There Are No Rules - Blogging http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/ Jane Friedman's WD Blog en-us F+W Media, Inc. Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:38:24 GMT newtelligence dasBlog 2.3.9074.18820 Jane.Friedman@fwpubs.com Jane.Friedman@fwpubs.com http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/Trackback.aspx?guid=b6c8b1f7-417b-42f9-94a0-dbf186339e5f http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/pingback.aspx http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/PermaLink,guid,b6c8b1f7-417b-42f9-94a0-dbf186339e5f.aspx Jane http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/CommentView,guid,b6c8b1f7-417b-42f9-94a0-dbf186339e5f.aspx http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=b6c8b1f7-417b-42f9-94a0-dbf186339e5f 6



There's such a wonderful comment on yesterday's post that I wanted to bring attention to it (slightly modified to apply to all genres). Thank you, Banana the Poet (aka Michele Breton)! Follow her on Twitter or visit her site.


Simple Checklist for Getting Known, Getting Readers, Building Platform
  • Blog your work and gather readers (Michele blogged for three years)
  • Start publishing company (optional, but great route for poets)
  • Release poetry book (possible to accomplish for free and with little or no technical expertise, through services like Smashwords, Lulu, Scribd)
  • Format for Kindle and release

What other steps would you add, or have you found to be critical?
Your Simple Checklist for Getting Known & Getting Readers http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/PermaLink,guid,b6c8b1f7-417b-42f9-94a0-dbf186339e5f.aspx http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2009/10/23/YourSimpleChecklistForGettingKnownGettingReaders.aspx Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:38:24 GMT <p> </p> <img src="http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/content/binary/images%5B1%5D.jpeg" border="0" height="122" width="121"> <br> <br> There's such a wonderful comment on yesterday's post that I wanted to bring attention to it (slightly modified to apply to all genres). Thank you, Banana the Poet (aka Michele Breton)! <a href="http://twitter.com/Banana_the_Poet">Follow her on Twitter</a> or <a href="http://poetry4fun.blog.co.uk/">visit her site</a>.<br> <br> <br> <b>Simple Checklist for Getting Known, Getting Readers, Building Platform<br> </b> <ul> <li> Blog your work and gather readers (Michele blogged for three years)<br> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> Join <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a> (and/or <a href="http://www.facebook.com">Facebook</a>) and make friends with like minded people</li> </ul> <ul> <li> Contribute &amp; comment regularly on blogs and sites (like <a href="http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides">Writer's Digest Poetic Asides prompt challenges</a>)</li> </ul> <ul> <li> Start publishing company (optional, but great route for poets)<br> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> Release poetry book (possible to accomplish for free and with little or no technical expertise, through services like <a href="http://www.smashwords.com">Smashwords</a>, <a href="http://www.lulu.com">Lulu</a>, <a href="http://www.scribd.com">Scribd</a>)<br> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> Format for <a href="http://dtp.amazon.com">Kindle</a> and release</li> </ul> <ul> <li> Get onto the <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/nook/">Barnes &amp; Noble Nook system</a> </li> </ul> <ul> <li> Ask hubby to turn my book into an <a href="http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2009/10/23/TurnYourBookIntoAnIPhoneApp.aspx">iPhone application</a> </li> </ul> <br> What other steps would you add, or have you found to be critical?<br> <img width="0" height="0" src="http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/aggbug.ashx?id=b6c8b1f7-417b-42f9-94a0-dbf186339e5f" /> http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/CommentView,guid,b6c8b1f7-417b-42f9-94a0-dbf186339e5f.aspx Blogging Building Readership Digitization & New Technology Getting Published Marketing & Self-Promotion Self-Publishing http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/Trackback.aspx?guid=3d5fcd10-16d7-4fc9-9ec7-6f0b7212ffd1 http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/pingback.aspx http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/PermaLink,guid,3d5fcd10-16d7-4fc9-9ec7-6f0b7212ffd1.aspx Jane http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/CommentView,guid,3d5fcd10-16d7-4fc9-9ec7-6f0b7212ffd1.aspx http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/SyndicationService.asmx/GetEntryCommentsRss?guid=3d5fcd10-16d7-4fc9-9ec7-6f0b7212ffd1 20



One of my posts last month, The Benefits of Blogging, received a number of valuable comments. For anyone wondering about the value of blogging, this is a must-read for the variety of perspectives.

The next question that naturally arises—after you decide to blog—is how to gain readership. Before I mention specific tactics, 3 things to remember:
  1. It takes time; this is a journey. Be patient. Results don't come overnight.
  2. The more focused your blog is (the more it is driven by a specific purpose), the easier you will draw a readership. Sometimes it can take you 6-12 months to figure out what your blog is about. Read the Brazen Careerist for more on this important point.
  3. You have to be consistent in when you post, even if you don't think you have enough readers for it to matter.
That said, here are a few easy ways you can begin growing your reach. These are meant to be simple, straightforward, and meaningfully accomplished by anyone in the first months of blogging.
1. Comment on other blogs—blogs that you actively read and/or truly enjoy. But don't just comment, "Great post! Go read my blog." Instead, make a comment of substance that adds a resource, tip, or encouragement. Or offer an opposing point of view. Make it a discussion, not a promotion of yourself.

