Is your blog gaining new followers?
(How to Transform All
of Your Blogs Into Evergreen Content)
It’s a question most of us avoid asking ourselves. We know
we’re “supposed” to blog, and so we dutifully crank one out at regular
intervals. Sometimes, the blog is about something trivial, like our cats. Or
it’s a clear promotional piece for another author or for ourselves.
Don’t quote me as saying that either of those things are
unimportant. But will they get you new readers? Probably not. So what does work?
Evergreen Content!
Let’s talk about something that marketers call evergreen
content. I first learned about it from Jeni Elliott (aka The Blog Maven). Evergreen content is that content
that people come back to again and again – those posts with engaging titles and
easy quotes that we love to forward, comment on, and share.
The
main question is: Will people still
read this and think it’s interesting a year from now?
Now, I know for sure that most of my blog posts are not that
kind of content. Are yours? Are they the type of things that your readers are
searching for, year after year? For instance, let’s say that you write
paranormal romances (ahem). You could do a post on your top ten paranormal
romances, ever. Or try a post on a popular but timeless book, TV series, etc.,
and what you think about it. Like “How Anne Rice Transformed Paranormal”. (And
be nice! We all know karma’s moniker.)
What we don’t want to do, though, is just continue to post
because we feel that we have to. If it’s not something great, then don’t post
it. Don’t we all tend to filter out or delete posts and emails that we feel
have no relevance in our lives? Our readers are doing the same thing, so make your
post amazing. Or at least great.
Make use of
keywords.
Even though Google has tamped down on allowing us to find
the best keywords, you probably already know what these are for you. For
instance, I should have paranormal and romance in my content somewhere, because
that’s what my readers are searching for.
And try these other ways to search for trending
keywords.
Know your Reader.
Of course, all of this only helps if we know first who our
ideal reader is. Who is that one reader out there that you think of when you
sit down to write your blog – that one reader that retweets, shares, and
comments on your posts? What does that reader most want from you? Is it
recommendations for new books, insight into your writing process, or just
general personal information? Thinking of what that person wants will help to
shape your writing.
A reader survey is also a great way to get to know your
readers. If you already have a newsletter (and if you don’t, start now!), then
you can include a very short questionnaire on the reader’s wishes. A give-way
helps here to get responses. Try to see if there is something that the reader
gains from reading your books and blogs – what sort of emotional transformation
do they get from reading what you write?
TALK TO US.
What are your tricks
for bringing more readers to your blogs? Do you feel as if you are hitting your
target audience, or just struggling to find stuff to write about?
Erin writes sensuous paranormal romances set in exotic
locales. Her latest book is a sexy minotaur shifter story set in Crete. A regular blogger for Marketing for Romance
Writers as well as Heroes and Heartbreakers, Erin is sadly
neglectful of her own blog. She lives in Atlanta with her two little paranormal
beings and one unruly husband.
Erin also now offers editing services, including help with
bios and queries, on her website. She's
giving away a critique of a first chapter with a subscription to her newsletter!
