{"id":7665,"date":"2016-04-05T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-05T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=7665"},"modified":"2016-04-14T20:36:57","modified_gmt":"2016-04-15T01:36:57","slug":"how-to-get-people-to-read-your-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/?p=7665","title":{"rendered":"How to Get People to Read Your Blog: 5 Savvy Strategies You Can Apply Today"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So you\u2019ve <a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/how-to-start-a-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\">started a blog<\/a>. Congratulations! You\u2019ve joined <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/managewp.com\/14-surprising-statistics-about-wordpress-usage\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">roughly 74 million others<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and that\u2019s <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">just <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">counting those who use WordPress.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>(If you <em>still<\/em> haven&#8217;t started a blog, we highly recommend heading over to <a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/go\/bluehost-start\" target=\"_blank\">Bluehost<\/a> to set one up right now!)<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many people believe <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">starting a blog<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is the most challenging part of the process. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And believe me, I know starting a blog is nothing to sneeze at. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But when you start a blog, you feel excited and motivated. In your early days of blogging, the momentum of trying something new and different keeps you going.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>The most difficult part of blogging is what happens (or what <\/b><b><i>doesn\u2019t <\/i><\/b><b>happen) next: Getting people to actually read your blog.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cIf you build it, they will come,\u201d some say. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2026Not necessarily. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to create a blog that will last for the long haul, build community, perhaps even make money and help you achieve your goals, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is where the hard work begins. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>You need to get people to actually read your blog. Here\u2019s how to do it.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Write amazing content<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First and foremost, your content needs to be amazing. <\/span><b>There are way too many blogs out there with mediocre content. Yours needs to be better. <\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are several different ways to write blog content \u2014 and some may prove more effective than others. Consider these types of posts to provide value to your audience and keep them coming back for more.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><b><b><b><b>Content roundups: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/raise-brand-awareness-epic-roundup\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">content roundup<\/span><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/raise-brand-awareness-epic-roundup\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2014<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> an authoritative post that lists the top 100 or another number of your choice whatevers (people, products, pieces of advice, podcasts, photos, websites, etc.) in your industry or niche \u2014 is an excellent tactic to send traffic your way, create authority and build lasting relationships.<\/span><\/b><\/b><\/b><\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Weekly or monthly features: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developing a regular feature, whether weekly or monthly, is a great way to let your audience know what consistency they can expect from you.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example, every Sunday I post a feature on my blog called <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/jessicalawlor.com\/category\/start-your-week-right-sunday\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cStart Your Week Right Sunday\u201d<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where I highlight five to seven awesome links I found throughout the week and share my goals for the week ahead. It gives me the chance to highlight other awesome bloggers (like the content roundup idea above) and gives me at least one post idea per week to keep the content flowing.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b><b><b><b><b><b>Personal posts: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to blogging, don\u2019t be afraid to get personal. When you open up and allow yourself to be vulnerable, you show your audience you\u2019re human. It will be easier to develop true relationships with your audience if you are willing to share it all: The good, the bad and everything in between.<\/span><\/b><\/b><\/b><\/b><\/b>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><b>Massively useful <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/ultimate-guides\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>guides<\/b><\/a><b> or how-to posts: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating a tell-all guide or an epic how-to post is a simple way to gain credibility and help your audience by giving them information they need to know at the same time. These types of posts tend to do well over time because they usually rank high in search.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Spend just as much time marketing your content as you do writing it<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you publish a blog post, the work is far from over. The only way people are going to know you have new content is if you tell them! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Time to put on your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/quick-social-media-tips-for-writers\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">marketing<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> hat.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Follow the \u201crule of three\u201d: When you create a piece of content, promote your new piece of content in at least three different places, at minimum, to make the writing worth your while and to ensure your content is actually being read.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some places you can share your content:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Facebook:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Share your post on your personal page, on your brand page if you have one, and in <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">relevant Facebook groups<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where sharing is allowed.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><b>Twitter:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Draft several different versions of tweets to promote one post. Use tools like Hootsuite or Buffer to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/quick-social-media-tips-for-writers\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">schedule tweets<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> far into the future to ensure your post is being promoted over a longer period of time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><b><b><b><b><b><b>Instagram: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Post a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/10-instagram-feeds-to-follow-right-now\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">relevant photo or blog graphic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Instagram and change the link in your Instagram profile to the link of the blog post you\u2019re currently promoting.