I’ve had a few readers ask how I developed a blog readership and for some advice on getting their names out there, so I wrote up this list with some tips and actions to take!
Download a checklist to help you work through this blog post!
1 – Blog about what you know
I think the most important advice I can offer for someone wanting to grow their blog is to focus on what you love and what you are passionate about. Blogging about what you know insures that you will have valuable content.
Tips & Actions:
– determine the purpose of your blog and stick with it
– don’t feel the need to do it all or try to imitate somebody else
– post quality content frequently
– don’t post what you think people want to hear
– teach a webinar or create a blog series focused on your talents
2 – Get personal / Be real
People want to know YOU, the person behind the blog. People will read your blog if they like what you have to say, that’s all there is to it.
Tips & Actions:
– enjoy what you’re doing and don’t get wrapped up in the details
– share something personal (this can be as simple as sharing your favorite book)
– write the way you speak
– don’t take yourself too seriously
– be true to yourself and what it is you want to share with the world
– add a photo of yourself to your about page
– be accessible (either list your email address or add a contact form)
3 – Create a space worth following
Not only is your content important but your actual blog design is too! Maybe it is just the designer in me, but I am drawn to simple layouts with big pictures.
Tips & Actions:
– have a blog design that you love and that feels like “you”
– use images in your posts (preferably original imagery)
– develop your own style and have a consistency to your design, writing style, content and photography
– only have pertinent information in your sidebars (too much information tends to confuse readers and takes the focus away from your main content)
4 – Invest time for Online Networking
This is a huge one! Online networking allows you the opportunity to engage your readers in real-time conversations and let them get to know you a little better.
Tips & Actions:
– get active in online discussion groups and chats (Twitter chats and Facebook groups are great for this)
– comment on other blogs and on social media (but only if you have something to add to the conversation). Those comments make people’s days, I speak from experience on that one!
– respond to comments on your blog
– never leave a mean comment (you would think this goes without saying but I have seen some mean things out there)
– get to know your readers
– blogging is a community – support one another, make blog buddies, have conversations and collaborate
5 – Learn from the best
This is something that I did in the beginning. I spent time researching my favorite blogs and I still make sure to follow other blogs that inspire me.
Tips & Actions:
– don’t be afraid to ask others for help (but be careful asking other bloggers to post something on their site – this can put the person in a tough spot)
– find 5 bloggers similar to you and study how they use networks and learn best practices from them
– reach out to bloggers you admire
6 – Guest Post
“Guest posting” means writing and publishing an article on someone else’s blog. There are three main perks to guest posting: it introduces you to new communities, builds relationships with other bloggers and it’s great for search engine optimization. Guest posting gives you the opportunity to give new audiences a little sneak peek into your blogging style and content.
Tips & Actions:
– write down a few blogs you dream of guest posting on
– come up with topics for each of these blogs
– now reach out to them!
7 – Give your readers choices
I think this is something that is easily over looked. You may assume that everyone reads blogs the same way you do, but that is not the case! Someone may like to subscribe through Feedly or Bloglovin’ while others may only follow blogs on Facebook, so you need to have these options available and easily accessible.
Tips & Actions:
– give your readers more than one way to follow you and add easy to find links on your site
– starts an e-mail newsletter
– put links in your email signature and wherever potential visitors are likely to see it
8 – Network Offline
A lot of times we get so stuck on networking online, we forget that we can promote our blogs in real life!
Tips & Actions:
– conferences are great for connecting with others who have similar interest
– if you have extra time try to join a non-profit organization. A lot of small business owners/professionals are involved in them and you meet a lot of people out in the community
– make sure you have business cards and hand them out when you meet someone new
– find some local groups to join or start your own!
– create an elevator pitch (a 30-60 second short summary to quickly and simply define your blog, business, what you do, etc.)
Great blogs are products of a passion for life and a lot of hard work! Don’t let others fool you, blogging takes time. If you write about what you love and grow yourself first, your blog will follow!
If you have any other tips please leave them in the comments!
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Click here for a free printable checklist to help you increase your blog readers!
established 2010
Thanks for sharing your amazing tips…. I am new to blogging and reading your post was a huge help.
