We all have a story to tell, and there are a million different tools to get your message across. What a lot of people don’t realize is that they can share their experience online with an audience, even if they are not someone famous. It might sound surprising, but you don’t need to be famous to be heard or read. One of the most popular website types in the early days of the public Internet was the blog or the personal website. It’s human nature to want to share our experiences and thoughts with others. Scroll forward until now, and nothing has changed. We still want desperately to be heard, read, and understood by our peers. The pandemic has given many households powerful stories to share. Many families have been living in self-isolation for the best part of a year. Lockdown is a brutal journey that has a huge impact on your mental health. Needless to say, there’s so much we could learn from these stories.
Perhaps, you’re a professional mechanic who wants to help people look after their vehicles when they’re not driving. As some households have chosen to work from home since early 2020, it’s fair to imagine that vehicles have been left parked in the street for extended periods. Showing people how to maintain their cars could keep everyone safe on the road.
Regardless of which message you want to send, there are people on the World Wide Web who want to know about it. So how do you best reach out to them?
What kind of communicator are you?
A lot of bloggers have been active for several years. With a blogging journey of over 10 years, The Autism Dad contains over 12,500 posts. Like all real-life stories, it’s grown over time and taken a voice of its own. Yet, when the blog first started, other others were not as popular as they are now. Nowadays, you can choose what suits your personality and communication style best. Are you someone who prefers to write heartfelt and real pieces, pondering on your thoughts as you type? If this is the case, blogging is definitely the right path for you.
However, not everyone is confident with the written word. It’s understandable: Writing is tough. When you write, you turn your story into words on a screen. You’ve only got the English vocabulary to share your emotions and ideas. It can be enough if you’re a word creative. But if you’re someone who relies on visuals or sounds, you can struggle to get your message across in a way that feels personal. And that is perfectly okay. We are all different, and there’s room for everyone online.
In short, the first lesson of getting heard, read or seen, is to know how you communicate best.
I am a vlogger
Vlogging is one of the most popular techniques to share your stories. So, if you feel that you are more comfortable with a camera, you need to brace yourself for the competitiveness of video channels. Thankfully, you don’t need to figure out everything by yourself. There are plenty of useful and helpful tools to analyze video stats. You can receive plenty of insights on how much time people spend watching your videos, how many times your videos are viewed and shared, etc. These are valuable data to grow your presence and get noticed.
You are a vlogger if you feel more confident when you show things rather than when you tell. Video blogs or vlogs for short are engaging and easy to consume. They’re great for all sorts of stories, whether you want to showcase your DIY skills or talk about your family.
Additionally, you can’t start vlogging without investing in the right equipment. While you don’t need to break the bank, you’ll need a quality camera and microphone, a good editing tool, and gear to prevent the camera from shaking.
I prefer to draw
Webcomics are also popular even though they are not as mainstream as vlogs. More and more illustrators and untrained individuals use webcomics as a published personal diary. So they can be fun and exciting.
Webcomics are popular but they require some basic illustration skills. Unlike a blog, you’ll need specialist equipment, such as a drawing table to create captivating visuals. You’ll be pleased to know that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to secure quality tools. Online comics or cartoons are fun and engaging. A lot of visual storytellers are not afraid to tackle tough topics, such as autism. This mum of two doodles about autism and shares her experience about it. Other artists are happy to discuss heartbreaks, mental health, diseases, or simple everyday chit chat too.
I run a podcast
Our ancestors used to tell stories around the fire at night. It’s in our genes! So perhaps you want to tell your story using your own voice. Podcasts offer the perfect solution to go back to the origins of story-telling. Podcasts are also a favorite for busy listeners, who can tune in during their commute journeys, for example.
Using your voice is one of the quickest and most effective ways to reach out to your audience. Recording a podcast also requires specialist equipment, such as a microphone and editing software. You’ll likely work on two screens at the same time as you edit and format your podcast, so it’s worth investing in a display holder. There are many other podcasts around. You’ll need to consider your metrics carefully to make sure you are not missing out on any opportunity.
I am a blogger
Last but not least, bloggers are happy using the written word. With over a billion active blogs, you need to make sure you know the best practices to shine against the competition. As engaging of your story is, nowadays, you also have to think about search engine optimization. This means selecting your keywords, using click-worthy titles; creating meta descriptions, and building authoritative links.
If you have a story, you need to find the best channel to get your voice heard. There is no secret: The best channel is the one where you can be true to yourself. You’ll achieve better results by sticking to a communication format that matches your personality. Good luck!
This is a contributed post and therefore may not reflect the views and opinions of this blog or its author
