Have you ever looked at a popular blog and felt your mind explode a little? They have how many followers? They’ve got how many comments? Their mailing list has how many subscribers?

It can make you feel like you’re the mayor of a ghost town.

And not even a good ghost town that’s actually haunted!

I know the feeling, but I also have a confession to make. This used to be a lifestyle blog. Not a wildly popular one, but popular enough that I routinely received 80-90 comments per post. There were days when I published a guest post and it would bring in several thousand readers on a single day. It took a lot of work, and it was a lot of fun.

I blogged multiple times per week, built real friendships, fretted about if I should have sponsored posts and wrote DIY tutorials like my life depended on it. Those years were my grad school while I honed my skills as a writer, graphic designer, marketer and business owner through building this blog.

They were also years spent focusing on building a popular blog, and hoping that would turn into a profitable business. Since then I’ve changed a lot about my blog. Most importantly I’ve focused it around the engine of my business, which has absolutely changed my life.

But my lifestyle blogging days mean that I’ve become friends and worked with some pretty amazing, talented bloggers who have translated their successful blogs into full-time jobs, successful mobile apps, gorgeous novels, profitable businesses, inspiring TED talks and a lot more. I’m thankful to have a unique perspective into an often envied and seldom understood slice of internet culture that has a lot to teach business owners.

Top bloggers clearly have a knack for finding and growing an audience, getting their message out, and building devoted followings. And that’s something that business owners should take note of.

Because let’s be honest, being your niche’s best-kept secret really sucks. But you can change it by using the secrets of popular bloggers that business owners need to learn,  stat:

1. Popular bloggers build relationships

What’s the best way to connect to people? To go out, and make friends! To connect with people. One thing that popular bloggers often have is the confidence and the authority to speak their mind. What’s often missed by outsiders is that confidence comes from giving themselves permission to share with confidence and speak from their perspective and experience. Instead of qualifying or quieting themselves, bloggers find their voice by using it to tell stories, be specific to their perspective and genuinely connect with the people who get them.

Too often, small businesses want to look polished and professional, so they write and network under A Business Name without giving people a chance to get to know a person they can connect to. Or worse, they act like they’re building relationships, and then selling at their connections instead of listening and taking the time to make a  genuine connection. Bring your personality to the sea of corporate or salesy voices will help you stand out and connect with your people.

Strategic Action: Interact with five people per day on your favorite social media network in a way that’s genuinely helpful and shows your personality. (or read the post How to Find Your People in Blogging and Business for more ideas)

2. Popular bloggers draw lines in the sand

If knowing who you are is important, then knowing who you are not is crucial. Strong brands need to know what they stand for, and what they will not stand for. That means getting clear on what you’re about and drawing a line in the sand. Don’t be afraid to say no to something that doesn’t quite feel like you. Speak up about what your business stands for, but also what ideas and values your business would send ALL CAPS TEXTS ABOUT to its friends. That consistency creates strong brands fast because they’re well-defined and fully formed.

Strategic Action: Ask yourself, what do I want my customers to know? What do I want my customers to feel? What do I want my customers to know won’t ever happen on my watch? How can you update your home page to communicate that? By email? Or on your invoices or receipts? Take one small thing that you can implement today – and go and do it.

3. They go where the conversations are

We all have a bubble. Just like your parents might have read the paper everyday, the Instagram feeds you check in the morning, the books that you read, people and friends you speak to are part of your routine. It’s totally natural.

But as one of the founding blogger fathers, Thomas Jefferson said, “If you want something you’ve never had. You must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”

Popular bloggers don’t just stay in their bubble (a.k.a. their comfort zone). They pitch guest posts, ask if they could be featured on a podcast, submit articles to magazines they admire, re-post their popular blog posts to Medium – and they ask other people doing the same thing about what’s working for them. Connecting with other people is key here – so get out of your bubble and talk to them.

Strategic action: Instead of trying to invent a conversation on your website or social media, go where it’s already happening and join in! Focus on supporting others, and being a subtle ambassador for your brand. Find physical places in your city where people interested in similar ideas could be. Think about your best clients, and then find them on social media. Where do they share articles from? What events do they go to? Watch for real details, and then go investigate those spaces related to your niche. If you spot like minded people, start contributing your ideas and opinions.

4. They leave no stone unturned

Popular bloggers love their topic! So they write content that is specific to their interests and the needs of their audience. They never seem to run out of topics too! Their passion is their guide to creating fresh and helpful content.

Any beauty blogger worth their salt doesn’t post about their favorite makeup once, they post their ten-minute morning routine for busy people.

Their acne clearing regime.

Their favorite tools and brushes.

What store-bought makeup is better than high-end products.

How to determine your skin type.

A shocking exposé to show how many have applied concealer wrong their whole lives!

Then they follow up by posting updates to every post because there’s always room to improve it or add more information. (And you had better believe they’re going to add video versions of these to YouTube once Christmas comes and they finally get one of those fancy circle lighting rigs all the big beauty bloggers use!)

What bloggers know that business owners forget is that you can do this for any niche and branch you can imagine. I get it, you’re tired out from running a business. Me too. But even 5 mins of brainstorming at the start of the day adds up to easier blogging over time.

Strategic action: Go through your blog archives and pinpoint your favorite topic. For your next post, see if you can find a different take on that same favorite topic. Don’t be afraid to connect unlikely topics together to create new and fresh posts. Mash up makeup with healthy lifestyle, you could do a ‘5-minute quick beauty routine for after your workout’ or ‘Workout-proof makeup must haves’.

5. Popular bloggers stick with the plan – even when they’re nervous

Creating a plan isn’t the hard part, sticking to it is. The more nervous we get, the more likely we are to stray from the plan. We start second guessing our well thought out content plan or our niche. We end up trying to take on everything and wanting to suit everybody.

Don’t give into temptation!

Moving an inch in twelve different directions will make a lot less impact than moving a foot in one direction. Trying to keep up with many things will in slow you down, even if it feels like you’re gaining ground. Your attention will be split, and you’ll end up feeling like you never really made any progress.

Popular bloggers work ahead and then stick to the plan. They get their butt in their chair and write! They work on that eBook or course idea. Even if – especially if – their writing experience is 80% frustrating, they practice patience, and do one thing at a time. Over time, that adds up to a lot of amazing opportunities.

Strategic action: What is one project that would help more your business forward? Decide how much time you’re going to put your butt in the chair and work on that thing each day!

Routines are one of the strongest tools we can use to get things done. I hope these blogging inspired ideas help to elevate your PR habits and grow your business.