I came across a post on Pushing Social that breaks down various ideas on blogging. It is a long post so I am going to give you bits of tips so it will be easier to consume. One of the first areas of discussion is how to build up more readers for your blog. Try some of these tips and let me know how you are implementing them.

  1. Focus on a reader not a topic.  Ideally, you should have a persona in mind when you are blogging. In other words, you should be writing to a person you imagine your target audience to be like. Is it Decisive Danielle? Collaborative Claire? or maybe Skeptical Steve? This can help you build the character you blog with. Once you’ve identified this, determine what traits are important to help you build that blogging superhero. Then focus your blog on solving specific types of problems for a specific persona.  Instead of starting a fitness blog, create a blog that advises first-time moms on fitness questions. It’s a subtle but important difference.
  2. Promote Reader Benefits: People don’t care about features of a product if they don’t know how it benefits them first. Boil your blog down to one key benefit.  Work this benefit into your blog name and tagline.  Your readers should understand what you offer with one glance.
  3. Have an Opinion: You should be looking to build relationship with your readers first. The best way to do that is not to be afraid to share your opinion and perspective.  Readers look for people and businesses that share their values and outlook.  Make sure your readers know exactly where you stand.
  4. Celebrate Loyal Readers: Look for opportunities to showcase avid readers.  Let everyone know that you value readers and reward loyalty. We all love getting kudos or recognition.
  5. Mingle: Yes, you are going to have to reach out to others on blogs or forums that appeal to your reader.  Actively engage with them. Leave thoughtful comments, reach out to specific readers via email, twitter, or Facebook, and submit amazing guest posts.

Make sure you look for my next blog post. I will give you ideas on how to Promote Your Blog (the next obvious step).