There’s a Reason No One Reads Wine Blogs
March 16, 2010 by Tom Johnson
Filed under FCG, Wine Conversation
A year ago I was an unsuccessful political blogger, entertaining myself and almost no one else. Now, I’m a wine blogger doing largely the same thing, except that no one calls me a Nazi in comments anymore. Though my wine blog’s audience is only a tenth the size of my failed political blog’s audience, I’m informed by people-who-know that I am on the cusp of great success.
There’s no way to sugar coat this: wine blogging is failing its readers.
The evidence for that failure: with very few exceptions, wine blogs don’t even have readers.
The baseline numbers are appalling. Using traffic data aggregated by Cellarer and traffic rankings provided by Truth Laid Bear, the top 100 wine blogs combined would be the 280th most popular blog in the country.
Even looking at wine blogging as a niche product, we’re a disaster. There are 40 million regular wine drinkers in the United States, and the aggregate audience for wine blogs is maybe a couple hundred thousand people. Cellarer estimates, based on Google data, that the top 100 wine blogs enjoy monthly traffic of 865,000 unique visits, which means an average of 30,000 visits a day. Assuming that people who visit wine blogs visit more than one, even within our self-declared niche, we’re reaching less than 0.5% of our target audience.
There are, certainly, a lot of reasons for this. Wine lacks the daily drum beat of ginned-up controversy that powers political blogs. We don’t benefit from an endless stream of celebrity gossip or user-produced entertainment content that powers sites like Perez Hilton or Boing Boing. The audience that is interested in reading about wine is surely a fraction of the audience that drinks wine.
But still, it’s clear that we could do better. To that end, I suggest a two-step program to make wine blogs relevant to wine drinkers:
1) Stop reviewing wine
Most wine blogs are nothing but wine reviews, everyone a Parker wannabe describing last night’s bottle. This is a recipe for insignificance. Face facts: no one reads wine reviews for entertainment. Try to read all the way through the wine reviews in the back of Wine Spectator sometime; you can’t do it. After about a page-and-a-half, I personally am ready to machine-gun the fruit section of my local supermarket to put all the red fruit and citrus aromas out of their misery.
Wine reviews are a reference tool; they have value only en masse. No individual wine blog can hope to build a database of reviews to compete as a destination with Wine Spectator, eRobertParker.com, or Cellar Tracker. Bloggers banking on their reviews are positioning themselves not as a regular read, but as Google fodder, which means the majority of their readers are going to arrive at random and leave with no real inclination to return.
There is much more to wine than taste descriptors. As everyone knows who has ever hung around a tasting after the notebooks are tucked away, wine is a conversation. People who are interested in wine are interested in its personalities, history, lore, science, and economics. The best people to drink wine with are not the ones with the most taste buds on their tongues, they’re the ones who tell the stories, who know the background, who understand the context. That’s what wine blogs need to do more of – and what the best wine blogs already do.
Which brings us to point two of my two-point plan:
2) Wine blogs need to use the medium in which they operate to build a conversation.
As I mentioned, I came out of political blogs, where a loud mixture of ideas and invectives flies freely. The first thing I noticed when I started wine blogging is how quiet it is. My impression was that wine bloggers post infrequently, and interact almost not at all. To test that impression, I did a quick and dirty survey of wine and political blogs, using Tehnorati’s peculiar list of sites and counting links, and discovered that political blogs are nine times more likely to link to other blogs than are wine blogs.
That’s an amazing statistic, so amazing it seemed incredible to me. So, in preparation for this article, I re-did the math, this time focusing on a traffic-centered list of the Top 10 wine blogs. While the difference between the linking patterns of wine and political blogs shrank, the overall difference remained.
Imprecise though my surveys were, they indicate that wine bloggers in general are failing to use the defining characteristic of the worldwide web: the ability to link. Significantly, the difference between the first and second surveys indicated that more successful wine writers tend to link to other blogs more often than the less-trafficked wine writers. The inescapable conclusion: linking and attracting an audience go together.
I think many wine bloggers may believe linking is somehow “cheating,” but in fact it’s a good way to deliver value to the reader. The web is theoretically infinite; readers value blogs that sort through the confusion to find things of interest. Some of the highest-traffic blogs provide nothing but links. Readers seek out and bookmark bloggers whose sensibilities and tastes mirror their own. They visit that blog regularly not only to see what the blogger has to say, but to see what the blogger has found on the web. The classic of the genre is Matt Drudge, arguably the most powerful force in modern media—and a generator of almost no original content.
