Learn the what and why of gratitude posts. Discover how expressing thanks in a blog post can encourage reader engagement and increase product sales in business, all in under ten minutes on the Be Seen Blogging podcast.
Transcript:
Hello, it’s Jen Miller and you are listening to Be Seen Blogging, the podcast where you learn tips and trick for improving your website content, all in under 10 minutes. Today we are going to be discussing Gratitude Posts and Why They Work.
At the year closes in, each of us experiences moments of reflection on the highs and lows of the year. We think about the surprises, the people, the milestones and the experiences for which we are most grateful. For this reason (and many others) gratitude posts resonate with readers. Based on expressing personal feelings, gratitude posts are a key way to connect and mirror life experiences, because even though details may be widely different, we all can relate to stories of triumph, challenge and vulnerability.
Expressing gratitude makes the world a little smaller and each of our relationships more significant. Showing you are thankful for your clients, co-workers or the impact a speaker or friend has had on your life makes you more approachable. Maybe there are a hundred and one little things you’d list that make you grateful. If so, write them up in a blog post. You’ll find that the more of those you share, the more others will want to bring you into their lives.
You may be thinking that gratitude has nothing to do with your business, that it won’t help you in search results and that it has no place on your blog. And if you do, I’d say you are out of touch. Everyone likes to be thanked. Every reader likes to know that you know they follow you. When you reach out through a blog post and acknowledge others it shows you care. If you take it a step further and email the post with a special note to your key contributors – whether they are clients or collaborators – you become more memorable. Be authentic and show some heart – these people will champion you!
Explain the milestones you’ve seen or share a story of how you’ve helped someone as it relates to your industry. Mention names and places, numbers and goals. Write about how you are going to do better in the new year and explain where you thought things went right in the last. Share photos and letters of appreciation you’ve received and how those made you feel. You’ll find that once you start, the words will flow. I’ve had some clients use this type of post as the groundwork script for creating a video, too. You’ll find that your audience will appreciate every word and that it will change you, too.
I love when my clients come back to me with stories of how they met someone new because of a blog post. I especially love when clients share a gratitude post and call me explaining that it helped them connect with someone who they hadn’t spoken with in years. I’ve had this experience myself, so I know it works.
Last year a friend of mine suggested I write up a post on gratitude and it prompted my post, Finding Gratitude in Simplicity. I found myself flooded with phone calls and emails – from new, current and past clients and friends. I’m telling you these posts really work! An added bonus is that they will make you reflect on the goodness in your life.
Gratitude plays a big role in my life. As a business owner I am responsible for the livelihood of our staff. Need Someone To Blog has grown at an incredible rate in the last 3 years and as we’ve grown our staff has increased and flourished, in more than business.
Lives have been changed.
Some team members have gotten married. Others have announced babies and advanced degrees on the way. Others have found writing as a tool for focusing as they’ve gone through hard personal times. One of our writers took a leave of absence to serve in the Peace Corps in Africa and has experienced life in a way that few can understand. Reading Chris’ posts has given me a greater appreciation for sacrifice and for my own freedoms.
Life isn’t easy but as a team we have been blessed. It has been an amazing year for all of us and I am grateful to have witnessed it.
I started this podcast not knowing what it would bring and have been shocked by the opportunities it has given me. I am grateful to my business coach, Darin, who encouraged and pushed me to launch Be Seen Blogging even when I didn’t feel “ready.” I am grateful to you, my listeners, for downloading episodes and sharing them with your friends. Because of you, my podcast has reached far beyond what I could have imagined. It’s hard to believe, but we’ve connected with many new clients due to the podcast launch and I thank you for that!
I’m grateful to live in a country where I have a voice that can expressed and that I have opportunity to live the values that I choose. My family and friends bring me joy. Life is good most days. Now it’s your turn, what are you grateful for? Who can you thank? Start writing it down and I’ll catch up with you next week (unless I hear from you before)! You can reach me on Twitter at jenblogs4u or on through NeedSomeonetoBlog.com Talk to you next week!
Jen Miller has been writing since she was a child and spent her early career years soaking up all the information she could discover as a journalist of newspapers and magazines. Getting out the message and spreading truth has always been a high priority for Jen. Jen began writing website content for clients in 1996 and started blogging in 2008 for Today.com. That experience created a love for the blog and she has been an avid blogger ever since. Today she writes for her clients on a variety of topics as a ghostwriter/ghostblogger and connects their messages with personality through social media to deliver the most impact possible.
