Because it’s an important idea, I felt I should share it with my blog readers as well. Enjoy!

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Big Idea Newsletter

Here’s Myth #3, and how a simple change in perspective can help you create great content with less effort…

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A wife asks her husband, “Am I fat?” The husband answers, “Yes.”

To the husband, he is being honest.

But to the wife, he is being mean.

What is happening here?

Anything you hear from a different PERSPECTIVE can mean something totally different from what the speaker intended.

That’s why we have to be careful about some ideas or “advice” floating around on the internet.

These ideas are sometimes good ideas. But you need to look at them with the RIGHT perspective.

Or else it may mean something different to you than was originally intended. With the different meaning that you get, you will do a wrong action and end up with poor results.

Here is one such idea that becomes a deadly myth when put in the wrong perspective.

MYTH – BE ORIGINAL

The idea behind this is that with some many blogs around on the internet, how do you stand out? Well, you have to come up with something original.

That’s where you might begin to think that it’s about coming out with original information no one else is blogging about. Especially when you see it from the “Content is King” perspective.

You begin to crack your head and try to come up with original information that is unavailable anywhere else.

But if you have been on the internet for a while, you’ll know that every kind of information can be found on the internet.

Pretty much every keyword phrase, every niche, every topic, every angle has been covered. And yet more information is being published in a week than we can read for a lifetime.

It is “virtually” impossible to publish original information.

Another problem is related to what I talked about in myth #2, going into an unproven niche with no readers. If no one is blogging about it, it usually means there’s no audience for it.

What is happening here? Is the “advice” wrong?

When you view it from the WRONG perspective, it is.

You got to look at it from the RIGHT perspective.

Before I go on, let me tell you something that might shock you.

MOZART WAS A COPYCAT

Yes the great music composer, Mozart, was a copycat.

Music scholars who have studied Mozart’s early pieces have concluded that they contain no original music, but instead are arrangements of works by other composers…

… particularly of a man called Johann Christian Bach, with whom Mozart had studied in London.

Mozart’s eventual so-called “masterpieces” were the result being trained as a composer by the usual methods – copying, arranging and imitating the works of others.

(I learned of this from the book “Talent is Overrated”.)

Do you see what is happening here?

Mozart copied and arranged music pieces by other composers. He re-arranged his way to “originality”.

He imitated other great composers of his time, took a little here, a little there, absorbed it in his head and “re-mixed” them to become his masterpiece.

Of course, he did it with grace, skill and loads of practice. He took 18 years to come up with his first world-class masterpiece.

But in blogging, it’s really about the same thing – learning (and applying) information from credible sources and creating your own “re-mixed” but “original-sounding” articles.

Therefore, I advise you to think of it this way…

TRUTH – BE UNIQUE

There is a difference between being ORIGINAL and being UNIQUE. The difference lies in the approach.

- Original means you write something no one else is talking about.

- Unique means you write something already talked about but with your own unusual twist.

E.g. What I’m talking about is not new. It’s just that I took what I know from different sources and “re-mixed” them together to produce this article.

Just like what Mozart did for this music, in blogging you do the same:

1. Stick to popular niches proven to have readers
2. Learn and apply information from various credible sources
3. “Re-mix” them and add your unique twist or personality to become “original-sounding” content
4. Get better at it with constant learning and practice

With this, you won’t be wasting time and effort trying to do the impossible – come up with something totally original.

Instead, it won’t be long before you come up with your own unique article masterpieces.

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In my first venture into making money online, I made a BIG mistake. I tried to sell “math game ideas”.

I thought it was a great idea. Games were fun for children, and they learn the fastest when they have fun. And my keyword research had shown that there were people looking for “math games”.

So I got a ghostwriter to write an ebook on math game ideas and tried to sell it, thinking there would be a market for it.

It failed, miserably. I ended up giving it away for free.