I agree with you 100% on point 1……if you don’t love what you do it will reflect on the blog…..number 8 was actually a eye opener…..I get so tied up thinking of recipes trying new combinations that I tend to forget about what happens around me….So thank you again and maybe you could let me know what you think about my blog, that will be great.
Great real tips! Thanks! ♡
Fantastic tips, Ciera! I am thinking of this post very often now. Love your site as well!
Love this advice. I will have to keep it in mind for future posts.
Alexis|| https://lidsandtricks.com/
Hi, Ciera! Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I’m a new blogger and this has been really helpful, and I’ll definitely give these tips a go <3 I love your website design, by the way, it looks great! I was going to set up a WordPress blog, but was unsuccessful… My coding skills aren't great. I'll be sure to have a look around your website 🙂 xxx
Excellent tips! Pinning this as a great resource for others, as well. Thank you for writing this post!
xoxo, erin | sandsunandmessybuns.com
so glad you found it helpful Erin!
Do you have any blogger conferences that you’d particularly recommend to gain contacts and network?
Thanks,
Gaby
http://www.girlofgreengables.com
Hi Gaby!
Here is a list of some of my favorite conferences: https://cieradesign.com/2014/03/12/creative-events-id-like-to-attend/
I also host a conference this September in New Orleans: http://venturepopconference.com/
Hello, I saw your post on Pinterest ( I pinned it more then one time 🙂 ) Thank you for sharing these tips! I immediately made a to do list of it! Keep up with the good posts!
So glad you found the post helpful Chelsea, and thanks for pinning it!!
Thanks for the tips! I love the format of this post, super easy to read and follow.
Thanks for sharing these tips, Ciera! They are really useful. I’m still working up the courage to ask certain bloggers if I can guest post on their sites. It’s a process, I guess!
No problem! You should start by casually chatting on social media with the blogs you are thinking about contacting. That way they know who you are when you reach out about guest posting!
Thank you so much for this post it is really helpful! I am a fairly new blogger and I absolutely love it! I post about a variety of subjects but only things I genuinely enjoy and have a passion for. My most recent blog about Nutrition and how to get and sustain Defined Abs ‘Abs are made in the kitchen’ is getting so many views in just 1 day just from facebook but I want to get it out there even further! These tips have given me an understanding to how to do this.
Thank you 🙂 x
https://lassirenaspequenas.wordpress.com/2015/08/17/abs-are-made-in-the-kitchen-2/
Thank you so much for the tips! it was a lovely article. I’ve had my blog for a few months now…still got a lot of work to do, but thank you!
This is a lovely post you have. It is really good to read post like this when your first start out (like me) I thought that i need to rush into getting people to look at my blog but is seems that is not the case. Vital information here, thank you!
Thank you for this amazing tips!, They get right to the point. I started blogging and this really helped me simmer down my anxiety and just go step by step, blog about what I love, and the rest will follow in time!
Hi Cecilia! That’s my mom’s name too 🙂
So glad that this post was helpful for you!
Thanks for the great tips! I just started blogging and I really enjoy it 🙂
You’re really pretty
glad to help!
Thanks! I’ve just started a blog about books, and this has given me a few helpful tips! Thank you!
Great tips, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂 I love blogging but it’s hard when I don’t see much traffic on my posts. I think I just see other people’s blogs increase in traffic/followers so quickly and wonder why mines isn’t. But I also got to remember why I am blogging in the first place. I’ve tried sponsoring but it can get a little expensive :\ I honestly don’t have ANY blogging friends so maybe it’s time to connect with some people!
no problem! you should definitely join Better Blogger Network or something similar! And remember that you can’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle!
Thank you so much for this insightful post. As a newbie blogger it’s definitely difficult getting your posts and thoughts out there! Your tips are incredible for me seeing as I really have no blogging experience or mentors. Even one follower will make me happy i dont need to be famous. I just have a lot to say and am an optimist who loves spreading positive vibes 🙂
That’s what it should be about, writing what makes you happy! So glad this post could help!
also posting the link to your blog on a blog about getting your blog out there helps as well
Thank you so much for this helpful list! I am a beginner blogger and have tried so hard to find help and you just clearly put exactly what I needed to hear! Thanks again!
so glad this post can help you out Lindsay!!
