How to build a blog? A successful one. All of us copywriters out there who dream of making an honest buck out of our passion have asked ourselves this, probably several times since we started out our writing adventure.
Unfortunately, these days, it’s not all about the talent or passion for writing. Sure, you can write, and write beautifully about things of great interest. However, that may not be enough for your blog to become successful and bring you fame and fortune – if you’re after these things, that is… But something tells me that deep down inside everybody’s after some public recognition. So what to do to put your blog on the map? It all starts with stirring curiosity and… outrage. These two human reactions are the easiest to exploit in order to get quick spread and comments on your posts.
And over the years, Perez Hilton has shown us just how to do that. Now, let’s dig a bit deeper into his ways of leveraging human emotions, shall we?
Here are THE 10 tricks that got Perez where he is now
… and will help you get your cool blog up:
1. Show real enthusiasm – that’s contagious and captivating! Perez wanted to be an actor. While trying to get his hands on an acting gig he started to write about celebrities he aspired to be like. Needless to say, acting didn’t turn out be his thing. Blogging did. Why? If you can’t be an actor… well, you might as well write about actors, right? For Perez, it all started out because of his passion for showbiz. So if you’re passionate about something, why not write about it? This way your passion will shine through and because of it, enthusiasm will take over the words pouring out of you. It’s inevitable.
2. Slam that topic, run it over with your words until it gets flat. Perez started out by being really mean to celebrities, which is what brought him his fame. But for any other copywriter, like me and you, his meanness should translate as really strong opinions, edgy if you will, on trending topics. Speak your mind.
3. Use a recognizable tone of voice – friendly, yet intriguing. And while you’re at it, why not throw in a personal catch phrase, at the end of a paragraph or of each blog you write. Example: you can hear Perez say ‘ha!’ whenever he launches a ridiculous assumption. It’s become his trademark.
4. Talk to your readers and try to anticipate their questions. If you don’t have the answers, just leave the questions hanging in the air. Your readers will still resonate with you, thinking ‘hey, I’ve got something in common with this dude, the same curiosity.’
5. Don’t be afraid to use slang… and made-up words: gurl; perelicious; Manniston; Bennifer; Justifer.. OMG, Perez! What’s next? The Perezictionary? ALL YOU READERS OUT THERE, NOTE! THE WORD ‘PEREZICTIONARY’ HAS FIRST BEEN MENTIONED ON THIS BLOG. AND BY NO MEANS DOES PEREZ HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE CREDIT FOR IT! UNLESS… I AGREE TO IT.
6. Check your facts, do your research and if possible, establish enduring relationships with scoopers. This is how Perez became a reliable news source. You didn’t think he found out about Clay Aiken’s sexual orientation all by himself, did you? Well he could have…
7. Ask privacy-invasive questions. If you want those 15 minutes of fame, step on people’s right to privacy, just for the sake of news juice. However, if your blog is not about celebrity gossip, it’s best to leave this one out of your writing.
8. Choose topics that make people feel good about themselves. Think about this for a sec: Why did people watch Jersey Shore? Because after just five minutes of watching, their self-esteem reached top peaks. Yes, they felt superior. Feeling superior affects your self-esteem in a positive way. In other words, you feel better about yourself and that becomes addictive. Now, a topic which can turn you addictive is just gold for Perez. Well, fair enough.
9. Practice what you preach. Perez changed from negative, i.e. bullying celebs, to positive (ok, a PR stunt, but nevertheless it worked), changed to a better, healthier lifestyle, is consistent about it and talks LOUDLY about it.
10. Don’t give your audience what they want. Give them what you want. Perez does that. It’s his passion for celebrity juice that reaches you. He likes to scoop and share. And he’s sharing in bits, because he knows you’ll come back for more. In other words, he doesn’t really give you what you need, but you start needing what he gives you. I’ll elaborate on this topic in a future blog.
Perez has become one successful ‘gossip gangsta’ because of his smooth ‘wordcraftsmanship’ – did I just come up with a new word? – skills.
As annoying as I find him – yes, Perez, I find you extremely annoying 🙂 – I have to say, his blog inspired me in many ways. I won’t elaborate on this right know, because I have this feeling you might be getting a little bit bored and you’re probably already on Perez’ blog checking to see if all of the above are the traits of his writing. They are.
And now I ask you: which of them will you use in crafting your words?
Wordcraft Studio 
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