While my research showed that people were looking for math games for their children, I realized that they wanted it in the format of online flash games, not game instructions like my ebook. And they wanted it for free, which spelled more doom for my math games ebook.

But my experience taught me a valuable lesson -

Not all ideas are ideas that people want.

I mentioned in a previous article that ideas are fundamental to a blogger’s success. While many bloggers do the right thing of giving their ideas and opinions, they make the mistake of doing so on topics that nobody or few people want to read about.

The other day, I came across a blog about Facebook game reviews. Writing reviews is a good way of expressing your ideas and opinions. And this blog had well-written articles and a really nice design. But I doubt the blogger is going to make any money from her blog, simply because I know people will not check out game reviews for FREE games!

Game reviews work for expensive paid games like those for PS3 or Xbox, but with free Facebook games, people would simply try out the games for themselves since they don’t have to pay for it first.

Another common mistake by novice bloggers is…

… publishing their ideas and experiences like how they would write on their journal. Their blogs become something like their memoirs.

The problem is, unless you are a popular celebrity or outstanding person worthy of a biography on Wikipedia, nobody wants to know what you had for supper last night!

The exception is if you belong to a group of celebrity bloggers who blog about their life as entertainment for others, but few are able to pull it off.

Information that People Want

People want to read information that benefits them. Writing about your life experiences only works when you relate them to relevant topics that people benefit from reading.

Topics that benefit people are basically those that help people solve their pain or problems, or help them gain pleasure by accomplishing something or meeting an irrational desire.

In this Attention Age, this applies more than ever before. People can only afford to give their time and attention to information that benefits them.

The standard “what’s in it for me” applies to blog readers as much as people who buy information.

Let me put it this way…

If you write topics that are only interesting, people will read it
if they have time.

But if you write information that readers benefit from, people will make time to read it.

And so, here’s a simple checklist…

• If you intend to have an audience for your blog, you need to write about topics that people want to read.
• If you intend to make money from advertisements on your blog, you need to write about topics that LOTS of people want to read.
• And if you intend to sell products with your blog, you need to write about information that people want to BUY.

Through my experiences and what I have observed from others, I have come up with a simple list of topics that people want.

This list is by no means exhaustive, but if you have not chosen a blog topic, here are some ideas for you to start. If you are going to use your blog to sell affiliate products, it will also help you to know which kind of products to sell and which kind to ignore.

Since most of the topics that people want to read are topics that people want to BUY, I’ll focus on proven money-making ideas and categorize them to health, wealth, relationships, and passion hobbies. I call them the Big Four.

The Big Four Categories of Proven Money-Making Ideas

1. Health

How to live healthy or solve health problems

• Health - Natural Cures to Ailments, Natural Preventions, Healthy diets, Healthy lifestyles, Skin care
• Fitness - Weight Loss, Muscle Gain, Physical Beauty
• Spirituality - Inner Peace, Yoga, Zen

2. Wealth

How to make more money or solve money problems

• Intenet business – Internet-marketing, Blogging, Ebay, Online Stores
• Investments – Stocks, Forex, Options
• Real Estate – Rental, Flipping
• Personal Finance - Debt clearance, Money-saving
• Success - Success mindsets, Wealth psychology, Time-management, Personal coaching

3. Relationships

How to develop relationships or solve relationship problems

• Family - Lovemaking, Parenting, Keeping the Romance, Saving marriage break-ups
• Relationships - Dating, Romance, Dealing with break-ups, Making up with ex.
• Social – Leadership, Persuasion, Winning Friends

4. Passion Hobbies

How to become better at their hobbies, or information about their passions

• Sports and Recreation – Golf, Fishing, Cycling, Wrestling, Football, Dancing, Poker, Video Gaming, Computers (Mac!), Models & Crafts, etc…
• Other Passions - Cars, Motorcycles, Dog-training, Photography, Magic, Fashion, Celebrities, etc…

A word about passion hobbies…

I call it passion hobbies because the participants of some hobbies are not passionate or enthusiastic enough to want to read or buy more information. This means that NOT all hobbies are good topics to blog about.

