The Power of Passion
As part of my job inspecting houses, I also assess the household's fire safety. Often, important products like fire extinguishers and smoke alarms are missing.
If the customer is missing something and wants to purchase it, I have those kinds of products in my car. The sales are secondary, as a service to the customer, but I'm usually one of the technicians who sells the most.
Do I get a good commission for that effort? No. Do I work my butt off to be at the top? Never. Are our products the cheapest? Nope.
The simple reason is that I enjoy doing it. It's a great feeling to leave a home safer than when I arrived. It feels satisfying and rewarding.
If I saw myself as a salesperson or recommended something I didn't believe in, I could just as well drive around with an empty car. I wouldn't sell a single product.
The same goes for my blog. I write about blogging because it interests and fascinates me. If I were to write about something just to be trendy or try to get more people to read my stuff, I'd get bored real fast. And my readers would too.
Regardless of what your goal is with your blog (if you have one), make sure it's something you're passionate about. Otherwise, both you and your readers will get tired of it.
No advertising or SEO beats genuine passion.