Everyone out there with a blog wants a bigger following. If it is brand new, you want to get a piece of the pie. If it is already established, you want to get a bigger piece of the market. Still, the toughest part is getting that initial following which will make your blog relevant on the scene. How can you build that following? Here are the ideas you need to have your blog hit the ground running.
1. Corner a market. People will wonder what the point of your blog is if it does not have a certain piece of the market cornered. You are new, so you have to stand out. Surely, you have thought of something new or would have little reason to get out there in the first place, right? Nail your themes down very early on so people know they can count on you from the outset. If they know they are getting something special when they visit your blog, they will continue coming back – as long as you deliver.
2. Spark a controversy. Well, it doesn’t have to be a major controversy. In fact, it doesn’t have to be anything ridiculous at all. What you ought to do, however, is take a concept which is integral to your overall message and get it out there in the boldest possible way. If you hit a nerve, people will associate you with that relevant style. If you back it up with real substance, you are going to have a number of readers ready to follow wherever you might lead them.
3. Have some relevant links. Having your niche in the field you write about is different from being isolated on a far-flung island. You want to be part of a community, so team up with websites and other blogs that don’t tread on your ground but instead help you achieve your goals. You may benefit a lot from these associations. Keep in mind that you can also be considered guilty by association, so take your links seriously.
4. Mix in some quality video. One of the great things about writing in the twenty-first century is that you can also be a rock star at the same time. YouTube can be your MTV and you can make your blog sing in ways that never will happen in print. It’s important that you don’t look like most bloggers (bespectacled and bearded) if you want to stand out. However, for a literary blog, that might just be the look you can pull off. Whatever you do, make sure your videos have the goal of more readers, not viewers.
5. Troubleshoot the other blogs. Blogs that are similar in your field will always have problems. If you notice them surely others do as well. Why not be the go-to place for solving the issues on the scene? People always have some feeling that a void exists when this is the case. If you fill that void, you’ll instantly gain a number of readers.
Guest Author: This article was written by Mona Pennypacker of Acorn Creative Studio who specializes in web site design in Colorado.
