Janet Kobobel Grant
Last week a client who is just beginning to blog asked me how he could improve his work. As I responded to him via email, it occurred to me that each person who blogs has learned certain “tricks” that enable him or her to find and to engage readers. In the spirit of Christmas giving, I thought we could all benefit from sharing something each of us has learned.
I’ve listed some of my tips here. In the comments section, please share some of your savvy advice with the rest of us.
As background, let me tell you a little about my client. He has developed concepts, based on his doctorate in organizational design, that enable a church or ministry to move past the disruptions rampant in our society to create relevant connections within the church, the community, and the world. So his topic could easily tip into talking about abstracts rather than concentrating on how pragmatic his approach is. His blog readers are church and ministry leaders.
Now, onto the suggestions I offered to him:
Use a gripping title. One of his blog titles was “Systems Give Life to Your Vision.” I proposed “Why Do Visions Fail?” as more enticing.
Takeaway: Think about your blog readers. How can each blog post speak to a felt need or raise an interesting–even controversial issue–in your title?
For example, as you might recall, I recently wrote a blog entitled “What I Wish Publishers Would Do Differently.” I don’t think that’s the best, whiz-bang title I could have come up with, but my point in the post was that publishers sometimes fail readers, and I explored in what ways they do. It probably would have been better if I’d been more straightforward and entitled it, “How Publishers Fail Readers.” Alas, hindsight. Anyway, I was being a teeny bit edgy by criticizing publishers on an agent’s blog. I was grabbing attention.
Ask a question or two at the end of your blog that gives readers an opportunity to engage in a conversation with you and with other readers. As we’ve seen here, a community forms when you invite give-and-take.
Takeaway: Be sure that you respond to everyone who writes a comment. Most commenters are surprised and pleased to find out the person who wrote the blog wants to converse about the subject.
Use tweets and Facebook entries that link to your blog in intriguing ways. Please avoid advertising about your latest blog entry by shouting out, “I have a new blog post.” Yawn. Instead, entice me to your blog. Give me a reason to click on that link. Suggest how the post will meet my felt need or that the post will be of interest to your intended audience.
Takeaway: Know your blog readers well enough to have a sense of the topics and type of writing that will draw them to your latest blog post. If you don’t know who your readers are, ask them what interests them. It’s a conversation!
Add a photo, a chart or some visual to every blog post. Many photos are available for free. Just type “free digital photos” in your Google search and start looking at what’s available.
My client’s topic tends toward the abstract; so I suggested that, to find strong visuals, he create blog posts using analogies in his writing. For example, he could write that changing the “climate” (how participants feel) in worship services can be as easy as adjusting a thermostat. And then show either someone who is hot or a photo of a thermostat. (Pics of people usually are more engaging than of objects, especially when you’re writing about an abstract topic.)
Takeaway: Remember that photos can draw people into your blog. Pick those that are relevant to your topic, might add a touch of humor, or surprise the viewer.
Keep it engaging and fresh. Sometimes you can freshen up your blog and move beyond the expected by creating a vlog (video blog), using your computer’s camera to film. Not a 20-minute presentation, but a few minutes of some attention-grabbing info that would benefit your readers or tell a funny story they would connect with. It would be a very personal way to connect.
Takeaway: Post regularly, but toss in the unpredictable every now and then. A perfect example of this is Rachelle’s blog on six-word memoirs (here). What a great change of pace!
If you take the time to write blog posts, you’ve created the structure to gather folks.Now it’s a matter of providing them ways to engage with you and with each other. Often that starts from their felt needs.
There’s so much I haven’t even mentioned such as frequency of posting, Search Engine Optimization, linking to other blogs, commenting on others’ blogs, conducting interviews of well-known individuals, etc. But now it’s your turn.
What’s worked for you to draw readers to your blog and keep them coming back for more?
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Great ideas!
I’ve also found that being incredibly transparent and honest has prompted readers to share posts with friends/family that have become new readers. I write about my family life, but also grief and suffering, so the more relatable I am in my writing, the more responsive my readers are.
I’ve found the same, Becky, as far as being transparent and honest. People do seem to be responsive to what they can relate to.
For sure!
I haven’t found questions to be successful though, the content seems to be more successful at getting interaction.
