What to do when no one is reading your content

You work super hard on a fresh new piece of content – a newsletter, blog post, social media caption, whatever – cue it up, put it out in the world, and then…

Nothing.

No one responds, likes, comments, anything. It’s like you’re hollering into an empty room.

Feeling “ignored” is one of the most painful (and scary) feelings for any entrepreneur, coach, consultant, writer, or any other maker of things. When your content repeatedly gets ignored, that’s an unsettling feeling.

So why is it happening?

Well, there could be several issues going on. Often, it’s not just “one thing,” but rather a combination of several issues (tone, timing, content, or lack thereof).

But after working in the publicity, marketing, and small biz consulting industry for 15 years, plus writing five produced movies (with five more in the works), I’ve learned that if your content isn’t “working,” it usually boils down to one of the following 4 issues:

1. You’ve bleached out all of your personality.

If your content sounds dry, corporate, and devoid of personality, that’s a surefire way to get people saying, “Ummm… no thanks. Pass.” If you continually find yourself thinking, “I can’t say that! I need to sound more professional!” as you’re writing your content, be careful. You might be over-censoring yourself and stripping the personality out of your writing in the process.

2. You’re selling more than serving.

If all of your email communication sounds like some variation of “Buy me now – fast action bonus!!!” well, can you blame people for sending it right to the trash? Or ignoring? Every audience is different, but generally speaking, people don’t enjoy receiving a constant barrage of sales pitches. Ease up. Try to give more than you request—and serve more than you sell—and you might notice a big change in how people respond to your newsletters.

3. Your storytelling is… nonexistent.

So many business owners obsess over minutia that doesn’t really matter (“Should this text be italics or bold? Should I include a photo of a blossoming lotus flower or a photo of a smiling woman doing yoga?”). None of that stuff matters very much. What does matter… is telling a powerful story that’s coming from a place of genuine emotion (passion, anger, hope, joy…)

Want to sell tickets for your upcoming painting retreat? Use your content as a platform to tell a true story about how you reconnected with your creativity after shutting it away for 30 years.

Want people to get excited about your stress-release class? Tell a true story about the unexpected mentor who came into your life and totally changed your attitude about meditation.

Want people to donate to your Patreon? Tell a true story about how your work is already changing people’s lives in your community.

Storytelling is the key to getting people interested.

If you’re feeling like, “Oh noooz. I am totally guilty of making some (or, gulp, maybe all) of these newsletter mistakes!!” – check out my newest class Binge-Worthy Content!

Inside, you get access to 15 lessons covering a whole bunch of different topics—like how to create 90 days worth of content in just 30 days time, and how to magically turn one piece of content into multiple pieces – ‘cause I’m all about working less and enjoying life more.

If you enroll by November 18th, you’ll get access to a special bonus on how to create a Binge-Worthy Welcome Funnel. If you’re welcoming new people onto your list, and then just ignoring them (or sending them shout-y notes to buy from you right away) – you’re gonna LOVE this lesson.

You can get all the details and enroll right => HERE

And it goes without saying:

“Buy now… fast action bonus!!!”

Haha! Just kidding. But seriously, if you want to learn how to make your content way more engaging without doing a ton of extra work, I think you’ll love this class.