Blog Promotion: The Bloke’s Tip for the Day
Buzz it
Instead of just living in my newsreader I’ve decided to try an experiment and spend time perusing the social network discussions.
Today I came across a discussion at BlogCatalog called “What is your way of blog promotion?”. This was my response:
All of the ideas here are great, but the best promotion for your blog is to write compelling and original content. Spending a lot of time on promotion won’t help much if your content doesn’t make casual readers want to come back for more. Turning casual readers into subscribers who link to you will bring the greatest return on your investment over the long run.
It’s no different than the real world. There’s no better advertisement than a direct reference from a happy customer. You can read more ideas about blog promotion over at the discussion group.
What’s your favourite method for promoting your blog?
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Lately, having time to devote to the my blog and the blogosphere is the best way for me to promote it. Being a personal blog, getting lots of subscribers isn’t as important as it is to some. I just like having my friends in the blogosphere, and getting to know new people. So with that in mind, the best way for me, especially with the limited amount of time I have to devote to blogging, is to just comment - visit other people’s blogs and comment, and make sure I follow and reply to comments on my own blog. I’m not gonna become famous that way, but I don’t want fame. I just wanna have fun blogging.
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You mean commenting like you are doing right now
You will always be famous in my book Kirsten.
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I use article promotion. I usually don’t write short posts. I do some research and spend a good time writing a 200-400 word long article. Then I promote it on digg and other bookmarking site/game site. I have been able to get around 1500 uniques/day just by using this method.
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Like Kirsten, mine is more a personal blog and I don’t expect to get famous over it or make any money.
I frequent two social networking blogs, BlogCatalog and MyBlogLog. I also submit some of my better stories to Associated Content, where it’s possible for me to make money. Don’t laugh. I’ve made a dollar so far. Ok, you can laugh.
I subscribe to about 30 blogs, about half of which I comment on regularly. I also am a member of Humor-Blogs, where I get pretty good responses.
I have had little success with Reddit and Digg, but maybe I’m just doing something wrong. Not a big deal.
For now, I’m just having fun and meeting some really great people like the Bloke!
Over and out.
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Gaming Wiz, it’s been my experience that Digg avalanches rarely transfer into new subscribers. Within a day or so it’s all over and you’re back to square one again. Gaining newsfeed subscribers and commenters is my goal because that means repeat readers and a sense of community. But that opens another can of worms because most subscribers are lurkers and turning them into commenters can also be a struggle. Then again the trend now seems to be moving towards social networks where adding friends is all the rage rather than subscribing to our newsfeed. The struggle continues.
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I’m not laughing Kathy. The fact is most blogs only earn chump change. Even the blogs that boast making $100,000 or more online are making it via other means besides just their blogs. Multiple sources of income…
Another favourite lady of mine Blog Blonde is also a member of Humor-Blogs. I once ran a humour blog myself but I found it’s too hard trying to write quality work on several blogs at once. So I focus mostly on this blog.
I agree that the bonus with blogs is meeting terrific people like yourself. That’s my motivation and hoping that I’ve helped a few along the way.
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Maki has and interesing post about Social Media Marketing
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Jaffer, I thought that deserved a post of its own so I reposted it over here.
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Bloke — Thank you for the kind words. I don’t know how anyone writes for more than one blog. It’s very difficult for me to get out 5 quality posts per week, but I do try. Thankfully, I love to write. I would do it anyway. It’s the networking thing that takes me a long time, and always draws me away from writing more. I’d rather not spend time trying to gain a huge following. I really just want to write!
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Kathy, I call people like you “pure” bloggers. You haven’t been tainted and I’m proud to call you a fellow Blokester.
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I’m with Kirsten. My strategy is the same as hers and I concentrate on showing appreciation to everyone who spends some time on my blog, especially to those who comment. The strategy works and I’ve been able to create a few relationships through commenting on relevant blogs throughout the blogosphere. No paid links necessary
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Works for me too!
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Kirsten covered what works best for me as well, commenting and responding to comments. It’s making real connections that count. With my personal blog, I had a goal of 30 subscribers. It is around that now and I can’t see myself setting a higher one.
Blog Carnivals are also good, especially when you’re starting out and are having trouble finding other bloggers you can connect with. But the value of commenting still comes up trumps. If you just submit and don’t participate, what is it worth?
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Kathy is my hero!! First of all, Bloke, she does what you suggested to begin with. Her content is original and engaging. The fact her blog is well written and fresh keeps people coming back.
Like a couple of people have said, I’m writing more for personal pleasure than anything else. I also can’t imagine writing multiple blogs. I would rather try to have one quality blog that has a regular group of visitors who add comments. If my subscription numbers get to 15 or 20 I’ll feel fortunate.
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It’s good to have a blogging mentor Lee. If Kathy is yours then she is indeed fortunate. You are also smart to focus on making just one good blog to start with. It’s better to have one great blog than a few mediocre ones. Some people are capable of writing more than one great blog, but they are few and far between.
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Hi Lani, like I’ve always said “Relationship Blogging is Still your Best Way to Promote and Grow Your Blog”
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Thanks, everyday you’re keep giving us great blogging tips .. Thanks a lot blogboke!
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Yes, sure that good content always rules but there are many ways to promote your blog through social networks. The best method I find is through ping.fm and spreading the word to 30 + social networking sites. It’s free traffic.
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@Peter Downs, I use Friendfeed that has a similar function.
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Blog Bloke (@blogbloketips) reply on September 22nd, 2009 11:11 am:
[…] my experiment to spend more time perusing the social network discussion groups. Team Bloke member Jaffer brought to my attention a post @ doshdosh about using social networks to get more […]
Blog Promotion: The Bloke's Tip for the Day http://bit.ly/4Qzc5W