At the workshop in Southeast Texas this week, the question came up several times about how to get readership on your blog? How do you get your blog out there? How do you become a part of the conversation that I keep talking about? I talked through a number of strategies with the group, but realized that I have probably never written this down. So here goes, some tips on getting your voice out there.
- Write and write and write. This was the advice that I received, and it worked. Even though people aren’t reading initially, just keep writing — and they will come.
- Read and comment. Find bloggers who are talking about the same issues you are, and comment on their ideas. In most blogs, you are asked to type your URL when you post a comment, and that URL is linked to your name. Use your blog address for the URL, and it provides a link to your blog.
- Read and blog. If what you have to say about another blogger’s ideas is more involved or dramatic, then write it in your blog. Be sure to link to the entry you are commenting on. Then post a comment on the entry you read with an introduction, and point (link) readers back to your blog for the complete story.
- Register your blog on Technorati. It is a bit of a technical endeavor, but probably worth an afternoon of self-teaching.
- Put your blog address on your business card, and hand it out. Add your blog address on your e-mail signature file.
- Attend blogger meetups. Chances are there is a group of area bloggers in your local who meet monthly. Attend some of the meetings. They probably do not blog the same issues that you do, but there is much to learn from people who are looking in other directions.
- Think of your blog as your magazine, your company, publishing house. When you talk with people you do not know, introduce yourself as Bob Snodgrasse of Snodgrasse News. Or, I’m Bob Snodgrasse, and I publish a blog called Snodgrasse News.
Other tips?
Image Citation
~C4Chaos, “Blogging Station From Hell.” !C4Chaos’ Photostream. 7 Aug 2004. 4 Aug 2006 <http://flickr.com/photos/coolmel/160730/>.
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