Got Haters? You’re Not Writing For Them Anyway

Once, a fitness presenter told me he got an evaluation at a conference that simply read, “I don’t like your personality.” Ouch! And how mean!

When you put yourself “out there”—whether it’s as a presenter, instructor, trainer or with fitness writing and blogging—you’re going to eventually face negative feedback from someone. I’ve had my fair share.

For example, I just found the post you’re reading now buried deep in the archives of my blog. I almost deleted it, having forgotten all about this terrible incident, but I decided to repost instead.

Thanks to the passage of time, this (really judgey) feedback I got after presenting at a fitness conference strikes me as rather amusing now.

Is This a Lesson About Fitness Writing?

There’s a lesson in this post about the messaging and words you use to explain your products and services to the world. Always think about your audience.

Below is an email some rando sent me, saying he/she (can’t even remember) didn’t approve of how I represented myself. It went like this:

“I would like to provide some feedback on your X conference presentation, and on your self-marketing strategy.

Without doubt, you are very knowledgeable and experienced. However, it is unwise to constantly remind everyone that you write for Chatelaine, Self, Fitness and other trash magazines. If you want people to respect and view you as a true professional, you should write for intelligent publications, including peer-reviewed academic magazines. Associating your business with bottom of the barrel media does not add to credibility.

In your biography write up, you are using low brow, outdated, and meaningless marketing gimmicks such as “51 free tips”, “free ebook” etc. These are mostly used by telemarketers, snake oil sellers and in infomercials. Please respect the intelligence of your potential readers! It is a real turn off when an educated person resorts to dumbed down amateur marketing tricks. Thank you.”

Feedback #Fail

Leeettt’s see, if I could find a way to feed my daughter, pay vet bills and keep on top of everyday expenses by contributing only to academic journals that pay zilch, I’d jump right on it. Oh, except I like writing for the magazines I contribute to. That’s my preferred audience.

Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t take this advice to heart and change the name of my now retired e-book, 51 Need-to-Know Writing & Marketing Tips for Fitness Pros. It might have become something like, A Series of Grammar Lessons Fitness Professionals Must Study, Posthaste! … a digital document available to anyone who wants it (sorry, I don’t know how to make free sound boring). 😂

If uttering the word “free” is tantamount to being a “snake oil seller” then the majority of successful fitness businesses and fitness entrepreneurs I can think of are in real trouble.

The lesson for all of us: Know your market and write for them. Know your brand and stay true to your own brand voice. (And also, be nice, for gosh’s sake.)

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a yoga book to ghostwrite about cultivating inner peace and an article to complete that will help personal trainers connect in a more meaningful way with their clients. Low-brow stuff, indeed.

(P.S. In case you like free stuff about fitness writing and blogging, there’s this: Make Money as a Guest Blogger: Get Paid to Write for Health, Wellness and Fitness Blogs.)