How do you Become Authoritative if no one knows you?

January 23rd, 2009 | 43 comments

how to become an authority If you’ve ever asked someone who owns a site that is authoritative how they did it, they probably said something to the effect of “write good, quality content” right? The problem is that you DO write good, quality content, but your site still isn’t authoritative, so you wonder what their definition of “good, quality content” is!

I went through it too, you’re not alone!

It’s easy for them to say that when they know every piece of content they write is going to be seen by thousands of sets of eyeballs, right? But how did they do it in the beginning, when they were in the same spot you are?

That same person will probably also tell you that you should never “fake it until you make it” because it’s just wrong.

Well, I agree with everything that person says surprised? you shouldn’t be! Here’s why:

It’s one thing to “fake it until you make it” and something completely different to teach as you learn! Your “following” will grow as your knowledge grows! You DON’T have to be an expert in any niche to teach beginners how to do something! If I decided I wanted to learn how to knit I would be looking for basic steps and a mediocre knitter (is that a word?) could teach me the basics just as good as a pro and I would continue to take advice from that mediocre knitter until I feel that I’ve surpassed him or her in knitting knowledge In other words, there are almost ALWAYS a certain group of people who know less about SOMETHING in your niche than you and you can certainly provide them with good, quality content by teaching them something they didn’t know!

That same person will probably also tell you that you should never “fake it until you make it” because it’s just wrong.

If you’re “faking it” you’re never going to make it! You may fake it at first until you learn enough to actually help others, but that fake beginning will not have helped at all.

Let me give you an example from within the Internet Marketing niche. Lets say John Doe just got interested in Internet Marketing last month. He started going through forums and reading blogs and he decided he wanted to start a blog of his own. He joins my Coaching Forum because he knows it will cut lots of time off of his learning curve and I walk him through the process of setting up his blog.

Done. He now has a nice looking, fully-operational blog. So now how does John provide good, quality content? Well his blog is targeting Internet Marketers, so what does he know that he can use to teach others? Here are a few things off the top of my head!

- He can teach others how to set up a blog because he just did it!
- He can show others where to get help because he found my help.
- He can teach others how to register a domain and get a Website live on the Internet!

My point is this. As long as you’re actively learning new things and trying new things you will almost always have something of value to offer! It may not help someone who has an advanced knowledge in the niche, but it can certainly help those just getting started in that niche! If you think you just aren’t knowledgeable enough about your niche to teach others, STOP thinking that way RIGHT NOW! If you know ONE thing about your niche then you have a good, quality piece of content just waiting to be published!

The problem is that you DO write good, quality content, but your site still isn’t authoritative, so you wonder what their definition of “good, quality content” is!

If you’re in this crowd that is already doing exactly what I am talking about then all you need to do is keep doing what you’re doing and most importantly BE PATIENT! As long as you keep learning and continue to offer good, quality content the value of your content will continue to grow and that will bring more traffic over time!

As with anything in this business, and business in general, patience is a virtue! Those with no patience never make it in this industry. Learn, Teach and be Patient!

image credit: dearbarbie

43 comments

Mark Mason (78 comments.)
23rd January, 2009 at 5:43 pm

Josh;

I agree with this teaching while you learn concept. The part that goes with that which is seldom mentioned is that you need to be humble and open to learning from the people that you are teaching.

It is always amazing to me when I see a “guru” that refuses to listen to someone who has a reasonable point of view.

The best teachers are usually also the best students.

Thanks for the great post.

Regards,
Mark
Jennifer/PotPieGirl (5 comments.)
23rd January, 2009 at 5:50 pm

Josh -

FANTASTIC post! Some of the best “newbie” advice I’ve read in a long time.

I whole-heartedly second your closing statement -

“As with anything in this business, and business in general, patience is a virtue! Those with no patience never make it in this industry. Learn, Teach and be Patient!”

Every single thing we learn on our internet marketing journey can help someone who doesn’t know it yet. There is no need to fake it when we each have so much to offer.

Jennifer
~PotPieGirl
Alex Newell
23rd January, 2009 at 5:59 pm

Well Josh you sure are right about that advice, “BE PATIENT!”

I hate the advice mind but it does take quite a lot of time to build a business

All The Best

Alex
Justin
23rd January, 2009 at 6:00 pm

Now I know why my content websites are not content . Very insightful Josh. It only makes sense. You cannot teach what you do not know, but there will always be someone less knowledgeable than yourself. And if they ask a question you do not know, you can take a time out, find out and both of you learn. A win-win deal.

