Post Get your first 1000 readers. here is your step by step plan appeared first on ProBlogger.
Photo by Delphi de la Rua on Unsplash
By ProBlogger Copywriting Expert Ali Luke.
Does your blog have a total of three subscribers? (You, your test book, and your mom.)
Maybe you're a little more advanced. You have 10, 20 or 50 readers who have signed up to read your articles or your newsletter.
But you don't know where to go next.
I think your blog is doing pretty good right now. If you have important things to do or fix, sort them out before proceeding (For example, if your About page currently has a single line that says the page is under construction , don't try to engage readers until it's ready.)
Does it look good?
Before we begin, let's quickly address a trap that some bloggers fall into.
Forget "one big break".
You might think that if a famous influencer tweets a link to one of your posts, you'll have thousands of followers overnight. Or maybe cross your fingers hoping to get a Buzzfeed link or get featured in the Huffington Post…
Stop waiting for big opportunities. Even if you have a special gift , you want to be in a good position to take advantage of it, rather than sit back and twiddle your thumbs.
An increase in traffic may look good in your stats, but it doesn't necessarily lead to many new readers in the long run.
Instead of just thinking about traffic , focus on getting subscribers —the people who read your posts day after day, week after week, and month after month.
An important first goal is to get 1,000 subscribers to your blog via email or RSS subscriptions. (Unless you're writing about technical topics, you'll probably find that most readers prefer to subscribe by email.)
However, if you're starting out with only a few subscribers or none at all, 1,000 can seem like a long way to go. How to get there step by step.
Step #1 – Tell your family and friends about your blog
I know it seems a little obvious, but if you haven't told your family and friends about your blog, do it. Even if none of them are interested in you, they are interested in you ... and they know people who want to read your posts.
Of course, you don't want to overwhelm people with a flood of messages. I would recommend.
Send one email to family, friends, ex-colleagues, and everyone you know (Be sure to BCC your email addresses - most people don't want to share their email address with a bunch of strangers.) I've included suggested text for this email below.
If you have created a Facebook page for your blog, invite your family/friends on Facebook asking them to "like" the page. But don't bother them if they don't.
A link to your blog in your email signature (if applicable, for example, it probably won't be included in your company email) . It is better to provide a title, URL and tagline.
Here is a sample letter you can use:
hello friends
I just started [my first blog/new blog] called [blog name]. This is [topic/slogan]. You can get it here:
[Link to your blog homepage]
I'd appreciate any feedback on this, and if you have a friend who you think would enjoy it, I'd really appreciate it if you could send them the link. Thank you very much!
[your name]
Step 2: Find other bloggers to connect with
Your group of family and friends probably won't be very large, and most of them won't be particularly interested in you.
So your next step is to find other bloggers to connect with, especially those who write about the same or similar topics as you.
I want to make it very clear at this point that you do not want to target 'big name', 'A-list' or 'influencer' bloggers at this stage.
Of course, you are not less valuable than these people. Granted, they are probably very busy and receive tons of emails and tweets from new bloggers all the time. They are unlikely to be able to give you much help or care.
(Of course, that doesn't mean they're out of your league forever. Once you get a little deeper into blogging, you can build a good relationship with them by sharing their content and linking to your posts or guest posts. ..for them . ) _
Instead, check out the little guys on the blog . These are bloggers who are at the same stage as you. working to reach 1000 subscribers They may be a little more advanced (hundreds of subscribers) or not yet (started their blog), but mostly they are your fellow bloggers. Here are some tips for collaborating and finding a blogging buddy
You can find them through
- Search for "first blog post" or "I started my blog" on Twitter
- Check the comments section of blogs you read. click on people's names to read their blogs Some may have huge blogs, but many will have relatively new or small blogs like yours.
- Find forums where bloggers or people interested in your topic hang out. You can start an article by asking if someone else has a blog. Membership sites like Platform University and Authority run private forums where you can easily meet other budding bloggers; If you want a free public forum, you can try Warrior Forums (be careful, it is very focused on internet marketing).
And of course, you can post in the comments below that you're working on getting your first 1000 subscribers and want to meet other bloggers on the same journey. Mention your blog's topic or tagline and don't forget to fill in the URL field to link your name to your blog. (If you include a URL in the comment itself, your comment may remain in the moderation queue.)
Building a network of fellow bloggers can take time, but these people will eventually become some of your best supporters and connections. Help them out by sharing or retweeting the posts you really like and hopefully they'll do the same for you
Step 3: Comment on other blogs
Commenting on blog posts is a very easy way to get attention not only from other bloggers, but also from blog readers.
Readers who like what you write can easily click on your name to view your blog and subscribe if they like the content.
