I’ve been meaning to write this post for quite awhile now. I receive a lot of questions about the subject, so here’s my take on how to increase your blog readership and keep them coming back.
Blog Often
Frequently updating your blog is the first step to building your blog’s readership. You don’t need to blog three times a day, but you should have a fairly consistent schedule for when you post. For instance, if you set a goal to blog three times per week, stick to it! Your readers are waiting to hear from you!
Focus On Photography
My favorite blogs are the ones that have attractive, vibrant, and interesting photos. I can’t help it. I like to look at pretty things! š
A lot of people say that photos don’t matter, but I totally disagree. A picture says a thousand words! How can that not enhance your blog post?! Although, I don’t think you need a ton of photos to make your point. I also don’t think you need a fancy camera to get good shots either. I love my point-and-shoot camera and I’ve taken lots of nice photos using my iPhone. Check out my post about how to improve your photos for some ideas!
Quick tip: Even just adding a little bit of color (i.e. place mat, napkin, piece of fruit, fresh flowers) to your shot can instantly increase the visual appeal of your photo.
Take Advantage of Guest Posts
Guest posts go both ways. If you have a blog, accept them from other bloggers. They will likely link your blog and spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, etc. If you’re a blogger, offer to write a guest post for another blog or even a company or brand website. (I recently wrote a post for the Eggland’s Best blog.) It’s a great way to spread the word about your blog and get traffic to your site. (FYI: I’m looking for guest posts on Trading Up Downtown!)
Think Outside of Your Community
To find difference audiences, think outside of your usual blog community. A lot of my traffic comes from the āhealthy livingāĀ community with some overlap from the foodie and fitness worlds. But, imagine if I could gain new readers from the lifestyle, dĆĀ©cor, and pet communities?! As soon as I have a good DIY project, I’m sending it to Young House Love as a guest post! š
Mix It Up
I’m definitely guilty of blogging about the same things over and over again: cookies, oatmeal, Body Pump, pug, cookies. Some readers don’t mind the routine, but if you want to keep those readers, you need to mix it up with your posts.
On Carrots āĖN’ Cake, I try to keep things interesting by blogging about non-food things in almost every post. I have a lot of interests, so I just share what’s on my mind and what my readers might want to read about. Anything goes! It’s your blog!
Utilize Facebook
If you have a Facebook account, use it to promote your blog! There are 500 million active users on Facebook!! Add your blog URL to your profile info and link your favorite blog posts on your wall. Just think of how many of your friends (and their friends) are on Facebook!
Network In Person
Get out there and meet people! You can’t hide behind your blog forever! I’m actually very shy in person, but I force myself to network (and public speak). It’s a wonderful opportunity to tell people about your blog, meet other bloggers, and find ways to work together.
I attend a lot of eventsāāmany of which are open to just about anyone to attend. Some of the bigger blog get-togethers are BlogHer, BlogHer Food, Foodbuzz Festival, and Blissdom. Twitter is also a great way to find out about events in your area. Twitter is all about who you follow!
Be Authentic
There are tons of blogs out there, so you want to make sure that yours stands out from the rest, which means be yourself! I’ve met a number of CNC readers, who told me that I am exactly how I portray myself on my blog. As you can imagine, this is a really nice compliment. So, have fun with your blog and give your readers a peak inside your life to show them what makes you special. I guarantee your authenticity will come through in your posts.
Tag Your Posts
It only takes a few extra seconds to add tags to your blog post, but it’s worth the time and effort in terms of the additional traffic that will come to your blog. Tags are easily noticed by search engines, so they help potential readers find your blog. For example, I used the tag āĖHarvard‘, so readers can find all of my posts about my time there. (Just click on Harvard to see all of those posts.)
For even more tips, check out my other posts: So, You Want to Start a Blog and Get Your Blog On.
140 Comments
These are great tips Tina!
i love this post and am bookmarking it…although it took me a year to learn how to do it all this is an incredible reminder of things to do to look outside of myself!
Great post! Thank you! Happy Holidays!
Thanks for the tips, Tina! You do a great job of building readership while still staying true to yourself. Question: Did your readership gradually increase or was there a definite span of time when it sky rocketed?
i really like these posts and find them helpful! i really think your point about authenticity is one of the most important
@Allie (Live Laugh Eat): It takes time.
Great post Tina!
Hi Tina! Thanks so much for the tips. I’m pretty new to the blog world (started late July) and I was SOOO excited yesterday…I had 99 “hits” in one day. Can’t wait to hit the bit 100!!! (which probably sounds really small to you) I’ll use some of the tips and hope for the best!
I really appreciate this post! I can’t wait to use some of your tips! Thanks for being such an inspirational blogger!
I love the picture and the post is great!! It’s so helpful and I learned so much from you and Kath this summer during BlogHer about building readership. Since I started posting EVERY single day my readership has constantly improved each week!
This is really great advice, Tina! š
thank you Tina for the tips!!!