You views help to give confidence to my efforts. Thank you.
Kris (16 comments.)
23rd January, 2009 at 6:01 pm

Like they say, in the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. So like you said, authority is relative. As long as you’re one step ahead of your readers, you’re the authority. So why not share your knowledge, however limited?
Mike Rogers
23rd January, 2009 at 6:02 pm

Hey Josh,

I have to agree with you.

When I was a training officer for a police department, I stood by a saying, “You can learn from anybody.” I told my rookie partners that I was also learning from them every day because everyone has something to teach.

Mike
Paul (10 comments.)
23rd January, 2009 at 6:02 pm

Josh…you are sooo smart. Tell me where does your insiration come from? How do YOU get these brilliant thoughts, these tidbits of information you give us are… well….”good quality content”. It is always a pleasure to read your post.
Paul
Pimp My Flip
23rd January, 2009 at 6:02 pm

Josh,

Great article. Very timely for me. I was just thinking about exactly what to write about because I need to do some article promotion for my website. You’ve given me a couple of ideas in this article that I can use to write some useful articles for readers.

Thanks,
Kitwana
John The Geek
23rd January, 2009 at 6:10 pm

There you go again, Josh, debunking the myth of overnight success. You’re absolutely right, of course. Yes, there are some rare cases of very rapid success, but most “out of nowhere” success stories have been people who have been around quite a while, just under the radar.

Your point about faking it is well taken. It might work for a while, but like any lie it’s difficult to maintain and will eventually backfire. It’s one thing to adopt a successful mindset before you’re actually successful (highly recommended, btw), but quite another to claim results before you’ve achieved them.
Leo
23rd January, 2009 at 6:15 pm

Good post…but I disagree with you on the “fake it till you make” blurb.

Now Josh, you know as well as me that there are so many blogs that are giving out poor advice solely because it is something that they read on another blog. That is how these myths get started (duplicate content is one that I know you have tested).

So what you have is a blog that is “teaching” from his stump on things that he hasn’t personally tested..then someone who reads his site teaches it…and so on and so forth…

The next thing you know you have a bunch of so called experts teaching stuff that they haven’t tested and that the myth persists.

Just my thoughts anyways.
Sandra Morton
23rd January, 2009 at 6:19 pm

As usual, an excellent article with many good points. It’s also very timely because I have just had an experience which illustrates that we all know more than we think we do and can pass on basic knowledge and help others who are just starting out.

I have had some blogspot blogs in the past, but have recently graduated to hosting my own wordpress blogs. I don’t have a problem with content creation but I felt I was still a novice in the seo/plugin/traffic department so registered for an online blog instruction prog, and am a few weeks into the tutorials. I’ve learned a lot and put it into practice though I’m miles from thinking of myself as an expert or authority.

It wasn’t until a friend complimented me on one of my blogs and said that she was just getting started, that I realised I was in a position to help her out when she got stuck.

I’m still learning, but I’m confident enough to know I can provide advice with basic blog set up and will be able to pass on other info as I start to understand and use it. People need small chunks of info anyway or they won’t be able to digest it.
David @ computer solutions
23rd January, 2009 at 6:29 pm

This is something that had me puzzled for quite a while. Your solution is brilliant.

Another way that someone could become an authority would be by the clarity or humor present in the persons articles. Even though many others may have dealt with it, if a person can explain it to non geeks or can capture people’s fancy with their writing style, this can add authority to their articles.
Josh Spaulding
23rd January, 2009 at 6:43 pm

@ Mark – Good point there. I completely agree that no matter who you are, you should at least consider others points of view. But it’s also important to not waste one’s time on advice that is given without some sort of proof or logic. Logical input should be considered though, absolutely. Excellent point!

@ Jennifer – Thanks, glad you like it. btw, you’ll most likely be getting a plug or two in a 2-part Squidoo case-study Mark and I are doing.

@ Paul – For a second there I thought you were being sarcastic I just think of questions I had along the way and write about my current answer to them. Glad to help.

@ Leo – What exactly are you disagreeing with me on? I completely agree I’m not advocating “faking it till you make it” did you read the entire post?

@ Sandra & David – Excellent, glad to help! Just keep helping people and don’t ever give up and you’ll get there!
Sunshine
23rd January, 2009 at 6:43 pm

Josh, how true you are.

As a internet beginner, I’ve actually enjoyed learning from other IM beginners who’ve been relentless in putting their nose to the grind, all while posting and charting their progress publicly on their blogs like Potpiegirl, Tiffany Dow, Robert Phillips and Splork just to name a few.

There’s nothing like seeing someone start something from nothing and grow their online business into a mini empire in a relatively short time.
Asher Awesome
23rd January, 2009 at 7:21 pm

Hi Josh,
Great stuff here! Becoming authoritative is simply a step of claiming a spot of your own.

