Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Unsubscribers & Unfollowers
As online content creators, so many of us can relate to the fear of losing readers and subscribers. Whatever your preferred method of keeping in touch with your audience, whether it’s through social media, Bloglovin, your mailing list, or a mix of a few, losing followers and subscribers can be quit the painful experience. We’ll find ourselves wondering why they clicked unfollow, worried over what we did wrong, and how many others will follow suit.
My best advice? Don’t be so afraid of unsubscribers and unfollowers. This may sound counterproductive as we’re all working hard to grow our online presence and increase our reach, but if your heart sinks a little every time you see someone has unfollowed I have some things to keep in mind to help you along the way.
Numbers only tell part of the story We all place so much importance on the numbers that we can sometimes lose sight of the fact that they only tell part of the story. Once we quit chasing number milestones and instead focus on creating a really engaged and active community around our blog, we can really start the build the best online space for us. Building our readership and numbers is a really fun and motivational side of running your own online space, but don’t allow yourself to be defined by those numbers alone. Numbers aren’t always readers - Amber said it perfectly in this post.
You only want the ideal audience for you If you’ve really started to get specific with your blog, honed in on your ideal readers, and defined your purpose then you’ll know deep down that all you really want is the ideal audience for you. Whatever your focus, niche, and topics, there’s the perfect audience out there for you who can really connect with the words you’re sharing with the world. Once we move past the urge to please everyone, we can really enjoy creating specific content for a specific readership. Connecting everyday with readers who really love what it is that you’re sharing will feed your soul way more than just watering yourself down trying to please the masses.
Focus on honing while you grow Losing readers along the way doesn’t stand in the way of growth and progression. To hone is to make more effective, and the more specific your audience is the more effective your content will be. If we allow the fear of losing readers along the way to consume us it will hold us back from taking risks, creating the content that scares us, and really sharing with the world who we are.
Don’t take it so personally Next time you see that a reader has decide to unfollow, my best advice is to not take it so personally. It doesn’t mean you’ve done anything wrong, that your blog is rubbish, or that they hated everything you were creating. All it means is that at this moment you’re not a good fit for each other - what you’re sharing isn’t what they need, and that’s a-okay. When you’re not focused on keeping the readers who aren’t actually the ideal audience for you, you can then give your energy to creating the best content you can for your ideal readers. Don’t let it shake you or distract you from the work you’re crazy passionate about.
I know unfollowers hurt. You put all those hours in and it can feel like a serious blow to our self esteem if we let it. But if you’re really getting specific with your online space and connecting with your ideal audience, it’s inevitable that you will polarise some readers along the way. Keep doing your thing and sharing your awesome content with the world, and the people who aren't a good fit? Just let them go and keep moving forward.
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