1. Link liberally. Every blogger should have a blogroll with links to other related blogs, but I’d take that even further and link to other posts or articles within the body of your blog. It gives your readers lots of places to get more information on the topics they’re curious about. It can bolster your own argument when you’re linking to research or experts. It encourages conversation because you’re pointing to a specific post. Often the original blogger will come check out your blog, leave a comment, and perhaps link to you in the future (but this should never be expected, it must be merit-based). Penelope Trunk wrote a great post on nine ways to think about linking in a blog post. Maria Schneider has some smart ideas on using links as part of your call to action.
2. Contribute to other sites. Whenever you write a guest blog post or publish a new article, always try to include a link to your blog if you get a bio line, much like I’m doing now. I still sometimes get traffic from articles I wrote two or more years ago! In addition to article bylines, you could also include your blog’s URL as part of your profile on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social networking sites.
3. Comment early and often. Commenting on other blogs in your niche is a great way to gain readers who are already blog-savvy and interested in your subjet. But only if you have something to add to the conversation. I don’t mind when someone leaves a quick comment like “nice post!” or “I completely agree with you,” but it’s unlikely that other readers will be tempted to click through to their blog. To increase your blog readership, post an insightful, well thought out comment and it’s much more likely to spark the curiosity of the blog’s writer and readers.
4. Think about offline promotions. The most obvious way to increase your blog readership is through other blogs or websites, but it’s not the only way. You could attend blogging and social media events (and always bring business cards!), design a t-shirt with your blog’s URL, or speak on a panel about blogging or some other topic related to your blog. I’ve done all of these, and I’ll bet you could come up with many more ideas for promoting your blog in person. It works, because people like to see the person behind the blog.
5. Keep writing useful content. The single most effective way to increase your blog readership is to keep giving them what they want: content that gets them thinking, that informs, entertains, or otherwise draws them in. All the brilliant promotional strategies in the world won’t help if readers find your blog boring or if it hasn’t been updated for long stretches. If you’re stuck for ideas, you might take your cues from the comments section. Often readers ask a question that can spark a whole new post. Or look at what posts are getting the most traffic and/or comments and consider revisiting those topics.