It’s like you have your own home and you have the say to what’s in your house! Likewise, in your blog, you can be the authoity there by sharing exactly what you’ve learnt.

Others can chime in and chip in or offer different views – and that actually HELPS to increase your readership. It may affect authority (oops) but nevertheless… the main key is to go out there and claim your own spot

Asher
Mark Harrison (1 comments.)
23rd January, 2009 at 7:25 pm

Josh,
Totally agree with what you are saying. I have been doing this for about 4 years now yet all the new so called internet guru’s tell you that you can make it practically overnight which is just BS. You are the voice of common sense it seems.
Internet Marketing Blog
23rd January, 2009 at 10:36 pm

That is basically what I have been doing with my blog… although I’m probably going to have to get content elsehwere and put it on the blog, because I am such a slacker when it comes to posting content on a consistent basis.

Dennis
Mike (1 comments.)
23rd January, 2009 at 10:42 pm

I struggled with this one for a while, but you are definitely right. That there are people out there who know less than you, that you can teach something.

Once I got over this hurdle, it changed everything.

Great post!
Matt Wood
23rd January, 2009 at 11:06 pm

Thanx for clarifying both points, Josh.

Even more than site and blog content, this clarity is going to build my list with loyal readers and teachers.

Matt
Jennifer/PotPieGirl (5 comments.)
23rd January, 2009 at 11:35 pm

“@ Jennifer – Thanks, glad you like it. btw, youâ€™ll most likely be getting a plug or two in a 2-part Squidoo case-study Mark and I are doing.”

Great, thanks! If there is anything I can do to help, just ask. You can use the contact form on my blog – or Mark has my email.

Jennifer
~PotPieGirl
Jon Poland (1 comments.)
24th January, 2009 at 5:03 am

Josh:

Your post is directly in line with what Seth Godin talks about in his book “The Dip”.

Seth Godin refers to the Dip as the barrier that stands between you and what you want to achieve. There are many people who do not have the work ethic and the patience to make it through the Dip. And others get distracted when they are in the Dip. But those who stick to it and make it through the Dip can experience tremendous success.

Building an authority site takes a lot of patience and work. But the fact is that most people do not want have the patience and they are not willing to do the necessary work. And some have the desire, but in many cases they get distracted by another opportunity that promises faster, easier wealth.

Jon
Franck Silvestre (5 comments.)
24th January, 2009 at 1:17 pm

I’d add that Patience is the best virtue than someone can have.

Franck
Lois (1 comments.)
24th January, 2009 at 2:37 pm

It’s good to have regular reminders to be patient. This seems particularly apt when publishing a blog as it can seem a lot of effort regularly to publish great, useful content in one’s niche. And then, when you see ‘start-ups’ coming along and almost copying your content, it hurts! But, if you keep focussed and continue to publish on a regular schedule, you gradually see more and more visitors to your blog from so many post being indexed on the search engines. And, often those competitors who start off with a frenzy of publishing, fade out of the picture along the way. Even if they don’t, that’s good too as people looking for information on a topic are more likely to find your blog, the more content there is on that topic.
Cat
24th January, 2009 at 4:48 pm

Great post Josh. I’ve been wanting to enter a profitable niche that I’m passionate about, but have held back because, while I know quite a lot about it, I’m not yet what I’d consider a real ‘expert’. Now I see that I don’t have to be, I can learn as I go along, and that I do have knowledge that others can benefit from already.
Day Online Trading
25th January, 2009 at 2:10 am

Josh,

This may be one of your best posts. The problem with this industry is that people expect things to happen without doing any work, and for this to happen in 2 days. ‘If it is not making money after 2 days of work, then it doesn’t work’ and they give up.

It is so important to be patient and wait for things to happen. If you spent $100,000s on opening a conventional business, one would not expect to be in profit after 2 days, so why would we expect this to be the case on the internet?

Good food for thought

Barry
Alex Webley
25th January, 2009 at 5:31 am

Great post Josh. I admire your mind.
In fact, your stuff/blog is on my key reading list.
I’m big on learning – I know a lot about some stuff but find that the more I learn, the more I realize that I don’t know. A humble mindset is key to making big progress and is the opposite of what many know it alls think!
Warm regards, Alex Webley
Molly tracfone deals
25th January, 2009 at 10:01 pm

I remember a quote from the book “Jonathon Livingston Seagull” You teach best what you most need to learn. I don’t know if that is the exact quote but a teacher with a masters in Calculus often has trouble explaining how to add.

I believe I learn a lot more by writing about what I am learning.

Molly
John
25th January, 2009 at 11:14 pm

Hi Josh,

I agree with your approach. In fact, one of my first sites to earn some regular traffic was fashioned as a learning journal. I posted what I had learned and what worked and what didn’t work. As some of your other comments have mentioned, your readers will leave comments helping your learning process. This begins to create a nice community effect.