If you intend to make money from blogging about a hobby, your chosen hobby should be one where the participants are so (irrationally) passionate that no matter how much information they have, they just can’t get enough of it. They will keep reading and buying information to try to satisfy their unquenchable thirst for more information.

Good examples are like cars or golf. Bad Example – math games.

Two Simple Tests

To know whether there will be an audience for your chosen blog topic, here are two simple tests.

Firstly, test it on yourself – are you so passionate about your topic that you are already actively searching and reading more information about it?

Secondly, when you search for information about your topic, are there many blogs and websites that are already selling information about your topic? If there are, it usually means that there is an audience for it.

Did I miss out anything?

Once again I must state that my list is by no means exhaustive. Any topics you think I’ve missed out? Any thoughts on this?

Ever heard of the saying “birds of the same feather flock together”?

It’s basically saying, we always want to hang around people who are like-minded and share the same ideas as us, because we can resonate and connect well with each other.

Many bloggers know this but fail to take advantage of this powerful social phenomenon. It won’t happen to you though, because here you are going to learn how to use it to attract more loyal readers to you.

From the Starbucks example, we see that Howard’s success began when he got an idea.

What is an idea?

For the purpose of this article, the most appropriate definition is this,

An idea is an opinion, view, or belief.

That sounds simplistic, so let me explain, because this is important.

We all have our own “personal philosophy” - our own opinions, views and beliefs. Our life experiences and relationships have left memories and impressions in our mind, which shape our own respective world-views.

As the late Victor Schwab would put it,

Our mind is a montage of hasty impressions, fuzzy generalities, bromidic wall-motto sentiments, self-justifications and sentimentalities.

For example, I have a belief that “Buying branded goods is sometimes a waste of money”. Now this is my own opinion or viewpoint. And you have your own opinions and viewpoints, so it may well be different from mine.

Maybe you believe, “Buying branded goods is always worth the money.” Then we disagree with each other, and you probably dislike me a little now.

But if your opinion is the same as mind, then we appear to be “like-minded”, and you are pleased with me.

Listen carefully now. Read slowly if you must, because

Here comes the core point of what I’ve been trying to get to

When we search for information, we all tend to get it from people whom we like to refer to as trusted experts.

But we all have a human tendency to trust people who are like-minded as us, whose “personal philosophies” are aligned with ours, whose ideas or world-views coincide with ours.

This trust is based on deep seated feelings that comes from people who we already resonate and connect well with.

Michael Masterson, the man behind the success of the $300million info-publishing empire, Agora Inc, says it this way -

We want to understand how to get through life in a way that is meaningful to us. We all have our ideas of how the world should be – a world-view.

Whatever kind of information product we buy, we want that to co-incide somehow with our view of the world.

And if you find a person out there, that’s explaining to you how the world works and should work according to your view, you will stick with him forever.

The same applies to why readers visit blogs.

People visit blogs regularly because they trust the blogger’s advice and opinions.

The reason they trust the blogger is because they can connect well with his/her ideas, opinions, views or beliefs.

And the reason they can connect well is because…

… they share the same ideas, opinions, views or beliefs!

Are you getting this?

Let’s look at an example to better illustrate it.

I’m a regular reader of copyblogger and follow Brian Clark on twitter. He also has 56,000 RSS subscribers who are probably regular readers like me.

Brian has a belief that “copywriting is an essential skill to succeed online”.

So why do I and 56,000 others read copyblogger regularly?

I’ll give you some time to guess the answer. When you are ready, scroll down…

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So why do I and 56,000 others read copyblogger regularly?

Because, in the first place, we and him are like-minded and share the same ideas!

Brain’s idea (opinion, view, or belief) is “copywriting is an essential skill to succeed online”.