<\/span><\/b><\/b><\/b><\/b><\/b>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><b>LinkedIn:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Create a status update or consider republishing part of the post using <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/quick-social-media-tips-for-writers-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">LinkedIn\u2019s powerful publishing platform<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Include a link back to your site at the beginning and end of the post to let readers know where the content originally appeared.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><b><b><b><b><b><b>Pinterest. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Include a photo or graphic with each post so that your content is Pinterest-friendly. Pin your posts to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/pinterest-writing-portfolio\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">specific blog board or other relevant board<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> within your Pinterest account.<\/span><\/b><\/b><\/b><\/b><\/b>&nbsp;<\/li>\n<li><b>Snapchat: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re active on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/quick-social-media-tips-for-writers-part-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Snapchat,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> take a photo of your blog post or create a short video talking about your latest post and encouraging viewers to check out your blog.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Start building your email list, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">now<\/span><\/i><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best thing a new blogger can do is start building your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/start-an-email-newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">email list<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the get-go. Even if you don\u2019t plan to use it right away, starting to collect email addresses is crucial for building a community that trusts and allows you into their precious space: Their email inboxes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I recommended getting started \u00a0started with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/build-an-email-list-platforms\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mailchimp<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It\u2019s relatively user friendly and free for up to 2,000 subscribers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Begin collecting email address on your website by adding call-to-action boxes with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hellobar.com\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HelloBar<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, an awesome lead generation tool that appears at the top of your website. Include an invitation to join your list at the end of each of your blog posts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to get even more people to join your list? <\/span><b>Offer them a freebie<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, commonly known as an opt-in or lead magnet. Your lead magnet can be as simple as a one-page PDF checklist or as complex as an ebook, course or video series. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think about it this way: Your audience likely spends a lot of time in their inboxes already. When they share their email addresses with you, you increase the chances of them reading your content because you\u2019re reaching them in their own personal space, rather than through a social media account or RSS feed.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Figure out simple SEO<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m no SEO expert, but knowing basic principles can help you think differently when crafting blog post headlines and content to help your post rise in search rankings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are easy things you can do to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/get-more-blog-traffic\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">help your SEO<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> like choosing a keyword, crafting straightforward headlines, adding images to your post, and using numbers, subheads or bullets for easy reading.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re using WordPress, add a plugin like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wordpress-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yoast SEO<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help your post perform better in Google\u2019s eyes. Yoast allows you to preview what your post will look like on Google and allows you to select a keyword and change a post\u2019s meta title and description to help boost your post on search. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yoast uses a handy traffic-light image (green=awesome, yellow=getting there, and red=room for improvement) to show how well your post is prepped in terms of SEO before you publish.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Consider guest blogging on sites you admire<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guest blogging is perhaps one of the top ways to get people to actually read your blog.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/6-ways-to-knock-your-next-guest-post-out-of-the-park\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">write a guest post<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for another blog, you\u2019re opening yourself up to a whole new audience of people who don\u2019t yet know who you are, but will likely head over to check out your website if they like your guest content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be smart about where you pitch a guest post. Naturally, you want the blog you\u2019re pitching to have a larger and more established audience than your own. When your pitch is accepted, make sure you write an awesomely useful post and if allowed, link back to your website or relevant posts you\u2019ve written. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once the post is published, be sure to share it as diligently as you\u2019d share your own content and get to know that community by participating in the discussion in the comments section. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similar to guest posting, consider pitching your already-written blog posts to other blogs and websites that are open to republishing or syndicating content. If you write a post you\u2019re proud of, seek another home for that post on a blog that may introduce your work to people who are good candidates for your own community.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Have other ideas to get people to read your blog? Let\u2019s hear them in the comments!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><i>This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase through our links, you\u2019re supporting The Write Life <\/i><i>\u2014 <\/i><i>and we thank you for that!<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you build a blog, readers won\u2019t automatically materialize. Follow these steps to grow a healthy blog audience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":7693,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,5],"tags":[540,617,640,639],"class_list":["post-7665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","category-marketing","tag-how-to-get-people-to-read-your-blog","tag-how-to-get-traffic-to-your-blog","tag-how-to-increase-blog-traffic","tag-how-to-promote-your-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7665\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thewritelife.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}