You’ve done your homework and created a jazzy blog with excellent content. Now all you need is readers. How do you become part of the conversation and engage the blogosphere? What’s the blogosphere? It’s the sum of all blogs and their connections out on the web. Your main job now will be to network, network and network.
First, put aside some time on a weekly basis for blog networking. Start by sharing reciprocal links with your critique group, writing mentors and friends. Contact them with a personal email. This is a great way to get early exposure to readers who will be interested in your work. Also, bonus, some of your friends’ links will update with your most recent blog post titles. Try to always think of stimulating titles to use this posting feature to best effect.
Do you want more people to come to your blog? Try interviews. Chose people who connect with your content. An interview will bring in the network of your interviewee, and that’s a good thing. Also review books that connect with your content. This will bring in yet another network. Have a contest and offer a prize. Readers like books, but something extra might be nice too -- a critique, a gift card to a bookstore, whatever fits your budget, time wise and money wise.
A powerful way to build a readership is to join the conversation. Always take time to post on the blogs of others. Blogging is not a hard sell activity. It’s about an exchange that leads to “happy” accidents. If you are blogging in the right neighborhood of the blogosphere, your friends and neighbors should be stirring you up with engaging content. You should be doing the same.
Another way to reach out is to link your personal networks to your blog. You can automatically or manually post blog news to Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms. Try to think of titles that will draw in readers in a viral way, but beware, if your content is not as snazzy as your titles, your endeavors are going to have the wrong effect.
How do you get publishing professionals interested in your blog? One good way to do this is to visit the blogs of publishing professionals. Comment on what they have to say and show that you have something important to say too. They are likely to check out that smart commenter. Always include a link to your blog when sending out submissions. If you capture interest with a query, someone will go read your blog.
Take these habits to heart. Very few blogs go viral in a short period of time. Remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. Slow and steady wins the race. Above all, remember that engaging blog content will reveal your dedication, your skill, and your perseverance to the craft of writing -- one of the best ways to engage the blogosphere.