A blog with no reader base is nothing more than a diary. The key to a successful blog is building a reader base and nurturing it into an active reader base.
That means cultivating relationships with your readers. You are sharing a bit of yourself with them in each post. Unless you’re a narcissist, that won’t be very satisfying, and I can almost guarantee it won’t be enough to sustain your blog. You need to get them to share back.
There are many techniques to engage your readers and convert them to contributors. All the most worthwhile techniques are based upon establishing a connection, cemented with trust. You need to give the passive reader a reason to want to engage, by making him comfortable with sharing his point of view.
A blog with no reader base is nothing more than a diary. The key to a successful blog is building a reader base and nurturing it into an active reader base.
Here are 8 tips I have found very helpful as basic building blocks for building and maintaining such a relationship.
8 Critical Tips on Building an Active Reader Base
1. A good start is to provide interesting, entertaining or informative posts. I think this is probably the most important aspect of successful blogging; however, it’s by no means a path to success, by itself.
2. Next, pick a writing style, and stick with it. Don’t be stiff and formal, as very few readers will enjoy reading that. Write like you talk! (I have a thick Texas accent, so it’s not uncommon for me to write in Texan. I reckon ya’ll know where I’m comin’ from with that, right?)
3. You can’t post and forget. If you publish a really great post,hopefully it will generate enough interest to garner comments from some of your blog’s readers. What do you suppose will happen to those readers to whom you don’t respond? What would YOU do if you felt like your comments weren’t appreciated enough to even warrant a response? It’s a safe bet that most of them will look elsewhere. I’m sure that your blog being only one in 126 million isn’t entirely lost on them. They’ll go find another blog, where they feel like their participation is valued. So monitor your blog, and respond to all comments, preferably quickly. The same day is best, a couple of hours are better, when possible. If you work outside the home, but can only blog in the evenings, make that known on your blog. And then, when you get home and have eaten dinner, DO it.
4. There are a number of ways to connect with commenters. First, use their name. “Thanks for weighing in on this, Bill. I can’t agree 100%, but I think you make a valid point about…” connects MUCH better than, “I disagree with (some/much/most) of what you say.”
5. Respect them! They’ve taken the time to not only read your post, but to also respond to it. At the very least, THEY believe they have something worth saying. There are many ways to disagree respectfully, without belittling someone’s opinion or lack of knowledge in a particular area. If you sting them, they won’t return. And others will also read your biting response, and will probably be less likely to comment because of it. Readers are hard to acquire… don’t chase even one away!
6. Engage them! Invite them to participate.
7. Thank them. Don’t be syrupy, but it’s always a good idea to let a commenter know that you appreciate their input, even if you disagree with it. Without them, all you have is a diary. Remember that, and let them know that you realize the distinction.
8. Post regularly, whether it’s daily or weekly, or somewhere in between. Readers will generally only allow themselves to be disappointed two or three times, before they’ll “forget” to check your blog for new material.
In Summary
Pick a blog topic that you’re passionate about. Passion will show in your writing and is contagious.
Decide upon a style for your blog. Will it be instructional, anecdotal, informational? Serious, humorous? Friendly, impersonal?
Respond, and quickly, to your commenters. Always!
Connect with them. Use their name. If they’re regulars, remember little things about them, that let them know you’re connected.
Show them, and their opinions, respect, even if you disagree.
Engage them. Ask their opinion. Invite questions.
Thank them for their contributions. Each. and. every. time.
Post regularly. Pick a comfortable interval and stick with it, whether it’s daily, weekly or something in between.
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Twitter: Benin
Interesting points, Doc. I must say that you’ve summarized the critical points very well. And as you mentioned in your summary passion is the key. In fact, if I might add I’d say that passion for a given topic must form the basis of building a successful blog.
Here’s a question for you though. What about blogs that follow the points you mentioned who still don’t get many comments? What would you say to those bloggers?
Benin recently posted..Blogging Contests-Blog Engage
Twitter: DocSheldon
Hello, Benin, and thanks for chiming in!
First, I agree with you that passion is the cornerstone of a successful blog. I don’t recall ever seeing a blog that had achieved some level of popularity, where the blog owner’s passion wasn’t obvious.
To answer your question, I think the first thing I would say is “Don’t despair!” Often, we tend to think that if we do the right things, the right way, we’ll see the right results. If only it were always that simple!
