Does YOUR WordPress blog evoke lust like a Chippendales Macgyver?

My oh my, the images that come to mind on the Internet from thought-compelling articles!

This morning, I read the superb post How to Be Interesting over at CopyBlogger.  One of the extremely truthful points he brought up was how showing a half-naked woman will generate interest…this led to quite a heated discussion in the comments to which I contributed:

…(goodies that invoke the true woman’s response to, ahem, scantily clad females… ….MORE….)

Then I started thinking…. golly, let’s test it out!  Couldn’t find any Macgyvers in a beefcake shot, so I settled on the next best thing (Chippendales!  And not the chipmunks either!).  It has just about zero to do with this post…but let’s test out it’s drawing power, shall we?

And my post begins:

QUICK!  Stop right there!  Omigosh, I’m sooo glad I caught you before you read the next word!

Okay, THE next word. 

Wait, you’re still reading, and you’re still reading the next words.  I sense an infinite loop appearing.

Ack.  Hate it when that happens.

So!  Let’s start this post again!

<ahem>

STOP!  QUICK!  Look at your blog! 

I mean, actually, look at your blog as though you were a….a……a visitor!  What is the first emotion that is sparked?

Is it….

• Boredom?
• Ennui? 
• An insane desire to say the same thing with two different words?
• Excitement?
• Anger? 
• Teeth-gnashing angst?

Or is it…

LUST?

I don’t mean the kind of body-temperature-rising generated by a whole slew of Chippendales Macgyvers (see?  see?  I worked the image into the post!), mind you…instead, I’m talking about:

OMIGOSH I HAVE TO LEARN MORE!

or perhaps

OMIGOSH I WANT WHAT IS BEING SOLD!

or even

OMIGOSH the caps lock is stuck!

What I’m talking about, of course, is a magnificent coffee cup that is never empty and always filled with the  fresh and piping hot Beverage of the Gods…in other words,

The Magic of your blogs’ "Call To Action"

I go into this in great detail over at 7 Days To Make Your Blog Blossom.  In a nutshell, you need to ask yourself…what do I want my blog readers to do?  What are my goals for my blog?  How on earth can I fool my children into brewing the coffee for me so I don’t have to get up from the chair?  etc.etc.etc.

Consider things like:

Getting more subscribers to your RSS feed?

You should ensure your RSS feed icon is blatantly visible on your main page, provide a "Why Subscribe" sales page, perhaps offer a bonus only available to people who DO subscribe, maybe run a contest for subscribers……

What of the above are you doing?

Gaining more commenters?

You should install CommentLuv, add other related commenting plugins, respond to comments on your blog, proactively visit other blogs that have CommentLuv and comment there, encourage people to comment on your own blog in every post…..

What of the above are you doing?

Having more blogs refer to your articles?

You should write link-worthy articles.  How-to guides, 101 Uses for Something Really Hilarious Yet Totally Obscure, 7 Awesomely Easy Techniques to Become Australian, How I Defeated 73 Arrogant Uptight PTA Parents With Only A Pulverized iPhone….things of that nature.   Helpful articles, funny articles, edgy articles, controversial articles (which, I might add, only bloggers in their 40s can successfully pull off), etc.

What of the above are you doing?

Bringing in more money?

Monetize!  Monetize!  Monetize!  Everything you do on your blog, tastefully….monetize.  My 21 Days to a Profitable Blog Tutorial will guide you on that.

What of the above are you doing?

Being viewed as a Subject Matter Expert?

Contact respected industry niche sites/associations/organizations/magazines/newsletters/etc. and offer to write a column for them, write a book, give a seminar, give an eseminar, put up video tutorials on YouTube……

What of the above are you doing?

Building your own personal community?

Add a forum to your site! more…

Remember…your blog IS unique, your blog IS different…. but your blog depends upon YOU to help the readers invoke the desired call to action.

So!  Take a good long look at your blog and ask yourself…is it working for you as you so desire?

And if not…what can you improve to make a difference in the positive direction?

You might be quite surprised with all the goodies you devise.  After all, nobody will do it for you…so go out and proactively seize future success…..today.

Enjoy,

Barbara Ling

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