Increasing the Readership On Your Blog

With everything that we have going on in our lives, it’s no wonder I see so many posts about time management! I must admit that I feel a bit guilty about my hit and miss method of reading other’s blogs. It’s not very fair or efficient. But it seems to be the only way I can get any of them read.

I follow hundreds of bloggers.  There just no way that I can read everything that everyone posts.  What I usually do is scroll through my Reader and pause at what happens to catch my eye.  But even those, if they are too long, I won’t read them. I simply do not have the time.

There are my favorite bloggers (we all have them) that I will actively seek out to see what new thing they’ve posted.

And then there is the never-ending new talent that we run across.  New bloggers or bloggers that I’m just discovering is added to the mix in my Reader.  So my list of bloggers that I follow is being continually added to.

So how can you be sure that your posts will be read? Well, there is no absolute guarantee. But there are several ways to increase the probability. Below are some ideas and suggestions that I’ve learned over several years of blogging. Maybe these ideas will help you too.

1. Post often and post consistently.  If your blog only pops up with new content once in a while, people will lose interest.  I know several bloggers that post several times a day! I don’t know how they have the time.  I try for 5 days a week and I’m lucky if I can keep up with that.  But the advantage that these bloggers have is the number of times their posts will show up in someone’s Reader. If you dangle that carrot in front of your audience enough, you’re bound to get a few nibbles!
2. Use an interesting Post Title.  If your blog post title doesn’t sound interesting, enticing, there’s more chance that people will pass it by.
3. Use photos.  I’ve seen some VERY talented bloggers here that don’t use pictures, at all, with their posts.  The photo will speak for you even if the title or content does not.  Interesting photos will draw in your audience.
4. Interact with other bloggers.  Don’t be shy.  Reach out, read, comment and share what you find here.  WordPress is a community.  Communicate with your neighbors!  These acts of kindness will often be reciprocated, increasing the traffic on your blog.
5. Be kind. Always.  If you have a critique or comment, be sure that it is kind.  This is not the place to get on your soapbox if you happen to disagree with someone’s post.  A constructive critique is one thing, being rude or mean is another.  I follow several bloggers that have VERY different points of view on a number of subjects.  I simply do not comment on those particular posts.  They are entitled to their opinion and voicing that opinion as well, just as I am entitled to mine.  Simply put, mind your manners!
6. Respond. If someone reblogs a post or makes a lovely comment on a post of yours, be sure to respond to that kind gesture! Let them know that you appreciate their input!  Again, mind your manners!
7. Don’t get too long-winded.  If a post is too long, most people simply will not read it, or won’t read all of it.  I find myself skimming through lengthy posts because I don’t have the time to devote to them.

I know this is not a complete list, but I don’t want to be too long-winded.  🙂  Do you have ideas or suggestions that would help people get more readership?  If so, I would love for you to leave a comment below so we can all share our knowledge with others.  What do you think works for you?  

(C) 2019 Penny Wilson

Image by Daria Głodowska from Pixabay