These authors have allowed their blogs (and books) to become predominantly anecdotal, permeated with stories about their personal hardships with relationships, health, addictions, money, etc. I have most frequently seen this kind of writing show up on blogs in the spirituality and personal development fields. that if they are open and honest about their imperfections, it will break down the barrier between them and their audience and bring them closer. While, in theory, this is absolutely true, it does not necessarily mean your approach is creating the impact you desire.
For example, have you ever had a friend in the past who seemed to be perpetually caught up in one drama after another, and whenever you got together for a chat you had to sit and listen to his/her latest episode? How long did it take you to realise this person wasn’t listening to you when you were speaking? When you finally realised this, how long did it take you to stop meeting this b2c datasets friend for lunch or calling them on the phone because you were just too worn out by them? In much the same way, while personal anecdotes can be great teaching tools, used incorrectly they can make your audience switch off. Unless framed correctly, using too many personal anecdotes turns the spotlight away from your audience, because you’re too busy shining it on yourself. If you want to use anecdotes to connect to your audience, you need to create a clear and direct line of relevance between your story and their immediate needs and concerns. Use anecdotes as vehicles to illustrate specific and clearly defined points; otherwise, they have no place in your blog.
Let me be clear: when I say ‘to illustrate a point’, I don’t mean something along the lines of, ‘I am telling you this story to show you how great I am.’ For example, I know a woman whose blogs are almost always made up of stories about how her coaching resulted in one of her clients succeeding in x, y, z. To me, there is nothing inherently valuable in such a blog article. It’s all about the author and nothing about me, the reader. Keep putting yourself in your audience’s shoes, and ask yourself what they want from you, not what you want to get from them.
You might also believe that showing your failings and vulnerabilities to the world will make you seem more approachable and human. Again, while there is an element of truth in this, if done incorrectly, it can also come across as apologetic and needy. Thus, instead of showing your readers that you care for them, you are making them feel like they need to take care of you. That is not the relationship you want to have with them; nor is it the one they want to have with you.