I know! First and foremost, almost everyone says ‘be consistent‘, and your blog will grow. This is so so cliche so feel free to roll your eyes.
While it isn’t entirely false, (atleast it keeps your blog afresh with contents to keep your existing followers/readers going), it isn’t just about consistency when it comes to growing your blog! It is a tip but not a TOP tip for me. If you keep writing consistently and your traffic/engagement isn’t growing, hold on! It’s time to try a few more tricks.
Writing a blog post and hitting publish everyday won’t grow your blog. Remember you also need to put it out there to have more eyes on them, have visitors return, perhaps more shares on your posts and possibly convert those visitors to followers. Promoting your blog posts will certainly help get you more visibility.
However, promotions plus consistent writing isn’t equal to blog growth. They’re great, yes. But If you promote a blog post and get a visitor to click on it but then the content is appalling, he/she might not return to read your blog. sad, but true!
We hear ‘Content is key‘. Another cliche, Yep! I quite agree. But your content should be beneficial, informative, or even entertaining. If you aren’t providing these, (even if you think you are), you might want to pause a bit on consistency and promotions and re-strategize. You definitely should be ADDING VALUE.
By the way, I’m no ‘guru‘ or expert blogger, but there’s no magic to it. We’re here to learn and improve so if you have a few more tips, please feel free to share with us in the comments!
That said, I think everyone would love to write about what his/her audience would love to read so a few ways to grow your blog is:
1 Understand your audience:
If you’ve been writing consistently and it’s not resonating with your audience, perhaps you should pause and do some research. Understanding your audience means you should be a member of the tribe you’re trying to lead and try to understand what type of contents they’ll love to read. What type of content gets more reactions? What type of content is more relatable? What type of content would they love to see more? Remember you’re not writing for yourself alone so you have to get ideas from the audience too. From the comments, social media, by asking questions, etc. If you gain a better idea of what blog content resonates with your audience, then you can use it to grow your blog. This doesn’t mean you should write posts that do not interest you but when you’re coming up with new post ideas, evaluate the ones that can resonate with your audience too.
2 Stay true to your voice:
It isn’t much about what you say, but how you say it. Your voice is unique. Readers would want to relate with your personality so write like yourself. Pour your heart out. Your ideas, your thoughts, your opinions, put them into words that are relatable in your own voice. If you can read your own post and relate with it, then chances are, some others are going to do the same too. It’s your blog, your little space on the internet- own it! I think people enjoy blogs when they can relate with the person behind it. So write contents that you yourself would want to read.
” There’s no one alive, you’re than you”!
Don’t try to sound like that blogger you admire. Don’t copy-cat. Be you!
3 Build an amazing call–to–action:
A blog is interactive yeah? Encourage interaction. People love to interact so finish your posts with a call-to action. Most people will finish reading a post and turn blind eyes to your side bar or other recent posts so ask for feedbacks, respond to and like meaningful comments or contributions, point to your other related posts, be nice and friendly. That’s how to build a community. Make commenting easy too. I discovered that some blogs would require you to register first before you’d be able to leave a comment and people don’t like to be pressured into that. Chances are, if people can interact on your blog easily and positively, they’ll come back for more. Isn’t that what you want?
4 Get Social:
Social media is a powerful tool to grow your blog. A lot of my readers come from there. Don’t fail to notify your fans of your latest posts. You can hook your blog’s feed to update your followers too. My posts automatically publishes on Facebook and Twitteronce it goes live and I do have some people hit up to see what’s new. You could also share some of your updated posts and let your followers know of the posts they probably missed. Please help grow my following on Instagram (Please?) It’s relatively a new account and I do follow back.
Apart from social media, getting social also entails networking with other influencers too. You could gain some exposures that’ll help grow your blog. Leave meaningful comments on other blogs, guest post, contribute to a topic of discussion, (with a back link ofcourse!).
5 Lastly, Give yourself grace! Be teach–able.
Don’t be too hard on yourself, Rome was not built in a day. You may not see immediate results, your stats may not boom immediately. Don’t give up yet, hard work surely (but sometimes slowly) pays off! If you find your right voice and you’re passionate about your blog, that’s the fuel you need. To help grow a community around your blog, you should do it in your own style and your own way, with your readers in mind. I personally don’t think there’s a ‘right’ approach or an abracadabra to blogging. It is dynamic and no one knows it all. So don’t be afraid to show what you know. Blogging isn’t a get-rich-quick scheme. Sometimes it takes time to get recognized. If you’re open to learning and improving, not only would you be growing but your blog too!
