Whether you just started a new blog or you’ve been blogging for a while, finding new readers can be quite a challenge. One time or another in your blogging endeavor, particularly during the early days, you might be in the situation where you are the only reader of your blog. What is the point in blogging if your blog looks like a barren desert with no other readers besides yourself, Right?
More readers mean more comments; which is a great way to create the first impression on the visitors that stumble upon your blog and turn them into your loyal readers.
Today I would like to present forward some of the awesome techniques I use and some that I definitely need to focus more on to get more readers in my blog. I know these techniques are going to come in real handy for you to increase the number of readers in your blog as well.
Increasing your readers is all about creating enough momentum that leads to elevated traction to help you get to a certain point where your blog has a healthy number of consistent readers. There are many ways this can be achieved but when the techniques I mention here are applied repeatedly, you get to a point where you gather enough momentum, traction and hence increase your reader base.
So, without further ado, let’s get straight to the point:
1) Be steady in publishing contents online:
It is only logical that the more steadily you publish contents online, whether in your own blog or as guest posts, the more momentum you gather. This is crucial if your blog is still in its early stages.
You don’t have to publish relevant articles online every day. Having said that, writing every day for a certain period of time or certain words in a sitting is a great blogging habit to foster – Honestly, this is something that I still struggle with due to the lack of time. Keeping your blog fresh and updated regularly with new and interesting contents is important to create that required adhesion. If you don’t update your blog regularly you will lose the momentum as your readers will start losing interest in your blog.
I did talk about guest posting above and you probably know about this already but just in case let me remind you again – Guest posting is a cool technique to expose your brand online and gather more visitors. Steadily publishing guest posts on popular blogs over an extended period of time is a surefire way to increase your readership.
2) Write keystone articles regularly:
I talked about the necessity of publishing contents regularly in your own blog and as guest posts in order to create enough momentum. But to create more momentum rapidly you need to write keystone articles as often as you can.
Keystone, Flagship, Cornerstone, Pillars, MVP articles whatever you want to call them; these articles are usually long, tutorial style articles that are loaded with tips and advice that help solve your reader’s problems. This article you are reading right now and the numerous other articles like the how to articles published in this blog are good examples of keystone articles. These articles are not time dependent; they are evergreen and are helpful for your audience even after years from when they are created.
Now, each and every one of your articles doesn’t need to be keystone but these articles are the foundation or pillars for your blog so the more you create them the better it is.
3) Domain name, content management and publishing software:
Personally, I think that both the domain name and the content management software you use plays a significant role in your blog’s growth from the start.
If you are serious about blogging, get a catchy domain name that your readers can easily remember. I wouldn’t suggest worrying too much on having the keyword(s) in the domain name but if you do have a relevant keyword, it certainly adds value to your site.
Now comes the part about content management and the publishing software. There are handfuls of free software you can use for this but I strongly suggest you go for WordPress because this is by far the best content management and online publishing software available up to date. WordPress makes your job a piece of cake.
4) Encourage comments in your blog:
Encouraging comments in your blog is without any doubt the easiest thing you can do to increase the number of readers in your blog. Asking questions in your posts and suggesting your readers to share their insights are 2 fantastic ways to get more comments. More comments means more people are likely to check out what you publish – creating a domino effect and hence increasing your reader base.
Furthermore, replying to your comments also greatly benefits in gathering more readers. Using plugins like commentluv, dofollow and so on also helps optimize your comments for more traffic and readers.
5) Commenting on other blogs:
Leaving insightful comments on other blogs, especially the ones that are similar to your blog, is another great way to build momentum that enables you to amass more readers.
Blog commenting is an easy way to advertise your brand online. This greatly enhances your chances of being found by your potential readers online and can be the difference maker especially if you just started your blogging endeavor.
6) Linking to other blogger’s articles:
Also referred as trackbacks, linking to other blogger’s post as a reference is a great way to get their attention and have them check out what you have written.
