Be the Jerry Springer of Blogging!

I was flicking through some TV channels the other night, not looking for anything in particular, when something grabbed my attention.  Something I don’t ever seek out, in fact, something very few people seek out, yet millions have seen.  And out of the hundreds of channels I flicked through, I stopped there and started watching.

The show, of course, was Jerry Springer.  But what was it about the brief flash of Jerry Springer I caught that made me stop?  What did Jerry Springer do right, and how can we take those lessons to our blogs?

Branding

The Jerry Springer Show is unmistakable.  You know within seconds, fractions of a second even, that you’re watching the Jerry Springer Show.  This is achieved through extremely clever branding, which oozes from every pore of the show.

The first thing you notice is the consistency in branding.  There’s a logo in the bottom corner of the screen.  This logo matches one found on the wall behind the guests, one to the side of the audience and the logo on Jerry’s cue cards.  It’s everywhere.  Including on the T-Shirts worn by some of the staff that appear on screen.

The take away from this is that you need to brand.  Brand your blog, and brand yourself.  Leave your visitors in no doubt as to where they are, or who’s content they are reading.

Audience Interaction

Unlike most other shows, Jerry has created the set such that only the guests appear on stage.  Jerry is always, or nearly always, walking in and around the audience.  This does two things.  Firstly, it sets the stall out for confrontation.  The secret to the show, the reason that everyone watched, is for conflict.  By placing people in an environment where they immediately feel challenged, you set them up for hostility.

Secondly, by ensconcing himself in the gallery, Jerry starts to build a rapport with the audience.  He can not only pick up on things they are saying, but can also influence them.  He’s no longer the unattainable presenter, he’s one of them.  You might also remember that audience members were given the opportunity to speak to the camera after the show, yet another way to make them feel part of the show.

So do you ensconce yourself in your audience?  Do you read, and respond to, every comments?  Do you read the blogs of those who visit your site?

Knowing where you Stand

The Jerry Springer show is one of the few TV shows where you truly know where you stand.  It’s a difficult feat to pull off, and in some ways they rely on the audience, both in the studio and at home, being aware of the show and its general themes.  They do, however, leave even new fans in no doubt of the show’s subject.  In the corner of the screen, next to the logo, is the title of that particular show.  Within a few seconds you can tell whether the current show is one you’ll be interested in.  You’ll know whether it’s worth investing any of your time.

To translate this into the world of blogging, you have to consider the two separate aspects at play.  Firstly, the Jerry Springer show  covers, broadly, the same subjects.  Family, conflict, love, dispute and surprises.  The themes are consistent, which enables a fan base to form, a fan base which buys into the general concept being sold.  For a blog, this means pick a subject and broadly stick to it. You need a consistent thread through your content to keep it cohesive, and to keep the same people coming back.

The other tip we can pick up would be to keep your audience informed.  Tell them the theme of your blog, and tell them the theme of the content they are currently reading.  This should extend beyond simply naming the page and giving it a heading.  It’s helpful to have a brief summary of the article available, contextual categorization (e.g. tags) and sub-headings.  Sub headings are a great way to improve the scan-ability and readability of a blog post.

Focus on Content

While the branding and showmanship can, at times, by verging on overt, the Jerry Springer Show rarely does anything other than put people on stage to air their dirty laundry, very publicly.  Jerry rarely gets involved, usually just prompting and provoking people.  He’s very much the facilitator.  It should be the same with your blog.  Content comes first, everything else, second.

Give Something Back

Who could forget Springer’s “Final Thought”.  In but a few sentences he sums up the show and puts all the wrongs right.  The guests have been in, Jerry has assessed their problems, and goes about solving them.  He’s not taking advantage of them, he’s helping them.

A good blogger should take a similar approach.  Be helpful, be friendly, be accessible and be kind.  If you find something out that’s helpful, let us all know!  If you post about a problem someone is having, suggest how they can fix it.  Give and offer help.  You’ll become a valued member of any community if you take that approach.

Now that I’ve proclaimed Jerry Springer to be a genius in the world of marketing, is there anything I’ve missed?  If so, let us know in the comments.

Jerry Springer photos by ben_sci and urthstripe.

Popularity: 32% [?]

» Read the other articles published in Issue 2