Jacob Share is running a BIG group project, Breeding Blog Subscribers. I’m looking forward to seeing the results – there should be hundreds of great tips.
It’s been said over and over that outstanding content attracts blog subscribers. I’ve always thought that makes sense. An attractive blog design and clever online promotion attract first-time visitors, but it’s the content that brings them back. Here are a few things you can do with your content to attract subscribers.
1. Write to encourage comments and conversation. This is a whole topic unto itself, so I’ll simply refer you to a few experts, because bloggers who are skilled in this area have lots of subscribers. Some of my favorite conversationalist bloggers are Liz Strauss, Joanna Young, Yvonne Russell, and Karen Swim.
2. If you post often, keep them short. Few readers have the time to digest 500+ word posts on a daily basis.
3. If you post infrequently — say, once a week — it’s OK to write long posts, as long as they have substance.
4. Stay on topic. This has always been a challenge for me. But I think people are more likely to subscribe when they know what to expect.
5. Edit. Some bloggers spend as much time editing a post as they do writing the first draft. Careful editing tightens up and connects ideas, making it easier for readers to follow your thoughts.
6. Support your ideas with examples and facts. Naked opinions don’t carry much weight.
7. Tell stories. Blogs are an excellent medium for stories, and storytelling has universal appeal. Robert Hruzek is an excellent storyteller — take a look.
8. Write post titles carefully. A great title will keep a great post from being overlooked. You may find this post on writing blog post titles helpful.
I’m sure my list is far from complete. How do you put quality into your blog content?
Thanks for sponsoring this project, Jacob!
Hi Brad
Thanks for the mention. I’m pleased to be included in this illustrious list. Conversation is one of the things I love about blogging. Reading other people’s perspectives on things is fascinating and instructive.
Best of all, is when the commenters converse with each other in the comment thread too, or take the conversation a step further on their own blogs.
As for putting quality into blog content, a lot of it for me is intuitive rather than strategic – a sense of what people are interested in at the time, and what I am interested in exploring too.
Hi Yvonne, You’re making a great point, that quality is intuitive, more art than science. Some people have a knack for hitting on just the right topic in just the right way – kind of the how some people have a knack for picking out the perfect gift for a loved one or friend. Can that be explained? Perhaps it’s a good topic for future discussion!
Thanks for joining in the contest, Brad, with a great list of tips. You might be the first entrant to focus on the writing side of things, very smart.
Hi Brad, thank you so much for including me in the list! This is a great list. One of the things I have learned is to remain true to your voice. You can imitate others for a time but eventually you will not be able to sustain it. Hanging out and learning from other smart bloggers also doesn’t hurt!
Hi Brad,
thanks for the list. I will concentrate on the “tell stories” and “post titles” points. And I try to learn from you and the other bloggers you named.
Brad,
I really like your second point.
As a reader of other blogs, I agree with you. Indeed, whenever I am reading new blogs, one of the first things I do is scroll down and see how long the post is. If its too long, I just won’t read it.
However, as much as I agree with you on this point, I have considerable difficulty in applying brevity to my writing.
I typically adopt a target length of 300-500 words per post. However, I find that even after an intense editing process, my posts are rarely reduced to much less than 750 words.
Learning to write in a more concise fashion will be a very interesting challenge for me personally during the next year or so.
Cheers
Andrew
Jacob, I’m looking forward to reading your other entries, because I need help in areas outside content. Ulla, you have already accomplished a lot, blogging in two languages! Did you ever write a post about that? Karen, excellent point about voice. It takes a while, doesn’t it? I’m still working on it after 3+ years of blogging. Andrew, your posts are incredibly meaty, and I don’t know if you want to change that. Maybe break up your posts into a series? You might want to add summary posts that just bullet point the main ideas. In fact, in your case I could see posting the summary ahead of the detailed post(s). That way, readers curious about a given topic could be on the lookout for coming attractions.
Brad, I Stumbled this for you:
http://groupwriting.stumbleupon.com/review/23421036/
Thanks Jacob – what a guy!
Thanks for the tips, Brad.