Blogging can be a fun and interesting adventure with the chance to discover new friends, brands and products. There are also a lot of challenges to face including keeping your blog fresh and interesting to new and existing readers. In order to rise the status of your blog and to increase your chances of being offered new opportunities it's important to promote your blog on a regular basis. Promotion is something every brand must do in order to stay ahead of their competitors but it doesn't mean you have to fork out lots of money for expensive marketing campaigns.
This post is a simple breakdown of the best ways to promote your blog.
1. Publish more posts
One of the easiest and probably most overlooked way to promote your blog is to post more content. Research has found that blogs who post 16+ times a month got 3.5 times more traffic than those who only post 0-5 blog posts monthly.
2. Produce longer (but interesting posts)
You may find it hard to believe but longer posts - with around 2000 words or more rank better in the search engines. They also get more shares which is getting your posts over to more people. When writing longer posts make sure you keep the post to the point and don't ramble.
3. Email newsletters
Newsletters are a fantastic way of letting your existing subscribers know you have just released a new post. This can cause your traffic to spike and increase page views. To get subscribers encourage people to subscribe in a post or on social media. Alternatively you could request this as part of a competition.
4. Guest blog
One of the most successful ways to increase traffic to your blog is to guest blog for others. Aim for a blog in your niche that is more successful than you who is willing to work with other bloggers. Make sure your pitch is personal to get the best chance of getting your guest blog accepted. Remember not everyone accepts guest bloggers so don't be disheartened if they say no.
5. Optimise your blog
I cannot stress how important it is to optimise your blog. You can promote your links through social media as much as you can but if your blog isn't showing up on Google or other search engines, once your efforts stop, the traffic stops. People search sites like Google every day for answers to their questions and your site could be that next click. Familiarise yourself with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and use keywords and meta tags to get your blog to be search engine visible.
6. Comment on other blogs
Try to comment as much as you can on other blogs that are popular with a lot of visitors. If you post a comment that catches someone's eye you could potentially be rewarded with a lot of traffic. Don't post lots of comments asking them to 'visit your link' or you'll find most of your comments will end up deleted.
7. Blogger outreach
Once you've published your post you'll need to start sharing it. Unless you're a well established blogger like Zoella it's unlikely people will come flocking once you've released a new post on the world. Establish a plan that you'll use to promote each new post - share it on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and any other social media platforms you use. You can also request that brands you may have mentioned or bloggers share the post for you as well to spread the word. It may be ideal to build up relationships first before you start asking people to share your links.
8. Mention other bloggers
People love being mentioned it's a real ego boost. When you write a post put links to other bloggers that may be relevant to your content. Once you've published your post let them know you've mentioned them and sit back and watch the shares roll in.
9. Expert blogger roundup
Reach out to expert bloggers in your niche and ask them 1 or 2 key questions. Do this for around 30 bloggers and then compile the answers into one post. When you've published the post you'll have a really comprehensive view of a certain topic that will potentially be shared by every blogger you mention!
10. Do a case study on a important person in your niche
Depending on what you're writing about there's bound to be established celebrities or icons who have a lot of knowledge to share. For example my niche is beauty so a few years ago I got the chance to interview make up artist to the stars Olivia Newman Young. This was of interest to a lot of people as the role of makeup artist is seen as a attractive position and she gave lots of interesting tricks in how to achieve that.
11. Feature or interview owners of large social media groups
Whether it's a Facebook Group with a very large following or a Google+ group it can be very tempting to ignore the board rules and post lots of links to your new post. A lot of people do that and it often results in your link being deleted/being considered spam. Another way to approach these groups is to ask to interview the owner and then ask them to share the article in the group. As you probably know flattery is very tempting and they will probably share it and you have potentially a lot more viewers. You can also use this technique for large forums and encourage the person you interviewed to share the post.
12. Host a competition
Hosting a competition is one of the most easy and successful ways of promoting your blog. Ask participants to share the post as a requirement to enter the competition and you'll find your content meeting new audiences. If possible try and get a few sponsors for your competition and encourage them to share it on their own channels. For example you can approach a brand you love, advise them why you this is a great opportunity for them and voila you have a new relationship and lots of potential new visitors.
13. Develop a social media strategy
These days with the level of people using social media it's not enough to simply publish and share your article. You need to network on social networks, engage with top influencers, brands and key pages and gain interest and followers this way. It's important to regularly recycle your old content also. A lot of blogs you post are considered evergreen (article topics that are relevant throughout the year) and are perfect to share at various intervals. Try not to spam but don't be afraid to post regularly at certain intervals.
- With Facebook you can share your article twice
- With Twitter and Google+ three times is ideal
- Pinterest benefits from up to five shares a day
14. Submit your work to big blogs like Huffington Post
If your blog is published on Huffington Post your work is being exposed to a very large readership. Publishing your post to a large blog will gain you a lot more views and possibly new readers. Contact the big networks and ask them if they want to publish your posts.