I, together with his regular readers, have already shared the same belief, or we have been influenced and are now convinced by Brian’s idea that “copywriting is an essential skill to succeed online”. That’s why we feel connected to him, trust him and become his regular readers.

On the other hand, people who think that his idea is nonsense will not return to his blog again.

Now here’s something interesting about blog readers

If you were to ask these people why they visit so-and-so’s blog, they will probably say it in more logical terms, “Oh because the blog has great information”.

They will never say “Oh because I feel connected with the blogger and his/her ideas”.

Just like if you ask people why they visit Starbucks, they will give a logical answer like, “The coffee is great”, or “the customer service is great.”

They will never say, “Oh I feel classy, cultured and sophisticated when I drink Starbucks coffee.” Never!

But the Starbucks “addict” is not aware that there’s an underlying psychological force at work in his mind. He does not realize that he has bought into Howard Schultz’s idea about coffee-drinking being a classy, comfy, cultured affair.

The same psychological force happens to the readers of your blog. They come back to you because they trust you, which is in turn because they can connect well with your ideas, opinions, views and beliefs.

Now I know what you are thinking…

I can hear you probably saying “But I really feel that this blogger’s information is great, that’s the reason why I visit his/her blog. So I should concentrate on delivering great information.”

I totally agree with you on that. I’m not downplaying the importance of writing solid content. That’s not what I’m doing.

I agree that you have to deliver value, because this is what gets you noticed in the first place. You should seek to become the go-to expert in your niche.

And I also agree that some bloggers made it to the top by delivering top-of-the-line quality information that leaves readers hungry for more.

But chances are, you have yet to reach the top.

And unless you are already the best-of-the-best in your field and you are able to deliver information so valuable and impactful that people come back to you because their lives were changed because of you…

… information alone will not draw lots of loyal readers to you. It just won’t.

And you know what, even if you are the best in the world, you can’t possible produce articles that are best-in-the-world every single time.

A marketing study revealed that their chosen expert, who was ranked #1 out of 1,000 bloggers, had his best article ranking at #25 in his niche, and his 2nd best at #300.

And he is ranked number 1!

The point is, if you think people follow you because you post the very best content every single time… well, you have something to learn about your readers.

Your readers follow you because they resonate with your ideas, opinions, views, and beliefs.

(By the way, the people who did the marketing study are missing the whole point of blogging and information marketing, but you don’t have to!)

So, armed with this information, here are some things you can start doing immediately:

1. Share your ideas!

Share your opinions, views and beliefs whenever you write your blog.

Include your ideas about your topic. Give opinions like “SEO blogging is useless, you are better off concentrating on delivering value”. Then back it up with some of your own experiences. These strongly-opinionated posts can become your pillar articles (as termed by Yaro Starak).

You can also do it like what Darren Rowse at problogger suggests – write a link post by sharing your ideas and opinions about what other bloggers have posted.

2. Tell little stories about yourself

If you observe the way top bloggers write, you notice they always share little tidbits or stories about themselves and their ideas. I suggest you do the same – whenever you want to write an article, start off by giving a little story about an experience you had.

People love to read stories, and there’s only one you in this world, so don’t deprive them of your stories!

3. Don’t apologize when people disagree with you

A few people will disagree with you and dislike you in the process. That’s no big deal. It’s just that their ideas are different from yours.

As long as you are respectful of their opinions and you stay away from sensitive topics like religion and politics, you’ll be fine.

There will be a bunch of people who share similar views as you. These are the people who will feel connected to you and stick with you, and these are the ones you want to focus your attention on.

Now all these may sound simple and even trivial, but don’t underestimate the underlying psychological force at work in your readers’ minds. It can be very powerful, just like the one behind the success of Starbucks.

And just in case you forgot, it can translate to LOTS of $$$ for you.

So remember this…

In order to draw readers to you, you need to open up about yourself, your life and your ideas.

Let your personality shine through. Your readers will welcome it.