Just like comments, trackbacks leave a link in the post you referenced, enabling the visitors of that post to come check out what you say. Plus the blog owner, whose article you used as a reference, may reciprocate and link to one of your own blog posts down the line helping you gather more readers.
7) Be a purple cow:
You may have heard about becoming a purple cow to stand out of the blogging crowd. This term is derived from a very popular book by Seth Godin – Purple Cow. Being a purple cow means being remarkable, taking risks, stepping outside the box and doing things that your competitions are not doing or are scared to do.
It is about being innovative, original and courageous in order to be readily seen amongst all the bloggers in the ever crowded blogosphere.
This list I presented above is certainly not the only things that you can do to get more blog readers. Gathering extensive blog readers take a lot of time. Plus, it is all about trying out various things and finding out what works best for you in order to create enough momentum and the necessary traction. With time being so limited, you may need to find a sweet balance on using the various techniques together to increase your blog’s readers.
What are the tactics you use to gather more readers for your blog?
Please feel free to comment down below and add your thoughts and insights. Plus, if you like this article Tweet it, share it in Facebook or your favorite social media outlets.
Here’s to your successful blogging endeavor!
-Adam Paudyal.
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Before you go...
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I created this blog to chronicle the success and failures of my various online endeavors and to share with you the knowledge I gain along the way... 
thanks for this post Adam. By having more traffic, we could have more readers but it’s not enough. We as bloggers should write good content to get more and more readers too!
Fazal recently posted..5 WordPress Plugins That Will Make Your Blog Load Faster
Fazal, right on man!
At the end of the day, it is about publishing relevant content online – not just any content but keystone content that is going to make you the purple cow.
Thanks for tuning in brother!
Hope to see ya around more often (O:
Hey Adam,
Seems to me that like a winning formula to getting more readers.
And I think you are well on your way to becoming a purple cow… so keep it coming!
Like you I too struggle with writing regular. Finding time is definitely an issue, but ultimately it’s not my priority so it can take a back seat. But I think as long as you are consistent and mix it with other marketing techniques then you can still get he readership you want.
My thinking lately is I would rather write one kick a** article a week than three mediocre.
Anyway, great stuff as always.
All the best.
P.S. Thanks for the link luv…much appreciated.
Michele Welch recently posted..Are You Ready To Become The Purple Cow
Michele, It is always a great privilege to link to your articles.
Time is certainly an issue for everyone, as far as I can tell. Here lately, I have been thinking the same; ya know, it is way beneficial to publish quality content once a week rather that 3-4 BS posts.
As I haven’t been publishing as frequently as I used to, I have noticed that the number of comments have dropped but strangely enough the number of blog readers are steadily increasing (O:
Thank you for the kind words Michele – It sure is very motivating.
Talk to you soon!
Hey Adam,
All are essential and important tips but writing keystones regularly can bring us further.
Time is definitely not on our side when we are holding a full time. What we need to do is to compensate with our patience and hard work.
You are doing well and fine. I am sure you are on the way there. Just keep going brother.
Lye
Lye Kuek Hin recently posted..6 Signs Your Blog Is Heading For Its Death And Small Suggestion To Revive It
With time being limited, finding a sweet balance between all the various techniques that works for us is necessary. And like you mentioned, hard work and patience is essential if one is to find any kind of success. After all, success is a process.
About the keystone articles Lye; this is what truly separates a blogger from the rest of the blogging crowd.
Thank you Lye. You Rock brother!
This is not for print. Been noticing your usage of the word “contents”. This is a strange word in English. Its plural form is is used to denote things inside. Its singular form is used to denote wording inside. What you put into your site is correctly called the singular – “content”.
This’ll get you closer to that ice cream. Don’t get me wrong, i still ain’t sharing.
Ha ha…Thanks for pointing this out brother.
I definitely need to keep that in mind when using the word content(s) again.
