Image: it’s life.
Today, let’s talk about how to get more people to follow your blog.
I won’t do the talking though. Instead, I’ll use this outstanding guest post by Tom Walker.
(If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here)
When you’re looking for ways to increase your blog’s following, sometimes you have to think outside the box.
There are so many blogs out there that it can be difficult to find new and interesting ways to keep your readership coming back to your site.
Finding posts that bring something new or different to the table can be the perfect way to build your blog’s following, and having a strong readership is pertinent to creating a successful blog.
If you’re stumped for ideas when it comes to improving your posts, here are ten tips that might help jumpstart building your blog’s following.
1. Incorporate Humor
Keeping your blog posts dry and humorless can make your blog boring. This isn’t to say you should necessarily sacrifice quality content for humor, however; keeping things lively and being able to laugh at yourself, is often a good way to keep followers at ease and willing to follow your site.
2. Top Tens or Lists
It’s no fun when readers come to a blog for some quick information only to end up spending ten minutes digging through a lengthy post to find what they need. While it’s often difficult to keep posts short when trying to convey ideas, try incorporating easy to read lists, top tens, or bulleted points to keep information easily findable for your readers. When your readers are able to find what they need quickly and efficiently it can help you build a blog following.
3. Interviews
Using interviews can be a great way to strengthen your blog’s following by illustrating the quality of your blog’s information. Incorporating interviews with people who are intelligent and relevant to your blog topic can be a great way to get readers to follow your blog.
4. An Insider’s Viewpoint
It’s often interesting to hear the viewpoint of someone who has actually worked in and dealt with a particular job or industry. Having an industry insider or two to offer opinions, guest posts, and tips can be a great way to draw followers to your blog and often gives your blog more credibility as well.
5. Expertise
Similar to being an industry insider, having a certain level of knowledge or expertise that pertains to your subject matter can help you draw an audience to your blog. If you aren’t an expert in the field, consider utilizing an expert or two for posts and tips. Experts can also add credibility to your blog.
6. Enticements
You might want to consider gathering a group of followers to your blog with the lure of freebies, prizes, and similar enticements. While you should ensure that you don’t go overboard by offering more than you can, or are willing to give away, people often go wild for free stuff and prizes, and this can be a great way to bring followers to your site.
7. How To
Writing ‘how to’ posts or tutorials can be a hit with readers. If you have experience with the topics you are writing on, giving helpful hints and structured posts on how to do certain things can be a great draw for your blog.
8. Utilize Graphics and Videos
While you probably don’t want to overpopulate your site with too many odds and ends, using graphics, cartoons, and videos can be a great way to break the monotony of text posts. Choose your graphics carefully though, watching out for copyright infringement or stuffing your site with too many videos or pictures.
9. Personalize Your Content
Personalizing a portion of your content is another great way to entice followers to your blog. While in all likelihood you will have to maintain a certain level of professionalism, tossing in a few stories, using personal examples, and explaining situations you have encountered related to your blog’s subject matter can help to humanize your site. And while you don’t want to completely diminish your credibility, people often like to know they aren’t alone when they make mistakes. Explaining issues you have had or mistakes you have learned from can make people feel better and when done in the right way can teach important lessons and often be quite humorous as well.
10. Be Creative
If you’re trying to attract followers, in order to differentiate yourself from the crowd, you’ll likely have to be a little creative. Consider ways in which you can set your blog and content apart from similar blogs or look for a niche that has yet to be filled (or at least filled completely). By coming up with creative posts or ideas for topics, you could find yourself building a large blog following.
This is a guest post written by Tom Walker who writes and designs for a supplier of HP Deskjet inks, paper and printing accessories. For more of his writing on design and technology, visit their blog.
I like to use humor and personal anecdotes to break the monotony of a post, especially if it’s a really serious topic. I haven’t really got into conducting interviews, but it’s something I know I really need to start doing.
One thing I do to try and make my posts unique and memorable is the use of images. I find that many people in my niche just don’t bother. So it’s something I can do to help set my blog apart and add visual appeal.
Joella
I think adding your own anecdotes make the world of difference. People like to read about ‘people’ – some of my most viewed blog posts have been where I have shared a personal (not too personal) story of some-sort.
Again, I agree with your ‘images’ comment. I can spend – what feels like a long time – to find the right image.
Andrew
Yap! You are right interview is one of the best options to increase follower. It will more benefit when you will take interview of a highly professional blogger that time you can get more followers.
Chris
Plus you can get the interviewer to promote the blog post as well.
Andrew
I have to agree that Top ?? lists and how to’s are the best posts or topics to write about on a blog. People love reading them, and for some reason, they get picked up by the search engines pretty quick also.
I have not made any yet, go figure, but if anyone does write them lots, eHow is a great place for you to publish them after you post them on your blog.
Great blog you have, lots of information.
.-= Trevor Bandura´s last blog ..Using Google Alerts To Increase Website Traffic =-.