Great tips! I am new to blogging and some how seem to really get discouraged on the weekends. I was really thinking the weekends would bring in the most traffic…wrong! (so far) I do not post as much during the weekend so I’ve got to work on that!!
Thanks Jacqueline! Don’t get too caught up in checking your stats, with good content your readership will continue to slowly grow!
Thank you so much. This information was very helpful to me and my fledgling blog!
Thanks for the tips- I’m still trying to figure out all the new stuff my blog can do(:
looks like you have a good start! love your header, so cute.
This was a very helpful post. I am still learning about ads, sponsorship and linking up with other blogs. Thanks for posting!
glad it could help!
These are some great ideas.. I have blog that I want to get more exposure. I like the idea of the Blog hops, but I’m not sure how I find one still. I’ve been doing this to long for being as confused as I am
I don’t participate in any blog hops right now but I think there is a list on the Better Blogger Network or you can even search online for some!
Thanks
Hello, this is such a great post and was very helpful. However, I am struggling to create a blog design and make a ‘contact me’ page ect and also the side buttons linking to a social networking site. Do you have any suggestions as to where I can find somewhere that will show me how to create these type of things?xx
Hi Katie,
Pugly Pixel and Sillygrrl both have some great resources. Or you can hire a graphic or web designer to help with this. Pugly Pixel also has great list of designers here.
Thanks for the tips and your blog is GREAT!!!!! It will become a regular stop for me!
thanks Lynsey!
Love your tips and advice posts! Thanks for all the wonderful info – I found that emailing your favorite bloggers and become friends with them is also a great way to increase readership. Because your blog friends will end up following you in return. Doing link-ups here and there isn’t a bad idea either. 😉
Thanks for adding your tips too!
Thanks for the tips — a couple of things, such as networking, are good to consider more seriously, all while staying true to one’s self and the content of the blog. Good things to keep in mind!
Wow, this was soo good. Thank you very much!!
XO CHAMA FASHION
Thanks! Glad this post could help ya!
I just found this post through a google search and I am glad I did! Thank you for all your suggestions. I am sure they will come in handy.. recently started my own blog and been having a hard time figuring out how to expand my readers. Very much appreciated! 🙂 M
No problem! Hope this post helps Mariana!
Thankyou for this, it was very helpful seeing as I have recently started up a fashion/beauty blog
I think one of the most important blogging tips is to write concisely. So many bloggers babble on and on while getting off topic, and it can get boring to read them. I have found success in keeping my posts short and to the point.
Thanks for your input Joyce!
Just read your article!
A lot of great tips, especially for someone like me whose is in the early stages of blogging.
I like how you mentioned to “write how you speak” and to be yourself. I am not a great writer in terms of spelling/grammar, but I always like to be myself and my blog isnt meant to be a college essay, so its not formal and to some maybe a lil trashy but thats my style.
thanks!
Courtney
haha! I’m sure I have typos ALL over this blog, I’m not great with grammar either! Glad this post could help!
Thanks for the tips. I read several things I hadn’t thought of trying.
Just found your site through the Alt blog. Great tips! Thanks!
Thanks Amanda! And thanks for stopping by!
Nodding along to these. I am pleased to say that these are all things I have been thinking about/am currently doing!
Yay me!
Sarah
good Sarah! Glad my tips are on point for what you have been doing!
Great tips! I love how you include action steps in addition to tips!
thanks Dorene!
Great Advice!
Thank you for sharing.
thanks for checking the post out Jodie!
Great advice. I love that you did a “meet our sponsors this month” that’s a wonderful idea!
Thanks Ilana! I’ve done the sponsor posts for medium and large spots since I started accepting sponsors! I think it’s a great way for readers to learn a little more about them!
Don’t know why my Gravatar didn’t work?
I love your tips! Specially #5. I am working on figuring out my Google Analytics for my blog nolatina.com.
Which is not as fun as designing but equally as important.
Here is a link on how to get started.
http://www.google.com/analytics/learn/setupchecklist.html
Thanks Maria! Your gravatar works on my end!
These are great tips. Thank you!
great tips. #1 & 2 I think are the important ones because if you’re not honest and you waste time writing things you know nothing about, you are just making more work for yourself, isn’t that right?
thanks for the tips. have a great day.