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Post by Katrina on Nov 14, 2014 18:37:37 GMT
Has anyone used Peek? I submitted my site and got a 5 minute video critique. It was interesting. And free, so it's worth doing. And after feedback in some threads here in this forum and the Peek video critique, I finally got something through my thick skull (even though I knew it all along). I need to give readers: a) a clear picture of who I am and what my blog is about (a great About Me widget and/or About Me page plus a concise tagline describing my site) b) a reason(s) for why a reader would be interested in my site (why is it relevant to them? what topics do I focus on?) c) more incentive to keep coming back to my site (what do I have to offer readers? why should they stay and explore and/or come back again?) Here's my problem: In my head, I feel like I'm writing for just a few interested people--like my mom and my sister. Maybe I don't have the guts to assume I have anything interesting to offer anyone else, so I don't put the work into creating a readership or writing for an audience. And so I guess I hide behind the excuse that only my mom and sister reads my blog. I kind of operate under the old idea that "if you build it, they will come," but I don't think it's working for me. Duh. ;-) I don't like feeling like I'm blatantly self-promoting or showing any sense of entitlement. But I can't say I'm a writer/blogger and then use my lack of readers as an excuse to avoid trying to get more readers. Does that make sense? Does anyone else relate? How do you get over this? What are some easy steps to get headed in the right direction (aside from doing a, b, and c above--which I'm going to start working on right away!)?
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Post by foster2forever on Nov 14, 2014 19:48:10 GMT
Oh, sweetheart, you must read Jeff Goins!!! You have to believe you are a writer yourself before anyone else can. Even if you journal without a soul seeing it -- YOU ARE A WRITER!
About your audience - write to that one reader - for me, it's the woman that struggled with infertility & is interested in foster parenting. Who is that one person? The busy mom that likes to cook? Is she on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram? What websites does she visit?
As far as an audience - ENGAGE! This spring, my doctor told me that he thought I had ovarian cancer. I had no desire to blog - at all. I was examining ways to sell my website & focus on what time I may have left with my boys. But I knew if I wanted to sell it, I had to keep my audience engaged & my traffic numbers up.
So I only focused on engaging my Facebook audience! Asking controversial questions & linking to a post I wrote about it. I created a few pins for Pinterest on old posts.
My Facebook audience grew from 1,300 to 1,700 & my traffic remained constant instead of dwindling throughout my break from writing. I'm not saying not to write like I did, but find out more about your audience & get their opinion.
Also, it looks like your only social media channels are your personal Facebook & Google plus?
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Post by danakml on Nov 14, 2014 20:03:34 GMT
I can relate, Katrina. I've used Peek twice. The first time the woman had no clue what a blog was, and she spent half the time just moving her mouse around and not clicking anything. Like you, I learned what I already knew - it's hard to figure out what my blog is about for a new reader. I just can't articulate it. I've tweaked my about widget to try to help.
I'm really kinda nicheless, so I try to really promote my posts that are more "useful." Book reviews, travel posts, my love lists. I highlight them in my menu, so a new reader can find something to keep them coming back. But the rest of my blog? I truly feel that if a reader connects with me through my writing (and likes me, as middle schoolish as that sounds), they'll be back.
Sometimes I find myself writing differently because I'm trying to gain readership. But then I'm not authentic, and I lose whatever credibility I had. I like my voice, and I don't want to change it to up my numbers. I would encourage you to keep writing like you're writing for your mom and your sister, because that's YOUR voice. There are so many bloggers out there; being you is unique.
It sounds simplistic, but I've found participating in some link ups has helped me find new readers and bloggers. Not link ups where you just share a post, but ones that involving writing from a prompt. I've built a small but loyal community that way. I comment on a lot of blogs, too. Sometimes I'll get a new reader because they saw my comment on another blog and decided to visit.
One small thing you could do - add a social share plugin to the bottom of your posts. People will share your stuff if you make it easy for them.
Those are my rambling thoughts...
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Post by Katrina on Nov 15, 2014 4:10:45 GMT
Thank you so much for your responses, foster2forever and danakml! I actually do read and like Jeff Goins--but I still have a hard time believing I'm a writer. Even though I have been a writer my entire life. Way before Internet and blogs. I guess I find it difficult to label myself as a writer and share that with people because of my track record with starting and stopping different blogs. I feel like the boy who cried wolf. But no matter how many times I try, I just can't quit this blogging thing! Anyway, great advice! I really appreciate it! Engaging and networking are SO hard for me. Mainly because it's so time-consuming. And I feel guilty because this is a "hobby" and I should be spending my time with family (or cleaning my house!). But really, there is no excuse. I need to use better time-management skills and assess my priorities and just put in the effort. And you're right, foster2forever, I only use a personal FB and G+. I use them for different audiences (FB for my Empirical Mom stuff and G+ for my Philosophical Mom stuff). I'm assuming you're suggesting diving into more social media platforms? I had separate FB pages and G+ pages and Twitter and Pinterest for my blogs, but it all became so overwhelming that I just went back to using my personal profiles of the 2 platforms I use most. I write as "me"--about my life--so I'd like to keep things simple. I was thinking of changing my FB cover photo and adding text that says something like "Katrina Cribley: Mother / Homemaker / Teacher / Writer" or "Katrina Cribley - Writer at EmpiricalMom.com and PhilosophicalMom.com." That way it's still my personal page with the audience I already have, but it's more linked to my blogging. Yay or nay on that idea? And danakml, like you, I feel like if people just read my stuff, the ones who get it will like me and come back for more. And that's who I want for a reader--someone who gets me and likes me for me. I feel like if I start going crazy with all the different social media platforms and trying to make my blog a "brand," I will lose my focus and start to resent it all like I have in the past. So what do you ladies think? Work harder and smarter on FB and G+? Or make an effort to use Twitter and Pinterest too? Don't even get me started on Instagram. I can barely take a decent picture for a blog post! And oh my gosh, I thought I DID have social sharing buttons on each post! I don't know where they went, but I will be fixing that ASAP! I have lots to think about and lots to do, and I'm starting to not make any sense because it's getting late. But thanks for reading & helping!
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Post by Crystal@ Tidbits of Experience on Nov 15, 2014 4:48:23 GMT
Wow..I may be the one mentoring here, but I feel like I also got encouragement from this post. I am also nichless. I have no clue who my actual reader should be or will be because I write about so many different things. I COVER LIFE
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Post by danakml on Nov 16, 2014 20:47:00 GMT
Katrina, I haven't had much success with G+. I like to keep my blog FB page separate from my personal page, but that's a personal decision. I am FB friends with some bloggers, but I don't want to friend just anyone. I would pick one or two social media outlets to concentrate on, otherwise you'll go nuts. I would add Pinterest if you have pinnable images - it can bring traffic to your site long after you've posted. Twitter is fun, but it's hard to stand out in a fast moving feed. And I refuse to get on Instagram - I cannot handle one more social media outlet!
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