The conversation empowered by linking is more vibrant and interesting than an endless monologue of review and personal impression. An energetic give and take creates a marketplace, and competition in that marketplace requires everyone involved to raise their game or risk being left behind. That gives readers more of what they want: real information, background, and insight. And it should be noted that it also invites a certain amount of conflict, which in any entertainment medium is a very good thing.
Finally, there’s this: interlinking wine blogs will do wonders for the average blogger’s traffic. The success of a good posting on one blog can help build the traffic on a dozen other blogs. The leveraging of content will add depth to all of our offerings, and the new and improved linking culture will reward the outstanding and inspire the rest. That will draw and hold readers, who will arrive not to find a data point on a single obscure wine, but to join the conversation after being introduced by a blog they already read and trust. That increases the odds that a new visitor will become a repeat visitor.
By providing readers with more of what they’re looking for, we can put wine blogging in a virtuous cycle of growth. Eventually we might start to have the kind of impact within the wine business that political blogs have had in Washington.
Or we can keep doing what we’re already doing, which is taking time between our meaningful but increasingly sparse posts to wonder if maybe there’s something better we should be doing with our time.
Tom Johnson is a writer and business planning consultant living in Louisville, Kentucky. He operates the blog Louisville Juice, which will soon—for no good reason—change its name.
Well, you have a new reader today. As I sit here sipping my “Black Box” Cabernet – you’ll have to teach me a thing or 2
And if a blogger blogs, and no one listens…..
Then what?
All shouting and no listening (or dialog) leaves little room for improvement.
All humor aside, Given the number of wine blogs and the few people actually reading them leaves the readers (and comments) per blog at a low figure.
Wine reviews on blogs leave me cold. I may not agree with (fill in the blank of your favorite reviewer) but he/she has more experience, reviews more wines and has a track record that one can look up and cross check with your own palate.
Blogs should concentrate on other things than reviews.
This is perhaps the winegeek blog of the year. I must admit a heavy chuckle as i strolled though the responses. This is pure wine geek entertainment.
Thank you all for being so passionate!
Gary Vaynerchuk of winelibrarytv has a vlog that is visited by 86,000 people daily, while a controversial figure in the wine world he must be doing something right.
Thanks for your thoughtful blog Tom, you really gave us something to chew on.
Dea
@1winedude
Hey man…ever hear of practice what you preach? That’s all we do with the NYCR. We think niche is the way to go and have from the start
Excellent sharp commentary. As someone with a wine website (including hopefully “proper,” subscribe-to content) and a (hopefully “just-for-fun”) wine blog attached to it (http://winewriting.blogspot.com), I find this whole topic increasingly fascinating. As well as the wine world’s current obsession with using social media sites to plug their wares (me included I guess), even though their audience is just each other, it would seem. Cheers, Richard.
I try to keep this kind of style up on http://www.livefromtuscany.blogspot.com. Does anyone want to hear my endless tasting notes? Not even I want to read over all of my tasting notes, so why would anyone else care? Considering my angle is living in Tuscany, I try to keep it light, fun, with information that can help someone when they walk into their local wine store, great finds, an insider’s view, but not an “expert” talking down to the reader, also because I am certainly nowhere near “expert” yet. I enjoy reading other wine blogs though, and link to them in a blogroll and freely on my site. Not everyone out there is just doing dry tasting notes, there may be hope yet!
@Dea – Gary V. is in a class by himself!
This is a great writeup! My wife and I are ‘wine bloggers’ that use both written word, and video blog format. We just joined the blogging community recently, and have been trying to find the right format to share our passion with others. We have had long conversations about what it is that we’re doing wrong (and probably relying on numbers a little too much), so what you are saying here makes total sense. We want to break away from a lot of what we’ve seen in the wine blog community, and produce content that is fun and fresh, and approachable to people who may not even drink wine.
Thank you for the writeup, we’ll keep the message in mind. Cheers!
Wine should be fun, not intimidating. That’s what I’ve been teaching for nearly 30 years. It’s just a bottle of wine. It has no deific significance so why is everyone so hung up on the scores? Have fun.
http://edmasciana.blogspot.com/2009/11/food-and-wine-is-me.html
After TJ advised linking, I failed to find one link in any of the comments including Mr. Johnson’s.
