I’m a writer with a new blog – now what?
In my last post I shared 8 tips for writers starting a new blog.
And so here you are, perhaps with a few drafts written. You’ve chosen a name and design for your blog, and you’ve been visiting and commenting on writer’s blogs. You’ve just launched and published your first post.
“What now?” you might ask. Read on….
7 tips for building your blog readership
1. Ask specific questions at the end of your posts. This will generate discussion and give readers something to think about and comment on, besides offering the proverbial “great post!” comment.
Ask them who their favourite character was and why. Ask what they liked about your writing. Ask for constructive feedback. The conversation will be interesting and educational for your readers.
2. Start a Twitter and Facebook account. It takes time to build a network and after you invest the time you will see benefits. Networking will also give you inspiration for new writing topics.
3. Participate in group writing challenges such as the one at The Red Dress Club.
4. Offer writing challenges to other writers. Invite them to post their results on their blog with a link back to your blog. Writers love a writing challenge. You could even make this a weekly or monthly series.
5. Invite other writers to guest post on your blog or ask to guest post on another blog. I would not recommend this until you’ve been blogging for a few months and have build up a readership. Quite often other bloggers will invite you to guest post on their blog.
6. Publish link posts to share and promote other writers. You can promote your own writing on social networking sites and share links to other writers. Folk will often do the same for you if they enjoy your writing.
7. Invite your blogging community to partake in the creation of an ebook. Offer them an invitation to choose a theme, or you chose a theme and invite participants. You can offer the ebook for free download on your blog. Those writers who have participated in the ebook will of course want to promote it on their blogs.
If you’re a seasoned blogger, what other advice might you share that has helped you increase your readership.
How do you engage your readers?
Photo credit: Elaine Vigneault
J.D. Meier
patricia
Hilary
Tony Single
Linda
Barbara Swafford
Deb Dorchak
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Hi Davina – I think the most important thing to understand is the time factor, associated with your objectives for blogging overall. Objectives will assist in focusing your work into consistency.
Exponentially there are so many more blogs today that it is even more difficult to be noticed than it was two years ago. Blogs with tens of thousands of followers are an anomaly, not the norm. Promoting your work can be a daunting endeavor, but it’s all necessary in creating that consistent and seamless impression.
Hi Davina .. what you and Betsy say make absolute sense. Blogging is the same in some ways as having an ongoing conversation with a friend; you converse: post and comment on each others’ blogs .. join in the discussion, remember to be polite, adhere to the blogger’s ‘rules’ .. ie their ambience …
Learn what others are doing – when you see a blog you like – check their layout, how they react and deal with everything … etc follow them for a while, then join in the conversation.
People get new commenters and then tend to go over and join in their fun .. building up the rapport for perhaps a good on-line (or actual) friendship ..
Time is of the essence .. but it is fun – hugely supportive, and a wonderful place to learn more about the world and its energies ..
Great thoughts – thanks Davina .. Hilary
Hi Betsy.
I agree about the time factor. The writers who I have spoke with have noted that they are hesitant to spend “the time” to blog to promote their work. Considering just how difficult it is to become noticed online these days, creating an impression is important. Making that connection with certain folk will make all the difference in building a network and keeping folk coming back for more.
Hi Hilary.
Very good point; every blogger has a different style and it’s important to respect them. Politeness will go a long way :) It is a great idea to observe how others are interacting. That will also help you decide which blogs you prefer to read and who you prefer to connect with. Time is definitely one of the most important factors… alongside attitude. There are a lot of great “online” friends and support to be shared. You and Betsy are two of the good ones :)
Hi Davina .. I think you’re sucking up to us!! Anyway it’s great to know .. and if I lived anywhere near the west coast – I’d be joining you both for dinner next time! Cheers for now .. Hilary
LOL, Hilary.
I’m *not* sucking up to you ladies; it’s the truth! Dinner and conversation with both you and Betsy would be great. Now that I’ve already met Betsy in person, it would be neat to meet you too.
Hi Davina .. one day one day .. I’ve got the ‘family’ in Duncan to visit as well .. and now other bloggers around the west of Canada .. could be a good trip ..
one day! and that would be such fun – to meet up with Betsy and you .. a great thought .. Hilary
Yes, it would be terrific, Hilary! :)
Asking questions is a great idea and it’s something that I’ve often thought about doing. Having a new blog I’m a little hesitant though. If you don’t have users following your blog, you’ll end up with questions that no one answers and that always looks a bit sad.
Hi Davina,
my advice is that bloggers that seek to build readership should have noticeable share buttons to all kinds of social media platforms for easier sharing.
That way you could gain some new eyes reading your posts ;)
Hi Davina,
It is a very nice and informative post.Thanks for sharing your information on how to build readership. This post is helpful for many writers with a new blog and I like the tips.
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