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How to Reach the Masses When You Blog

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People-Watching

Article by Wendy McCance

I am by no means an expert when it comes to having a successful blog.  My version of success when I started was a goal to have 1,000 followers and 20,000 views within a year.  Within two years I wanted to make money off my blog either by means of a book, advertising or having my blog in a newspaper where I was being paid.

Here I am, just about seven months in and I will tell you what I’ve learned and how far I’ve gotten.  Why?  Because people have asked me for advice or are just curious about what to expect when writing a blog.  Anyways, I love the blogging community.  There is enough potential out there for anyone to create success for themselves through blogging.  The internet is a vast wonderful place full of opportunity and it makes me feel good to offer up what I know.

Currently I have roughly 48,000 views and 1,400 followers.  I have had good months (my best being in April which was 3 months into blogging) and bad months (I pursued a career in Real Estate in May and hit one of my lowest months to date).  I have found that if I take a few days off between writing a post, my numbers fall fast and it can take a few weeks to recapture the strong numbers again.

I have read many articles on what to write and how to use keywords.  Maybe this way of putting a blog together works for some, but for me it didn’t.  If I didn’t write in my most authentic voice, the response from readers wasn’t there.  I essentially cheated the readers who had become loyal followers with garbage that I didn’t feel passionate about.  I also think I’m not techy enough to really catch on to the proper keywords to use, so I wing it and don’t worry about it.  If you are writing fascinating stories, the readers will find you no matter what words you use to grab them.

I have found that one of the best ways to get and keep readers besides having good content is to make your blog easy to navigate.  There should be a like button and comment area that are easy to find.  I have read blogs where I would have been happy to comment or show my appreciation, but was unable to find a place to do so.  I am also not a fan of writing an email, and name and whatever else is requested just to write a comment.  It’s a turnoff and a sure way to make someone decide not to bother.

My favorite way of advertising my blog is through Twitter.  I have my blog set up so that when something is posted a link goes right to my Twitter account.  It’s also been a great way to get additional comments,  new readers and wonderful people who will retweet the link to their followers.

I am always on the lookout for new social sites to place a link to my blog.  Good sites for my type of blog have been LinkedIn, Facebook and Stumbleupon.  Sites that haven’t done anything for my blog have been Pintrest, Reddit, Tumblr and Digg.  You really need to think about what type of blog you have and what type of social site fits well with your style.

There are also additional sites where you can write a blog.  I just do a copy and paste from my blog with a link back to this site.  It’s a pain in the butt and double the effort, but can pay off in small amounts.  I have used Bloggymoms the most, and have tried a few other random sites, but got little traffic from them.

Finally, I am always on the lookout for ways to get my blog in more mainstream arenas.  That is how I was able to get my blog on the Oakland Press.  It’s also a great way to get a reference of a place your work was published.  Associate Content is another place I have had some articles from my blog published.

I hope you have found something valuable in this article that you can use for your own blog.  If you have any additional suggestions or successes you would like to share, I would be thrilled to hear from you in the comment section.  Wishing you all success and happiness with your blogs. 🙂

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Wendy McCance

Wendy McCance is a Michigan based freelance writer and social media consultant. Wendy has gained attention as the founder of the popular blog Searching for the Happiness which can be viewed in 9 local papers online, including the Oakland Press. The combination of writing skills and social media knowledge is what makes Wendy such a powerhouse to work with. Stay tuned for opportunities to advertise, guest post and as always, have your questions answered.

