The Unexpected Importance of a Unique Blogging Personality for Success

This post was originally published on May 4, 2022—the very first post on my blog. Since then, I’ve learned so much more about the power of personality, storytelling, and a unique blogging voice. It felt like the right time to revisit and update this post with fresh insights.

If your blog isn’t growing the way you hoped, the problem probably isn’t your strategy – it’s your voice.

Because it is rarely the most knowledgeable bloggers who win…

or the most consistent…

or even the most experienced.

It is the ones who show up with a clear, unmistakable blogging personality.

Two bloggers can share the same value. One becomes unforgettable. The other fades into the noise.

The difference?

How much of themselves they allow into their content.

In this post, you will learn why blogging personality is one of the most overlooked drivers of success and how embracing yours can transform your content into something people recognize, trust, and keep returning for.

Here are examples of successful bloggers that are all sooo different. 

Seth Godin – Down to the point

Seth has a colorful mix of posts. He just uses as many words as he needs. That can be one sentence or long-form content. But he posts every day. No, marketing best practices here – just plain and honest how he wants it said.

Gary Vaynerchuk – Extrovert entertainer

If I would believe that every successful blogger has to be like Gary, I would stop blogging today. That is just not me.

He is outspoken, I perceive him as rather loud – not quite what I like. But that does not matter. He found his audience and what an audience! He inspires fandom and he is addressing these fans. Entrepreneurs hang on his every word.

Neil Patel – Teaching his audience

This is probably the closest to what The Social Ms’ Blog was all about. Informing our audience. But on our path, we sometimes felt we had lost some of our personality along the way. 

Neil’s blog posts have a clear motive: ranking on Google searches. Blog post length and content are all set for SEO. 

My gut tells me that community is not the first that comes to mind when you think about Neil Patel. But since he knows his SEO he has so much traffic that it does not really matter.

Melyssa Griffin – The charming girl next door

Don’t get me wrong, I am in awe of Melyssa and what she achieved. 

And she sure as hell knew how to drive traffic from Pinterest. But I have the feeling a large part of her success depended on her personality.

(Why I am writing in the past tense here? Because Melyssa decided it was time to move on and do something else). 

The charming young girl with the awesome success story could sell like hell with one email where others needed sales funnels. Because her charm and personality helped her build trust and community.

Helene in Between – The creative storyteller

When you learn that you need to focus on one niche and audience, I think Helene proves you wrong.

She is a travel blogger who teaches some photography and Instagram.

And it is all about her personality. You like her or you don’t. But she sure as hell managed to build a community and make a huge success out of it!

I chose the above bloggers because they are so different in their personalities that nobody in their right mind can claim only one personality will make it to success.

So, what do they have in common?

They are people, persons with rough edges and imperfections. They are human.

Seeing how five completely different voices flourish proves that any style can win—if readers feel they know the person behind the posts. The fastest way to make that happen is through storytelling. Before we dive into the character traits you’ll need, let’s look at how to let your own story shine.

Different blogging personalities prove that different voices, stories and styles can succeed. The key is that readers feel connected to the person behind the blog, they feel as if they are getting to know the blogger through their blog posts.

Why your personality is the key to success

Every piece of content is already written, every topic covered, countless How-tos already exist.

But what hasn’t been told yet is your story. Your voice, your experience, your angle. That is what makes content unforgettable.

Your personality makes replaceable content memorable. 

Sharing pieces of your personal journey makes readers think:

• ‘I can relate to this’
• ‘I feel heard’ 

and encourage engagement.

That’s the beginning of connection and the foundation of a loyal audience.

How can you achieve this? 

It is hard NOT to have a personality. The challenge isn’t having one; it’s being willing to show it and share it with your audience! 

If you’re like me, you may find it easier to stick to “dry facts and tips.” 

But that’s not what makes your content memorable or meaningful. Your readers want to know you. They want to come along on your journey, not just read the map.

Your blogging personality will help you build a community and grow your audience of fans instead of followers.

So how do you share your personality without oversharing or turning your blog into a diary?

How to show your personality through storytelling

The most efficient way to build a connection with your audience is to show glimpses at your life and personality through the stories you tell.

Use anecdotes to make your point

A quick real-life example brings even technical advice to life. Instead of “write consistently,” try “When I started publishing twice a week, I stopped overediting and finally hit ‘publish’.”

Let imperfections peek through

Your audience doesn’t expect perfection. They’ll connect more when they see the struggles behind your wins. A line like “My first post had three views (one was my mom)” builds instant relatability.

Turn mistakes into lessons

Instead of hiding what went wrong, frame it as insight: “I launched a blog series no one read. Here’s what I learned about timing and titles.”

Anchor advice in lived experience

Speak from experience, not theory. “Scheduling a Newsletter every Friday helped me build momentum” is stronger than “Consistency is key.”

