How to Get People to Read Your Blog

Before we dive in and find how to get people to read your blog, a quick word of caution. Numbers can be dangerous in this marketing game. I don’t want you to get sucked into refreshing your Google Analytics page like you’re waiting for tickets to come on sale at Glastonbury.

We’re not chasing the highest numbers, we’re chasing the right numbers. High volumes of traffic are of absolutely no use if they’re from the wrong type of people. What we’re looking for here, is getting your dream customers to read your blog. And we want them to stick around too.

So, here’s how to get (the right) people to read your blog posts.

Know who you’re talking to

Every piece of content should be created with one person in mind – your ideal customer. And if you’ve got multiple target audiences? Try to direct each blog post towards just one group.

When you’re clear on exactly who your ideal customer is, you’re going to be able to identify what topics they’re interested in and where you can find them online. Meaning you can write blog posts they’re going to fall in love with, and then promote those blog posts in the spaces you know you’ll find them.

Sound overly simple? That’s because the concept is. The reality? It’s something I rarely see people do! But when we spend the time invested in getting to know who we’re really talking to, we’re able to create content so enticing that people can’t help but click on that link. 

Write for SEO

Don’t run away just yet! I know search engine optimisation (SEO) is an intimidating topic for many small business owners but you don’t have to be a tech wizard to start writing blog posts with Google in mind.

Think of it this way – if we look at the basics of SEO, all it really means is using the words that your customers are typing into Google search to write your content. So when they search for questions or products in your industry, you’re in the results.

How do you do that? It starts with *ahem* knowing who your ideal customer is, assessing what topics they’re interested in that relate to your business, and then building a list of keywords from there. A great way to get started is by using AnswerThePublic, it’s a free tool that makes it satisfyingly easy to find out what people are searching for and then create content around it.

Get to grips with Pinterest

Pinterest is a little bit like Google. We think of it as a social media platform, but really it’s a search engine. And it just so happens to have an even more targeted audience, since Pinterest users tend to have their own account before using the service.

If your ideal customer uses Pinterest, then you want to be too. Which means if your blog is speaking to women, creatives and/or those who like more visual content, then Pinterest could be a powerful way to drive traffic to your website.

While there are countless ways to approach Pinterest, I recommend testing the waters before diving fully in. Have a play with the platform, start using it yourself and figure out how it works through experience. Create a handful of “Pins” for each of your blog posts and add them to Pinterest, along with a link and a post description, and see what happens. It all starts with a little experimentation.

Be smart with social media

You don’t need to be everywhere. Trying to be on every social media platform is the digital equivalent of committing yourself to ten appointments in one day. You could do it, but would it be worth the hassle? Probably not. Instead, ask yourself where that ideal customer of yours is hanging out. That’s where you want to be.

Related: How to Choose Your Social Media Channels

Now that you know which social media channels you’re going to use, promote your blog posts multiple times in each space. You don’t have to simply through the link out each time with a “new post!” caption.

Instead, be smart about it and present your content in different ways…

• Run a quiz series on your Instagram stories, testing your followers’ knowledge on the blog topic
• Feature a quote from your blog post
• Repurpose your blog content into short-form content e.g. list the steps taken, or pick out the highlights
• Publish an extra of the blog
• Present a counterargument to the blog, to look at things from a different viewpoint

The key is really to show your audience what value’s waiting for them inside the blog. You really want to give them a clear cut reason as to why they should click on your link and leave the app they’re currently browsing.

Feature it in your newsletter

Your email list is (ideally) made up of your dream audience. Which means that they should be the perfect folks to read your blog!

Try to think creatively about how you can present each blog post to your subscribers. It could be that you use a message from it in your newsletter for that week. Or perhaps you use the blog post to elaborate on a statement you’re making. Or, you can simply feature it as a “PS” or “before you go” at the end.

However you decide to approach your blog post promotion, try to do it consistently. That way, your audience will grow accustomed to receiving an invitation to click through to your website and will be more likely to fall into the habit of doing so.

Tell people about it

This one seems overly obvious, right?! But it’s about using your blog posts as an asset to your work and getting people to read your blog simply by doing your job.

Can you send your blog to a customer or follower to answer a popular question? It’s something I often do with my clients -it’s helpful to them as they’re getting a detailed answer and helpful to me as I don’t need to repeat myself over and over again.

Or, could you pop a link in your email signature? Or mention it to folks at an event or meet-up? Your promotion doesn’t have to stop when your publication week is over. Ideally, your content should be evergreen. So keep on sharing it, and looking at it from new angles. And you’ll keep on getting new people reading your blog.