Business Blogging Pro Guide (Get Results Without Perfectionism)

Business Blogging Pro Guide (Get Results Without Perfectionism)

Reader Comments (34)

  1. It’s funny how many correlations there are between writing and cooking. My day job is as a cook. Being both a writer and a cook I have become accustomed to criticism. It’s all about how we take it, understanding that we can never please everyone. But any kind of criticism is much better than apathy. I also feel like, if there is not a chance of falling on your face, then it just isn’t as much fun. The chance for failure always makes the job more interesting. Thanks for sharing your tips!

    • What a great, light-hearted attitude, Sreejit. Sort of like, “Falling on your face … so what? No biggie.” It gives you a lot of freedom to do your best and then let go of the outcome. 🙂

      You also bring up an important point about how we react to criticism.

      If we can learn something from it and disregard the rest (or all of it if there’s nothing to learn) without taking any judgments personally, we’re well-positioned to stay productive and keep creating.

  2. For most of the things I write, I do a cursory review for errors, but I try not to over-analyze what I’m saying. I guess my biggest problem is trying to figure out if what I’m saying has any value – do people see what I wrote and take anything away from it, or not? I think that your post is inspiring to those of us who DO fear being criticized, and I’ll be honest, I know at some point that will happen to my blog… I can only hope that I’m wise enough to see it as constructive and learn from it.

    • Right on, Kimberly. Making sure your message is clear before you publish is so important.

      Publishing, seeing how readers react to your writing, and then fine-tuning your content as you go along may seem basic, but it’s a really powerful way to grow as a writer and marketer. Through that process you learn if your audience resonates with your work or if you should position your ideas in a different way. 🙂

      This post from Brian has a great story that demonstrates the power of releasing your work to your audience: https://copyblogger.com/surefire-content/

  3. Goodness I love this post Stefanie. And goodness, I am good at this topic 😉 Meaning I am pretty darn clear on my blog, my brand, and doing what I do from a space of fun, and playfulness, so I don’t judge my work. More importantly, doing things from a chill, fun energy helps me release folks who judge my work. It’s not that it’s good enough; it’s that I focus not on ideas like quality, or brilliance, but if I had fun creating something, I knew it was ME creating it. If I am being me and having a blast I meet tons more folks who appreciate the real me. Anybody offering positive feedback vibes with who I am, and any critic offering biting feedback is not comfy being themselves, so no issues, no worries, and no fear there.

    We free spirits tend to attract critics at times, all of whom wish they were as free as we are 😉

  4. There are indeed some virtues in being non-perfectionist at times, yet the trick lies in being consistent and fine-tuning your content creation…especially true when it comes to blogging for your business. Was captivated by your post, Stefanie and would vouch for it from my own experience! 🙂

  5. As creole being my first language, I’ve e struggled so much writing in English. 3 years ago I was writing about 20 words max on the blog but today I write enough to edit it too many times before I publish. I still have a long way to go but I’m glad I’m on the right track. I wish I read your posts 3 years ago. Thank you for writing it ! ?

    • Wow, look how far you’ve come! Having to tackle editing now that you’re writing more is certainly a new challenge.

      Thanks for sharing your progress, Mira — it’s great to hear about your persistence. 🙂

  6. Writing makes you a better writer. When you first start to write, you will make mistakes… but I have news for you… you make mistakes even 10 years down the road. Trying to be perfect will prevent you from taking action.

    While I try to make my writing perfect, I will post my writing for others to read. I can always change it later if there is a blaring mistake.

      • Absolutely. I usually proof read about 5 times, then my wife will proof after I post and tell me what she didn’t like and all of my mistakes. My audience won’t say anything though, they will just move on.

  7. I used to struggle with this as well. Nowadays I try to apply a “minimal viable product” mindset to all my blog post. Publish something that is good enough and if it doesn’t get the amount of view I was hoping for keep updating and tweaking it.

  8. Thanks Stefanie – some great tips here. I struggle between over thinking and writing what’s going through my mind at any given time (problem is my best ideas are often when I’m out running and nowhere near a keyboard or pen and paper!)

  9. I know. I am so guilty of this perfectionism thingy.

    But over a period of time, I have realized that I need to get my material out there and start getting feedback from my audience. Instead of wasting time on creating the most perfect piece of content.

    Great lesson. Thanks for writing this.

  10. Great post Stefanie…and thank you for the reminders! It’s so easy as a new blogger to get caught up in the perfectionist vortex. You want to put your best foot forward so you can gain readership, and start the long road to becoming an influencer in your niche. But in order to do that – you have to put yourself out there, and that can be scary. It’s so easy to become stuck in analysis paralysis. I found myself doing that recently. Now, I just need to write more! Will some posts totally stink, yes. But, you have to keep creating to build the blogging “muscle”.

  11. Waiting for things to be “just right” as you put it is not only false, but doesn’t matter. Others are going to judge and if they want to find something wrong they will. I think it’s better to publish now and fix any minor mistakes along the way. Communication (which is exactly what writing/blogging is) doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to have a message the reader wants. As you put it, information is…information.

  12. Thanks for writing this, Stefanie.

    Sometimes we are our own worst critic. It’s only been in the past year that I’ve realized that I can’t let fear of failure prevent me from putting my best work out into the world.

    We all have something unique to offer. Life’s too short to keep holding back.

  13. Yes, yes, yes!

    It really doesn’t matter what others “think” with respect to your blogging – when the point is you’re actually getting up and doing it.

    99.9% of people will never give it a try… and anyway – you’re unlikely to have the words “mediocre blogger” chipped into your tombstone! 😁

  14. Really enjoyed this post.

    The most pertinent part for me is the ‘danger of obscurity’. So true that if you’re not writing, peeps are not seeing. Saving that perfect post until the right time will never work for you as you will never post it.

    Over time, we get to know what content is appealing and what is not and can tweak accordingly. We can also change a post as many times as we want if the original reaction is not what was expected.

    Obscurity, however is the biggest enemy here and it should be noted that it’s not just about writing skills, but the dreaded SEO (if writing for a blog) as well. The best blog posts in the world will never be seen, no matter how good, if there is no traffic.

    Thanks for sharing.

  15. I always put things off because I want to make everything perfect.

    In reality, when I strive for perfection then publish content, I don’t see much traction.

    On the contrary, when I create good enough content and publish, it produces results.

    100% actionable tips I got out of this blog post.

    Keep up the good work!

    Thank you. 🙂

  16. Awesome post!

    I have just started blogging, so nobody knows about my blog. I am taking this opportunity to keep the ‘Perfect-ism’ at bay and writing something, every day.

    Also, I liked your ‘confidence’ point. This is the core purpose of getting involved in the writing activity. I want to have my own voice and want to become an influential writer and thinker!

  17. Great post about me! I’ve been thinking about the design of my blog for half a year. Then I spent another half a year coming up with its future structure. Finally, a year later, he began writing his first articles. Perfectionism is both good and bad. There should be just a little bit here.

  18. Thanks for the great tips! I couldn’t agree more that we can’t let perfection be the enemy of the good – or the done for that matter. It can be tempting to keep editing, which is why I always recommend sticking to a schedule. Not only does it make sure you write blog posts regularly, it prevents the cycle of endless editing, because at some point you just have to hit “publish”.

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