As you know, I’m taking part in the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog challenge over at Problogger. I’m playing catch up today, trying to do several days worth of work on two blogs. And I’m noticing a trend. A lot of Darren’s tips have to do with how you treat readers. No big surprise there. It doesn’t matter if you are writing the best blog on the internet. Without readers, you’re wasting your breath. Or typing. Or whatever. Treat your readers well, and they will treat you well- by linking to your site, checking out ads, and helping to spread the word through twitter, digg, sphinn, and other social media sites.
Treating your readers well will encourage them to keep reading, and to keep (or start) commenting. There are some really easy ways to do this.
- Write individuals who comment often, or even for the first time, an email, thanking them for their participation. It only takes a few minutes, but it can make a huge impact. It says that you care enough about your readers to give something back. Diana, over at Reading Is Sexy, sent me one of these letters, and it just made my day.
- Use CommentLuv. This Wordpress plugin will show a link to your commenter’s recent post underneath their comment. Your readers will appreciate the extra traffic generated by commenting on your blog. This is a tactic used by Robin over at Web Success 101, and I always get a few visitors after I comment over there.
- Get interactive. Ask for advice, put up a poll, offer to publish reader tips. Hold a contest. Give readers a reason to respond. And make sure that you respond back. Start a conversation with your readers.
- Visit and comment on the blogs of your readers. Let them know that you are interested in what you are doing. This is one of the best ways to build a relationship with your readers. It lets them know that, not only are you reading their comments, but you are interested in the person, and blog, behind the comment.
These ideas aren’t new. But knowing about them, and actually using them, are two different things. We read tips all over the place, from many different sources. Do something different today. Take these tips, and use them. Let me know how it goes.
Which techniques are you already using to encourage comments and earn loyal readers? Do you have any other tips?
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