Plenty of people create a blog and then find that it feels more like they’re talking to themselves or shouting into the void of the internet. Ideally, your blog posts should generate comments, conversations, and even arguments – this kind of engagement will fuel your site, attract a larger audience, and even allow you to earn money through your blogging hobby. Creating engagement isn’t always an easy process but it certainly can be done. Follow these tips to make your blog feel more like a family, and less like you’re writing just for the sake of it.
- Bring readers in. You don’t have to be an expert in marketing to learn how to attract an audience online, but some research and specialist advice is often necessary if you really want to build a community on your blog. Using google adwords to generate more clicks through to your site is a great start. You should also make sure that your website and blog posts are SEO-friendly, or potential readers may miss you altogether.
- Promote yourself. To become a truly successful blogger, you have to create a brand. You’ll need to get the word out about your blog, share your content around the web, and get as many eyes as possible on your posts. This involves promoting your brand using social media marketing. Focus on the platforms that your audience is most likely to use and get to know how they work so that you can make the most of what they offer.
- Give your readers something new. There are so many blogs online today that it can be difficult to attract attention. Many readers are already saturated with information, so it’s crucial to give them something fresh to look at. Whether that’s interesting new graphics, advice on an issue that you have personal experience with, or data that you’ve uncovered and have written about, make sure it’s unique to your blog.
- Keep the content shareable. When you begin writing blog posts and sharing across social media, try to create content that you yourself would share with the people you know. Funny memes are often popular in this sense, as well as articles that tackle a political issue that’s currently being widely discussed.
- Know your audience. If you don’t know who’s reading your blog, how will you know what to post? Do your research, examine the analytics for your site, and get to know exactly who your regular reader is. This will make it far easier to create content that they’re likely to respond to in some way.
- Make sure your site is reader-friendly. Good web design can make or break a blog. How user-friendly is your website? Is the content clear and easy to read, or is it obscured by ads or odd visuals? Clean up your website so that readers want to read and respond.
- Ask for engagement. If you want something, it’s usually sensible to ask for it. Every time you post content on your blog, nudge your readers to respond in some way. Ask them a question or encourage them to share their own experiences with the topic you’re discussing. This should hopefully spark a conversation in the comment section – just remember to respond and get involved yourself.