Building a group of loyal followers to your blog is probably one of the most difficult aspects of blogging. You might be pulling plenty of one-time readers, or have a small group of loyal blog watchers, but how do you build that into a bevy of diehard fanatics? Many bloggers ponder that question as they publish posts that draw but a handful of comments, or review their daily statistics with hopeful expectations that are quickly dashed by the cruel hand of blogging reality. To help you keep a quality core of loyal readers returning to your blog, here are some tips you might find helpful.
1. Build A Community
Building a community is often easier said than done, but if you can draw likeminded and loyal readers to your blog (friends, family, co-workers, etc.) you can start a strong core of followers. Similar to the six-degrees of separation game, simply by word of mouth and friends knowing friends, this small core can often grow into a much larger group of loyal readers.
2. Invite Input
By inviting your readers’ input to various posts, you can make them feel as if their opinions are important. Not only can this build loyalty among your readers, but you might find some quite useful contributions and ideas along the way that can further your blog and posts.
3. Give Feedback
Inviting input from your readers only goes so far though. If followers continue to post comments that aren’t responded to, eventually even the most loyal of readers might hit the road in search of someone who is listening. Keep your readers feeling as if they are part of the group and that their thoughts are meaningful by providing feedback to their comments and queries.
4. Avoid Junk
There are few worse things to encounter on a blog site than a bunch of clutter and useless information. Scrolling down a page that seems to stretch endlessly through a string of posts and video clips can get old quick. By archiving old posts, keeping your clutter to a minimum, making your posts informative, and taking it easy on the videos and graphics that slow the loading of your blog’s page, you can keep loyal readers from ditching your site in favor of greener pastures.
5. Keep It Easy On The Eyes
Sure, sometimes we have a lot to say and want to get our ideas conveyed properly. However, excessively long posts can deter readers. Short posts, bolded points and topic headings, and bullet points or lists can make your blog and your ideas easier to understand to your followers.
6. Contests And Giveaways
It often doesn’t take much in the way of freebies to entice people to visit your blog. Holding weekly contests, free giveaways, and making use of similar promotional ideas can be a great way to build loyalty among your readership.
7. A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
While this isn’t to say you should go posting pictures of half-nude models all over your blog, finding a picture of yourself that shows you in the best light possible might not hurt in building loyalty among your followers. Using a handsome picture of yourself that doesn’t include a spouse or child (unless it’s pertinent to the subject matter of your blog) can appeal to followers. Sure, while a personal relationship with you and one of your followers isn’t likely, how many men and women are disappointed when their favorite actor or actress gets married? The human mind works in funny ways and people thinking that you are handsome, single and available may appeal to certain readers and increase their loyalty.
8. Play The Field
When a reader invites you to check out their blog site, by doing so and responding to their invitation, you may gain their loyalty in the process. Visiting other blogs can also open up other avenues of advertising and increased traffic. You never know what networking through other blogs might bring you when it comes to loyal readership.
9. Create A Series
If you’ve written a post that turns out to be highly successful, it might be worth considering a follow up post or two along the same lines. If those posts hit with equal success, you might have stumbled across an idea that you could turn into a series of posts that will hook your readership and bring them back on a regular basis.
10. Leave Them Hanging
Sometimes a little suspense can go a long way in bringing an audience back for more. You don’t want to show your hand right off the bat. Pace yourself and your posts so that your readers want more. If you give them all the answers right away, why would they need to come back?
About the Author
Tom is a designer and writer based in the UK who works with a supplier of Epson printer ink, toner and printing accessories. You can stay up to date with his latest posts about design and art on their blog, CreativeCloud.
Image: by Steve Keys
13 comments
Hi Tom,
Some great ideas you have here. I especially like the ones where people get involved with the site. Holding a contest or giveaway event seems like a good idea. Especially now that it is the first of the month – it would be a great time to start something like that. Great read.
Contests and giveaways can really get people involved…especially in newer sites.
When I went to create the forum on Bike198.com, I used a giveaway to spark conversations and get threads started. It contributed to about 70% of the success in the beginning weeks.
(about to start another one today actually!)
Great post Robb – I’m always looking for ways to grow readership, and I liked the way you phrased it:
…review their daily statistics with hopeful expectations that are quickly dashed by the cruel hand of blogging reality…
At some point the scales tip and the statistics will jump – but until they do, watching the scales won’t make them tip, and the time spent analyzing statistics could be better spent on some of your other ideas here.
Not that you should ignore the statistics either (you still need to know what works and what doesn’t, and have some measure of progress), but the focus needs to be driven elsewhere.
Watched statistics grow…but only watching statistics makes them fall.
I think No. 3 is one of the most important for me. Building a community is like building friendships, it is a two way street. I could post and post and invite feedback and hold contests and create a sick looking blog, but if I cannot wit my readers and if I do not respond to them with feedback, your community will die (if it ever gets started in the first place).
That continues in with building a community/relationship with other bloggers as well.
We are all in this together!
Hi Tom-
Great list with important points. I especially like the reader-friendly format (bullet points, bolded words and lists) and your mention of creating a series.
Thank you for sharing!
Susan
Have to make things easily scan-able!
Hi Tom,
You suave devil you…love number 7! The day I get a reader asking me for a date is the day I’ll know I made it!
Hey, wait a minute…what about a contest where the most emotive commenter wins a dream date with Robb???
Well, maybe not a date, but a night out in Hotlanta with a problogger….I reckon that would pull some great comments!
Cheers guys!
Write On!
hahaha! We want contests that people will actually enter. Besides…don’t know if my wife would be up for that one!
These are some great tips – my hope is that even if it is a slow process, it would be worth it to have a stable foundation of loyal readers.
It’s work in progress, even one person at a time adds up over time. 🙂
I love the contest idea, I’m in the process of developing one for my Christian Blog.
I’d add one more tip if I may – keep doing these things over and over again.
You know, the old persistence thing, or stubbornness or determination.
Some great tips. I try and get readers input by leaving questions throughout the post, but obviously you need people to read to get that to happen! haha.
Just joined a couple of forums so I can get involved in a community and then in turn people cna get into my community. I’ve also just started writing a series of posts to do with ones which get me the most traffic, should be interesting to see how that goes.
Anyway, thanks for the tips!
Regards,
Simon Duck