Whether you are a new blogger and your only readers are your mother and best friend, or you have built up a substantial readership of adoring fans, you need to reward and pay back those who continually support you and regularly log on to read what it is you have to say.
After all, treating your blog readers just right is a great way to keep them coming back for more plus have them spread the word about you. That’s free promo right there! At the heart of it, you do absolutely love your readers for helping you come this far! Show them some love by treating them right.
Here are just a few ways you can make sure that the people who stick around for your every posting know just how much you appreciate them.
5 Ways To Take Care Of Your Blog Readers
1. Write in the Right Way.
Your conversational tone, and your friendly writing style, is definitely one of the main draws for attracting people to your blog. If you can write in a manner that’s casual, and uses words and phrases you’d be very happy to drop into normal face to face conversation, your readers are going to feel close to you. The last thing you want to do is to turn off your audience with your tone or language.
Think of your readers like your best friends and you won’t come off sounding like you have a pretentious persona, you won’t create a barrier between you and those who dedicate portions of their own lives to you, and you will all be a lot happier for being your authentic self.
So if you’re someone who’s looking to get your readers to understand that you are appreciative of them, think about loosening up your words a little.
Write like you would normally speak. Don’t worry about being grammatically correct and perfect all the time. Sometimes you have to let a few rules slip to get your point across. Do you as only you know how. That is what will separate your blog from others and help you to develop a real bond with your blog readers.
2. Share Your Secrets.
Social media feeds are filled with picture perfect lives. While many readers do love to hear about your adventures and successes, they will feel much more connected to you if you share your stories and more importantly, your struggles. Don’t try to always present a persona with no flaws.
Writing what you think your audience wants to hear all the time can isolate you from your fans. Share with them the things that are difficult to admit and you will help your audience see that the transformation you are trying to help them achieve is possible. Because, after all, you have been there, done that.
Making your readers feel like their dreams are achievable is your goal. Be their guide through examples in your own personal life and they will reward you by coming back to your blog again and again.
3. Let Them Know You Understand Them.
Your readers come to you for a relatable and interactive experience. They check in with your blog to catch up the same way they would with a friend. They come to you for advice in the same way they would approach a boss. They look to you for guidance like would with a mentor. All in all, your readers know you understand them and their pain points and they have a good feeling about the way you help them.
But like all good friends, bosses and mentors, you know that it isn’t all about you and what you have to say. A big part of any relationship is listening. So start writing some more posts that you’ve seen your readers ask for your opinion on.
Put a call out on social media for what they’d like to see from you. Pitch in on the comments they leave you, and give them heartfelt responses you know you’d love to receive. It all counts!
4. Make Sure They Can Trust You!
If your blog has gotten enough followers that you’ve either acquired a substantial mailing list, or you’ve been able to start selling some products of your own invention through it, make sure you’re prioritizing the safety of the people who sign up and purchase from you.
I know as bloggers, we are naturally born rebels and poo poo at any rules people or governments thrust upon us. But you have to keep in mind that legislation was created to keep your readers safe. And if they feel safe, they will trust you.
So make sure you clearly display what and how readers personal information will be shared. That they know what to expect when they sign up for your email letters and how they can un-subscribe. And make it easy for them to contact you if they need to report or comment about anything that pertains to your blog.
If you sell products on your blog, you need to take it a step even further. Let customers make accounts, and sign in and out securely. Allow your readers the chance to verify themselves with some automated processes like captcha or two-factor codes.
Ultimately, manual KYC (Know Your Customer) processes are nothing compared to Jumio. Creating the safest environment possible on your blog is crucial for converting sales. Then, invest in security, and keep your customers’ details stored away on a secure server once they’ve been inputted. Nothing can shut down your business faster than a security breach and subsequent loss of trust by your customers. Don’t let that happen.
5. Don’t Disappear Without Notice.
I get it. Shit happens. Your dog gets sick. You are on vacation. Or maybe you just need a break from blogging. Don’t leave your readers hanging.
If you have followed the tips above, you have probably created a real relationship with your audience and they will be wondering what has happened to you. Keep them in the loop.
Write a post and/or let them know on social media that you will be gone for awhile. Give them a clue as to when you think you will be back at it. You don’t want to lose your regulars because they feel abandoned and you certainly don’t want to feel like you are starting from zero again when you return to your regular schedule. No one likes to be ghosted!
Are you ready to treat your blog readers right? Break the laptop out and get to writing your next post. You never know who’s going to love it this time and become your biggest fan!
17 comments
Hi Elena,
As a new blogger who’s trying to find her writing voice, I found this post really helpful. Blog writing is definitely an art of its own, and I have to keep reminding myself not to slip into “formal writing mode” (which is especially tough after spending the past several years tutoring young students how to write “properly”).
Thanks for sharing this! Now I’m off to read some more of your posts about blogging.
Lauren 🙂
It’s a tough balance for sure. I always opt for authentic when trying to connect. But it all depends on your audience. In the end, do what feels right. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
As I am a non-native English language speaker, and a law student, I tend to always write in the passive voice. I am actually nervous that I am doing it right now. Lol. I think that’s one of the things that I have to work on so I can communicate better with my readers and friends. Thank you for this post, Elena. I’ve been reading your emails. My subscription to your newsletters has since made me realize and pinpoint areas I have to improve on.
It’s so nice to hear that people like my emails! Be brave! Your readers will love you!
I think being as ‘real’ as possible goes a long way toward building relationships with readers, Elena. And that pretentious stuff can take a hike! Thanks for the great tips.
Great reminders, Elena, particularly when it comes to showing our flaws and struggles. Writing honestly in in our unique voice makes such a difference!
We all want someone to identify with. That’s what blogging is all about.
So true, the like is nice, but it doesn’t always mean someone has read a post. I always like to comment to reinforce that yes, I not only like it, but I actually read it. I blame instafacebook. For everything.
We have to blame someone! Lol I’m with you!
Elena that is good advice for all of us too take on board. I think blogging is all about connecting which for me means leaving comments, not to reply is unacceptable. Luckily for me, I don’t follow anyone that doesn’t respond to my comments. When someone I regularly “chat” with doesn’t publish a blog post for a while, I have been known to send them a message.
I have done that too. It’s amazing how much they appreciate it. It’s all about building a community.
Yep!
Very sensible advice Elena, I think tone is very important and replying to comments is a must! I often wonder about those who have stopped appearing in my feed, what’s happened, where they are – so it’s good to leave a quick post as you say. I have pinned this 🙂
Thank you lovely! I’ve noticed a lot of missing blogging friends lately and I hope they come back soon.
Great read, Elena. One thing that bugs me is when you leave a valuable comment on someone’s post and they never respond. I mean, I know people are busy, but so am I. I respond to all comments. Maybe not within the first day because, hey we’re busy, right? But I do within a couple days. A quick way to lose readers is to not interact with them. Blows it majorily for me. 😉
It my opinion, they may as well just turn comments off.
Absolutely agree, Elena