Are secret fears holding you back from jumping head first into blogging? Don’t let them! Blogging is nothing to be afraid of and it can do amazing things for your online business. This is part 4 in an 8 part series to help you bust through your blogging fears!
What if no one reads my blog?
If you don’t let people know it’s there, they won’t read it. But it’s not difficult to promote your blog. You just need a system of where and how you’ll promote it and drive traffic (just like you already do for your website or your business, right?). This is one of the easier obstacles to overcome.
Here are three simple ways you can be sure your blog posts are getting read when you first get started:
- Get a group of friends together and ask them to actively comment on your blog. Some bloggers even ask their virtual assistant to leave comments. Setup a commenting circle where you subscribe to a few friends’ blogs and they subscribe to yours, then each leave a comment when new posts are published. Once you’ve got a few comments appearing, it’ll be easier for new readers to jump in and comment, too.
- Join a comment tribe. Comment tribes are groups (on Facebook or other networking platforms) where everyone shares their blog post, then comments on others in the group. Just check the rules before joining any so you know what you’re in for.
- Comment on other blogs. Bloggers as a group are very supportive. Get out there and get to know some of them. Many times when you comment on a blog the blogger will stop by and visit your blog, too.
As you blog consistently and promote your blog, you’ll start generating traffic and comments. Many of your visitors will be silent readers, so watch your stats and know that even if you don’t see comments, you’ve got readers.
If you’re already blogging, what have you done to get readers to your blog? Share what’s working for you!
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Kimberly ~ Gypsy says
I always feel this way — about no reading my blog. but being part of such a great group as UBC, Successful WAH Women and several other groups, it has helped my confidence. I’ve also been working on starting 2 “tribes” of my own — one for my niche and one that is not specifically themed or subjected ;) Just keep blogging and meeting new bloggers .. that’s what I’ve been doing!
Michelle Shaeffer says
Awesome, Kimberly! Starting your own tribe is a fantastic strategy. :)
The blog challenges I’ve been in have been a big boost for my blog (and confidence) as well. Just knowing we’ve got people to read what we write makes it easier to write.
Hajra says
Hey Michelle,
Blog hopping always works for me. Though it is a little tedious and takes some effort, make sure one has a select group of bloggers they love and would ALWAYS comment on, the conversations get going and the sense of community comes into play and they are always lovely enough to come back and comment. Yes, it works wonders that way!
Michelle Shaeffer says
Great strategy! And it does work, like you said, when you get that group of bloggers you love and can build a good community. :)
bloggingtips says
Thanks for this great post, i appreciate your efforts; i am blessed by reading your post, each time i visit your blog i get new information,
there is always a new thing to be learnt, keep it up.
Keep posting, keep adding value to all bloggers globally. i remain loyal, i will keep visiting and recommend your blog to friends and
maybe give a link in my blog.
Remain inspired and blessed!
I love you and will come again!
Michelle Shaeffer says
Thanks, I appreciate that.
Melanie Kissell says
Hands down, bar none …
Participating in blogging challenges means your blog will no longer look or feel like a ghost town!
Of course, you must keep in mind …
Fellow bloggers in the challenge aren’t going to post comments on your blog unless you make the effort to post comments on theirs. Reciprocity rules!
And don’t forget to “ping” your posts.
You can use free services like pingmyblog or pingomatic to update search engines with your latest pieces of awesomeness. :)
Michelle Shaeffer says
Good tips — pinging services are a smart tool to use.
And yes!! Reciprocity is the key. :)
Helenee says
At last! My blog is alive and kickin’!
I’m looking forward to participating in your March Blog Challenge.
Michelle Shaeffer says
Woo! Alive and kicking is a GREAT thing. And we’d love to have you back for the next blog challenge.
helen bogun says
nobody is reading my blog :lol: or maybe better not really comemnting on it?
blogging challenges help – so i am lookig forward to the next challenge :)
Michelle Shaeffer says
I’ve had that happen, Helen. Do you have a good stats plugin installed? That helps you see if people are reading. :)
helen bogun says
i am working with jetpack – hope that is good enough.
maybe i have to develope a different strategy?
Angie Schaffer says
I submitted my blog to search engines early on, which brings a lot of traffic to me these days and I’m on things like Networked Blogs, Blog Catalog, Technorati, Reddit, and the like. I don’t have a problem with sharing my content with people and asking them to retweet it, like it, share it, mention it in a casual conversation…. lol I want people to read me, so I put myself out there.
Michelle Shaeffer says
Awesome! And that’s such a key point, Angie — if we want people to read us, we’ve got to put ourselves out there.
Loldri says
When I started up with my 1st blog I used to get friends to comment all the time, it seemed the best way to get started
Michelle Shaeffer says
It’s a good strategy to help when we’re just getting started. :)
Adalia says
I owned this … but I plowed right through it. I still don’t have thousands of followers but I’m thankful for those I have. Like you said in one of your previous posts: “Don’t Give Up, Don’t Shut Up, Just Keeping Showing Up.” You have to keep believe in yourself and eventually you will get it right, it’s the law of the Universe.
Thiago says
Never heard of comment tribes before. Sounds like I should join a few to get a few extra hits to my blog over the next few days. Thanks for this new idea.