I spent a long time trying to shape my blog to be like the others around me who already had a successful blog or business.

I’d try and find the common thread between what made them successful, popular, wanted and see how I could incorporate this into my own blog’s design and message.

But this strategy became exhausting and unsuccessful. I didn’t realize I was doing this for a while. I thought I was being myself, but in reality, deep down I felt that who I was and what I had to offer wasn’t good enough.

The Essential Foundation to a Successful Blog

I thought I wasn’t qualified or interesting enough to be successful. So I tried to be like everyone else.

But when you’re trying to be like everyone around you, you’ll be no one in particular.

You’ve probably heard of the concept of building your “tribe”. You want to surround yourself with a tribe of people who get you, who support you and who like what you have to offer.

I’ve heard it said, “When you’re trying to attract everyone, you end up attracting no one.”

Authenticity is key to building a successful blog or business.

People don’t just want a product or post telling them what to do. They want to know why it will help them and why you’re the best person to offer this advice or product.

This brings me to my first point of why you need to be authentic in order to truly build a successful blog.

You Need a Tribe That Says, “Me Too!”

The most dedicated and raving fans are the ones who look at the quirky, distinct and passionate person that you are and shout, “me too!”

When you attract an audience, you need to find those who can relate and feel like they fit in.

It’s a risk because when you’re authentic and share the real quirks and passions that you have, you risk turning some away. But this is the beauty of it.

You need to turn the wrong people away so that you can invite the right people in.

People don’t want to be another face in the crowd. They want to be your soul-sister, in-the-same-boat, you-totally-get-me kind of person.

In order to grow a successful blog, your tribe needs the authentic you so they can find their place.

And when they find this place among you, you’ll find they are more than willing to support you, to trust you and to follow you along the path of your blog or business journey.

You’ll Never Be Great At Being Someone Else

The reason you need to spend time being the authentic you is because you will never be great at being someone else.

Sure, we can fake it pretty far. But at the end of the day, it always ends up like the movies like She’s the Man, where the real you will end up showing up. And if it’s nothing like the person you’ve been trying to be, you’ll end up losing the trust and support you’ve gained along the way.

If you’re where I was just a few years ago, trying hard to make your blog or business work by trying to be like the successful ones around you, I would encourage you to take a step back and consider this:

You are the only one who can be great at being you.

You are unique.

You have something amazing to offer.

Don’t hide behind trying to be like someone else. Find the confidence and courage to chase after your dreams by being the only one who can be you.

This leads me to the final point in building a successful blog around authenticity.

Vulnerability is Essential

It isn’t easy to be vulnerable, but it is essential to growing a blog or business.

I’ve received the most genuine and powerful responses or comments on posts where I was vulnerable and opened the door to a part of my life or of my heart that was scary.

There are important boundaries to consider in any moment of vulnerability, but when you can open the door to the authentic you, you invite your fans, your followers or your audience into true connection and true change.

No matter your niche, there is power in authenticity. I want to encourage you to consider how authentic you are being in your blog or business.

Consider how you can be more authentic and build a tribe around that authentic you.

Because only then will you find your people - the ones who will go to any lengths to trust you, cheer you on and best of all support your blog or business!

How have you found authenticity helps in growing a successful blog or business?