Thanks Tina. As a new blogger it has surprised me how something as little as leaving a comment on blogs I frequent has increased my own traffic. Being shy I would not speak up, but this was extremely valuable and worth overcoming.
Useful tips! I’ve been blogging for over 4 years and just started seeing a surge in traffic when I started blogging more often.
Pictures are nice, but I read a few blogs that don’t post that many or really “nice” ones… they are just excellent writers!
Great tips! I totally agree about the pictures. I love blogs that have pretty pictures. š
Great tips Tina! I am obsessed with Young House Love:)
cute pup š
I like looking at pretty things too. And it’s not even just about the pictures to me, it’s also about the layout and how user-friendly it is. Nothing is more annoying to me than trying to catch up on posts and not being able to find out how many have been posted since I was last there.
Hi Tina, great tips! Thank you. This is something I’m currently working on now so this post came at a perfect time. Kristy
Excellent post Tina! You’re a wonderful example of a regular blogger who managed to really take-off. I like the idea of guest blogging for non-food and fitness related sites. So far, my focus has been pretty narrowed to that area, but I definitely need to branch out more! And I love the Facebook tip. My readership increased by one-third when I started linking my posts to my private profile. I never predicted how much my friends and family would like it, and spread the word to their friends!
I am a huge photo person also. I take the photos and then create the blog post around them…..it’s the only way I can blog! Thanks for the tips:)
Awesome tips!! I never thought to network outside of the healthy living community, but it makes sense. And you ARE exactly how you come across on your blog- sweet and a lot of fun!!
I could not agree more on pictures and posting consistently. I do think that you should only post when you have something to say though. Not just so you get hits. That kind of stuff sounds too forced.
Thanks for all the helpful tips! I agree that good photographs help!
Thanks for all of the helpful advice Tina! Just curious – when you’ve had people guest blog before, did you ask them directly, ask for guest bloggers on your site, or get asked by other bloggers?
Thanks for the tips, Tina! No matter how many readers a blogger has, it’s always nice to add to the community. Your blog has given me lots of helpful ideas for mine – thank you!
Great post!! Thank you for all the tips!
Thank you for the tips. I am fairly new at blogging. I follow a lot of decorating blogs and linky parties are a great way to get people to visit your blog!
Wonderful tips Tina! Thanks for sharing š
Great tips!
I have a book blog instead of a food/fitness blog. In the book blogging community, “success” is often measured by the number of followers you have through Google Friend Connect. I built up over 500 followers in 6 months of blogging by one main thing: meme’s. These are master posts to which you link your blog – you visit other’s blogs and they visit yours. Meme’s like Crazy For Books weekly Blogger Hop and The Story Siren’s In My Mailbox regularly have 200-300 participants per week. They’re an incredible networking tool.
I also recommend very consistent posts, lots of commenting, and a nice blog design.
Let me add my thanks for some great tips. Right now, I count anything above 50 hits a day as a “good day” and average about 600 hits a month.
These are great tips! Ps. I love reading about Murphy.
Thanks for the tips, Tina. š
One of my biggest tips is to comment, comment, comment! Recently, over 50% of my hits have come from comments I’ve made on blogs like this one! Plus it shows that I’m interested in the community (which I definitely am!).
Great tips!
Thanks for the info Tina — I appreciate that you write about different subjects, not just what you eat every day. And most of the blogs I like to read are because I like the blogger — -I get to know them and keep coming back.
I loved this post Tina! I thought it was great and I’m going to share it. Thank you š
Thanks for the tips!!
Great tips. Thanks for the advice! š
What an awesome post!! Thanks for all the awesome tips! Putting together an action plan as we speak š
Great post! Thanks š
It’s so nice of you to share these tips. Thank you.
Tina, I’d love to guest post on Trading up Downtown… please email me at katieheddleston (at) gmail (dot) com for what kind of topics you are looking for!
In a nutshell I’m a gluten-free Registered Dietitian who recently ran her first half marathon! I’ve been married for slightly over a year and love to have fun!
Can’t wait to hear from you! Thanks!
Thanks, Tina! These are great suggestions. It’s always hard to stick to your blogging commitments but it makes such a positive difference when you do!
Thanks for the helpful tips, Tina! For some reason I still feel weird about putting my blog on facebook for all of my high school friends to see. I’m really not sure why…
Great post! Thank you thank you thank you for the advice on gaining readership! I like your ideas because they’re not focused on shameless self-promotion and numbers, it’s more about being a good blogger!
this is an AWESOME post! I love all your tips…they reminded me to do things I already knew and learned a few new things, too! Thankyou!
Also for newer bloggers, nothing beats good old fashioned commenting on others’ blogs I think. No one knows you’re out there in the beginning unless you comment type thing. Well, that was the case for me at least š
Thanks for all the great tips!
Thanks for all the tips! As a new blogger any advice is always appreciated!
What a great post, Tina! I used to be a more regular poster – usually once a week. Lately, it’s been more like once a month! Yikes! With the New Year approaching, it seems like a great time to set a blogging schedule for myself and STICK TO IT!
Thanks for all of the awesome tips! š