Then, I would tell them, “Do it right! Build relationships!”
First of all, lasting results are rarely realized immediately. To build a reader base that will stick with you, and will be an active part of your blog, takes time. That means building a relationship with each reader, individually, which obviously won’t take place overnight.
Let me relate an example:
On one of my blogs, I got heavily involved in publicity and fund-raising activities for a young lady that has been dealing with cancer since she was 14, and now needs a bone marrow transplant. I was only one of many volunteers that were aggressively trying to get the word out, and I posted a series of blog posts on the issue. As a result, my average daily visits jumped from around 20, to over 100. Human interest stories can do that.
However, those results were short-lived. Once the series ended, my daily visits dropped back down to around 30 or 40. I think that’s because my new readers, drawn to my blog by a lot of publicity, were invested in their relationship with this young lady, not with me. I hadn’t built any stronger relationships with them myself, so when it was suddenly just me they were seeing, many felt there was no reason to stick around.
Whatever “gimmicks” some might suggest, such as catchy or controversial titles (Two-Headed Man Gives Birth to Spanish-Speaking Crocodile” – a la National Enquirer style), yes, you’ll probably see a short burst of activity. But it won’t last. Establishing a rapport with your readers, engaging them and encouraging their participation… THAT’S what will build a solid reader base. And just as with any relationship, that takes time.
Once you have established those relationships, as long as you’re providing some entertaining or useful information in your posts, your readers will start commenting.
I hope that helps, Benin. Thanks loads for your comment. Great question!
Doc Sheldon recently posted..Just a Little Shameless Begging on Behalf of my Entry
Hey Doc! You make very good points here, especially about creating a rapport with readers. And talking about narcissistic, it felt like you were writing some of your points with specifically me in mind
… sometimes I don’t even see a computer for two days.. hence, the occasional tardiness in responses… I think we often get ourselves stuck in paradigms and we don’t even recognize it. On one hand I would like to have thousands of readers.. on the other, when it takes me three weeks to finish an post, I’m perfectly glad to have even just a couple. I thought the statistics were pretty nifty when I first started… I’ve had maybe 4500 unique visitors… and judging by the fact that 95% of comments I recieve are spam… I have to conclude that about that same percentage of vistors are not real readers… now, I haven’t checked the stats in so long I don’t even remember the password to access them… so I’ll just keep writing, and when there’s time, look for ways, be they technological or clever, to increase readers..
And thanks, Doc, for the post.. your points are now tattooed somewhere up there in the folds of my brain….. and you have my word… no more tardy responses!
Twitter: DocSheldon
Howdy, neighbor! I appreciate you stopping by and baring your soul.
Everyone has their own reason for blogging, and there’s no right or wrong, just what’s right for each of us. I suspect that part of your motivation may be for the catharsis that writing offers some of us.
Regardless, the rapport aspect is critical, I think, to establishing the necessary sense of relationship with our readers, so that they feel comfortable participating. I suppose there are other methods of engaging an audience… pity, rage, empathy… but they’re short-lived results.
With my Madman blog, I was never really concerned about stats, until I started working on Rachel’s situation. Before that, it just didn’t matter to me one way or the other. Since I started my new blog, though, and have started implementing some SEO techniques, I do track them, even though I don’t make them my first priority.
If you’re seeing that much spam, I hope you’re running Akismet on your blog. For me, that has been very effective in catching the vast majority of it. If you’re still seeing a lot, you might try adding the WordPress plug-in, AVH First Defense Against Spam (http://blog.avirtualhome.com/wordpress-plugins/avh-first-defense-against-spam/). Then you can blacklist ‘em, too!
Doc Sheldon recently posted..Just a Little Shameless Begging on Behalf of my Entry
Twitter: Benin
Hi Doc,
Very well put. I agree with you-gimmicks are short lived. Guess you’re right. It takes time and lots of relationship building. Thanks for the chat, Doc!
Benin recently posted..Social MediaSales
Twitter: DocSheldon
Some gimmicks are forgivable, and are kosher, if done right, and not done often.
But I think I’ll stay away from using the Spanish-Speaking Crocodile bit.
I like your Mouse Trap, BTW!
