Nathan Hangen

Saturday Project Update – Reaching Critical Mass

Welcome to another Saturday project update, where I tell you a little bit about my week and the status of the cool things I’m working on.

Today’s post has to do with what I call, reaching critical mass as a blogger.

The Background

I started this blog in May of 2008, without a clear goal in mind and writing not because I wanted to make money, but because I had some things I wanted to get off my chest.

When I finally realized that I loved blogging, and that it was also a great business tool, I was ready to take things a bit more seriously, but I struggled with traffic and income for a long time. I was making money on other sites, but for some reason I just couldn’t get my blog to stick.

So, I did four things (not really on purpose, just because that was the progression)

1. Narrowed my niche – Before I really took my blog seriously, I blogged about anything and everything that crossed my mind. I remember talking about everything from triathlons to Evernote…not much continuity in between.

Eventually I found a niche that met both my needs and the needs of my readers. Suddenly, I was resonating with people and my traffic started increasing.

2. Found my voice – I spent months trying different styles, but ultimately I learned to just be honest and say what I meant to say…no sugar coating and no holding back.

I remember when this happened too, because suddenly I was nervous every time I hit the submit button and I was scared to read comments. Not because my content was bad, but because for the first time I was revealing my core to thousands of strangers…but you know what? They liked that better than the other stuff because it was raw and honest. Soon, I had more comments and RT’s than ever before.

3. Guest posts – I started doing this early on, and it really made a difference. My house wasn’t in order, but I felt that because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to talk about on my own blog, I could develop my writing by guest posting for already developed audiences.

It was slow going at first, but eventually, it helped me with points 1 and 2, and everything started to fall in to place.

4. New Design – This was the final piece of the puzzle…I think, for many reasons. For starters, my site looked a lot better. It also solidifed my brand and help me develop a more professional image. The look gave the impression that I knew what I was doing and that I was here to stay.

This was the final change that helped me reach critical mass, and one I wish I’d done much sooner.

What is Critical Mass?

In nuclear physics, the term refers to the minimum amount of energy necessary to create a chain reaction (nuclear explosion).

In blogging, it refers to the point at which a blog reaches the necessary amount of traffic, comments, RT’s, links, and momentum necessary to move from struggling, to successful. At that point, you can spend less time on the external factors (guest posting, comments, networking, etc) and more time on improving your blog and hanging out with your audience.

This is the point that your traffic starts to multiply, and your authority becomes real. It’s the sign of new and wonderful things to come.

It’s Not about Me

The point I’m trying to make here is that with enough hard work and a strong action plan, you can take any blog from ordinary to extraordinary.

In fact, it’s taken me longer than most to figure it out, but I’ve put in the time to do so, which is why I truly believe that anyone can do it. It’s not about me…it’s about the fact that you can do it too, and that’s what I love about this business.

On to the Next One

So we launched Beyond Blogging, and it’s doing well. We’ve been working with our consulting clients lately, and that’s gone well too. So well in fact, that we’re in the early stages of a pretty cool idea that we think will benefit everyone involved. Stay tuned for that.

Facebook Rockstar is still coming along well too. The content is finished…I just need to compile video and get it ready for you. I’m going to be trying something new and different with the launch of this one, and honestly, I’m still not sure what that looks like, but it will be something different than you’re used to. I can guarantee that.

I just started work on a quick E-Book that I’m putting together that features The Best of NathanHangen.com. It’s slightly re-written, but contains a mix of old and new ideas. It’s intended for those of you that haven’t been around since 2008, and it will be priced at 9.95.

Lastly, I’ve written a few guest posts, one of which was posted at DavidRisley.com – called Why You Need to Raise Your Game – NOW!

I was also fortunate enough to receive a write up on the Writing Mom’s Freelance Connection blog, thanks to the ever awesome Carol Tice, who recently interviewed me.

As always, there will be more to come, and I thank you for being here and joining me on this fantastic journey.

Image Credit

Recommended Posts

• Think Like a King
• 5 Ways to Unleash the Beast
• Blog as if Your Life Depended on It
• The Candyman Can [GCN-12]
• Guess who Turned 8?

Like what you see here? Click Here to check out my guides and courses or make it simple and Hire Me.

Also, please leave a comment and click that cool RT button. Thanks!