Great post! And I hope that the lead-in to Christmas is joyful and stress-free for you.
My blog readership has gone way up in recent months; I try to find good titles, and use FB and Twitter in an engaging way. I do try to ask a question at the end, but have found that it’s not a technique that either increases readership nor the propensity for comments.
I’ve experimented with using Pinterest as a place to publicize posts, using Powerpoint to make up slides that cover the post’s high points, with a live link to allow direct access. I think it’s had some draw, and I intend to follow it up when the Man Upstairs increases the length of the day to 36 hours.
I don’t use visuals any more, except in rare instances. Too many blogs use visuals for their own sake; personally, I find them distracting, and I suspect others do, as well.
There are four factors that I think have helped me, in increasing my reach:
1) Linkups with other bloggers. This has had the greatest effect, but one has to take the time to be an active participant, visiting other linked blogs. (For those who are just starting, check out Messy Marriage’s “Wedded Wednesday” linkup at http://www.messymarriage.com)
Kate Montaug (www.katemontaug.com) is hosting Five Minute Fridays, which is a great writing exercise – she provides a keyword on Thursday night as a subject for a blog post, for which one is supposed to take no more than five minutes to write an extemporaneous post. Quite a challenge.
2) Consistency. I will very rarely depart from the main theme of what the blog’s about, and I try to be very careful in any temptation to make it too personal. It’s about Christian marriage and relationships – it is not about me.
Likewise, I have tried to keep a consistent schedule (MWF). Sometimes that hasn’t been possible due to health issues, but I’ve tried to treat blogging as a professional enterprise, with deadlines and mandatory deliverables.
3) Responsiveness. I have tried to be sure I answer every comment, even if the only real answer I can give is “Thank you for visiting!”. Someone took the time to comment, and it’;s incumbent upon me to respond with timely courtesy.
4) Patience. It takes time to build readership, and I don’t believe it’s a process that can be forced. You may have something go viral, but hunting for the “viral gene” is generally a bootless enterprise, and distracts from the high-quality takeaways one might otherwise provide.
These are excellent points, Andrew. Linkups are a great way to build your blog readers, as is consistency and having great content rather than just babbling–which can be very tempting, if you can’t think of something to write up. Just start writing and see where it ends up…Um, not recommended. Patience and perseverance are big keys to growing your blog readership. It takes time for people to find you (just think about the jungle they have to machete their way through to get to you) and then to decide they want to regularly read and engage. Since it’s relationship building, it takes time.
Any suggestions on how to find good blogs to link with? This has not been successful for me in the past.
Becky, tell us what you blog about. That will help us to consider if we’re aware of good blogs for you to link with.
I started the blog about my life as an Air Force wife and mom of a rambunctious toddler. It has turned into an opportunity to share what God has taught (and is teaching me) through about 10 years of various trials, battles with disease, and seasons of grief.
Becky, I would suggest that you look for bloggers who write to the same audience you do. Do you know who your reader is? Mostly women? Younger, middle-age, older? A number of other bloggers write about many of those same issues. Here’s one blogger I’m aware of who has a strong readership: http://mundanefaithfulness.com/. If you’re able, you might consider going to a blogging conference such as Allume. You’ll meet a ton of bloggers who are supportive of one another and help each other to build readership.
Thanks Janet! I’m not entirely sure who my audience is since it started as a blog for family and friends but as things have developed, people have shared and reached new followers that I haven’t been able to keep track of. From the people who interact with the blog, it’s mostly women 20-60 years old.
I’ve been looking into conferences, but haven’t had an opportunity to go yet.
Becky, you could ask readers to take a survey so you have a clearer picture of who they are and what they hope to gain from reading your blog. Readers tend to love to tell you what they want on your blog! The survey would enable you to find out who is reading it and why. You could use Survey Monkey and offer a Starbuck’s card to one of the responders. (A teeny incentive always increases the number of responses.) Hm, I feel a blog coming on about this…:-)
Janet, I love that idea! Will have to try it out!
This is a helpful post, Janet. As someone who would like to gain more readers, I’m looking forward to others’ suggestions. 🙂 I see some ways I need to improve. Coming up with creative titles can be difficult. I’ve also read that having a title that is too unique doesn’t come up very high with search engines. So figuring out unique but still searchable is something I’m working on.
