Empathy

A flurry of unsolicited questions came in on Friday, including two "please review my blog" letters, and a "please review my book" package. (For the record, I’m totally useless at reviewing your blog, sorry.)

One person was very honest and asked, "Is my blog boring?"

If you need to ask, you probably know the answer.

The mistake most blogs and books make: they are about the writer, not the reader.

Years ago, a friend (a former judge) wrote a thriller. It was based on a true story that actually happened to him. It was terrible. Why? The fact that it had actually happened was interesting to him, but the typical reader didn’t care at all. That’s because the typical reader didn’t know him.

The things that fascinate you about your life are almost always banal to strangers. Strangers want to read about their lives, not yours. And guess what? The same thing is true about prospects and customers and just about anything you can imagine marketing.