Starting a blog is one thing. Keeping it up, quite another. Business blogs are usually fuelled by a passion for the industry and having plenty to say (remember those days?) but can take a major knock when the writer is running after deadlines or becomes discouraged when there is a lack of response. To promote a blog doesn’t mean having to sky-rocket your readership over a few weeks. It’s an organic process that takes time. Here are some easy ways to promote a blog, regardless of your industry:
Guest Posts and Sponsored Posts
Approach other blogs with a domain authority (DA) that is better than yours by about 10 points (get your and their current DA here). Ask them if they accept guest posts or sponsored posts and how much they charge for each. Writing for them and getting a link to a relevant page on your website in their content can be really valuable to your blog (both in readership and in subscription).
Meet Your Niche
Know who reads your blog (and who you’d like to read it), where they are, when they’re active and what they’re searching for. If you’re posting the wrong content and / or at the wrong time, you’ll lose a massive segment of your target market. The good news is that it’s a simple issue to fix. The majority of my readers for Voxate are American. So, I post a little later in the day by my time in South Africa, so that they see the post in the morning on their side. They’re (generally) professionals looking for content writers for their websites or they’re writers that are researching tips. So, I try to post helpful advice-based articles later in the day to appeal to them. I do have some South African followers, though. So, I don’t post late at night. I also run a mom-blog, which is a completely different animal. My readers are mostly local, and (not surprisingly) moms. So, they read my pieces in the mornings (while their little ones are at school) or after wading through their emails at the office (around 10am).
Interview Cool People
Fans of the person you interview or those interested in their niche will likely read your blog, even if they’ve never had to before. And, the interviewee will probably share their interview across their own social media platform. An all-round score.
Mention Influencers
Influencers are people that influence sales and decisions in their specific niche. Learn who they are and mention them in your posts. Once you’ve done that (preferably with a relevant link to their site), let them know with a very brief Facebook message or email. Don’t suck up or ask them for anything, just let them know.
Promote a Blog in Round-Up Posts
Follow them, get in on them, do them on your own blog. If you know of someone in your niche that does a regular round-up post, ask them (briefly and politely) how you can get in on the next round. Here’s some advice on how to create a great round-up post.
Also, if you want to find bloggers that do round-up posts, just Google “intitle:roundup” + your keyword.
Forums
People participate in forums because they’re passionate about the topic. So, be part of that community by sharing your insights and, occasionally, a link to your content. But, play nicely. Don’t use every post or question as an opportunity to link to something. Be genuine about your participation, and the rest will come naturally.
Other Ways to Promote a Blog
Obviously, there are so many tricks and treats when it comes to promoting your blog. These are just some ideas for starters. It also helps to boost your posts on Facebook and Instagram from time to time, to include calls to action at the end of each post (“Like my blog? Subscribe for regular updates”), and brush up on your SEO. Still, there’s no quick-fix (this is fast becoming my mantra). Keep at it, keep focused, and keep solving a problem with the information you provide.