And, figuring out how to make an audience curious when I link my posts to Twitter or Facebook is a fine art I’m still working to master. 🙂
I agree with Andrew. Joining link ups has given me some new readers. It’s another way to network with other bloggers. Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Friday is my favorite. 🙂
I am not consistent in including links in my posts, but I’m trying. 🙂 When I have, I sometimes get clicks on those links.
I have also seen what Becky has. Some of my most transparent posts are the ones that get the most readers and shares. I’m still figuring out how to be consistently transparent.
I’ve also found that some of my posts that relate to holidays, movies or current events have gotten some good responses.
Jeanne, for what it may be worth, you have one of the finest blogs I have ever read. Your combinations of visuals and faith-filled words have brightened many a day – and indeed have given me the encouragement to keep trying, when it all seemed too much to bear.
Truly you are God’s “write-hand” lady!
Andrew, wow. Thank you for those words of encouragement. You just made my day. 🙂
Jeanne, with titles, it’s always a balancing act between creative and straightforward. I also try not to sound like a TV cosmetics salesperson (“A Miracle Formula That Will Make You Look 30 Years Younger in One Day”).
Because readers tend to want to connect with the blogger, transparency is important. But once again it’s balancing between being open but not oversharing.
Paying attention to what successful bloggers do who are reaching an audience similar to yours can provide good guide rails.
Janet, good tip. I can definitely study successful bloggers more. Adding that to my to-do list for 2015. 🙂
Jeanne, if your 2015 list is as large as mine, you have no fear of being bored.
I’m looking forward to others’ suggestions, as well. I’m definitely struggling here.
But I know one thing … the folks that comment on this blog have been my greatest encouragers in the learning and growing process. And I couldn’t be more grateful. 🙂
Amen, Shelli!
And I still get significant traffic from this wonderful, warm place.
Me too, Shelli. This is my favorite site to stop by each day. 🙂
Shelli, keep being you. ❀ You’re sowing beauty.
If I may, two further points –
1) Know your platform; I use Blogger on my “primary” blog (the one you can link to through mu=y name, here), but have switched to WordPress of “Starting the Day with Grace” (www.dailygracequotes.com).
They each have good and bad points, in terms of accessibility, SEO, and stats. For a daily blog like “Starting”, I think WordPress is better in terms of easier tracking, and more functional following (and commenting). For a MWF like BPH, Blogger works well, and does seem to offer some SEO advantages.
Also, I do not use anti-spammer tricks (like ID the fuzzy letters). This comes from personal experience; I’ve often gone through three ‘security’ cycles to leave a comment on blogs that use them. I’m pretty patient, but do have my limits.
2) I will be blogging through the holidays, and I think it’s a professionally important thing to do. While I understand the rationale behind taking a blogging break, for me – in building an audience and hence a ‘followed’ platform – it’s important to be ‘open’ on days that readers may want to find me. Since I can schedule posts ahead of time, I really have no excuse for NOT providing a Christmas Eve post.
Andrew, I agree with you that having to prove I’m a person before leaving a comment is a major pain. Sometimes I’ll read a blog, want to participate in the conversation and then see I have to go through the security ring of fire and just leave the site.
You have an interesting perspective on Christmas blogging. The last two weeks of the year, lots of potential readers are occupied elsewhere, but some readers have extra time on their hands. Casting your net to catch them seems smart, especially if you don’t get lots of comments.
Make people laugh.
Sometimes I’ll write a devotional blog post, but about that time our dog froze to the driveway or the time my sons snuck a gardner snake into the bathtub. People love to laugh and life is full of weird experiences that can also be relevant in a spiritual sense even when they are hilarious or sad.
Evoking an emotion in your readers is powerful, Kristen. Coming up with that content can be tough, but we bloggers should use it when it presents itself. Wendy’s post on writing the worst first line was very fun, for example. AND the commenters were the ones providing most of the humor.
Engaging readers by asking them to share the worst ___________ they ever ______________(meal, cooked; date, had)is likely to bring lots of responses.
Here’s a thought. If you aren’t getting many comments on your blog, how about writing a humorous incident that happened to you (say, date with your spouse). And then ask readers to share their disastrous date. (PG rating, only). AND ask friends to be the first to make comments. That would encourage others to join in.