I’d recommend more gossip, particularly insider gossip about industry players.
Also, the wine.woot.com blog is attached to sales and the wooters who follow this deal site want to know as much as they can about the wine under consideration. The blog takes a particularly snappy tone snd style, a poor man’s version in some way of Randall Grahm piece from Bonny Doon’s newsletter.
But more importantly, the site manages to bring consumers together for pretty intense dialog and then for solid Q & A with winemakers and other winery reps. Like user comments on Amazon, blogs have to engage people who are considering buying something.
An interesting piece (if somewhat depressing at times!) – but I agree on both your main points, less tasting notes (not necessarily none though) and QUALITY links in Blog posts are essential.
Hopefully you’re not whistling in the wind with this….
Seriously????
Ok look. Wine is about fun. If you want to write about it in whatever form and it gives you enjoyment go for it.
All the snarky attitudes and infighting about what your supposed to do or not do, or why causes more problems than necessary.
Aside from that I’m with Afonso, it’s Hosemaster’s fault…………bastard.
Interesting…. I keep my blog as a historical path to my tasting maturity and for researching wines. If outhers stumble on to it OK. It’s Happy Hour so I must go now. Thanks for your viewpoint… it’s not mine
yawn…
Maybe 10, maybe 20 people read my blog. That’s plenty. I write for my friends and some of my better customers. If I wanted a big audience, I’d make a video of myself setting my hair on fire.
While this post raises a few valid points, in general it was one of the dumbest fucking things I have ever read. If no one reads your blog, maybe the content is lacking, and if you are on your second failed blog, perhaps you just aren’t all that good at it.
Some of us write because we love it, or have to do it. I never expected a soul to read my blather, but for some reason they do. If I wanted a bunch of political-type stupidity on my site I’d rant about teabagging idiots and PETA assholes. They would all show up and vomit on my pages. Gee, how fun would THAT be?
Instead I get very nice, polite ‘thank you’ e-mails from readers and some generally friendly comments on my site. I’d be lying if I said that I would not love to make a living by blogging, but really, writing about food and wine would not be the subject I would have chosen if that was my goal. I get decent traffic, meet nice people, and drink lots of good wine. I love my hobby. Some of my friends do nothing but write reviews. They love their hobby too.
Then again, we don’t qualify as failures. Try to do a little less stat checking and just have some fun…it might come across to your readers.
I Blame Parker.
Mr. Johnson, you are an idiot.
Hey Ken,
I hope you take this constructively: You might want to include more context to your comments. Yawning and calling someone an idiot without explaining your reasoning is no help to anyone and simply detracts from what otherwise has been a pretty lively discussion.
Mr. Johnson
I regularly write 60 to 70 posts monthly, with only 500 unique visitors/day in my blog. And it’s a source of pleasure. I’m very happy with my audience feedback. I’m sorry for your frustration in your second chance. Why don’t you stop writing and try volleyball?
Paulo Queiroz Wine Blogger from Brazil.
Excellent thoughts my man. thanks!
Great article for anyone writing a wine blog or thinking about starting
one! The points defined in this article are almost exactly the
philosophy behind my blog only with 2 other additions: MAKE IT FUN!!
Your readers should be laughing or smiling at least once with each entry.
If you aren’t entertained by reading and re-reading your entries, no one
else will. SECOND: KEEP IT SIMPLE!! People do not have a lot time. ~ Thanks for this article! Vinously Speaking ~ http://vinouslyspeaking.blogspot.com/
Houstonwino. If you so enjoy “nice polite thank you’s” on your blog why do you have to litter this one with pointless swearing and derogatoury remarks?
In terms of linking, I only link to wine sites that have a link page that is listed on all their web pages and that my link is only one away from their home page. The site has to be relevant and original. I also keep my links to a minimum as Google doesn’t like link farms or pages of endless links.
I also agree with the strategy of keeping focused instead of being all things to all people.
When I started WineRelease.com in 2000, I focused on one thing, wine release dates. People asked for a forum, tasting notes, wine prices, etc… but there were other sites that did that and I wanted to focus my efforts. I am glad I did.
Good post.
A few things to consider.
- on the reviews, I think most Bloggers use the reviews to just document their own notes in a readily accessible format and count the traffic those posts generate as a bonus.
- I do agree on the linking though. Noobie bloggers think linking out will drain page rank — Not at all. Links are the lifeblood of the net.
Cheers!