Close with a takeaway

Every story should end with a clear point: what the reader can learn or try. This keeps personal stories useful and shareable.

Your personality is your superpower.

Not everyone will connect with your style and that’s okay. You’re not trying to please everyone. You’re trying to reach your people. And storytelling is how they find you.

Apart from your blogging personality and the willingness to show it with the stories you tell, there are some personality traits that are crucial to blogging success. Since saying “be yourself” is not enough to make you successful, here are some things you need – if your personality is just not capable of the following character traits, you will have a hard time finding success as a blogger!

Keep in mind that blogging is often a “lonely” job, there is no one controlling what you do every day and how you do it. So the most important skills are about getting the job done even though you don’t have to or at least not today.

Here are the characteristics that an aspiring blogger needs:

#1 Persistence/Work Ethic

It is the same for almost any solopreneur job. But if you don’t have clients that have appointments with you, you can easily fall into postponing work forever.

A blogger needs to get the job done. Not one day or one week. But for a long time. 

Bloggers need to motivate themselves to start anew every day. Even if it gets frustrating or if there are setbacks.

I have seen many bloggers fail because they lacked the ability to push themselves to work on their blog (almost) every day.

And then one day of not showing up turns into weeks of not blogging.

You will not succeed as a self-employed blogger if you cannot find a work routine that you can stick to.

#2 Writing Skills

Yes, writing is part of the job. But honestly, every blogger evolves and their writing does, too.

There is a lot more to be written than just blog posts.

You need to write social media posts, email newsletters, sales, website and landing page copy. But don’t shy away from blogging just because you feel your writing needs improvement.

You can learn writing! Read a lot, decide what you like and learn from there. Use a tool to help you with grammar and spelling!

#3 (Self) organization

Blogging is not just about writing. And you cannot neglect most of the tasks. You have to find a schedule and a routine to get everything done every day.

Sure, you can take a day off, but if a day turns into days and weeks – are you still blogging?

And if you plan on using social media to distribute your content you need to show up every day, too.

Plus community-building tasks and all the organizational stuff.

Blogging is a very colorful bouquet of tasks and most of them require your attention on a regular basis.

Some organizational skills are imperative or you will get lost in the jumble.

#4 Ability to learn

Blogging is about learning new things all the time.

This blog here? It is the first that I set up myself. The Social Ms’ Blog was set up by Jonathan. It took me some weeks to get the job done. Not because it was so time-consuming. But because I had never done it before.

There are some new tasks that I shy away from and postpone for a while until I feel ready to tackle them head-on.

But as a blogger, you NEED the willingness to do new things that you have never done before. Because that is part of the job.

You will have to learn about SEO, social media, marketing, email marketing, and more.

You will also have to learn about some basic business topics, tax.

At one point you will have to hire people or fire them. 

#5 Patience

Blogging is not a fast way to success. If people tell you that, they are either lying. While you may be able to buy some “success” via ads, real blogging success needs time to build a reputation, trust – and some search rankings. Because not even Google will know you exist after a couple of days.

If you want to start blogging you have to be aware that you will not start your blogging career with a huge audience. Audiences have to grow with time.

#6 Ability to take breaks

While it is important to be persistent and have a work ethic – too much of it is not good either.

Because when everything is your responsibility it can be hard to take breaks and invest some time into your well-being.

Be aware that you don’t want to face burnout after a couple of months. Breaks are important, so are meetings with friends, family and even fellow bloggers. Stay part of the real world, don’t get lost in the blogging world.

#7 Don’t try to be perfect

Trying to do a good job is great. But if you are so afraid of getting things done because they may not (yet) be perfect that will stand in your way. If hitting publish takes several days of convincing yourself that the post is good enough, or if you never seem to be able to finish that course or ebook – it may just become too hard to move on.

You need to finish things – even if they are not perfect.

If you cannot stop your excessive perfectionism, that is going to be a big struggle.

Instead of focusing on being perfect – be human:

• Don’t be a know-it-all. Yes, you want to show expertise and have authority. But you still don’t have to know it all
• Don’t be consistent at all costs. You are allowed to evolve and learn. Even if it means changing your mind once in a while.
• Break rules. Just because someone said it is a rule does not mean it has to apply to you. Be willing to take a risk and try things that may work even if someone tells you differently.

The Importance of your Blogging Personality

You are you – and that is what makes you stand out.

People will like you or not. But they will remember you for being who you are.

If your blog is just a collection of tips, people will like them and consume them but they will not connect to you.

Don’t be afraid to show your blogging personality. It does not mean that you have to share all your private life or your personal feelings. But glimpses of your personality and your personal experience with blogging and what you write about will inspire your audience and build a more personal connection.