John
Ray
26th January, 2009 at 6:55 am

I agree with you Josh. I would also add that if you know what you’re doing, no matter how small, you should believe in yourself enough to teach it and not doubt yourself.

I guess it’s a given that people realize we also need quality links with the good content?

Ray
Arun Pal Singh (10 comments.)
26th January, 2009 at 8:58 am

@Molly,

The quote is right but it is from the book Ãllusions”, another masterpiece by same author.

But you rightly emphasized the point.
Neil
26th January, 2009 at 1:45 pm

Hi Josh

Your posts manage to be inspirational and realistic at the same time – not an easy thing to achieve!

I guess it’s like anything in life, you don’t expect to be able to drive a car at 100mph the first time you get in one, it takes time to learn and the internet is no different.

Neil
Rob Forbes (7 comments.)
26th January, 2009 at 3:02 pm

Hi Josh
Very helpful post. The problem is that “patience” is very difficult – we all want instant success, and it just doesn’t happen.

There is a saying that goes, “Those that can, do; Those that can’t, teach”. I think at least some sites fall into this category, and are just in it for the affiliate income; others provide genuine information.

I have certainly had to increase my knowledge through study as I try and build a site with integrity.

Thanks again

Rob
Michelle Adams (20 comments.)
28th January, 2009 at 12:48 am

Thanks Josh, this post is just what I needed! I was feeling a little intimidated by the IM niche but as you’ve nicely pointed out, whilst learning there is almost always something of value to offer.:)

@Mark Mason
Mark I couldn’t agree more. The number of ‘gurus’ and ‘wanna be gurus’ whose cup is full amazes me! I believe we can always learn something new.
Josh
28th January, 2009 at 4:37 pm

Excellent info, sounds too simple to work, but this is definitely true.
Loan Modification
30th January, 2009 at 6:34 am

Of course you cannot become authoritative if nobody knows you. you have to earn great importance from other people for them to prioritize you or even refer you to their friends and families…..
Adrian Lee
1st February, 2009 at 3:31 pm

The problem is every marketer tells you that it’s easy or that you can achieve result fast, etc….
Neil
8th February, 2009 at 11:34 am

Josh

Not only can a relative newcomer teach the basics to a complete newbie, they might actually be better at it than an authority with years of experience. This is because the newcomer can remember all the little details that puzzled him/her and can therefore better help the newbie, whereas someone with years of experience might have forgotten these little details or think they are too obvious to mention.

Neil
Success with Todd
16th February, 2009 at 7:49 am

Hi Josh,

I think it’s actually a combination. If you’re not known, then obviously the key is to go out and get known … commenting on blogs, and writing articles can be good ways to get better known.

The second part of the equation is what you’re talking about … once people come, they need to find something worth staying and/or returning for … the “quality”.

As you said though, “quality” can be in the eye of the beholder. I’ve often found it easier to learn from people who have kind of intermediate knowledge of a subject. “Experts” sometimes don’t have the time, or the patience, for “newbies” … better to find someone who’s been in those new shoes a bit more recently.

My three pennies,
Todd
Iowa Freelance Writer (8 comments.)
20th February, 2009 at 5:26 am

Great post on working to become a recognized authority online. I’m convinced that patience is often the unpopular answer to almost any question about online success. Thanks for sharing!

Best,

Shane
Internet Marketing Blog
21st February, 2009 at 1:37 am

I would have to agree but there is a more important aspect to that. While patience is important, persistence is even more important.

Dennis
Internet Marketing Business
28th December, 2009 at 5:19 pm

Originally my blog was focused on web development until I discovered Internet marketing. I’ve been thinking whether to build a new IM blog or just convert my existing blog. It took me almost 4 months of learning IM that I decided to write all about IM on my existing blog. I was kinda spamming my own blog with the same stuff only with different keywords and I admit that it doesn’t really give any value to my potential readers because I’ve been targeting searchers. Your article made me realize the topics that I need to be writing. I really want to help people get into IM and change their lives for the better. Thanks for writing this Josh.
Tweet Buddy
1st July, 2010 at 1:05 am

Hey, Everyones gotta start somewhere. The way the internet grows and flows you will always have people needing information. The internet is all about sharing information, right. You spend your time learning internet marketing techniques, some of us spend A LOT of time, and then find what works and teach others. If you can profit from your knowledge, well then more power to you. Great post btw…
Rick Imby (1 comments.)
7th May, 2013 at 5:43 pm

There was a saying in a book (I think it was Jonathan Livingston Seagull) that
“we teach best what we most need to learn”

Great Post
Rick