Tips on getting more followers

 

I am delaying my usual humorous Tuesday post, because I felt that...well, with all the new bloggers.....life demands, um, well, I just wanted to write about this, ok?
 Ahem.

Everyone wants more traffic for their blog. The reason I write about this so much is because I can't stay away from the topic. And from the poll, I guess you want to know about this too.  I know you can google this, but I, Amaranthine, made a special post addressing this topic. Just for you.  It's good to know, whether you have a blog or not.
 Subsection #1:

How to promote yourself shamelessly.
 Because this is what it comes to, right? I only wish I were joking.
This is the secret to getting followers for your blog.
Ask any blogger, and he/she will tell you that, when their blogs were started, they told everybody about it, and nagged them until they were encouraged to check it out. So do it. Slogan: Promote yourself shamelessly. People will get annoyed, and perhaps leave nasty comments, but hey, they visited it, right?

I"m actually kinda shy, and not good at promoting to people I actually know.

If you aren't shy, great!  So go ahead. Put the link as your email signature. Post it on twitter several times. Tell all your friends about it.

Subsubsection #1
Forums
This is a great way to spread the news about your blog. If you blog about cacti, go to a cactus forum and post with your blog as your signature. I know you guys go on HU. (I don't, I'll post a detailed rant against HU, especially the forums, on thursday.) Help forums are also a semi-good place.

Websites
I do go on Club Jade, and met some of you there.

Other blogs
Find other blogs about cacti, and comment there saying how much you love cacti and have a very special cactus at home. Most likely, someone will be interested and click on your name. (Note. This only works on not-famous cacti blogs, not the ones with 300 comments on each post. No one will notice you.)


Subsection #2
How to keep people interested in your blog
See that little flag counter on the side? That counts unique visitors from different countries. I've had more than two hundred. Now see that little thing marked "Awesome People?" Those are my followers. I have twenty. That's 180 people who visited my blog but weren't interested in what they saw. Now that's all right. But you might actually want to keep more of your visitors on your blog.

Post frequently
If you don't, people will forget about your blog, especially if you're new. IF you haven't posted for several weeks/months, do NOT post something about what a horrible blogger you are when you get back. People KNOW you missed 3 months on blogging. You don't need to waste a whole post telling them so. Just pick up where you left off, with maybe a little disclaimer on the bottom


Post variety
Don't try to conform to any one topic. Your cactus blog can post about different types of cacti, how to grow cacti, times you sat on a cactus, etc.

Appreciate your followers
They were kind enough to leave a comment. If you want them to do it again, then encourage them to do it! Respond to the comment to show that you read it, either on your blog or theirs. Comment on their blogs. Send cards to them.
I made one for you guys:

 

You're welcome.


Quick list of what NOT to do:

Do not:

Let popularity come before quality.
This is your blog. You post what you like. Don't worry about what they'll think.(well, maybe just a bit.) Post about what you like to write about and what you know about. (Cactus!)


Be devastated when people don't like what you post.
This has to do with the last one. Don't let nasty comments or otherwise throw you off. I have received nasty comments. I have had people un-follow me because they didn't like what I wrote. I'm still alive and blogging. I still have people who read this blog and like it(I hope

Brag about your blog, put adsense, or play music
I once saw a popular blog that put their follower tool on the top of the page. Before the title. They had 400+ followers, so you couldn't even see the title. To me, it was like, "In your face. I have followers, and you don't." If you've noticed, a lot of the good blogs hide their followers gadget.
Adsense: If you're out to make money, fine. Otherwise: ????? We're your friends, not your money-making tool. And if you have only five followers, what's the point? It gets annoying sometimes. 
Music: If you have this, don't worry about it. It's okay. I just have to make sure I have headphones or "mute" . If we wanted music, we would go to youtube. And it doesn't help that a new song starts every time. It doesn't deter me, but I do know people who get annoyed by music on blogs. If you want to share a song, post a youtube window instead, where people actually click on it if they want to listen.
Ask "famous" blogs to link share:It really makes them upset. Ask me instead. I'll do it. 


That's it. I hope no one took offense at this post, it's just what I know from experience. I know I might not be the best person to take advice from, since I'm not famous at all. Good rule of thumb: Post about what you know, like, and feel comfortable with. Even if you think no one is reading your blog, post anyway. It's good practice. If you're not sure whether your post is good or not, save it for tomorrow.

I hope you have fun designing, writing, and enjoying the perks of a good blog. 


Amaranthine




PS. Random SW Tuesday Wednesday is coming tomorrow! Tell everyone you know! 

PPS. The only thing better than shamelessly promoting your own blog is having other people do it for you.

PPPS. Don't put polls asking people if they like your blog or not. (Do you like my blog? A. Yes. B. No.) That's like self-esteem suicide.