Ken Payton,
You sir are not welcome to the online wine world if all you are offering are one liner hate speeches. You might as well join the tea party.
What a great post. I wish I had read it sooner. I take it that you do not subscribe to the idea that top 20 wine bloggers have a larger audience than Wine Spectator online? Or if they do, it does not matter?
In reading over the comments, I think it is important to point out that a bunch of wine blog links on a blog roll is not about conversation. Creating a conversation is commenting on other blogs, referring to specific blog posts (permalinks) that agree or disagree with concepts in your posts and collaborative projects. One of our most popular posts last year was a listing of 15 quality wines under $15, not from a single palate but a collaborative list with sommeliers and other bloggers.
I teach blogging and the first thing I ask my blogging students is what is their intent and audience. The answers to that question serves as means of helping them develop their blogging plan. For some bloggers, a feeling of satisfaction in reading their own work is the only measure of success that they are seeking.
I agree with much of this.
There are too many people who want to use their wine blogs to promote their ego. There should be more emphasis on the story. That’s why I started mine, to look at the stories behind the wine.
Maybe you’re right, though my blog is based on personal experiences and how you say seems to be an apprentice Peñin or Parker, variety is the spice and form a web of links that connect other wineblogs, cellars, wine shops and experiences around the wine world and I think it’s great. Thanks for your feedback and ideas, I think I’ll try to test this project.
Regards
Hello Tom: thank you for providing such a thorough and thought-provoking piece. I agree with your observations, but I do differ in one regard. I believe that wine drinking and wine appreciation are at their cores elite activities. You do allude to this, but I think there should be more emphasis on this particular point.
I wrote a response to your piece on my own blog:
http://vinicultured.com/2010/04/03/there%E2%80%99s-a-reason-no-one-reads-wine-blogs-a-response/
In the spirit of linking, I linked to your article in my post!
Great work–I hope to read from you again very soon!
Hi Tom, You make some interesting points. One of the things I noticed when my wine blog was active was that most of the comments were posted by other wine bloggers. That makes sense, since those are the people most interested in talking about wine, and it was fun to converse with other bloggers. (And as bloggers know, posting on others’ blogs helps drive traffic to yours.) But as far as having “readers” outside that realm? It doesn’t seem to be very common.
I went and subscribed to your blog because I liked this article.
Did you know that you have no Subscribe button on your blog though? LOL – That would help! (It must be new because the name already changed!)
Mr. Johnson, I don’t agree with any one of your misguided assertions. I think it is precisely the multiplicity of opinion (endless links to everyone-and-their-brother’s blog) that keeps reviews of wine from being meaningful to me. Contrast this with Parker, e.g. (one can “learn” Parker’s palate, and hence interpret the review). How can you know your reviewer and act on their recommendations if there is a “fair and balanced” panel of 6 or more people recommending everything? Is the goal to form consensus? I hope not! Reviews, by themselves may be boring to you, but that’s not because it’s a review; it’s because it’s JUST a review. And no, I don’t give a damn about the “personalities, history, (or) lore”. Get deeper into when the wine is most likely to peak in terms of drinkability. Tell me what kinds of food will bring out a particular flavor or character. In other words, tell me how to use this wine, once I’ve purchased it. I can’t even count the number of people I know who sit staring anxiously at their cellars wondering when they should open “that” bottle for “maximum” pleasure/expression. So tell us that; if I prefer my wines to emphasize fruit and I don’t mind a few tannins, tell me I should open it next year. Tell us alcohol content so we know how “hot” or how “ripe” a wine is likely to be. (Stop right there before arguing the inaccuracy of the %… you know as well as I do that it is still indicative in a general sense.) The problem with blogs and reviews is that everyone feels they have to conform to some “generally accepted standard” or other which is just silly. Have opinions! Share them with abandon! Even Vaynerchuk knows this. But if you insist on whitewashing things, well, then you’ll never pull people’s interest away from Parker.
Interesting thread indeed. I think that Tom and the constructive comments, both pro and con, head in the right directions. Palate Press will have an article up here shortly on a wine buying influence study I’ve written. It provides a bit of a worm’s eye view of blogging influence on consumer wine selection. Some of the results, conclusions and speculations will simultaneously support and contradict various opinions in this thread, depending through what lens you want to read them.
This is a nice blog message, I will keep this idea in my mind. If you add more video and pictures because it helps understanding
ml Sitensky.