2. Be the No. 1 commenter on your own blog. Show your readers that you care and will take the time to respond and interact with them.

3. In your own blog posts, reference and link to other blogs/sites. Comment on what other people are writing about, or summarize many viewpoints on an issue. These other bloggers will discover you and might comment or link to you.

4. If you're on Twitter, then Tweet your blog posts. (You can use TwitterFeed to do this automatically if you like.) If you're not on Twitter, consider that some sites/blogs see 30-50% (or more) of their traffic coming from Twitter.

5. If you're on Facebook, then use the NetworkedBlogs application from within Facebook so that your Wall automatically updates and links to your latest blog post. Your readers/fans can also use the NetworkedBlogs app to follow your blog.

For more resources on growing your blog readership, try these helpful posts by experts Chris Brogan & Guy Kawasaki:
23 Elements of Sharable Blog Posts (Chris Brogan)

The 120 Day Wonder: How to Evangelize a Blog (Guy Kawasaki)

Bloggers: What have you found to be most important or influential in growing your readership? Did you experience a tipping point?

Photo credit: Humanoide
The First 5 (Simple) Steps for Growing Readership on Your Blog http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/PermaLink,guid,3d5fcd10-16d7-4fc9-9ec7-6f0b7212ffd1.aspx http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2009/10/19/TheFirst5SimpleStepsForGrowingReadershipOnYourBlog.aspx Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:01:50 GMT <p> </p> <img src="http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/content/binary/138782217_8d1fcf9a87.jpg" border="0" height="271" width="362"> <br> <br> One of my posts last month, <b>The Benefits of Blogging</b>, received a number of valuable comments. <a href="http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/CommentView,guid,4d7f98a8-751d-46c6-b19b-bf5b37fbf850.aspx#commentstart">For anyone wondering about the value of blogging, this is a must-read for the variety of perspectives.</a> <br> <br> The next question that naturally arises—after you decide to blog—is how to gain readership. Before I mention specific tactics, 3 things to remember:<br> <ol> <li> It takes time; this is a journey. Be patient. Results don't come overnight.</li> <li> The more focused your blog is (the more it is driven by a specific purpose), the easier you will draw a readership. Sometimes it can take you 6-12 months to figure out what your blog is about. <a href="http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2009/10/06/blogs-without-topics-are-a-waste-of-time/">Read the Brazen Careerist for more on this important point.</a> </li> <li> You have to be consistent in when you post, even if you don't think you have enough readers for it to matter.</li> </ol> That said, here are a few easy ways you can begin growing your reach. These are meant to be simple, straightforward, and meaningfully accomplished by anyone in the first months of blogging.<br> <blockquote><b>1. Comment on other blogs—blogs that you actively read and/or truly enjoy.</b> But don't just comment, "Great post! Go read my blog." Instead, make a comment of substance that adds a resource, tip, or encouragement. Or offer an opposing point of view. Make it a discussion, not a promotion of yourself.<br> <br> <b>2. Be the No. 1 commenter on your own blog.</b> Show your readers that you care and will take the time to respond and interact with them.<br> <br> <b>3. In your own blog posts, reference and link to other blogs/sites. </b>Comment on what other people are writing about, or summarize many viewpoints on an issue. These other bloggers will discover you and might comment or link to you.<br> <br> <b>4. If you're on <a href="http://www.twitter.com">Twitter</a>, then Tweet your blog posts.</b> (You can use <a href="http://www.twitterfeed.com">TwitterFeed</a> to do this automatically if you like.) If you're not on Twitter, consider that some sites/blogs see 30-50% (or more) of their traffic coming from Twitter.<br> <br> <b>5. If you're on Facebook, then use the <a href="http://www.networkedblogs.com/">NetworkedBlogs application</a></b> from within Facebook so that your Wall automatically updates and links to your latest blog post. Your readers/fans can also use the NetworkedBlogs app to follow your blog.<br> </blockquote> <br> For more resources on growing your blog readership, try these helpful posts by experts Chris Brogan &amp; Guy Kawasaki:<br> <blockquote><a href="http://www.chrisbrogan.com/23-essential-elements-of-sharable-blog-posts/">23 Elements of Sharable Blog Posts</a> (Chris Brogan)<br> <a href="http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/04/the_120_day_won.html#axzz0UOVZPRIr"> <br> The 120 Day Wonder: How to Evangelize a Blog</a> (Guy Kawasaki)<br> <br> </blockquote>Bloggers: What have you found to be most important or influential in growing your readership? Did you experience a tipping point?<br> <br> <font size="1"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/humanoide/138782217/">Photo credit: Humanoide</a></font> <br> <img width="0" height="0" src="http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/aggbug.ashx?id=3d5fcd10-16d7-4fc9-9ec7-6f0b7212ffd1" /> http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/CommentView,guid,3d5fcd10-16d7-4fc9-9ec7-6f0b7212ffd1.aspx Building Readership Digitization & New Technology Marketing & Self-Promotion Blogging