5 Ways to Retain Your Readers
Imagine for a moment that you have a hugely popular blog that is read by hundreds of thousands of readers. You provide a constant stream of quality content and add value to your readers’ lives. You are frequently called upon by the media for quotes and you travel around the world because of the influence your blog has created.
Does this describe you? Would you like it to?
Earlier this week I wrote about six ways to lose your readers and today I am writing about five ways to retain your readers. It’s easy, really, if you are deliberate about growing your community and you always think about your readers first.
If you want to make sure you either grow your readership here are five surefire ways to make it happen.
1. RESPECT YOUR AUDIENCE: It’s imperative to understand that your readers’ time is valuable and they have a plethora of other media outlets to read great content from blogs to magazines and newspapers. Don’t waste your readers’ time with content that doesn’t stand on its own two feet or simply doesn’t resonate with them.
Always remember why your readers come to you in the first place. They appreciate your perspective and your posts. Never take that for granted. You also want to ensure you don’t waste their time by taking huge gaps in posting either. I’ve done this before and believe me it’s hard to recover from.
2. ENGAGE YOUR READERS: One of the great differentiators about blogging is people can relate to you. It’s not like when they read the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal where writers are on assignment, follow a certain beat, and are under the corporate structure. You and your readers are peers. Treat them as such.
That means you need to comment back to your readers when they leave comments. Do this as much as time allows. I know, we can’t respond to everyone, but give it a good attempt. Also, engage with readers on Twitter and Facebook. You might want to also consider including your readers in your copy. It’s an easy way for them to know you notice them. In the end it will only strengthen your blog community.
3. WRITE COMPELLING CONTENT: Content. content.content. I can’t stress enough how vitally important it is to write great content. I struggle with it every day, but I strive to write posts that make sense to you as a reader and doesn’t waste your time. When you sit down to write concentrate on putting out exceptional content that is of high quality. No stress, though. Just do your best to write posts that you pour your heart into rather than throw together and hope for the best.
Also, be sure to put research into your posts. Whatever niche you cover whether it’s the green industry or if you just write about your daily life make sure to think about your posts before you sit down to write. Gather your thoughts, data, anecdotes, and links and then begin crafting your content.
4. LAYER IN SOCIAL GOOD: I learned a great lesson by working with ONE and going to Africa last year. I learned that people are genuinely interested in social good and are eager to find out how they can also become involved. If there is a charity or cause you’re interested in and want to advocate for don’t be afraid to write about it. Your readers’ response will surprise you.
5. BE DIFFERENT: It is important to stand out from other bloggers who fill your niche. How do you do this? Put a different spin on the same story. For example, if you write in the daily deals niche most bloggers are going to write about the same deals as you. It’s your job to stand out by digging deeper and finding deals your competitors haven’t found. Let’s also say you write in the baby niche and it always seems the same content gets circulated among all of the baby brands. It’s your job to stand out by forging relationships with baby brands and shops so that when they have news they come to you first. It’s little things like that that allow you to be different instead of the same as other blogs in your niche.
Also, to stand out you can write about things your readers wouldn’t expect, but make sure it still remains in your niche. Or, you can add more multimedia to your posts. If you don’t use a lot of photos, you might want to start adding them in. Or, if video isn’t your thing, you might want to start using video to add a different spin on your blog.
I hope in reading this article you have found new ways to keep your readers loyal.
This is a GREAT, helpful post! Thank you so much. I particularly loved the “Social Good” idea. I never thought of doing that before. You’ve inspired me!
Thanks for the great article. Never thought about gaps between posts as wasting readers’ time, but am resolving to be more consistent in the New Year.
I would add to check your plugins that filter spam. I recently found a lot of good comments have been filtered by Intense Debate. I switched to AntiSpam be because it has the option to have the spam messages sent to me via email for approval or deletion.
Thank you, Jennifer. These are all very good tips. I believe I’ve got my hands wrapped around numbers 1, 2, and the last one as these are some of my strongest assets as a Blogger. As for numbers 3 and 4 I’m working on those, would like to become stronger in those areas for sure.
I would only add that you should not sacrifice yourself for ads, goods, or other things. Remember why you started blogging and try to keep that in mind at all times. Goals may shift, but let your readers know what is going on, so they will not feel like a strings just dangling along.
I definitely agree about it being difficult to recover from long post gaps. And that’s not just on the blog, your @Klout will drop if you don’t engage on twitter daily, seriously, DAILY……
Content is a great one. I hate when I follow a blog that I love and am interested in reading on a daily basis that then turns into a dumping ground for nonsense, giveaways and posts that are provided to them by someone else. All those things are good in moderation but I hate when it becomes the majority on a blog that used to be great.
Hi,
This is such a great reminder. Content is always something I strive to put alot of thought and effort into. Nice to see that it does get appreciated!
And I love the last paragraph of “be different.” For so long, I tried to model my blog after others and I found out through trial and error that it does not work that way. You have to be yourself and let your own voice shine on.
Kudos!
As always, excellent information. Well written content is king!
Add video – for sure! ;)
This is very true because when I visit other blogs, I am actually looking to be “engaged” and leave comments. So if the topics are ones that I cannot relate to, then I sign in and sign out quickly. Your last post about how to lose readers was useful for me and I am committed to NOT make those mistakes, the same way that I am committed to making sure that I am KEEPING readers.
Great tips!
I love being different. I just want to be me and not think I have to fit in here and there to please everyone.
Thank you for all your encouraging reminders Darling… xoxo
You always write the best posts with advice for us all… and well, that is why WE all keep coming back. Thanks again Jennifer!
Great advice, thanks!
I agree about responding back to comments, it does take a lot of time. I installed a plugin to notify readers when someone responds to their comment. That works really well for me.
I also love that aspect. We have a certain amount of power (some more than others!), it is important for us to use that power for good when we can.
Hi Jennifer,
All great, great points. I totally agree with responding to comments. (But don’t feel like you have to respond to mine!) Most people — especially non-bloggers — expect some kind of interaction with the blogger when they leave comments. Otherwise why would they do it? I strive to respond to every single comment. I don’t always get to them right away, but I should. One of the Blog Tyrant’s claims to fame is that he responds to every single comment. And he gets a lot!
Take care,
Amy
Great article and so true. I would add that adding humor to your blog or website is also a way to retain readers. I visit a ton of blogs and websites because I am in the industry and have to. That’s my day job. After a while even the best blogs get boring and they all start to sound the same. The funny blogs, the ones that entertain me and make me smile, are the ones I go to during my free time. If a blogger can make me smile I will be back.
Excellent advice as always. I agree about the doing good part also. While I get swamped by lots of brands/PR asking me to share charity type events/promotions I can’t do all of them, but I do like to share those that speak to me or those that I am personally involved with in volunteering my offline time to.