This is going to seem weird, since this is sort of advice. And that’s kind of what I do. But today I want to talk about why most business/blogging advice you’ll get is basically garbage. I’m totally not trying to call anyone out here. This post is not saying that business bloggers or authors or consultants are lying to you or bad at their jobs. Some are. But I think the majority really mean well and offer advice that can be really helpful.

So what’s the problem?

The reason most of that advice can’t or won’t actually work for you is that we’re all different. Most of us share tips and insights based on our own personal experience. I know that most of what I share comes from years of trying and failing and trying again when it comes to all things blogging/business/social. All of those lessons and pieces of advice that I share are things that I 100% believe in because I have seen how they have worked for me and other biz babes I know.

But just because I know that those things have worked doesn’t mean I know that they will work for everyone else going forward. I try to make that clear with explanations and disclaimers and stuff. But if you skim through posts for usable tips (which we all do) you might miss some of that and think, “hey, I found it – the missing piece I’ve been looking for!” And sometimes (most of the time, probably) that’s really not the case.

So what can you do?

Again, I want to stress that we’re not talking about most people outright lying or making things up here. But even people dishing out well-meaning advice can lead to you wasting time and energy on stuff that’s not going to work for you.

So what you have to do is try to decipher as clearly as possible which advice is likely to actually work for your business and then try it for yourself. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s just one right way to do this that will guarantee you always make the right decisions. You’re probably going to follow some crappy advice at some point. It happens.

However, there are a few things you can do to give yourself the best possible chance. Here are some thoughts:

• Find experts that really fit with your niche. If you’re an Etsy shop owner, it probably won’t do you much good to follow techy startup dudes dishing out advice about how to seek venture funding. That advice might be great for other techy startup dudes. But your cute jewelry shop needs advice that’s more specific. So follow people who actually talk about Etsy and handmade businesses specifically.
• Scout multiple sources. You can also do some research once you start considering a piece of advice to see what other people are saying. It’s like when you’re thinking about buying a product online – if it has one really good or really bad review, that might sway your opinion a little bit – but it isn’t the end-all/be-all. Now, if you see tons of really good or really bad reviews about the same product, there’s a better chance you can actually trust what those people are saying. So find out if whatever you’re considering is something that has worked for lots of people or just one person.
• Find people you actually trust. When you find experts who really fit within your niche and who have given you advice that has worked out in the past, follow them! Subscribe to their blogs and newsletters. Follow them on Twitter or Instagram. Wherever! That doesn’t mean that you have to do every single thing they say on any social media platform. But it does mean that their advice can carry a little more weight than advice from generic Joe Schmoes out there in cyberland. So the next time you’re thinking to yourself, “hey, I’d really like to focus on growing my Twitter following,” you can search their blog for Twitter tips instead of leaving it up to all the other random experts out there. And if you have lots of these people who you feel you can trust for biz advice, even better!

How to tell what’s garbage and what’s not

Even though I really think most bloggers and teachers and coaches out there are giving out advice they really believe is good – there are exceptions. Some people lie. Some people recycle generic content without explaining it correctly. Some people get it wrong. And some people just get lazy sometimes.

So beyond just choosing the right experts (because even people you trust have bad days), there are a few warning signs you can use to detect garbage advice so that you don’t waste your time/resources. Here are some questions you can ask yourself when considering a piece of advice:

• How specific is the advice? Are you looking at a step-by-step tutorial for creating a great header image for your blog that includes examples and screenshots and personal anecdotes from an experienced blog designer? Or are you just looking at some random person telling you to “work hard” or “follow your dreams?” There’s a big difference there – not that I’m telling you not to follow your dreams or anything. But seeking out a quick burst of motivation is much different than finding real, actionable advice.
• Is it up to date? Pretty much every tool that people use for business/blogging/social has changed over the past year or even the past month. So if you’re looking at something from 2010 – even if it’s from a great source and seems to be legit – it might just not work anymore. This is especially relevant when you’re looking at advice about things like SEO or social media algorithms. Find something timely or do some research about what changes have been made since that advice was shared. Otherwise you could be wasting your time with old information.
• How does this “expert” know the subject? Now let’s talk about credibility. This goes back to finding the right experts. But it doesn’t just have to be about the people you actively follow online. Even if you’re just looking for one small piece of advice, you need to consider how the person sharing the information got it. If you’re reading a post about seeking investments and it’s from an actual investor or an entrepreneur who has successfully funded their business through investors – great! If you’re getting advice from someone who doesn’t appear to have experience in that area – how did they get that info? Did they interview an expert? Did they share a personal anecdote about how and why they know the subject? There are many different ways to create that credibility. And it’s more important in some instances than others. But if it walks like a fraud and blogs like a fraud… you know the rest.

How to find what advice works for you

So to wrap it up: There’s a lot of bad advice out there, whether it’s intentionally bad or not. To combat that, you need to find the right experts who are specific to your niche and experienced in it, vet advice before you take it, and be open to trying new things.

Sometimes, even if you vet a piece of advice and trust the expert fully, a piece of advice still just won’t work for you. So you’ve got to be able to measure results and make changes if necessary.

And a note for bloggers: If you’re going to give advice on your blog (which, let’s face it, you probably are at some point) you can keep these things in mind as well. Make sure you know WHO you’re talking to when giving advice, because no matter how great your advice is, it won’t work for everyone. But if you’re specific about who you’re talking to, you’ve got a much better chance. You can also be clear about your knowledge and where it comes from – either include your credentials in your bio or just explain through your post HOW and WHERE you learned the info. Even if you aren’t an “expert” in a particular subject, if you can explain to your audience that you’re sharing this info based on an in-depth interview you did with someone who really is an expert on that subject, or if you’re sharing info based on mistakes you’ve made, that can give you some credibility.

So those are my thoughts on the subject! I’d love to hear what you think and if you have any other tips for sharing/receiving advice.