What Bloggers Can Learn from Rush Limbaugh
If you have lived in the U.S., there is a good chance that you have heard of Mr. Rush Limbaugh. He is pretty much a hardcore right winger (conservative) who is out to get us liberals. To be honest, I am not a fan of the guy and found some of his ideas to be repulsive at best. But you don’t have to be a genius to see what this guy is doing right. Rush is a polarizing figure. He splits the audience right down the middle. If you are a right winger, you are probably in love with the man and his wild ideas. If you are a liberal, you probably hate his guts.
That’s the smartest strategy in the book. If you can do what Rush Limbaugh has done with his radio show on your blog, you are going to be a very successful individual. A lot of times, bloggers try to be diplomatic on their blogs. They try not to hurt anyone’s feelings: Everybody is great. Everybody is a genius. Everybody’s awesome at what they do. The truth is, being a nice guy often doesn’t get you anywhere. You don’t have to be controversial to make a living off of blogging (ultimate nice guy: Darren Rowse) but you sure as heck be successful with controversy.
Nobody knows what’s going on in Rush Limbaugh’s mind. Whether he believes what he says or he stays in his character on radio, nobody really knows for sure. But nobody cares anyway. The controversy niche is one of those niches that is tough to saturate. You get guys like Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, and Bill O’reilly telling you the very same thing with their own spin. They are all controversial figures, but folks still listen to them.
Perhaps a big part of Rush’s success come from folks who hate to see him succeed. People hate the guy, but they keep listening and monitoring his every move. Does Rush care those people hating him? Not really! He loves every one of them. At the end of the day, the more folks listen to him, the more successful he wil be. Controversy is a very tough niche to hang around in. You’ve got to have a tough skin, and you’ve got to be ready to be attacked by others. But if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
Your take: have you used controversial topics on your blog for link-baits to drive traffic tot i?
