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Right, so everyone’s always gabbin’ on about newsletters now, ain’t they? Email this, subscriber that. Seems like every second bloke reckons he’s the next big thing, slingin’ out wisdom to the masses, all from his spare room. But lemme tell ya, the old personal blog? Still got plenty of grunt. More than you’d think. People, they crave something real, something raw. Not just some slick, corporate spiel. They want a bit of heart, a bit of grit. Someone just talkin’ their mind, plain and simple.
You hear folks ask, “Is personal blogging dead?” Absolute codswallop. Never was, never will be. It just changed clothes a bit, you know? It grew up, found some new mates. The real question is, what kind of personal blog actually cuts through the noise these days? The answer ain’t always what the marketing gurus tell ya.
It’s about that voice, see? The one that hits ya in the gut, makes ya nod along, or maybe even yell at the screen a bit. Could be a bloke in Brisbane talking about his weird hobbies. Or a lass from up north, way up in Northumberland, chattin’ about makin’ a go of things after a rough patch. It ain’t gotta be polished. Sometimes the rough edges are what grabs ya.
The Solo Acts: When One Voice Rules
Take a look at someone like Tim Urban over at Wait But Why. The man just… writes. He writes long, he draws stick figures, he dives down rabbit holes you never even knew existed. And people eat it up. Why? Because it’s him. His brain on a page. No fancy ad agency behind him, no massive media conglomerate pullin’ strings. Just one bloke, a keyboard, and an awful lot of curiosity. He’s been doin’ it for ages, before everyone jumped on the “creator” bandwagon. That’s the real McCoy.
Then there’s Maria Popova, who built The Marginalian. Used to be Brain Pickings. That’s a deep well of a site. She curates ideas, thoughts, old letters, new science, poetry. All with her own lens on it. It’s a labour of love, that. Not about churnin’ out fluff. It’s about a mind, digging and connecting. Not for everyone, mind you. Some folks just want quick tips on how to save five quid. But for others, it’s a goldmine. The kind of thing you sit with, not just skim.
You wonder, how do these personal blogs even make a dime? Well, some don’t, not directly from the site itself anyway. Or it’s merch. Or reader support. Patreon is a big one. You’ve got folks tossin’ a few quid a month to support the content they love. People are actually willing to do that, you know. They see the value. They connect with the person. Not everything’s about the big ad dollars.
More Than Just Your Holiday Snaps
No one cares about your breakfast anymore. Not really. Unless you’re some kinda Michelin-starred chef eatin’ the most bizarre stuff known to man. Personal blogs that stick around, they usually got a bit more meat on the bone. They might tell a story, yeah, a real one, like someone navigatin’ a tricky illness or building a business from scratch. They share what they learned, the stuff that went wrong, the stuff that finally worked.
It’s about expertise, but it’s personal expertise. Like Mark Manson, the bloke who wrote “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fck.” His blog, it’s not some fluffy self-help crap. It’s blunt. It’s got a bit of a kick to it. And people responded to that. He just kept writin’ about stuff that annoyed him, things he’d figured out, and it resonated. Blew up, that one did.
You can’t fake that voice. Not for long. Folks sniff out the phony stuff quicker than a dog on a sausage roll. You gotta be authentic. That’s the buzzword everyone throws around, right? ‘Authenticity.’ But it ain’t just a word. It’s the thing that makes someone click “subscribe” and actually read what you send ‘em. Or keep coming back to your site instead of bouncin’ off to the next shiny thing.
The Big Platforms and Their Little Stars
It’s interesting, how some of these platforms grew. Like Substack, for instance. Lot of personal bloggers, old newspaper types even, jumped on that. It made it easy to write and get paid. Suddenly, all those frustrated journalists with something to say, they had a direct line to readers. No gatekeepers, no editors telling ‘em to tone it down. Well, mostly no gatekeepers. They get to be their own boss. A lot of that’s personal, too. People follow a writer they like, not necessarily a publication.
Then you got Ghost, another one. Same idea, really. Give the writer the power, less faff. Folks are sick of ads everywhere, flashin’ like a disco. These platforms let writers just… write. And if readers like it, they chip in. A simple transaction, really. It’s how the old patronage system used to work. Just online.
