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7 Tips to Help You Deal with Caustic Blogging Criticism

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“Your blog design is terrible. You fill your page with 3rd party ads and the blog post was worthless.” – Google Plus User

I thought, “What an a-hole.”

I stung from this criticism. Really pissed me off. Then 1 day later I made the exact changes I needed to make in order to attract a higher level of reader. That is the funny thing about criticism; if you are hurt, you feel the criticism to be true. If you feel the criticism to be true, you need to make the change the criticism calls for.

Bloggers are not immune from receiving rough feedback. Pros, novices and people in between are apt to get difficult comments to digest. The winners embrace and learn from criticism while the struggling bloggers sit hurt for days, or stop blogging all together. Remember this: do not take the words personally. Intend to make money online via their feedback.

Criticism is an opinion. Most people – even if they lob caustic criticism in your direction – are not intending to hurt you. They just lack tact. The majority of readers are happy to help by giving you high energy, loving and caring feedback. The select few who do offer hurtful, nasty criticism are simply hurting, and want to project their suffering on you.

Relax. Do not fight back. Calm down. Feel the sting, realize that the stinging means you feel the statement true on some level, and let the honesty sink in. If you do this you are freed by the criticism. You make the changes to grow your blog or your cash gifting club and do whatever it takes to improve yourself as a person.

I reduced the size of my 3rd party ads and added 1 unique, hand-crafted Peoples Program banner ad. I also bumped up the quality and delivery of my content. These were the changes I needed to make in order to improve myself, my blog and the overall quality of my leads.

I thanked that guy – at least in my mind – a few days after, because without his stinging criticism I might not have made the changes I needed to make in order to grow myself and my blog audience.

1 – Do Not Take it Personally

The dude from G Plus delivered his criticism in a caustic package but I could tell he was not trying to hurt me. That is the funny thing about being critical; in most cases, the individual lacks tact. They do not know what they are saying is rude, or is at least being presented in a rude, mindless manner. The presentation of criticism says everything about the individual and nothing about you.

The person is sharing their opinion. That is it. No worries, right? Because everybody is entitled to their opinion and if you are hurt by some viewpoint, it is a viewpoint, and not the person delivering the criticism. Imagine yourself saying, “Opinion, opinion”, when reading burning criticism and you are able to embrace the barbs with greater ease.

2 – Feel the Sting

You are human so you likely feel the sting, even if you do not take the criticism personally right off the bat. You might get pissed, or upset, or embarrassed, or angry, or jealous, and you want to step right back inside your little comfort zone, wanting to pull back on posting for a while.

I know, because this was me for a long, long time, and I still fight with my fear of criticism demons today. I might be pissed, feel agitated, and want to lash out, criticizing people for their lack of tact. I intend to feel the sting, and if I anger a few hours or days later over criticism, I intend to feel the sting again. This is the key to embracing and using criticism for some higher purpose. Feel the sting.

3 – Use to Your Benefit

If criticism hurts, you feel the statement is true. If you are not hurt by criticism, you feel the statement is not true. Once the sting sets in, feel the hurt. Then review the statement. Where can you make changes to your blog? How is the criticism pointing you in the right direction? The benefit arises after you let go of the sting and decide to use the criticism to better yourself and your blog.

I realized it was time to ramp up the quality of my work in order to really make money online.

I was in a bit of a cash gifting holding pattern, not seeing many gifts, and my Adsense revenue lagged a bit, too. The criticism came at the perfect time because I finally stopped feeling hurt and began to feel the truth in the statement, and made the changes to my blog to experience the benefits inherent in the barb.

4 – Some People Have No Tact

Honestly, I could tell the guy did not want to hurt me, even though I felt hurt.

As a cash gifting coach you run into people who are angry at their choice of how to make a living, and they attempt to project their anger on you. This Google Plus guy was not in that boat. He simply did not learn the niceties of offering criticism in a respectful manner. Knowing this, I was not as upset, as I took a step back and factored in the language barrier thing too.

