You might also believe that showing your failings and vulnerabilities

when I say ‘to illustrate a point’, I don’t mean something along the lines of, ‘I am telling you this story to show you how great I am.’ For example, I know a woman whose blogs are almost always made up of stories about how her coaching resulted in one of her clients succeeding in x, y, z. To me, there is nothing inherently valuable in such a blog article. It’s all about the author and nothing about me, the reader. Keep putting yourself in your audience’s shoes, and ask yourself what they want from you, not what you want to get from them. The world will make you seem telemarketing data more approachable and human. Again, while there is an element of truth in this, if done incorrectly, it can also come across as apologetic and needy. Thus, instead of showing your readers that you care for them, you are making them feel like they need to take care of you. That is not the relationship you want to have with them; nor is it the one they want to have with you. At the opposite extreme, talking too much about all the obstacles you have overcome can sound sanctimonious, condescending or even desperate. When readers feel they are being preached at or spoken down to, they will switch off, click away from your blog and never return. Yes, there will be the few who will be happy to be in your ‘fan club’. But to create a successful business you don’t want fans; you want intelligent, informed, loyal customers. Unfortunately, using a blog as a public confessional (or pulpit) can be a hard habit for many authors to break. This is where limiting beliefs play a part. If an author harbours private beliefs about him/herself such as ‘I am flawed’ and ‘People will see through me anyway’, it is likely they will unconsciously use their blog as a vehicle for their own personal emotional purging. If the author is filled with insecurities that create an overwhelming need to be liked, their articles are likely to be more for (and about) themselves than their readers.