Subscribers are the bread and butter of popular bloggers.\u00a0Sure, you can draw traffic from search engines, but your subscriber base is made up of the people who hang on your every word and truly look to you as a source of information.\u00a0They\u2019re your\u00a0vital visitors.<\/p>\n
They are the ones who matter most, as they not only want your content, but they\u2019ll eventually become loyal to you and begin to spread word of your content through the web organically.<\/p>\n
I think about all the blogs I\u2019m subscribed to that provide me great content daily \u2013 and it\u2019s filled with the ones that are so good I just\u00a0have<\/em>\u00a0to add them to my (growing) RSS list.\u00a0But all of that got me thinking as to what they\u2019re doing right, and I came up with a list of 8 easy things you should be doing on your site to not miss a beat on getting new subscribers:<\/p>\n 1)\u00a0Minimalize your site<\/strong> 2)\u00a0Clearly define your content, post only the most compelling articles<\/strong> 3)\u00a0Differentiate your perspective<\/strong> 4)\u00a0Angle your blog as a source of information<\/strong> 5)\u00a0Focus on a niche<\/strong> 6)\u00a0Sticky content<\/strong> 7)\u00a0Write with passion<\/strong> 8)\u00a0Give them a reason to want more<\/strong> And your site should give it to them\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Subscribers are the bread and butter of popular bloggers.\u00a0Sure, you can draw traffic from search engines, but your subscriber base … <\/p>\n
\nMany popular blogs have tons of features, links, widgets, addons, plugins, etc., but I find myself quickly subscribing to the sites which took the less is more approach.\u00a0In fact, sites where I find myself staring at exceptional content and a subscribe button, I\u2019m very apt to hit the button.\u00a0It\u2019s a great call to action when all you offer is value and an easy way to get continued value.\u00a0I actually picked up the idea from\u00a0this site.<\/p>\n
\nAs\u00a0DoshDosh writes, it\u2019s what you don\u2019t publish that defines your site.\u00a0Everything you do publish needs to be exceptional.\u00a0Post a link roundup, sure, but do it in a unique way.\u00a0Post a response to a popular story in the blogosphere, but add value to that story.\u00a0Filter out most random ideas and write on what\u2019s left, the gold content.\u00a0Your site will quickly find itself in the category of exceptional rather than average.<\/p>\n
\nThere are websites writing on literally every subject, you\u2019d be hard pressed to come up with something\u00a0brand\u00a0<\/em>new (although I\u2019m not saying you can\u2019t do it).\u00a0But you can definitely add an interesting narrative to a subject already presented, even one which is already popular.\u00a0I\u2019m offering blog, marketing and PR content from the perspectives of a 20 \u2013 something PR person, musician, IT person, and web marketer.\u00a0I think it\u2019s unique, in not only my tone of voice but by what kinds of projects influence me and what I work on in the field daily.\u00a0Hopefully that\u2019s something that makes this site compelling.\u00a0What\u2019s your content\u2019s perspective?<\/p>\n
\nThis takes time, dedication and unrelenting effort.\u00a0You\u2019ll need to draw out your narratives through the months, and then the years to position yourself and your site as a veritable font of information.\u00a0It\u2019s no easy effort, and the ones who are viewed upon as sources (Seth Godin\u00a0as a source for marketers,\u00a0ProBlogger\u00a0as a source for bloggers,\u00a0Techdirt\u00a0as a source for compelling tech industry analysis, etc.) will tell you it is a massive undertaking.\u00a0But at the same time for all of them, it is clear they have not just talent, but passion.\u00a0Their posts flow effortlessly, and the content is infinitely valuable.\u00a0To be defined as a source is no easy task, but it is what everyone desires.\u00a0Take some (well earned) inspiration from the sources in your genre of writing.<\/p>\n
\nYou can blog about a variety of things, and you can definitely go offbeat once in awhile, however most of the blogs I\u2019m subscribed to, I\u2019m subscribed to for a reason \u2013 they are totally niches in their content.\u00a0If I want a variety of posts and topics, I\u2019ll head to an e-zine website or my local newspaper website.\u00a0I\u2019m subscribes to blogs for specific content.\u00a0Find your niche, and while you can definitely play around within a scope of content, be sure not to let that scope get too wide.\u00a0That can potentially ruin an otherwise great site.<\/p>\n
\nEvery post you write can potentially define your blog to new readers.\u00a0People stumble-upon websites in more ways than you can imagine, and you never know which post specifically someone may stumble-upon.\u00a0Ask yourself, \u201cIf someone is reading this, would they want to read more?\u201d\u00a0The answer should be an affirmative yes.<\/p>\n
\nIf you\u2019re keeping a blog, it absolutely has to be something you\u2019re passionate about.\u00a0If it\u2019s not, you\u2019ll never catch on, plain and simple.\u00a0Everyone knows that your\u00a0content needs to be remarkable, but it can\u2019t be remarkable unless you\u2019re not only knowledgeable, but passionate about the subject matter.\u00a0Passionate content informs, educates, but also motivates and stimulates.\u00a0The content on top blogger\u2019s sites is all of this and more.\u00a0Is yours?<\/p>\n
\nPeople want to subscribe to something that they can look forward to daily.\u00a0Your content is your blog\u2019s best marketing resource to attract subscribers and new users.\u00a0Good content is enough to make people want to subscribe and be reason enough to want more of that content.\u00a0Additional ways you can do this are by developing a series of posts on a subject, continuing to add fresh content daily and writing articles which\u00a0are inspiring.\u00a0But your content should be so good, each morsel of it should leave users wanting more.<\/p>\n