Appreciate it!
I still want that yummy ice-cream though. It is only fair that you share your ice-cream because you done made my mouth water (O:
Hey Adam:
So many wonderful strategies for more readers, that you have mad a complete system of how to get more readers. Each strategy you have mentioned has solid value and has a system of its own.
Make it great for yourself.
Fran A
Fran Aslam From Onlinewriter recently posted..Deep Link And SEO Search Engines
Thanks Fran for the kind words.
I am glad you think the strategies mentioned in this post have solid values.
Appreciate you taking time out of your hectic schedule to leave your thoughts.
Rock on!
Hi Adam
I think you covered most of the important aspects of getting readers to our blogs. I find by blog commenting and interacting on Twitter has brought me a lot of traffic and when the topic being discussed is one people are interested in, the comments come too.
On saying that, for me at the moment I am concentrating on grwoing my business. So ironically, the last 2 posts have had less comments but more sales LOL
Still have fair amount of comments and lots of interaction but just thought that was interesting to note. enjoyed the post Adam. Thanks for sharing.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia recently posted..The Clue’s in the Lavender Brew
Pat; I am glad yo shared what is going on ‘behind the scenes’ of your blog. Comments are always good but more sales is definitely better (O:
Blog commenting is a great tactic but I know many bloggers can’t implement this tactic as much as they would like to because it can be very time consuming.
Now about twitter and other social media outlets, I have noticed that I get visitors from them but they are rarely targeted. I know I need to spend more time on my social media strategies. Great to hear that twitter is working out real good for you Pat.
Keep on rocking!
Those are definitely some great ways to get more visitors to your blog. I cannot disagree with you there.
I do my best to write about topics that I believe will be helpful to my readers. From time to time I like to just share stories or something a little different. But I know that I have a pretty good following now and with each new month it continues to grow. I definitely believe I’m on the right path. There is still room for improvement though.
Thanks for these tips and for reminding me of a few areas I could step it up. Appreciate it Adam. Hope all is well with you.
Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted..11 Free Really Cool SEO Tools
There would always be room for improvements Adrienne no matter how successful we are (O: Don’t you agree?
I love your blogging approach Adrienne. You are one of the best bloggers that I am familiar with. You have so much to offer and the way you relay them in your post is simply AMAZING!
Keep on Rocking!
People who don’t post regularly have less chances to attract new users and to determine old users to come back.
p.s. A purple cow..you mean a Milka cow
Milka cow indeed Mia (O:
I wonder what happened to the Milka brand of chocolates. Ya know, I have never seen a Milka chocolate in real life, just heard about them. Do they still sell these chocolates nowadays?
Here in Europe we have plenty of Milka chocolates with different flavors, and even biscuits and hot chocolate. Milka is a top brand in my country, and I have to admit that Swiss chocolate is the best.
Swiss chocolate (O:
Now that is a hell yeah!
Purple cows indeed!! This is a good post and I said recently that just Blogging and Blogging is NOT the answer! Content without an audience is just words and pictures, marketing your Blog is as important as writing stuff people want to read and that they will recommend. I’m following you on StumbleUpon, it’s a great place to be!! Check out the Facebook group, Blogging Mastermind Comment Tribe, just mention my name and they’ll let you join, you’ll meet great Bloggers there!! Good work!1 Regards Peter (Make sure you back up your Blog!)
A blog without any readers is definitely a big waste of time and effort (O:
Peter; thanks for tuning in brother. Appreciate it!
I hope to see you around more often.
I find it hard to be steady with the articles. That’s because there are some days when i can’t access a PC.
I did encourage comments on one of my blogs though, by allowing do-follow links. I only made the changes a week ago, so it’s still in the testing phase.
Maria Pavel recently posted..CNA Training in Connecticut
Maria; I guess we are on the same page about being in front of the PC.
