Promote your blog: technique 1

From July 1- August 1 I am participating in Blogging Idol. A competition set up by Daniel Scocco that pits bloggers against each other to see who can gain the most subscribers. Here are some of the techniques I will be employing to get me ahead of the pack.

In preparation for this competition I have written a number of articles in advance. This is in order that I might try various methods of promoting my blog during the coming month rather than focusing solely on the task of writing. Thi brings me to the first technique for promoting a blog…

Write quality content

This probably goes without saying, but as it’s the first chapter that is excluded from every get rich quick book, maybe we need reminding. Blogs that are started as an advertising space are destined to fail. The best bloggers are inspired to write because they have something to say, and these blogs can grow into an income source, but not without a lot of ongoing hard work!

In addition to writing quality content I would say write consistently. If you want to gain subscribers and a dedicated readership, you will will need to write regularly. This is not necessarily daily, but ideally it is often enough to convince irregular readers that if they don’t subscribe to your feed they will be missing out on quality content.

Write well, write consistently and write targeted content. Unless you are an extremely enigmatic personality, chances are the world will not be interested in reading about your daily thoughts and encounters. Some people are exceptions to the rule, but most of us must deal with the fact that are lives are somewhat mundane. At least, they appear so, when put into prose.

However if you have skills, interest, or experience in a particular area, then you more easily find a captive audience. I have heard it referred to as the 80/20 rule. That is, 80% of your content should be surrounding the focus subject of your blog, and 20% can be a diversion.

And finally, write for yourself. By all means, write content that you believe your audience may find useful or interesting. But primarily, write content that you would like to read yourself. If I learn something new, or want to record the processes I have undergone in a design, I write about it. This means, that if nothing else, this blog is a reflection of what I have learned, and a reference for me in the future. If, even by no other measure than this, it is a success!

Happy writing!