
Aww, thank you so much, May!! You’re so right about external pressure and how our audience (almost never) validates it. Hopefully it’s a good reminder that all of us creators need to be kinder to ourselves!
Ahhh, I like how you framed this topic and reflected on what you want to provide for your audience and the expectations your readers have. At the end of 2019 I did some reflections on blogging, but the broader consideration of myself and my audience is not something I’ve put a lot of thought towards. I imagine it may prove beneficial for me to sit down sometime and consider the questions within the sort of framework you use here. IE What do I want to provide my audience? What do they expect me of me? And how do I foster a space that meets the needs of both myself and my readers? Thanks for the food for thought!
Thank you so much, Jenna!! I’m so glad this gave you some food for thoughts to consider!