Saturday, April 5, 2014

Getting the Word Out: Increasing Your Blog Audience in 5 Easy Steps

I’m fairly new to blogging, but I love connecting with people all over the world. It’s amazingly fascinating to read about what other people are doing and how it works for them (when you’re a kid, that’s being nosey. When you’re an adult, it’s “networking.”)

But how to increase my audience? I mean, if I didn’t want people to read what I was writing, I’d write a diary, not a blog. After reading several articles and arduously combing the web for answers, these seem to be the keys to unlocking the door to your intended audience.
 
That's a pretty loyal blog follower right there!
1.       Interact with, read and intelligently comment on other people’s blogs. Other people are writing to be read too, and there is some FANTASTIC stuff out there. But the key is intelligent comments. Tell people why you agree or disagree, what you liked or didn’t like (but be nice! I know you’re pretty anonymous behind a computer, but gently pointing out that the wrong “there” was used is different than lambasting someone for being an idiot because they used the wrong “there,” you know).

2.       Use social media, discover engines, forums, etc to get the word out. Your Facebook page is a good spot for this. But please, dear sweet lord, DO NOT spam your blog address everywhere. For the love of all that is decent and holy, have some restraint.

3.       Use eye-catching great blog titles. I’m far more likely to read “The Top 10 Things a Publisher Looks For: Make Your Manuscript Shine!” than I am “What Publishers Care About.” I know, if feels sensationalist, especially if the same information is contained in your post, but we are a world that’s constantly distracted. You have to grab people’s attention (But don’t lie in your title about the content of your post. That’s tricksy and not very nice).

4.       Keep posting consistently! If you haven’t posted anything other than pictures of your kids (but yes, they’re adorable. And when did they get so big?!) since 2012 on your writing blog, people will lose interest. I know your kids are the most important thing in your life (OMG! Look at their little chunky cheeks! I just want to squeeze them!), but unless your entire audience has baby fever or is a bunch of weirdos, they probably aren’t going to stick around.

5.       Be objective, for just a moment. Does your font really work in yellow on a white background? Does your blog look well put together? Is your spelling atrocious? Does the comic sans font reallymake you look like you know what you’re talking about?


These are the tips that I think are the most helpful. Did I miss anything? How do you increase your blog following?

15 comments:

  1. Thanks! I'm quite new to all of this :)

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    1. In that case, welcome! :) I'm learning as I go...

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  2. agree with the first one. there are so many bloggers out there that i know have grown frustrated by lack of interactions in their blogs, eventhough they have spent a lot of time on researching quality materials for their articles. :)

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    1. Clive, I understand that! Its frustrating to try and interact with people only to get no response. What do you think is the best way to change that?

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    2. If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's this that I'm doing with you-interacting with other bloggers. It's how you look at your blog really. We're not celebrities to begin with, so all the hard works are done by us and not by our "agents". haha

      it takes time to build our audience but in time, with great contents + you write from your heart + awesome time together = great blogging experience! :)

      btw Amy, I'd like to recommend this blog to you as well.
      www.goinswriter.com.
      I love this man's blog because he inspires me to write through his writings. YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY CHECK OUT HIS BLOG! I can (hopefully) guarantee you, you'll be inspired to come up with lots of quality content.

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    3. And btw, read you G+ profile, you said,

      "I'm publishing my first children's book this year. I have to. Its one of my 2014 goals. I've been told that I will fail without an agent, that I can't hire my own illustrator, I need to start with thousands of dollars at my disposal, and and there's no way to self-publish a picture book and have it be successful. "

      I have the same experience too. Some "experts" in the industry told me that my book is not good enough. I chose not to listen and last year, I've made the decision to publish on my own. Voila! Sold 1250 copies of my first book. Then, I published a second book. And then, now currently working on my third book. All on my own. Hopefully it will go well for you too!
      Good luck Amy and God bless you.

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  4. Great Ideas Amy, thanks for sharing them with us. Here are other suggestions I found a while back in case any one wants to try them, they have helped me. http://www.bloggingtips.com/2013/08/28/30-ways-drive-traffic-website/

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    1. Thanks Janice! The more tips, the merrier!

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  5. Great Tips for Blogging Amy, thanks for sharing.

    Also thanks for commenting on my last article, I will come back to you on your questions shortly. I've got a couple of suggestions that I think might help you!

    Alvaro.

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    1. Thanks Alvaro! Your tips have given me a lot to think about!

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  6. Nice! ( I hope that an intelligent comment) and keep posting your kids pics. They are cute.

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    1. Thanks Amith! I think the kids are pretty cute myself ;)

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  7. You know, there's one thing that you do with your blog that I'm rubbish at, and it's the 'call to action' at the end. Because you ask a question, it makes your blog feel so much like a conversation & less like a brain dump (like mine is). I know it's something I should do, but being from a scientific background, it seems wrong - incomplete, somehow. I'll try & take a leaf out of your book :)

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    1. I think it comes from years of teaching children at my church! I'm glad its effective; but I really, really enjoy your blog posts. I actually would like to model my posts more after yours... They're chock full of good, solid information that has been incredibly helpful to me personally in my book publishing journey.

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