5 – Be at Peace with Receiving Criticism

You are going to receive criticism as a blogger, cash gifting coach or MLM coach. Being an online entrepreneur ensures that people are quick to share their opinion with you. If the criticism does not sting, you do not feel it to be true. You may or may not see benefit in using their advice.

If you feel a sting, embrace the energies. Eventually you learn to be at peace with receiving feedback and the sting lessens more each day, or each time you receive feedback. Take a deep breath. Relax. Even if people offer burning criticism most are helping you by directing you toward some high energy end. The words are true in some cases and when you can be at peace with accepting the truth you open yourself up to an exciting new world of blogging growth.

6 – Laugh a Bit More

This one is easy. Laugh at your hurts. The sting dies off. In some cases you are laughing off someone who is attempting to be nasty, intending to unload their suffering on you. Laugh, to relax, then feel compassion if you can find it in your heart.

In other cases you are bound to remove the sting and select the truth nuggets once you decide to laugh for a bit. Feeling high energy helps you cut through hurt and see the benefit in feedback.

Your Turn

How do you feel about receiving caustic blog criticism?

What tips can you add to this list?

About

Ryan Biddulph is a blogger, author and world traveler who's been featured on Richard Branson's Virgin Blog, Forbes and Neil Patel Dot Com. He has written and published 126 bite-sized eBooks on Amazon. Ryan can help you retire to a life of island hopping through smart blogging at Blogging From Paradise.