15. Link up with other bloggers
You've probably seen big bloggers collaborate with other bloggers for a review or tutorial. By exchanging links you have the chance to generate new traffic and both sites audiences will get to see fresh new content.
16. Promote your blog in popular forums
Popular forums can often have thousands of members that could be a potential new source of audience for your blog. However word of the wise, do not join a forum and start spamming your link. You will get blocked. Take the soft approach and join in conversations, contribute valuable insights to the various conversations. You can add your link to your signature and the more you post the more your link will get seen and potentially viewed.
17. Create a ultimate guide on a topic
Create a guide in your niche that gives a fresh view on a certain topic. For example you can produce a guide that will really help your readers accomplish a tricky hobby or a number of different looks. Ultimate guides are often 5000-10,000 words. As I mentioned earlier Google and your audience loves long posts so it's a win all around.
18. Include social share buttons on your blog
This is a simple one but it really does have the potential to get your article out to a much larger readership. If you don't have social share buttons people have to put more effort in to share your content. This is fine if they really want to share your message but if they don't have a lot of time to spare and there's no easy way to do it you've potentially lost out on new visitors.
19. Publish regular infographics
Infographics are a fantastic way of generating traffic to your blog, especially on Twitter. Infographics share a lot of data in a short succinct image which is often very attractive for readers. They can potentially get 823% more retweets than images and articles which has so much potential for generating new audiences for your blog. You can also submit your infographic to infographic directories for social bookmarking.
20. Get involved with Slideshare
What is Slideshare I hear you ask? Slideshare is the king of content marketing with over 70 million professionals currently using the website. To use it you submit presentations on a topic in your niche, for example if you blog about beauty then you could do a presentation on how the beauty industry has changed in the last 40 years. When creating presentations try to use a lot more images than words so your points are easily illustrated. One user gained over 1,400 clicks to their blog in 30 days simply by sharing content on Slideshare.
21. Facebook Groups
Facebook Groups often have a lot of members which are potential new visitors to your website. Just like with forums don't go in just pasting your link, write catchy wording with attractive pictures. After all a picture says a thousand words!
22. Look for interview opportunities
Have you done something successful recently? Has your blog been shortlisted for a award? Whatever it might be look around for blogs or websites that can interview you and showcase your blog. You could try speaking to your local press or even try IdeaMensch.
23. Use the question/answer site Quora
Quora is basically a forum for people to ask any question they desire. You can get involved by answering the various questions in your niche. You can join different groups and really get involved. Good answers get 'upvoted' and this can get you a lot of notice. You can start to share links to your blog through Quora but it may take some time for the traffic to trickle through.
24. Take part in links round ups
A lot of bloggers often host a weekly/monthly roundup of links in different niches. These round ups have a summary of the best content for that month and can get you some really good exposure.
25. Be aware of what's going on around you
Whether it's Spring, Summer, Winter or Autumn, Christmas or Easter it's really good to schedule your content around what's hot at the time you're writing. If a certain event is high on someone's mind they're more likely to click on your content.
26. Podcast interviews
There are a lot of podcasts that are really successful and like other websites can expose you to a larger demographic of people. Pitch a interesting story and they'll be more likely to ask you to take part.
27. Blog about a big personality
Try to theme your article around a big personality like Obama or Justin Beiber. Analyse how they act and how this links in with your content. You might even get a share by the icon themselves.
28. Write controversial posts
You might not want to rock the boat but writing controversial posts can actually really boost your exposure. It creates debate and people love a good argument.
29. Be transparent
Being honest about your blog and your statistics is actually very refreshing to your audience and can really help promote blog growth. By regularly publishing income reports you're showing people what you're earning and how this increases as time goes on.
30. Use Pinterest
Pinterest is an amazing source of inspiration for many and a perfect source of traffic. It's a social media site that doubles as a search engine where you can find ideas for pretty much anything. Create fabulous images which you can share on Pinterest to get new visitors to your blog. When using Pinterest seriously create a business profile so you can view analytics.
31. Pursue media syndication opportunities
A lot of media syndication sites publish around 50 articles a day which of course is a lot of work. To achieve that they often republish quality content from guests and other sources. Often these sites will only accept content from experts but you can see if sites like Life Hacker or Business Insider will accept you into their syndication program.
32. Convert your blog posts into PDFs and submit to PDF sharing sites
Converts your popular blog posts into PDFs and share on PDF sharing sites. Make sure to include your biography and a link so people come and visit you once they've read your content.
- 20 PDF sharing sites to get you started
33. Start a podcast
Podcasts are perfect for sharing content as they provide easy listening. If your content gets popular enough people can even consume your content whilst commuting.
