How to Gain / Increase Blog Readership

For most bloggers, the reason we blog is to be social; to participate in a community. In order to do that we need to gain readers, loyal visitors who have an interest in what it is you blog about. I’ve talked before about how I haphazardly blogged for several years before getting serious about it. Once I did get serious my stats started to take off.

What I did was follow the advice of other well situated bloggers. We all need to learn from someone. Don’t ever be afraid to ask questions of other bloggers. For every one person who ignores your email there are probably 10 more than willing to help.

Here is the advice that I was given on how to increase blog readership.

1. 

   Image by manop via Flickr

   First things first, decide that you want to have a larger readership. Something magical happens when you actually make a decision to do something. You stop waiting for it to happen and you take charge and do things that will “cause” it to happen. The same is true of growing your readership. When you make the conscience decision that you want it to grow then you begin to take steps in the direction of growing it. You are no longer passive about it. you become proactive.

2. Know what your stats are. In order to know if you have an increase you need to have some stat counters installed on your blog. StatCounter is a free one that can be used for a variety of platforms. Jetpack is another good one. It is a WordPress based plug-in. There is also Google Analytics and Get Clicky. Each are beneficial in their own way but any of them serve the basic purpose of recording visits. The key here is not to get hung up on these stats. Think of it like a scale: only check it once a week or so.
   
3. Reply to every comment and every email. Would you want to “hang out” with someone who ignored you all of the time? I wouldn’t either. When I finally realized this I began treating every reader and as a personal friend. The amazing part is that I now consider the majority of them friends. We share stories, photos, Christmas cards, and holiday wishes. They keep coming back to read because they have a true interest in my life. The least I can do is acknowledge that. Once you reach a certain point then it will become impossible to reply to each email and comment but even then stop to reply to some of them. It makes a world of difference.
4. Post consistently. Consistently is different for everyone. For me it means at least four times a week but for others it may mean only twice a week. No matter what your schedule make sure you abide by it. 
5. Sow seeds. I think part of my turnaround point came when I took a 7 month blog break and actually began reading other blogs. When you visit other blogs (and email them or leave a comment) then you are showing that person that they were important enough to get your attention. That causes them to take notice of you. I also began participating in niche relevant blog hops. My traffic increased significantly. 
6. Guest post on other blogs. I know you have heard this one before but it is a big one. When you post on another blog then you are exposed to their entire audience. Even if the audience isn’t large you are still exposed to readers who may not have discovered your blog otherwise. Make sure when guest posting to offer high quality content to the blogger. You want to make sure it is worth it to them to post it and you want to make sure their readers will find that you have enough value to click over and check out your site.
7. Post something of value. If you want someone to read your posts regularly then they need to gain something from it: information, inspiration, entertainment, or education. If every other post is about what you had for dinner or your visit to the dentist then you may not see a spike in readership. What do you like to read on blogs? This goes back to number 4: be sure that you are reading other blogs.  Write about what you like to read about. Just do it from your point of view and in your own style.

If you faithfully employ these steps for a minimum of thirty days then you should begin to notice changes in your readership.

As always, if you have questions or comments please let us know in the comments. And if you need more intensive blog help then simply sign up for our one year DIY Ministry membership. It is like having your own consultant 24 hours a day and only cost $24.95 for a whole year!

Related articles

• How to Blog Using Stat Counters and Analytics (diyministry.org)
• 52 Types of Blog Posts that Are Proven to Work (problogger.net)
• 7 Traffic-Building Tips (bloggingwithamy.com)