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{ 37 Responses }

  1. Đoàn says:
    riticism are just part of becoming a better blogger. It will help you open new ways, ideas and opportunities to be applied to your blog to make it more reliable.Thanks
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Doan, you nailed it there buddy. Receiving criticism introduces you to new ideas which can quickly build your blog readership. Be open and willing to seize these opportunities, or gems, and you will be certain to prosper. Thanks for sharing with us. Ryan
  2. Umre Turları says:
    thanks for sharing. dont tired of people reading this article. the article is very nice and smooth. its good red lol:)
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Wow never heard that one before Umre. Thanks for stopping by and sharing. Ryan
  3. Madras Geek says:
    Great post! Recently got a similar criticism comment when hosting a giveaway. After reading this post, I could related with it and some positive energy all over. thanks much.
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Yes, I hear you Madras. Seeing posts like these can help us to embrace the criticism which will flow your way as you make your way through the blogosphere. Thanks for sharing. Ryan
  4. Farrell John says:
    Hi Ryan, Your post holds true about using constructive criticism to improve one's self. Yet, there are a lot of people who are easily discouraged after hearing a bad comment or feedback. They can't help it. It's a psychological thing and that those comments break their spirits down. But we can't blame them. Though your post shows how to conquer criticism and turn it as a weapon for improvement, it's still up to the person whether or not he/she wants to change for the better or stay as a loser. One thing though, we should always remember that "nobody's perfect" and through our failures, we learn. Besides, experience is the best teacher, right?
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      John, you make some great points. For many years I stung from criticism and took it personally, and still get a little cheesed off here and there. Of course it is my own lack of self confidence at work, in these moment. Thanks for sharing. Ryan
  5. Joe Hart says:
    Hi Ryan..Great post...In my initial days of blogging, i used to take criticisms really bad...I took the opinions too seriously...Over time i've realised that there are positive and negative criticisms...It's all in how you take it...I now accept genuine suggestions and discard the ones which are purely made for demotivating individuals.
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Really key to note that difference Joe, sensational point here. Some criticize to help, others to hurt. If you are unwilling to see this you can miss out on a goldmine of super helpful suggestions which accelerate your growth as a blogger. Thanks Joe. Ryan
  6. Gerd Meissner says:
    Nice post, Ryan! Anyone who has his or her work published, not just bloggers, will sooner or later face this situation. Under 1), you write: "The presentation of criticism says everything about the individual and nothing about you." May I add that, quite often, it doesn't even say anything about the individual, but more about the society / culture that person was brought up in? Case in point: Germany. As someone who spends his time traveling you may know that culture values directness and expressing criticism in ways that in the U.S. is often perceived as confrontational or outright rude. That's often exacerbated online (in blog comment sections or in developer forums), because their are no obvious social / visual clues - like facial expression, tone of voice, the general vibe - as to the motivation of the critic. Turns out Harald from Hamburg is just expressing his criticism the only way he has learned, and would be surprised to learn it's being perceived as rude... One more good reason not to take this kind of criticism personal.
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Excellent, excellent observation and comment Gerd, you make a fab point here. 2 instances sing with me in terms of your comment. One individual who recently left me a rough comment was Russian, and like some Germans, the direct and honest style is the way to go ;) I also just spent a month in Phuket, which is overrun with Russians during high season. Same style. Straight, forward, and to many US folks, totally rude, but it really is nothing like that. Just the way that these folks learn how to interact. Excellent insight once again, thanks for sharing! Ryan
      • Ryan Biddulph says:
        Forgot to mention I am 1/4 German - my mom was born in the Black Forrest - so I should know this better than anybody ;)
  7. Dean Saliba says:
    When I was first hit with the writing bug, 24 years ago, the first thing my English teacher told me was that I would need to develop a thick skin as even the best writers receive stinging criticism. I have been rather lucky and have not received too much criticism online, maybe because I'm still small. :)
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      This is really true Dean, all of us receive criticism along the way, no matter where we are. I do find that less combative people tend to receive less, so you must be coming from a place of power, not force ;) Thanks for sharing. Ryan
  8. Jane says:
    Spot on tips Ryan - loved all of them. My fav with criticism is this: I don't take any criticism personally. That takes 50% of the stress and unwanted load off your shoulder so that you can really focus on fixing if something is wrong or keep fixing something that's not at all broken.
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Great mindset Jane, you are spot on with that one. Taking things from a high energy place removes the personal sting that most bloggers are too attached to. Relax, take the feedback as is, and you will be so much happier. Thanks for sharing. Ryan
  9. Philip McKenze says:
    Yes, receiving harsh criticisms hurt, but that is nothing if you know how to handle them. What you wrote rings true to all business owners. It is a good lesson for all.
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Good point Philip, know how to handle the criticism and it is no problem at all. Thanks for sharing. Ryan
  10. Maegan Anderson says:
    Great article here Ryan!Well, we cannot please everybody to like whatever we post on the web.In order to grow, we must learn to move forward after criticism. Even if you don’t feel incredibly confident, ensures no isolated comment prevents you from seizing your dreams. Think of it as separating the wheat from the chaff; takes what’s useful, leave the rest, and keep going!
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Maegan, that really is an exceptional analogy, great visual. Separate the wheat from the chaff, take whatever you need to benefit yourself and leave the rest behind. Thanks for sharing. Ryan
  11. Yasir Khan says:
    Criticism are just part of becoming a better blogger. It will help you open new ways, ideas and opportunities to be applied to your blog to make it more reliable, informative and fresher. Suggestions and feedback implies that they are aware of what you are writing about.
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Good points here Yasir, thanks for sharing with us. Ryan
  12. Darnell Jackson says:
    Good point Ryan, Feedback after all is a sign that people care. Even if it is negative, why else would someone tell you how YOU could improve unless they cared.
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Well said Darnell. If somebody is willing to share their insight they care on some level, and most people are quick to offer positive, uplifting feedback. Take it and run with it. Thanks, Ryan
  13. Servando Silva says:
    If you can actually laugh about something you're doing wrong and recognize it, you're at the other side of the fence already. Criticism is hard, and it's worse when you take it personally and badly. Thanks for this post. It reminds me that sometimes there are trolls in the internet that exist only to critique, but you can always turn that into a better thing.
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Cool thanks Servando!
  14. Rudd says:
    Constructive criticism I what all bloggers need to pull/force them to be better. One's perception about our product (blog) is different from our own perception. They might see it from different angles. Nice article buddy.
    • Ryan Biddulph says:
      Great points Rudd....another blogger or reader can expose us to a different viewpoint of our offering.