34. Advertise on Reddit
Reddit is one of the biggest online communities and has a reach of 17 million monthly users. Advertising on Reddit is surprisingly cheap with prices at only £0.53 Cost Per Thousand (CPT).
35. Advertise on Facebook
Facebook is perfect for targeting your advertisements to a large audience. It is also a lot cheaper than Google Ads.
36. Advertise on Stumbleupon
Stumbleupon is of course a content sharing site. It is one of the cheapest places to advertise online and has the potential for your advertisement to go viral.
- Key tip - advertise shareworthy content which has more potential to go viral. For example a attractive image.
Instead of running a competition why not sponsor one? You'll get your name linked as part of your sponsorship which will create traffic and fantastic backlinks.
38. Run a competition for a product that's currently going viral
A viral giveaway can really help bring traffic to your blog as that particular product is being talked about a lot. A chance to win that product will therefore gain you a lot of shares and more visitors.
39. Join H.A.R.O
Help a Reporter Out (H.A.R.O) is a platform where journalists and sources come together. Journalists will use H.A.R.O to find people to interview and if you're listed they may approach you. Make sure they include your website if you're approached.
40. Join a supportive blogger community
There are a number of websites that really come together to help each member promote themselves. The community promotes each others content which results in fresh traffic. Sites like JustRetweet and Triberr are a good start.
41. Give something away for free
People love freebies and by giving away something completely for free you're giving something back to your audience. Write a Ebook based on your niche and then share it everywhere you possibly can. Don't ask for anything in return, not even a email. Include a biography so your link is included and encourage people to share the book. This can lead to a massive increase in traffic.
42. Run a traffic competition
A traffic competition is a contest with a difference. Challenge those in your community to share your link to as many people as possible. The person who created the most traffic at the end of the contest wins a prize.
42. Create a list of 101 items
I have already mentioned throughout this article how integral articles with 2000+ words can be for increasing your traffic. A list with 101 items on will by definition be quite indepth and comprehensive which will result in a lot of shares and traffic.
43. Publish a ultimate link round up
Create a article with as many articles as you can find on a particular topic. Try and include as many relevant resources as possible and then ask those featured to share it to their audience.
44. Create your own blog themes
People love to customise their blogs and often download custom templates. If you have the skills to create different themes you can offer these to others by submitting them to template sites. At the bottom of each theme you can place your link so people looking at the blog will know who created it. Ensure the link is nofollow to ensure there's no issues created with Google. To get started you can visit Theme Forest
45. Create your own website plugins
Create a plugin which you can share to others in exchange for them placing a link to your blog on their site.
46. Benefit from image sharing sites
Image sharing sites like Flickr use a Creative Commons license which gives you the chance to share your pictures to others who can download them for free as long as they link back to you. Over time this can lead to a lot of back links for you increasing your Domain Authority. Your pictures may even be used by top media sites which can generate a lot of quality traffic.
47. Utilise your email signature
You probably send lots of emails every day without even thinking about it. Your email signature is one of the best chances to get free promotion of your blog without much effort. Ensure you put your blog link and social sharing sites in to get as many people viewing your link as possible. I've found the best plugin to use is WiseStamp which you can download for free and use on email browsers like Gmail.
48. Focus on a mobile experience
We live in a digital world and that world allows for the use of technology on a go. Make sure that your blog is optimised for mobile use so that you don't lose out on a massive chunk of traffic. Beaware if you don't Google may penalise you - their new algorithm meant websites lost up to 46.6% of their traffic by not making their websites mobile friendly.
49. Research keywords
Before publishing a article it's important you research which keywords are hot. This is the best way to avoid poor searching ratings.
50. Be a influential bloggers success story
There are hundreds of thousands of blogs out there and not everyone can generated the thousands of readers that some people find so easy to obtain. Many of these influential bloggers like to publish articles advising how they achieved their success so others can follow. If you can follow their advice and find it works for you in getting traffic, let the blogger know. They'll be so pleased you managed to achieve something they'll gladly showcase you as a success story.
51. Ask experts to contribute to your article
A lot of articles really do benefit from that expert touch. Find a expert in your niche and ask them to comment on what you've written about. This is especially valid if you've written a long article with a lot of key points. Once the article is complete ask the expert to share to their audience.
52. Refresh old posts
Google loves fresh content. Whilst writing up to date content is great for your blog, it's not always possible. You can fool Google into thinking your content is fresh by jiggling a old post, removing old information and updating things so the article is more relevant to today.
53. Create a blog title with proper SEO structure
The way you phrase your blog title can actually have a big impact on your search rankings and traffic. Try to have a descriptive title without too many unnecessary verbs.
54. Proper site structure
Just like your blog title having a good blog structure is very important for SEO. Make sure your blog is indexable, with a archive and is easy for Google/other search engines to crawl.