To contact Wendy McCance about a writing or social media assignment, interview or speaking engagement, please email her at: [email protected]

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32 thoughts on “How to Reach the Masses When You Blog”

  1. Hi, my name is Jos Jaspers and I just started the blogsite WeGlobals.com where bloggers from all over the world can share blogs for their country. I’m in the startup phase and I’m trying to find people who are interested to join. As an experienced blogger, do you have tips how to reach people? Secondly you mention there are ‘additional sites’ where you can blog. Any examples? My last question, interested to join and share a blog every 3 to 4 weeks? 😉

    Thanks for your article!
    Jos Jaspers
    The Netherlands

    Reply

    • Hi Jos,
      It sounds like an interesting site. Wishing you lots of success with it. As for other places to promote your blog, here is a list of some places to think about putting in your information. Twyla and Networked Blogs will post your content from your actual blog. You won’t have to write additional articles. Having a Facebook page and Twitter account where you can post links to your site helps a lot. Sign up for some of the blogging LinkedIn groups. It’s one of the quickest ways to get a lot of attention to your site. Hope this helps. As far as blogging on your site, if you could give me a little more information, I’d appreciate it. You can reach me at [email protected] Thanks so much for thinking of me. 🙂

      Reply

  2. Hi wendy,
    Lovely stuff,
    but I have one question,
    how you managed to get twitter to get work for you?
    I have been using twitter actively but its doing no good for me.
    Rather google and facebook are working better for me.
    I will appreciated if you an help your fellow blogger with this 😉

    Reply

    • I wish I had a good solid answer. Twitter is not my favorite source for getting readers. I think each person finds those couple sites that work best for them.

      On twitter, I make sure to post a few times a day and I am always on the lookout for some good people to connect with.

      Reply

    • Hello Wendy,You’ve inspired me ,I previously had many invitations to blogging,The impression in my mind,I thought!?Some people needed to steal my creative writing and articles for their advancement,I just doubted any blogging offer,I’m inspired by your way of explaining/answering to questions and just how you present interested in reading and to learn more about ways and means to creative writing and blogging as a career..I thank you . Linda in Mzansi

      Reply

  3. Thanks for sharing. I just started my blog roughly a week ago and I’m already seeing trends in where traffic comes from. More often than not its from commenting on other peoples blogs. I tweet a lot as well and this started some traffic, but nowhere near what being involved in the whole community has done. If I didn’t take the time to read and comment on other peoples blogs I would have maybe half the views.

    Reply

  4. I’ve been a bad bad blogger over the last year or so - I have really good excuses *laugh* but I hate excuses so I won’t list them . . . lawd. My blog is languishing and I have to decide if that’s okay with me or if I want to get into it again . . . ungh ungh!

    Reply

  7. I’m having a hard time generating content constantly and staying involved in the community. I really enjoy reading other people’s blogs, but after spending 8-10 hours at work in front of a computer, I have a hard time sitting in front of my laptop, even if it is to do something I enjoy. I’d much rather grab a book and relax sans screen.

    I know it’s just a matter of making it a priority, but sometimes life is just exhausting.

    How many hours, per day, would you say you dedicate to blogging and the blogging community?

    Reply

    • Hi Ashley, don’t look at blogging as a job. Even if you want big things to come from it, blogging should be done because you enjoy it. If you force it, you will look at it like a chore and lose interest. You know how you will read a book you love and next thing you know, it’s much later than you thought it was? That’s what blogging is like when you let go and just do what you enjoy. For me personally, I get inspired, I write a post and on occasion, I check out other blogs. Sometimes I spend a half hour writing a quick post and other days I spend a couple hours just checking out what other people are writing. Hope this helps. 🙂

      Reply

    • Don’t feel bad. I had to search for its meaning a couple of times also. I had read about it on another blog. I don’t follow one but sometimes I feel I should have a regular posting schedule just to organize myself better. I have on post that I do every Thursday. I recently thought about splitting that up throughout the week. I love doing what I do, though.

      Reply

      • I like the randomness of my feelings and moments of an intense need to write. If I scheduled when I should write or what it should be about, I think I would lose my authenticity, spark of creativity and enjoyment in the process. But, that’s just how I tick. 🙂

        Reply

  12. Yes thanks for the information. I have had my website for a while (mostly as a “who am I” type calling card) but now that I’m trying to blog more I realize that I actually have to work at getting people to know I’m alive. Great tips thanks!

    Reply

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