You know; because of my stressful 7 day regular job and a 6 months old youngen at the house, there are days when I can’t be on a computer, period! The tactic I currently use to counter this problem is carry a small notebook 24/7…yup even in my sleep(O: and write whatever comes in my head relating to what I want to talk about in my blog.
This seems to work wonders for me as I later assort whatever I think is relevant when I get to sit in front of the computer and publish it. Plus, I am also making a habit of creating more than one article in one sitting.
I have already gone through about 27 small notebooks ever since I started blogging. But hey; this tactic seems to work for me regarding the time constraint I face almost daily.
Good thing you are testing out what works for you Maria.
You have a great weekend!
I can understand what you mean, i actually carry a pocket book with me all the time becaue i keep getting ideas popping up wherever i am, and i always forget them by the time i get home. So i bought 5 or 6 pocket books to make sure i have one on me at all times
Maria Pavel recently posted..CNA Certification
That’s a good tip Maria. I most often get ideas to write blogs on certain topics when I am away from my PC. I mostly fail to record them in a book and finally that doesn’t become a blog post as it eventually slips away.
Cheolsu recently posted..FaceB
Yup!
I don’t know what I would do without them (O:
[...] more readers for your blog. If you haven’t had a chance to read the first post in the series, 7 Sure-fire Ways To Find More Blog Readers, I highly recommend you do [...]
I guess that to be able to find more blog readers, blog owners should also talk how they benefited on the things that they are sharing/posting. I think that if people could read your success-story stuffs, they might realize that they can also do it same way you did. They could keep coming back to you for more and might refer you to some readers as well.
Justine recently posted..Best hair Straighteners
I agree Justine.
I believe a blogger becomes successful when he/she can relay his/her success stories effectively in blog posts and also have facts to back up the stories.
later..
Comments can help everybody whether it’s a commenting activity for your blog or for other’s blog. The most important is for you to have an interaction in order for you to build a better relationship to other people who can eventually help you make your blog successful.
Samantha Dermot recently posted..How To Stop Grinding Your Teeth – 3 Easy Steps
Very well said Samantha.
One more reason as to why we should surround ourselves with successful people and people that are motivated and dedicated to succeed (O:
Hi Adam,
Very good info you have going on in this post. Sure does help to know these things if you’re lost in getting traffic to your blog.
All these points are important but if you don’t comment on other blogs I believe you are losing out on commentators coming to your blog.
By blog hopping and commenting on other blogs you also learn a lot there is to know about your given topic.
Terry Conti
Terry Conti recently posted..The Fuel to Reach your Goals
Terry,
I really appreciate you stopping by brother.
I agree 100% (O:
Talk soon!
Hi Adam,
Nice post.Thanks for sharing 7 Sure-fire Ways to find more blog readers.All points are helpful but I like the most in point number 5 as blog commenting is an easy way to advertise our brand online.
waterpearls recently posted..FREE Micfo hosting for 6 months
Well blog hopping, actually reading other people’s post and leaving great insights is not an easy thing if the available time is limited. But the best thing about this is you don’t even have to spend a penny advertizing your brand online.
That the beauty of a blog at it’s finest (O:
Consistent posting into your blog can cause you pain, but it can absolutely encourage more blog readers. In the long run, you will surely get their loyalty as your follower especially if you are to post good topics in your blog.
Michael recently posted..Panasonic Prestige NN-SD997S- 22cuft 1250 Watt Sensor Microwave Oven- Stainless Steel
Michael,
I believe we have to integrate blogging into our daily routine in order to be a successful blogger. That is one key mindset that helps me juggle between blogging and my other daily activities.
[...] 1. 7 Sure-fire Ways To Find More Blog Readers. [...]
Thank you that is very helpful! I am starting a blog at the moment and I have looked at many articles about blogging but yours is straight to the point! Thanks!
[...] my post 7 Sure-Fire Ways To Find More Blog Readers I talked about how frequently creating keystone articles is the key to attract more readers. I use [...]