Do you wish your blog posts got shared more than another Lindsay Lohan arrest scandal? Unfortunately blog promotion isn’t that easy. Most blogs don’t have celebrity-status appeal and blog owners have to work their tail off promoting it. There are however a few small blog post tweaks that can increase the virality of your blog posts.
Here are 7 tips to ensure that your blog content gets shared like a Kardashian wedding, a Paris Hilton sex tape, or latest other ‘celebutant’ scandal:
1. Start a Conversation with Blog Comments
If you get people involved and invested on your blog they will be significantly more likely to share it with their friends and networks. The way to get them involved in it is to have your customers,friends and networks regularly participate in your bog comments—creating a conversation and dialogue, not just between you and your readers, but between themselves as well. You will likely have to get the ball rolling by posting questions or comments in your own comment box. If it feels a little silly to comment on your own post then comment anonymously or create a user account to regularly comment with. Try playing devil’s advocate in order to stimulate the conversion.
2. Guest Post on other Blogs
A great way to get your blog noticed is by guest posting on higher-profile blogs in your vertical. If you search Google within your vertical the first few news sites/blogs that come up are a great place to start because they will give you the most traction—and traffic. Many sites will accept gladly accept well-written guest posts from other experts in their industry. The best way to get your guest blog posted is to write it beforehand and submit your post along with your request. Submitting a pre-written post along with your request is ideal because they see immediately that you’re knowledgeable and would make a great addition to their site. If you don’t submit your post along with your request then they might not take you seriously or give you a chance to write one, figuring they are saving you wasting your time.
For tips on writing a successful guest blog post click here
For more reasons why you should be guest posting on other blogs, click here.
3. Be Provocative
This tip is the most common sensical of all the tips, but it is also the most important. The internet is littered with dull industry-specific blogs that post the same type of content—informatively written dull posts about generic topics, written in a marketing tone. To get attention try to be more provocative. Choose blog topics that will get their attention, for example, if you run a tire shop, instead of posting about the types of tires you have available write a post about the number of accidents per year caused by tires in need of replacing and get their attention by asking (in the headline) ‘are your tires on the list of most dangerous tires on the market’.
For tips on finding provocative blog post ideas click here.
4. Be Witty
People like witty. They also like funny, comical and sometimes crass. Include industry-related jokes in your blog posts—preferably within the first couple of lines. Use similes and other writing tools that are likely to get a chuckle, like ‘hotter than two rats screwing in a wool sock’. Being funny has never been so easy, thanks to Google.
5. Use Attractive Images
We are a visual species, so cater to us. Instead of using boring stock images search Google Images for stunning photography, cartoons, comics, graphics, etc. Whichever search result you open first is likely the most attention-getting–after all, it just got your attention didn’t it?
6. Ask Questions When Posting to Social Sites
Instead of the traditional ‘here is my new blog post’ approach to announcing your new articles on Facebook, pose a question. People love answering questions. It makes us feel smart. If you run a blog for a snow removal company and your post is about your time-saving snow removal services pose a question like ‘how many hours does it take to shovel your driveway?’ or ‘do you know what the annual snowfall for <insert city or state name> is?’. Social media questions are like a little challenge to your reader. And, Challenge Accepted.
7. Use Attention-Grabbing Headlines
Newspapers sell because they use funny, informative or shocking headlines, so take your cue from them. Do your research into which types of blog headlines are most effective. Heck, Google search can even help you out with hundreds of sample headlines. God bless Google.
Using a combination of the above tips will make your blog posts more interesting, more engaging and more shareable. Don’t forget to go back in time and retroactively apply the above tips to your older blog posts. Giving dated posts a quick makeover is a great way to make them relevant again.
Robin Wilding is a professionally trained Canadian journalist striving to bring journalistic-era intergity to online media. She has a second degree in Political Science--with a focus on International Relations and the developing world. Currently Robin is a contributor to several technology publications, including Brajeshwar.com, SocialTechnologyReview.com, HostingIndustryWatch.com, AnimationCareerReview.com and CompareBusinessProducts.com. She also works for several web developers; and does ghost writing for several high level executives within the technology sector. Robin's work is showcased in her portfolio: http://shownd.com/robinwilding
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