Nobody reads your blog.
Well, that’s an exaggeration. Some people read your blog, including you and your mom. But not nearly as many as you wish.
You’ve been blogging for a while now. And while it’s exciting publishing your content to the web, it’s frustrating watching it receive hardly any attention.
You can’t imagine what it would be like having more than a few dozen subscribers. It would be a miracle if you got over 50. No, with your luck, you’ll never get past five or ten.
Discouraging, isn’t it? You bet it is. How do some people seem to do so well, but you can’t? What are they doing that’s different? Is plain, old-fashoined luck the key to Internet fame?
I know exactly how you feel. I spent an entire 2010 with virtually no subscribers. Don’t laugh. I hated it.
You hate it too. You try to hide the fact that few people really read what you write. You’ve resigned as the neglected genius that nobody cares about, waiting patiently to be discovered.
Well, guess what? It’s time for you to be discovered. Let me show you how.
Guest posting is paramount to your blog’s success.
Writing guest articles on blogs in your niche is the guaranteed way to grow your subscribers. It’s how Two Hour Blogger achieved 89 subscribers just 27 days after I registered the domain. That’s less than a month – and that’s what I mean by a brand new blog.
Don’t worry if your blog is older than Two Hour Blogger, or even a lot older. The techniques still apply. I’m going to show you how I did this – not to brag about how cool I am (Lol!) but to show you exactly why it worked so well. The reason I’m doing this is because I seriously want your blog to grow too. After all, we’re in this together, mate.
1. Develop relationships with big bloggers.
Upon observing the big names in the blogging niche, I began following Darren Rowse of Problogger. After reading it for some time, leaving comments, and following Darren on Twitter, I began to grow familiar with both him and his audience.
Ideally, the big bloggers will get to know you too. This doesn’t always work out though, especially on the really big blogs. Fortunately, this isn’t absolutely necessary. I doubt Darren knew who I was.
2. Submit a killer guest post.
Once I knew Darren and his audience, it was time to craft a guest post. I began writing an article with him and his audience in mind. I kept it informative, but also edgy. I wanted a reaction that would stir interest … and subscriptions.
Keep it crisp.
3. Have an incredible blog.
Ok, so by now the article is published. Tens of thousands of readers (in my case over 160K) start pulling the article in their readers. They click on your link…
and you’ve got about ten seconds to convince and convert them. Two Hour Blogger persuaded nearly 20% of its traffic to opt in. Let’s look at how it did this:
A. It had a great design.
When you visit a blog, the design’s the first thing you notice. You need a really good theme that matches your message.
Two Hour Blogger hit a home run. It has an $80 premium theme from Studiopress. In fact, this child theme looks so good that a couple of people asked me where I got it.
When a visitor sees you’re using a professional theme, she’s immediately impressed with a sense of your expertise and crystalized knowledge.
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean anything. After all, the average Joe six-pack can run out and buy Genesis. The best theme in the world isn’t going to complete your persuasion. So that leads us to…
B. It had dynamite content.
The content on Two Hour Blogger is the best I’m capable of writing. I spend a minimum of two hours writing each post. I polish it until it’s shining, and I polish it some more.
And then I spend up to half an hour crafting killer headlines. Blogging is creating art. And like anything in fine art, if you want to create a masterpiece, you’re going to have to spend time perfecting your work.
Even though Two Hour Blogger was less than a month old, I saw to it that it had juicy, solid content. The lesson here is, don’t submit your guest post too early. Two Hour Blogger had four posts – which is probably stretching the bare minimum. Nobody wants to subscribe to a blog they’re unsure about.
C. It had a strong call to action.
As you’ll notice, Two Hour Blogger’s sidebar is dedicated to asking for a subscription. As a blog matures, you’ll start dabbling in affiliate marketing and launching your own products, but first you need an audience.
If your blog doesn’t have an audience and your sidebar isn’t asking loudly for a subscription, your sidebar has failed.
Make that call to action extremely clear. State how your visitor will profit from subscribing. If you possibly can, add social proof. (That last part is tricky; more on that later.)
4. The rest will take care of itself.
You’re all set; sit back and watch your hard work pay off. The traffic you receive from a guest post is the best traffic you can possibly get – solid gold.
Why? Well first, it’s niche-specific. You’re tapping into an audience that’s never heard of you and saying, “Look at me. You’re interested in this subject, and you’ll just love my blog.”
Second, it’s trust centered. The readers are subscribed to a blog they know and trust. When they see a guest post from someone their hero endorses, chances are they’re going to pay attention.
That’s how I went from a handful of subscribers to nearly a hundred and growing. I want to say Thank You for subscribing to this blog. Somebody said that the secret to knowing famous people is getting to know them before they’re famous. I don’t mean to imply anything there, but I do want to thank you for joining early. It’s an exciting ride.
So, what are you waiting on?
I want to see you – and I mean YOU – open up your favorite text editor and start composing your guest post. Pick a huge blog, dive in, and go for it. Make sure your blog’s had a bath and ready to handle the traffic, and submit a post. You’ll find it to be one of the most rewarding things you’ve ever done.
I want you to succeed. You’ve been frustrated long enough. It’s time for an ice cream cone.
What are you waiting for? Go!!!
P.S. Please don’t share this on Twitter or Facebook. Instead, pick just one close friend that desperately needs Two Hour Blogger, and email them. Be sure to tell them I’ll do all of that fresh flowers stuff for them.
Thanks!
- Martyn Chamberlin
Those look like some great instructions to follow. Nice job, Martyn.