Some blogs, they get so big, they start lookin’ like a proper business. Take “The Minimalists,” those two lads, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. Started as a personal journey, two blokes ditchin’ all their stuff and talkin’ about it. Now they got books, movies, tours. They built a whole brand. That ain’t just a blog anymore, that’s a whole shebang. But at its heart, it’s still their personal story, their philosophy. They keep that direct connection.
What Gets Eyeballs in 2025?
What makes someone actually read a personal blog now? Not just skim. Not just click a headline. I reckon it’s either pure entertainment, something that makes you laugh out loud or think. Or it’s serious value. Something that saves you money, makes your life easier, or helps you understand something complicated.
You gotta have an opinion, that’s for sure. A real one. None of that watered-down, fence-sitting guff. People are tired of it. They want someone to stick their neck out. Even if they disagree, they respect someone who’s got the guts to say what they think. And yeah, it’s gotta be useful. People are always on the hunt for ways to solve their problems.
What’s the best platform for a personal blog these days, someone asked me last week. Look, it depends on what you want to do. If you just wanna write, maybe make a bit of cash from subs, Substack or Ghost are tidy. If you wanna build something bigger, with more control, maybe some custom stuff, then WordPress.com (powered by Automattic) is still the undisputed champion for flexibility. Thousands upon thousands of blokes and lasses are still bangin’ away on WordPress. It ain’t going anywhere. For the casual dabbler, even something like Medium still exists, though the vibe there’s shifted a bit.
The Agencies That Scoop Up the Stars
Sometimes, when these personal blogs get really, properly big, they do link up with the big boys. Not that the big boys own ‘em, but they might represent ’em. Think about the sort of talent agencies that look after actors or musicians. Same thing happens with digital folk now.
You got Creative Artists Agency (CAA), they’ll pick up the big digital influencers, the ones with millions of followers. And yeah, some of those are bloggers who started out just sharing their thoughts. These agencies, they don’t care if it started in a garage, as long as it gets eyeballs and makes money. They’ll sort out brand deals, book tours, even TV gigs. That’s a whole different ballgame from just tapping away on a keyboard for the sheer joy of it.
Then you got ad management companies like Raptive (that’s the new name for Mediavine and AdThrive, you know). If your blog’s pullin’ in enough traffic, they’ll manage the ads for you, get ya a better cut of the pie. It’s a proper industry now, all around these individual voices. Someone’s gotta organize all that ad space. Someone’s gotta wrangle the brands. It ain’t as “personal” when you’re dealing with big advertising budgets, but that’s the path for some.
Finding Your Tribe Online
How do you find good personal blogs to read? That’s the real challenge, isn’t it? The internet’s a big, messy place. You ain’t gonna find the real gems on the first page of Google, usually. It’s word of mouth, mostly. Someone shares a link on Twitter, or Mastodon, or wherever folks are hanging out these days. Or maybe an email newsletter you already like mentions another one.
There are aggregators out there, like Feedly, that can help you follow a bunch of different sites. RSS feeds, remember those? Still around, still workin’ a treat for those who know what they’re doing. It’s not a discovery engine as much as a reading tool, though. But if you already know who you wanna follow, it’s handy.
The best way, I reckon, is to just follow your own interests. If you’re into obscure history, go look for it. If you’re obsessed with sourdough bread, there are probably 10,000 personal blogs on that alone. The good ones, the ones that feel like you’re talkin’ to an actual person, those are the ones to bookmark.
The Enduring Appeal of the Real Deal
People want genuine stuff. The shiny, pre-packaged corporate content? They scroll past it. They want someone who sounds like they’re sittin’ across the table from ‘em. Someone who’s a bit messy, maybe a bit opinionated, someone who lets slip what they really think. That’s why the personal blog, in its purest form, still has legs.
Some of these bloggers, they build real communities. Not just a bunch of anonymous comments. People who actually interact, learn from each other, argue a bit. That’s powerful. That’s something a big corporation struggles to create. That takes a real human touch.
Can you really start a successful personal blog today? Of course you can. But define “successful.” Is it millions of readers? Or is it a thousand loyal folks who value what you say? A small group who support your work? I’ve seen blokes with 500 readers who are happier than some with 50,000. It’s about what you want out of it. If you’re just chasing the big bucks, you’ll probably burn out. If you’re doing it because you love to write, because you got something to say, then yeah, you can make a go of it. Plenty of room out there for a good story, a good thought, delivered straight from the heart. That ain’t ever gonna change. Not really.
