Performance Anxiety and How to Beat It

by Robb Sutton

In this guest post by Andrew Rondeau of WeBuildYourBlog.com, Andrew takes a look at how to beat performance anxiety which is a common occurrence among new and experienced bloggers. At some point in time, we all need a kickstart.

So. You have a great blog up and running, you’ve had lots of visits and a number of comments.

Now, you’re starting to worry. How can you keep people interested in what you have to say?  Is someone going to leave a comment telling you that you’re completely wrong? Everyone who visits your blog is judging you on what you write, right?

It’s performance anxiety rearing its ugly head

Performance anxiety is the feeling you get when you start to worry you won’t meet your readers’ expectations, just like an actor about to go on stage or a businessman waiting to give a big presentation for a new contract. We all suffer from it at some point in our lives; it’s normal.

Don’t panic. You can use this natural fear as a source of motivation. Everyone, from Hollywood actors right through to best-selling novelists and rock stars suffer with performance anxiety. It’s a great way of keeping an eye on what you’re writing, and keeping you on your toes. If you always feel some level of nervousness as a blogger, then you are more likely to take care over what you write, and do the best job you can.

Keeping abreast of what your customers are looking for

How do you know what your visitors are expecting, anyway? People keep dropping in to your blog to read what you have to say because they are interested. They like the way you write. Relax, and don’t start comparing what you have just written to something you wrote last month, that got you loads of comments. That was another day and another blog post. Have faith in yourself and in what you have to say.

One of the best ideas I have heard is to inform your reader of what you are saying, rather than trying to persuade them. You are your own expert, so have the confidence in your own abilities to complete the job you set out to do.

If you are running a business blog concentrating on an aspect of your working life then make sure you use the most up to date information you can. Have a browse around to identify what other great bloggers are doing. You know your industry inside out, so have faith in your ability to write with authority. If your blog is a personal one, then don’t be afraid to write up your opinions.

Going forward after researching your niche

Now you’ve done some research, have the courage of your convictions. You know what you have to say and you are the best person to say it your way. Whether you’re writing on a business subject or offering up insights in to your personal life, be confident with what you want to say.

If you sound like an expert in your field, you’ll encourage people to visit your blog regularly. Ask people to comment on what you have posted, as discussions on a particular subject will give you fresh inspiration and guide you to cover subjects which your readers are interested in.

Being positive and confident works wonders when it comes to writing authoritatively on your chosen field of expertise. By overcoming performance anxiety and being confident, you’ll have the ability to engage your readers, share your knowledge, and ultimately engage and retain a wide readership.

Andrew Rondeau blogs over at WeBuildYourBlog.com on blogging and provides a service to setup your own successful blog. You can check out his free Blogging Guide.

Cropped image by akhater

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8 comments

Nabeel | Create Your First Website August 2, 2010 - 7:22 am

Hi,

Great tip!

“Relax, and don’t start comparing what you have just written to something you wrote last month, that got you loads of comments. That was another day and another blog post. ”

Exactly! This is what causes performance anxiety for some bloggers.

The solution is to have confidence in yourself, like Andrew said.

Thanks for pointing this out Andrew!

Kindest,
Nabeel

Reply
Andrew @ Blogging Guide August 2, 2010 - 8:22 am

Nabeel,

There are going to be times when you write what you think is a greate blog post and it bombs! i.e. few comments and not much social media support…for instance.

Learn from it and move on.

Thanks to Robb really – for letting me guest post!

Andrew

Reply
Joel August 2, 2010 - 7:34 pm

“have the courage of your convictions” – so easy to say but difficult to do! It’s easy to think you have to try and please everyone or change to each piece of criticism. I do hate spending a long time on something and it gets no response, but then over time it gathers a few comments and it all feels worthwhile again.

Reply
Andrew @ Blogging Guide August 3, 2010 - 2:34 am

Joel,

In my experience it can take moany months to get your first few comments but then it can be like a snowball rolling down a hill. The snowball gets bigger or in the case of your comments…your get many, many more.

The momentum really gathers pace.

Andrew

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Jimi Jones August 2, 2010 - 9:37 pm

Good one, Andrew.
We’ve all had those times when we’ve allowed doubt to creep in, causing us to question whether or not we were even on the right track. Sometimes the post we write cause us to think too much and we find ourselves trying to make it more reader-friendly, only to end up changing the message and causing more anxiety. 🙂

Reply
Andrew @ Blogging Guide August 3, 2010 - 2:38 am

Hi Jimi,

How are you?

I totally agree with you. Many times, I’ve written a post and thought -“Nah – it’s not right” or “My visitors won’t like it” and I go ahead and change it.

In hindsight, I know sometimes it would have been better to just publish it as it is and move on.

Andrew

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Felix Albutra August 2, 2010 - 9:57 pm

Thanks for the tips Andrew.

For me, before I publish my article to the public, I will consult my blogging friends first, if the article I’ve made is good for my readers.

Depending on what are their opinion regarding the topic I cover, I will suit the topic, the best as I can so that it can be more beneficial to all my readers.

I got this idea from a good friend of mine, and it seems that it works on him and also for me.

For those bloggers that don’t have the confidence yet, why not try to ask a favor to your real friends on the internet. I am sure they will be glad that you choose them to judge your work, because they think that they are included in your success.

– Blogging Access.com

Reply
Andrew @ Blogging Guide August 4, 2010 - 5:53 am

Felix,

Asking for feedback is a good way to go…as long as your friends are not just being kind to you.

You need to find ‘friends’ who are willing to provide honest feedback.

Andrew

Reply

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