Generally, the first comments on a post appear at the top of the comment list and are the most likely to be read. Don't always try to be the first, but notice when you follow blog posts and try to read and comment on them right away.
A blogger also appreciates a thoughtful comment that contributes constructively to the discussion (it's a better way to get attention than sending a "Please help me" or "Please tweet this link" or "Please check out my blog" email).
However, be careful not to be mistaken for a spammer. This means.
Use your real name (or blog alias) when commenting. Avoid your blog name or any other slogan in the name field. Do not use the keyword as a name. (For example, "Ali Look" is great, "Ali Look - Writer & Blogger" is best avoided, "Writing Tips from the Experts" is definitely incompetent.)
Write a comment that has something to say. This probably means writing more than 50 words. "Great article, love it!" Doesn't really do much. (If you really want to tell a blogger you liked their post, send them an email.)
Avoid including links in your comments unless they are highly relevant. It often seems selfish. Also, comments are often held for moderation if they contain a link, which means your comments may not appear for a few days after you publish the blog post (at which point far fewer people will read and use it). comments).
Step 4: Link to great content from other bloggers
Hopefully at this point you are starting to build a loyal following of readers. If you haven't already, now is a great time to start linking to other bloggers' posts , whether it's on your blog or on social media.
If you link to someone else's social media post, be sure to tag them (like adding your @name on Twitter or tagging your business or blog page on Facebook) so they can see your link. They might retweet you, share your Facebook post, or say thank you.
Link building is not only a great way to get exposure (and hopefully reciprocate). It also shows your audience that:
- You've read up on your industry or niche and have plenty of up-to-date knowledge to share.
- They are a valuable place to find links to posts you may have missed.
- You are a generous person who wants to share quality content that is useful to your readers. You don't link to your own posts all the time.
Step 5: Create a guest post for the blogs you follow
You may worry that you're not ready for guest posts yet. Maybe you thought you needed at least 1000 followers.
The truth is, most blogs don't care about the size of their audience. they only care how well you can write for their audience.
If you are looking for a blog to write.
Target established blogs with a wider readership than yours I recommend blogs with ten times the readership or more.
Start with blogs you already read regularly . they're probably tailored to your audience, you know what kind of content they post (and don't post), and maybe you've already reached out to a blogger or publisher. Including comments, tweets and more
Check if the blog you're currently looking at accepts guest posts (Just because they did in the past doesn't mean they do now).
When you guest post, you almost always get a "timeline" where you can write something about yourself and/or your blog and include a link or links.
I always recommend linking to a specific blog post rather than your blog's homepage. This is a very powerful call to action, especially if the article you are linking to is closely related to the topic of your guest post.
Instead, for example, Ali Luke blogs at Aliventure about the art, craft, and business of writing…
I would use something like this. If you enjoyed this article by Ali Luke, check out her thoughts on why you should blog… and why you shouldn't.
Step 6: Optimize posts that get a lot of traffic
Once you start driving traffic to your blog, whether it's from search engines or links in your guest post bio, you'll want to make the most of those new readers.
While I'm certainly no SEO expert and have deliberately struggled to create posts that rank well and get lots of traffic…
...I even go into Google Analytics from time to time to check which posts are getting the most traffic.
If you haven't set up Google Analytics yet, WPBeginner provides step-by-step instructions on how to do so .
Once you've created your Analytics account, log in and check your website statistics at least once a week
To find out which content is most popular, Go to Behavior Update > Site Content > Landing Pages.
It should show you the top pages of your website by number of visitors. this is mine from last month.
You may find that only a few posts outshine all the others, especially if you've been blogging for a while. As you can see above, last month my first post had 2027 views and my 10th post only had 363 views, a huge difference.
Why not capitalize on that post already doing well? this may mean performing one or more of the following actions.
Update post immediately to remove broken link, old reference, etc. You may want to go further and review the important posts in their entirety.
Redirect to posts you've recently posted (which, of course, you couldn't link to when this post was posted).
Add a call to action to encourage readers to subscribe to your blog.
create new content (a "content update") on the same topic as the post but go further; You can use it as a very specific incentive for email subscriptions.
include a link to any of your currently relevant products or services.
It won't take long, but it can be really worth it by turning casual readers into lifelong fans.
If you follow this plan and keep commenting, guest posting, and optimizing for content that works, you'll be well on your way to 1,000 subscribers.
Leave a comment below to let us know where you are now and what your next steps are Be sure to include your blog's URL (if it's already active) in the URL field so we can click on your name to verify it.
This article was first published. Updated on June 15, 2016 and August 2, 2022
post get your first 1,000 readers. Here's your step-by-step plan appeared first on ProBlogger.