That’s not all, find out if you’ve been putting your readers/potential visitors off by doing these awful things. More blogging tips there!
There you go guys, Like I said, these are my top five. There are definitely more. So what tip is your favorite? I’m quite sure there are other tips that are tops for you you might wanna share? Please do so in the comments. I always love to hear from you.
Don’t forget to also share this post with others!
See you soon,
Jessica Ijay Hugo.
Thank you Jessica! I really needed this post and it has inspired me to keep blogging!
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Way to go girl! Keep the fire burning and thanks for reading.
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I love this! Being true to my voice is probably my most important thing I tell myself. Instead of trying to copy others I started writing about what I’m passionate about in a way I want to and it makes blogging so much more enjoyable! Great post!
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It’s easier to blog being yourself than otherwise. Your personality speaks through your writing and it helps your readers connect better with you. There’s no better way than finding your own voice and blogging in your own style.
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Good tips, especially “We’re here to learn and improve”, …and explore… thank you.
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Absolutely! If we’re open to learning, then we’re making way for growth. I always want to learn.
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Great post. Thank you for sharing. 🙂
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Great tips Jessica 🙂
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Thanks Ben!
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Great tips i like no 2 stay true to yourself.
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Me too. Just like the quote above…”No one alive you’re than you”!
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Great tips! I’ve been blogging for more than 9 years, and I still learn something new every week. That’s part of what makes it so much fun.
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Oh wow! That’s really great. 9 years is no joke. True to what you said about learning new things everyday. Definitely makes life more interesting and fun.
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You are spot on with this my dear! Consistency is great but what if you are consistently bad? Another great point you made is to include a call to action! How on earth will your audience engage with you long after reading your writing, if you’re just going to leave them at your last sentence?
One other tip is to make your writing relevant. Do this by writing about what your audience is interested in, and sometimes even include references to pop culture (trending topics, fashion, music etc.).
Madeline
http://www.madelinewilsonojo.com
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I like what you said about “what if you’re consistently bad”? it’s then necessary to pause and go back to the drawing room. Quality over quantity!
An engaging post is always a win. Always make your blog easy to interact with. A call to action helps.
And ofcourse writing what would interest your readers makes connections easy. You should consider before publishing your post, what type of audience is your target and write suitably.
Thanks for your contribution Madeline, always appreciated.
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Aahah, I snorted with laughter at the lemon saying- pretty true! I completely agree that you need to give yourself time, in blogging as in any other career. Great post!
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Thanks somuch. It definitely isn’t automatic but surely, we’ll get there.
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Amazing tips for beginners. I see so many people who start out and don’t understand why they aren’t growing. I know I have felt that way.
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We all have haven’t we? Lol. Thanks for your comment.
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Thanks… very reassuring for me in day 2 of blogging!
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Always amazing info to be found on this blog. Thanks for sharing.
From the blogger at Cameroon Lifestyle Blog
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Too real.Love this!I followed these tips, and hit my goal of 100 followers!Thank you so much<3I’d love for you to check my blog out as well:)
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Oh wow!!!! I’m soooo happy for you! I’m really glad this post helped. Thanks for reading. 💕
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Great tips Jessica! Definitely agree with the bit on being teachable. Really key.
http://www.theportablehub.com
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True that! When one is open to learning, then you can definitely grow! Thanks for your comment Mide.
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Hi!
I have been blogging for about two months now and this is just what I needed to read! Thank you for the post and helpful tips! I would be very appreciative if you could check out my blog and let me know your thoughts?
http://www.withloverubina.wordpress.com
With love,
Rubina.
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Thanks for your comment Rubina, doing that right now. I’m glad this post helped your blogging journey too.
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I have read more of these “blogging tips” posts than you could imagine.
Still, no success.
I have put it down to the blogging world being out to get me.
It 100% is not my poor writing skills and lack of consistency.,,..
😉
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This sounds hilarious. Lol trust me the blogging world isn’t out there to get at you. I’ve felt this way a million times. (I still do sometimes). You just have to be patient with your blog. Those ‘big’ blogs didn’t just turn big overnight. If you’re sure you’re putting your all, keep at it and just keep doing your thing.
Don’t forget to come back here when you ‘blow’. 😉
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I haven’t really been giving it my all in the last year or so. I kinda just gave up for a little while. Lets see if i can get back into the swing of things 🙂
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That’s the spirit!!! Ride on.
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