Doc Sheldon recently posted..Just a Little Shameless Begging on Behalf of my Entry
Twitter: Benin
He he he…Great points, Doc. I guess finding that line and knowing how not to cross it is one of the bigger challenges of bringing traffic to your blog.
Thanks for the kind words too. By was just on the SXO Clinic and I’m digging it!
Benin recently posted..Social MediaSales
Good coverage of the basics Doc. I think you gave the best advice right out of the gate. Be entertaining. Sure folks like getting good, and of course free information, but it takes on a whole new aspect when they begin associating your posts with a feeling of enjoyment. Humor is one of the best routes to take, and also one of the most difficult. Other routes like yours where you give good solid advice but in a conversationally engaging manner topped with unassuming charisma encourages interaction even from passive readers. Even curmudgeons like myself have to admit to the enjoyment factor.
Twitter: DocSheldon
Thanks for adding your take, Paul, and for the kind words.
Having read (and enjoyed!) your blog, it’s obvious to me that you’ve got a firm grasp on allowing your personality to shine through, too. To me, that has always been the best approach… write TO your readers, not FOR them.
Interesting that you mention that humor is one of the most difficult styles to choose. I’ve always felt that was the case, but haven’t run across many that shared my opinion. I think it’s true, simply because readers have such a variety in their sense of humor, that it’s difficult to hit a note that won’t leave someone shaking their head.
When I first started blogging, I tended to use a “shotgun” method to capture as many readers as possible. I changed my style often, so as to offer something to everyone. Result: meh! I finally realized that I should just blog like I talk, directly TO my readers, and it’s been much more productive.
By the way, as a curmudgeon, you have little credibility! First prerequisite: be more R.C. & O. (rude, crude and obnoxious)
Doc Sheldon recently posted..W3C- “Hold off on deploying HTML5 in websites”
Boy am I ever familiar with the shotgun approach. I’ve tried a few different routes and humor is the latest, and to be honest most productive and enjoyable despite how much effort it takes sometimes. I noticed that prior to loosening up a bit, my posts although intended to be of value, tended to make me sleepy when I went back and read them. Not good for enagaging visitors. Not good at all. Perhaps the best thing about injecting your personality is that it is yours and yours alone. If ever there was a way to stand out, that’s it.
Twitter: DocSheldon
Absolutely true, Paul!
With only a keyboard and a monitor, it’s impossible to communicate our feelings, tone of voice, sarcasm, disbelief… a long list of things that body language and face-to-face contact can communicate so clearly… so it’s important to try and convey our personality in any way possible.
Over the years, I’ve found that folks I’d interacted with quite a lot, ended up being pretty close to what I’d imagined, in terms of personality, when I finally met them. But that kind of familiarity through the ethernet, takes a long time to build. As bloggers, we don’t always get a second chance, if we don’t succeed in drawing them in the first time around.
Thanks for pointing out how important it is to review our work, from a different angle, so we’re seeing what our readers are seeing.
Doc Sheldon recently posted..W3C- “Hold off on deploying HTML5 in websites”
Twitter: kikolani
Great points for building reader engagement. I would add that it helps to also visit new commenter’s sites when possible and commenting there as well. It shows that you’re not just into them on your own site, but really into them all around and will likely encourage them to visit your site again!
Kristi Hines recently posted..The Truth About Making Money Online
Twitter: DocSheldon
Excellent point, and an important one, Kristi! There’s much wisdom in the adage, “Spread the love”. That should really have been included in my original post.
Thanks for the worthy reminder!
Twitter: seommotips
The best is to visit the blog of commenters and engage with it. This would build up a better understanding and a better relationship. I’ve earned a few consistent visitors because I understood them through their blog and treat them well, more customized. This makes them feel at home when visiting my blog. Its equally important to promote their post and boost them whenever possible. Make them most comfortable.
Suresh Khanal recently posted..Kittens Content and Kombat
Twitter: DocSheldon
Commenting on others’ blogs is absolutely an important piece of the puzzle, Suresh. After all, that’s what we’re hoping they’ll do for us… why would we expect them to feel any differently?
I think around half of my subscribers are bloggers that I visited first, and they returned the favor, and stuck around. And many of the blogs that I’ve subscribed to, I first visited because they had left a comment on mine.
Spreading the love… that’s what it’s all about!
Thanks for your comment and a great point, Suresh.
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