Thanks man! Appreciate it a bunch.
Hi Martyn:
I liked the Magnetize article immensely for your emphasis on taking the time and effort necessary to create high quality content and mesmerizing headlines. The timing of the article is perfect considering Google is going to war against low quality content farming and by implication, content spinning applications. I fully intend to follow your advice and appreciate it as an antidote to schlock blogging.
See? I didn’t even know Google’s doing that to us. You’re better connected than I am, Dr. Mary.
I’m glad you’re going to pursue excellence. It’s the only way to cut through the fat and noise of a bloated Internet and create art that’s worth treasuring.
Awesome. I get excited just talking about this. Thanks a lot for stopping by Mary.
I can’t remember the exact statistic, but somewhere like 30% of content online is going to be affected by Google’s new algorithms. Goodbye poor content – welcome good. There will be a greater focus on content that is “worthwhile” and actually ANSWERS questions that searchers on Google have.
Your thoughts on quality content are superb. Too many lack a focus on producing content that lasts. If the content is good – the people will come. Even long after you’ve closed shop – they’ll keep coming. It’s the reason many bloggers are able to write good content, leave their blog, and watch the residual/passive income pour into their bank accounts for years to come.
If only I could convince a group of natives in my hometown to produce that content for me free….
Ok, so i’m curious to know – how will google know if we’re a good page or not? I don’t mean “what’s the algorithm going to be”, but are we talking spamy sites here, or are we talking about every day blogs that are just rubbish to read? I assume it’s the former. But assumption is the mother of all f***ups. And i’m just starting out, so i don’t want to mess up this early on in the game!
Any tips to avoid being blacklisted?
Tracy
Social Media Student
socialmediastudentnotes.wordpress.com
I’m not an SEO genius. Honestly, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about Google.
That being said, Google judges a page by how unique the content is. If you’re copying and pasting from someone else’s RSS feed, Google will punish you. You’ll see Dr. Mary T. talking about “content farms”- that’s basically what she’s talking about.
If you’re writing content that’s connecting with your audience and creating value for people, you’ll do just fine in Google.
Hi Martyn,
really excellent content here. I discovered your site from the problogger guest post. And I am glad I did. I have been hearing that long posts are always great (see viperchill.com) but your site gave me a measurable quantity (use two hours per post). Hence it motivates and inspires me to write longer posts. I will soon start a blog in blogging niche and I will definitely apply your technique. Thanks.
Thanks, that’s cool man.
Hi Martyn,
I like you approach in that closing box, “Please don’t share this on Twitter…” very unique angle! Also, big respect to you for sticking it out all through 2010 even though you didn’t have any subscribers.
Guest posting is something I have to work on. So far with my main site I’ve only submitted and has one post published. But this project started in November but went “live” on the last day of Dec 2010 so not all is lost
You have a great looking theme here, man, very modern and clean. Keep up the great content we appreciate it.
Jon
Thank StudioPress! They’ve got the sweetest themes.
Great tips, but it was the PS that REALLY got my attention! I will do that next, thanks and enjoy the rise!
Stephanie Staples from Your Life, Unlimited
Hi Martyn,
Great stuff here! I found you via copyblogger. I’m in the process of relaunching my five-year-old blog and I’ve found some good tips here already.
Thanks for your efforts. I look forward to more.
Peter
Wow great post I love it.
Hi,
Great post. I would say your tips work b/c I’m one of those who saw your guest post and subscribed:)
I dabbled a little in a personal blog (of course, not long enough or with enough knowledge to make it worth anything). HOWEVER, I am trying to get a work-related blog off the ground and am trying to learn more (hence Problogger, Copyblogger, various others). I am a dentist and would love a blog that connects with people and makes them want to come back-how’s that for a challenge?!?
Keep the tips coming!
Wow nice Ritu. Guess this makes you the second doctor to comment on this article.
You’ve definitely given yourself a challenging assignment.
I love the tips. I’m new here via Problogger. Are you saying this blog had virtually no subscribers in 2010? How were you able to keep yourself motivated to keep writing?
Will be coming back here for your advice.
Thanks!
No I started Two Hour Blogger in February 2011. I spent 2010 on a different blog that has thankfully crashed and burned since.
Two Hour Blogger hit 100 subscribers in a little over a month. My next post is how to increase blog traffic.
Martyn,
Love the unique spelling of your name – makes you stand out from the crowd.
Just discovered your info – seems like you are speaking right to me, and all the questions I have. I just started blogging 2 months ago, and I feel like I”m leaving a trail of breadcrumbs all over the web to attract people to my site. Now, with your tips, at least I feel like the crumbs are made from the right type of bread! Thanks!
It’s funny how many times we have to hear or read something (2 different numbers) before we get it. I’ve been following you for a couple of weeks and I’ve finally accepted the fact that my next step will be to write a guest blog! I not only value every piece of advice you offer, but you write so energetically that I don’t mind reading the same advice repeatedly.
Just curious tho’ – is there any significance to the Woody from Toy Story photo? Not being snide – it’s just that my blog partly revolves around toy collecting, so I’m obligated to ask. He looks a little sad ’cause no one’s reading his blog.
Haha I just found the picture from Flickr and decided to use it. But you’re right, I think it fits nicely in its own little way.
thanks a lot Martyn. Seems you were just sent to talk to me. It came at the right time. The best part of it all is that we have a lot in common, ready to share ideas freely to make the world a better place. We need more like you. Keep it up.