55. Create internal links
When writing your posts ensure you link to other posts you've written if they're relevant. This can crease deep internal links that can improve your rating in the search engines.
56. Improve your headlines
There's a reason why major newspapers use big headlines - they sell. With any publication a headline has the ability to really pull someone in and get you a much bigger audience. If your headline is boring people are unlikely to read it.
57. Link to authoritative sources
Did you know as well as basing the quality of a website based on how many links point to it, they also factor the number of authoritative websites you link to. If you constantly link to authoritative and successful websites in your niche Google will assume your a google authoritative resource in turn and will rank you better as a result. This will of course generate more traffic.
58. Invite others to guest blog on your site
Guest blogging for other people is a great way of gaining exposure. Asking other people to blog on your site is also a great way of getting your site out there. Reach out to those with a bigger reach then you and ask them if they would like to write a guest blog. They will be likely to share it to their audience which will bring more traffic to you.
59. Listen to your readers
You'll notice sometimes how some blog posts do really well whilst others simply don't. In the same sense trying to promote a unsuccessful post generally won't amount to much. Do a review every month to see which was successful and try to create more content which is similar. Alternatively you can ask your readers direct what they would like to see more of.
60. Basic SEO
When you start to gain a readership analyse your statistics and see what's working and what isn't. Make sure your posts have catchy descriptions (see headlines), good tags and your blog is easy to navigate.
61. Write for the scanner
Whilst longer posts do help increase your rating in search engines, if someone just wants to scan a article they'll probably miss most of what you're saying. Break your articles down with bold headings, italics, bullet points etc so people can take in the parts they want.
62. Offer partial blog feeds
If you've got a blog you probably have a feed where people can consume your content through a feed reader. In order to avoid passive reading why not cut what they can see. By offering partial feeds people will have to visit your blog to see the rest of your content.
63. Images are king
Images are so important when it comes to generating traffic. A appealing glossy image can really pull readers in and add shape to your article. Articles with images get up to 94% more views than those without. They're also great for sharing on Pinterest.
64. Retweet old articles
With people following so many on Twitter it can actually be very hard for people to see your tweet. Research shows that only 1.4% of your followers will engage with your tweet as the other 98.6% simply don't see the post. In order to get as much exposure as possible you will need to constantly promote your link at different times to increase the chance of getting your link seen.
65. Master the best time to post
The time you post can have a big impact on how many views you get. Research has found that articles published on a Tuesday get 3X more views than those published on Sunday.
66. Do a solo ad
Solo ads are pretty much as they sound. A email newsletter will contain just one ad - which will be your blog. You can offer owners of big blogs a fee in exchange for a solo ad.
67. Take advantage of local media
Blogging has become so popular that people tend to forget about local media. Approach your local radio/newspaper and ask them if you can offer your services by writing about your niche. This can results in extra coverage, a brand image and blog traffic.
68. Never underestimate the power of hashtags
When promoting your articles on social media don't forget to use hashtags! Hashtags are pretty much used universally these days and makes your content discoverable just by typing in that tag.
69. Submit your blog to website directories
Whilst times have moved on and blog directories are not as influential as they once were they can still have a impact on traffic.
- Here's 49 free directories to get you started
70. Rewrite your articles and submit to article directories
As well as submitting your link to website directories you can also rewrite a article and submit it for publication. Make sure you include your blog link in your articles.
71. Identity top Q&A and community sites in your niche
Q&A sites can actually be a very good source of traffic. By answering questions with relevant and well constructed answers you are demonstrating why people should read your work. Participate in relevant discussions and eventually include links back to your blog. Sites like Yahoo Answers and Quora are a good place to start
72. Submit your blog for inclusion in Google News
Have you covered something newsworthy? If you're first on the scene make sure you submit your article to Google News. This can have a massive impact on your traffic.
73. Translate your blog into other languages
This is a subtle but effective way of boosting traffic to your blog. Often barriers can be put up if someone who speaks a different language tries to read your blog but can't as they don't understand what you're saying. You can use the fresh plugin Transposh to translate your site. Unfortunately this is only suitable for those using Wordpress.
74. Create a app for your blog
Create a app that fits your blog and submit it to Google store and Apple store. If the app helps people they will be likely to share it with their friends and give great reviews. If enough people like it Google will start showcasing it which will in turn boost your traffic. Ensure you include your link somewhere in the app.
75. Organise events
Organise an event in your area and invite people in your community to join in. Showcase your blog link and ask attendees to share it to others.
76. Do a industry survey and make the results public
Create a survey based on popular topics in your niche and publish your survey results. Once the survey is complete you can generate the power of infographics to gain traffic. You can also ask bloggers in your niche to share the infographic.
I hope you find this guide useful. Do let me know in the comments below if you get a lot more traffic from any of these methods or if you know any other ways that work to promote your blog!
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