Kristen, I’m always a little envious of those who have a natural funny way of writing. 🙂 I’m not one of them. I’m so glad that works for you! 🙂
Jeanne, which brings up another point. Write only in a way that’s true to you. Some people can write funny; others are literary. As in writing a manuscript, so in writing a blog: Write from who you are.
Jeanne,
That is funny because I long to write like Cornelia Funke or Brodie Thoene…but I don’t. Just this year I have attempted to let go of the writer I with I were and write the best story I can, as me. That often ends up being pretty goofy…but it also resulted in my first sale. So, I am amazed with writers who have a lovely literary tone…and am determined to craft my weird silly stories to the best of my ability.
Kristen, consider your humor a gift! 🙂 I’ll consider my more serious writing a gift too. Then, we’ll both write the genuine stories within us.
Thanks for the encouragement, Janet! Yes, if I wrote humor, I’d probably fall flat on my face, so to speak. So, I’m learning to write who I am.
My first attempt at blogging failed. Why? Because the topic was writing — and there were already plenty of excellent writers blogging about writing.
I shut my blog down, vowing I wouldn’t blog until I found a topic I was passionate about — and that would also intrigue others.
A night of insomnia led me to start In Others’ Words — my blog about quotes. I love quotes — and so do a lot of other people.
One of my commitments was to keep my posts short. Again, why? Because there are millions of blogs out there. By writing posts that don’t go over 300 words –usually — I hopet my readers know I won’t waste their time.
Beth, thanks for this important pointer: Find a niche you can become a go-to person about. Not only does lots of writers blog about writing, but you also want to connect with READERS, not other writers. The question for every writer is, What blog material can I offer potential readers of my books that is different from what other writers in my genre are creating?
Beth, I love the length of your posts. Every time I get a little long winded, I try to remember to keep them shorter like yours.
Great topic today, Janet, and I appreciate all the excellent comments. I don’t have any numbers to back this up, so I suppose it’s just my personal preference. But I’ve recently started addressing my reader in my blog post…as if I’m writing to just one reader. Not with an instructional tone, but friendly. It feels more personal that way. For example, my last post before Christmas, I’ll probably close with “Merry Christmas, friend!” Not “Merry Christmas, friends!” Maybe it’s a small thing, but when I’m reading a blog, like Holley Gerth’s, it seems that the connection forms easier and I’m more quickly pulled in when she addresses just me, rather than a group.
Meghan, I think what you say makes sense. I’ve read that it’s also good to use “you” and to address your reader that way. e.g., “You might want to try your hand at writing a novel about zombies since they’re popular right now.”
Good point, Meghan!
Love that, Meghan.
Great point, Meghan!
Janet, thank you for all of your suggestions. The ones that I’ve already been practicing are definitely helpful (I’ve pinned this post to remind myself to try them all out).
Time. It takes time to build a readership. It takes time to be found, and we need to take the time to find others as well (without neglecting our writing). We need to take the time to respond to comments and possibly the visits if it’s someone we feel drawn to.
I think Books and Such sets an excellent example for us in that you treat your readership with respect and do unto them as you would like done to you. When we care about others, they come back.
I wasn’t going to comment today as I’m battling a tenacious flu bug. But I think you dear ladies truly exemplify what all bloggers would be wise to practice. And I appreciate so many of the friends here that already practice what you all have preached by example.
Relationships require relating. Readers (like me) love blogs that have a warm welcome mat.
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
Wendy … you are doing something so right on your blog. Not only do you touch my heart, but I’m definitely trying to learn from you.
Thank you, dear Shelli. But I’m learning from you. I love how genuine and compassionate you are. My tendency is to avoid showing much of the inner me. Yet, I’ve been reading that we need to write from our true self (our own voice–thank you to Jenni for pointing out that book). ❀ Shelli, you do this divinely.
Thanks, Wendy, for writing a comment even though you’re not feeling well. The community that has formed centered on our blog means the world to those of us who write these blog posts.
Wendy, I hope you’re feeling better soon!
Thanks, Andrew. It’s nothing compared to what you just went through. ❀ Welcome back.
A cute dog picture will bring them in by the droves.
Don (and rascal), your comments always make me smile. 🙂 Thank you. It helps that I adore dogs.
For a dog-oriented blog, it certainly would, Don.