So, what are your ideas on this?

There, he had seen first-hand how the coffee-shops sold coffee and espresso drinks.

He advised the owners to do the same, but when they rejected his idea, he started Il Giornale coffee bar chain.

Howard’s idea was a hit, and his chain quickly became successful.

Two years later in 1987, he bought over the original Starbucks chain from the owners, rebranded the Il Giornale outlets as Starbucks and quickly began to expand…

… and the rest, they say, is history.

By 2007, the Starbucks company

- had more than 16,000 stores in 49 countries,
- serving 50 million customers a week,
- earning $672 million in profits.

All from selling a plain commodity – Coffee.

How can Starbucks become a mega-success by charging $3.00 for coffee drinks that could be bought at the convenience store for $0.79?

Other people may say that they have superior coffee and great customer relations, but I doubt so.

I once tried genuine top-grade coffee that was made out of a vintage silver coffee-maker – the kind that the aristocrats used in the early 1900s.

The coffee was absolutely top-class. The after-taste feeling was out-of-this-world. And it made Starbucks coffee feel bland.

As for customer service, I’m not sure about America, but in my country Singapore, the barristas seldom greet me with a smile, because they are always too busy and stressed.

Yet, Starbucks is still the #1 coffee shop franchise in Singapore, and the world.

So why is Starbucks so successful?

A major clue comes from the man responsible for its success, Howard Schultz.

“Unlike many other places that sell coffee, Starbucks built the equity of our brand through the Starbucks Experience.” – Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks.

The Starbucks Experience. This is Starbucks’s unique selling proposition.

While coffee, customer service and store ambiance contribute to the experience, they are not the main reason why people visit Starbucks.

People go because of the Starbucks experience. And they love it, so they return again and again because they want the experience.

The benefit is not even tangible or logical. It’s psychological and emotional – it’s an experience.

But what is this Starbucks experience really about? Why is it so irresistible?

Herein lies the secret.

You see, when Howard Schultz went to Milan, he didn’t just see how the coffee-shops sold coffee.

He saw something that forever changed his perception about coffee-drinking.

He saw how ordinary coffee-drinking could be transformed into a classy, comfy affair that makes the coffee-drinker feel cultured and sophisticated.

This new perception that Howard got, that…

coffee-drinking should be a classy and comfy affair that makes the coffee-drinker feel cultured and sophisticated,

became his BIG IDEA.

And he introduced his Big Idea to the world with the Starbucks experience.

Today, almost everyone around the world perceives coffee-drinking differently, because this man introduced his Big Idea, his unique and sophisticated view about coffee-drinking.

Through the Starbucks experience, he has successfully influenced the world to take up his idea about coffee-drinking, and he is attracting massive crowds to his stores everywhere, day in and day out…

… because they want to enjoy the classy and comfy affair, and the feeling of being cultured and sophisticated, whenever they drink a cup of Starbucks coffee.

This, my friend, is the immensely powerful psychological force at work behind the success of Starbucks.

(This is important, so please read it again, starting from Herein lies the secret)

Can bloggers learn this?

Can bloggers create such powerful forces that attract massive crowds of readers to them?

Absolutely yes!

Many top-level information marketers have already done so, and are earning millions.

You may have heard of Frank Kern. He has successfully attracted a MASSIVE crowd of followers and customers. Needless to say, he is very very rich.

Many A-list bloggers have also done the same to influence and attract a massive crowd of readers to themselves, earning six-figure profits every year.

And they don’t work harder than other average bloggers. They just work smarter.

If you want to be certain of making it as a successful blogger, read part II of this article.

Because in part II, I’m going to go deeper into explaining

1. What a Idea is, and
2. How it draws loyal readers and followers to you as a blogger.

You’ll also understand why if you don’t use this concept, even though you may work harder than every blogger…

… you just won’t attract the masses of readers and you won’t earn much money (if any) as a blogger.