How I accidentally became famous on Quora…

How to Write a Popular Blog | I’m sure that you know about Quora, the fabulous ‘questions and answers’ platform. I often peruse it with interest and pleasure and have always wondered if I could write a popular article on there.

Well, I inadvertently wrote a post that seemed to really catch the people’s attention who read Quora. I replied to a question asking how to ensure that a business card will be kept by people you give it to. So, I penned a piece about how I created my very own business card banknote currency, called ‘The Ego’ and how it now has a value.

You can read the article by clicking here or on the image below. I posted it and right away, received a few notifications from Quora saying a few people had ‘upvoted’ it, but then nothing happened for a couple of days. Then, I received a message from Quora that said my post was being featured in a newsletter. Soon after, I saw that the readership had grown from a few people to ten thousand, and then thousands more… It was hugely exhilarating.

What makes a successful blog article or Quora post?

I’ve written posts on Quora before, and never had the same response. I reckon that my post about my business card was successful for a number of reasons:

• It was detailed, but not too long. People want to know the full story, but they are time rich and attention poor. So, it’s a delicate balance.
• It had good pictures to back up my story. I showed my business card banknote in the post to prove I’d made it.
• It has links to corroborating sites.
• It offered something different to all the other answers in that feed.
• I replied to comments posted about the article, even if it was just to say ‘thank you’. I’m not sure this affected the ranking or popularity of the article, but maybe it helped me get ‘upvotes’, which are the currency of Quora. Also, it’s polite and the correct way to act!