Trevor
What’s stopping you writing such blog posts?
Agree with eHow – I use them – make the post unique as well as you do have to re-write them to fit the eHow structure.
Andrew
Like Joella, I also sometimes try to use humor in my posts as well as personlize them as much as possible. I’m just not sure that my readers always get my humor 🙂 That’s the problem, you can’t see how the readers react to your writings and not all of them leaves a comment – and even if they did, written words often lack important information when trying to “read” somebody.
.-= Klaus @ TechPatio´s last blog ..Aperture 3 Brushes – A Quick Demonstration =-.
Klaus,
Long time, no comment! How are you?
Welcome back…
Yes – it is hard to really know what someone is saying with words.
Carry on adding humor – if someone didn’t like it – they would soon tell you.
Andrew
This is some inspiring stuff. I build general sites right now but would love to put more time into my personal blog, maybe even make some money off of it. I’ll definitely keep all this in mind for the future.
.-= Josiah@Halo Reach´s last blog ..realtime =-.
Josiah
What’s stopping you putiing in more time into your personal blog?
Andrew
Hi guys, glad you liked the post! I’ve found that adding humour really holds a reader’s attention…it keeps them interested and they always come back to your blog for a good laugh! Keeping your reader involved is incredibly important.
I’m still green in blogging and these great tips will be bookmarked in my bible. Thks for sharing! 🙂
.-= Noel@SimpleandFun´s last blog ..Job Satisfaction Theory =-.
Noel,
I hope they make a difference.
Andrew
For me , the best thing is consistent content , and full disclosure. Most people want to know what you’re doing, and also want to know what you’re doing, the good bad and ugly. With financial type blogging, showing numbers is always pretty neat.
I agree adding humor makes a huge difference, i use it many of my posts, people just love it. Very informative post thank you. Cheers!
I need to incorporate more humor into my writing. As I get used to writing more blog posts, I’ll be able to find the right style that works best for me.
.-= Jack | Online Marketing Blog´s last blog ..Do You Use These Top 3 Ways to Monetize Your Blog? =-.
Jack,
It will come naturally. Don;t try to hard otherwise it could come across as false.
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
As usual, thanks for the great guidelines from you. I just starting out, few months ago, but it seems there is lots of obstacle for me to overcome, especially handling a niche blog like mine. Thanks and cheers…
Terrence,
You are welcome. I’m glad I can help.
Andrew
I think the list post is a great idea for blogging. I have seen a lot of blogs using the list post in their blog. They successfully invite a lot of people to leave a comment and subscribe to the blog.
.-= Kok Siong Chen´s last blog ..Anti-angiogenic Therapy to Treat Cancer =-.
Kok,
List type blog posts always attract a lot of people because they provide a lot of info in an interesting way.
Andrew
#4 is one of my faves, as personal experience is HUGE. Readers always want to know…have YOU done it? I know I always ask.
Of course you must always point out, what worked for me may not work for others.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..$100 – 10 Winners – Comment Contest! ‘Till Months End… =-.
Dennis
Very true…there are so many people who try and sell suff via the internet who have no clue or have never used the stuff themselves.
Andrew
It is a very useful post, thanks for sharing it, i have never thinking about adding humors in my posts, think i will change that. ^^
.-= Sushie´s last blog ..To lose 4 to 6 pounds =-.
Sushie
Come back and share you best post wiht humor in!
Andrew
Perusing at your list, I’ve realized that I’m missing a lot of good strategy to build my followings. Perhaps I should adopt some of your concepts here and fortify the success of my blog.
Thanks for sharing this useful information on such newbies like me. 🙂
Walter,
I hope one or two of the points help…
Andrew
Thanks for the great tips, I have been icorporating some of them in my blog but you did really give me some points that I have been missing out. E.g. I have never tried out with humour till now
.-= Eaun@WP Shopping Pages´s last blog ..WP Shopping Pages Plugin – Create your own affiliate store using WordPress =-.
Eaun,
I hope the humor works…come back and tell us what happens!
Andrew
Nice Post- I have only been blogging for a few months- There are a few ideas here that I am definitely planning to incorporate soon. Specifically, Humor, Video and “How to”.
Thanks!
Kenny
Make sure you come back and show off your new type posts…
Andrew
.-= Andrew @ Blogging Guide´s last blog ..How to Ask to Get Ahead =-.
Being creative can be one of your powerful sites. However, there are viewers such as blind people who cannot appreciate it. I think the content is the most powerful of them all.
I also sometimes try to use humor in my posts as well as personlize them as much as possible. I’m just not sure that my readers always get my humor 🙂 That’s the problem, you can’t see how the readers react to your writings and not all of them leaves a comment – and even if they did, written words often lack important information when trying to “read” somebody.detectives in hyderabad
…so perhaps try video as well?
Andrew
The Top 10 lists have helped me much . I would like to add a point, giveaways and interviews can also give a blog much needed bump up .
Karan
Great point and I agree.
Andrew