Like Astaire, Your Blog’s A Composer’s Singer

Glamorous Fred Astaire was so far from perfect, it isn’t even funny, biographer Joseph Epstein (“Fred Astaire”, Yale University Press) explains fondly. At 130 pounds, with big hands, dumbo ears, and a toupee, Epstein points out, Astaire hardly fit the movie star mold.  And, when it came to all that elegant, debonair singing that went along with his steps, Astaire had a one-octave vocal range!  Still, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and the Gershwin brothers loved composing songs for Astaire, calling him “a composer’s singer” because he delivered their songs so sublimely.

As a professional blogger, I think I understand why these great composers felt such an affinity for Astaire. – his singing had authenticity.  That’s really what blogging’s about, when you come right down to it –  reaching out to your audience and conveying your passion and persuasion, as Ted Demopolios explains in his book, “What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting”.  And what about the third “P”, passion? asks Demopolis?  The answer: “Passion is very effective for profit.”

“A blog allows people to hear your distinct voice in a way that won’t come through in a sales call,” adds Mike Wagner of White Rabbit Group. What I try to convey to my ghost-blogging clients is that, If your voice has only a one-octave range, your limitations may be precisely what makes you seem real to your readers.  As Joseph Epstein puts it, “If Astaire had looked like Cary Grant, we might have loved him less.” 

And, since this is a blog about blogging for business, let’s not forget all the profits the imperfect Fred Astaire created and those your blog has the potential to create for you!