So you’ve made a blog and you post all the time.
You think everything you write is pure gold and your readers love it.
But your number of subscribers won’t budge. Neither will your unique visitors, social media shares, or comments. What gives?!
You may have a few devoted readers who comment every now and then – but it’s time to switch up your game-plan.
Here are some solid tips for increasing readership:
1) Involve your readers…
Simply writing good content isn’t enough. Give readers a reason to stick around a bit longer.
- Ask them to submit content ideas they would be interested in. Create a simple survey for free with Google Forms.
- Reward those who share your posts with special content you’ve conjured just for them. By giving users extra content, you develop a stronger relationship while gaining some social capital.
- Challenge them in the comments section – engage your readers to show you are, in fact, a real individual with great ideas. The Happiness Theory is a social brand who has done this well. Challenge them to “Do Something GREAT!!”
What are you going to do with your one and only life? Do something GREAT!! Get inspired: https://t.co/gE6mjjCY1i
— The Happiness Theory (@YourHappyTheory) May 24, 2013
2) Guide your readers…
Think about where you want your readers to navigate – what’s most important?
- Linking to prominent blogs in your field can gain their attention. They may return the favor with a link, comment, or even a guest post opportunity. Now your readers will see you are Mr. Popular – plus you’ll be grabbing the attention of new readers from the blogs you linked to. 12 Palms Recovery Center does a great job drawing in their audience with this on their blog. The image literally uses a call-to-action asking people to click on the infographic. This is highly beneficial, as that image is probably the first thing to catch the attention of any readers.
- Have any hobbies? Kids? Exciting travels? Take a moment to give your readers more personal expression. Sometimes readers are fascinated by the simple things in your life.
3) Create your own superfans…
It’s intimidating to compete against sites with 100k+ subscribers. The good news is – you don’t have to! Forget about the numbers and focus on your devoted readers. Turn your existing readers into superfans and those numbers will start climbing. A superfan will share your posts, comment everywhere, and be a huge advocate for you.
- Research your own blog – what are your most successful posts and what type of prompts have got your readers commenting?
- Take your results and expand on them. Focus on improving the readers’ experience.
- Answer every question. Help them solve problems. Give them appropriate advice. Make insightful comments and provide expert recommendations.
- If you go out of your way to help individual readers, they’ll go out of their way to help you. For example, check out the way Jennita at Moz responds to comments on her recent post.
Icing on the cake for Readers?
Community building efforts help your SEO campaign. Every time a reader links to you, shares your content, or advocates you on another site, your authority, popularity, and trust increases. Be consistent with your targeted keywords and brand name – your community will subconsciously adopt these terms.
tl;dr – the interaction doesn’t have to end when readers get to the bottom of your post! Ask questions, challenge them with your insights, and reward your best readers with bonus content. Guide them to great external content and let karma do the rest. Turn devoted readers into superfans. Get involved; answer their questions and show an honest interest in their lives.
Bonus Tip: Promote your blog in your email signature. You’ll effortlessly brand yourself and grow your audience with every email.
Watch Ms. Ileane's video Create Your Email Signature with WiseStamp
