I blogged for 3 years before I regularly told my travel stories.
Seriously.
Some folks had no idea I was even traveling.
I had been to places like Bali, Costa Rica, Thailand and Fiji and had yet to integrate my travel stories into my blog and brand.
All that changed on a fateful night in the jungles of Fiji in 2014.
My host pulled my old blog.
I was faced with a choice; either cling to my old blog and brand or move in a new direction.
I went with Blogging From Paradise.
I also worked my travel stories – for the first time, persistently – into my blog and brand.
Things changed.
Big time.
I drove more traffic to my blog.
I eventually was featured on sites like Richard Branson’s Virgin blog, Forbes, Entrepreneur and Fox News.
Everything expanded for me the moment I began telling my stories and drawing analogies between these experiences and sharing smart blogging tips.
If you are struggling like hell to drive blog traffic it’s time to tell stories.
As we delve deeper into the how to increase blog traffic series let’s dive into storytelling as a traffic boosting tool.
Why this Works
Everybody loves a good story.
Netflix. Movies. TV. Theater. Books.
You likely have been listening to stories since your mom and dad read bedtime stories to you as a kid.
But the love affair has continued well into your adulthood.
Stories are a traffic builder because we relate with stories. Or maybe you cannot relate with a particular story but the experience entertains you, inspires you or helps you access long buried emotions.
Most readers tune out dry, bland, 3rd person accounts because anybody can write like that.
Story tellers are a fairly rare breed though, so if you can weave a fascinating tale, adding as many details as possible, you will have no issues driving steady traffic to your blog.
Your Story Differentiates You
No 2 snowflakes are alike.
No 2 humans are alike.
No 2 human stories are alike.
You may see some similarities between 2 different life stories yet our paths deviate at some time or another.
Your story differentiates you, making you appealing, making your content compelling, driving an increasing number of visitors to your blog.
Even if you appear to have the most Plain Jane, dull, lifeless story it is unlike any story ever told when you tell it in your voice, from an authentic, genuine space.
Everybody Loves a Good Story
I binge watch Netflix.
I usually head to the movies anytime a new Marvel movie debuts.
I love a good story.
I don’t know of any human who can turn down a good story, whether through movies, theater, a novel or television.
This is why storytelling through your blog is a traffic builder; recounting personal experiences has a universal appeal.
Your readers want to learn more about you.
Who is the person offering the blogging advice? Who is the human being offering the personal development insight?
By telling your story you become more human, more approachable and more credible as a blogger.
Tips for Storytelling through Your Blog
Tell your story but relate the story to your blogging niche.
I tell stories from my world travels but draw analogies between these experiences and running a successful blog.
The story is the humanizing agent, the entertaining recount, but the analogy between the story and blogging tips is what really resonates with my audience.
Be transparent.
All stories touch readers on a different level and all stories are significant.
Just because you are not running away from Thai ladyboy prostitutes in Bangkok or fighting off wild men attacks in Kathmandu doesn’t make your story boring, or pointless.
Tell your story in your voice. Be you and allow your experiences to form a bond between you and your blogging community.
Your Turn
Are you working stories into your blog?
Why?
Why not?
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