9 Stellar Tips to Get More RSS Subscribers for Your Blog

Creating a blog that holds reader’s attention is challenging enough. Then, getting the word out that your blog exists is even harder, yet essential if you want to get more subscribers. Following these ten steps will help you lure new readers in, entice them to subscribe to your blog, and ensure that they remain followers for the long term.

1. Focus on a Niche

Blogs that offer an in depth look at a specific subject tend to have the highest readership. Instead of trying to please everyone by glossing over a wide variety of topics, pick one that you can really specialize in and make your blog the place to go for information on that topic. Advertising may get people to stop by and check out your blog, but quality content will inspire them to subscribe and read future posts.

2. Prominently Feature Subscription Options

Don’t be shy about the fact that you are recruiting subscribers. Place your RSS link above the fold on every page to increase awareness and also have a page that is dedicated to subscriptions. Make it simple for people to subscribe. Provide different subscription options and include a link to a page that explains what RSS is near the image for that particular option. Explain the advantages of RSS, especially the fact that it provides a way for people to stay current with the latest posts you publish. Also, address privacy concerns on this page to ally any fears people may have with regards their information securities. safe and will not be shared.

3. Offer Email Updates

The truth is that many readers are just more comfortable with old-fashioned email. Fortunately with services such as Feedburner, your posts can be sent directly to a subscriber’s inbox as soon as you publish something new. Apart from the obvious benefit of gaining more subscribers, you’ll also start to build an email list which can be used in the future for marketing purposes and feedback.

4. Get More Traffic

No matter how good your blog is, it won’t get subscribers if no one can find it. Make sure it ranks for relevant searches that pertain to your subject matter in Google and other search engines so that you get a steady stream of highly qualified visitors who are interested in what you discuss and who are more likely to subscribe for more updates.

5. Get Active on Other Blogs

Reaching out and getting involved with other bloggers in your niche is key to growing your subscriber base. One of the easiest ways to get noticed is to leave high quality, insightful comments on other bloggers’ posts so that their readers can get to know you. As your profile grows you can also ask relevant bloggers in your space if they would consider letting you post on their blog, which is highly effective in boosting your profile.

6. Participate in Relevant Forums

Do some research and find all of the forums relevant to your subject matter and start writing creative posts relevant to your blog. You can create a forum signature that links to your blog so that as your reputation grows as an authority on various related forums, people will click through to your blog to see what you have to say. This is an effective technique that boosts your profile, increases your reputation as an authority on your chosen subject and helps drive more traffic to your blog.

7. Start Podcasting

Not everybody will want to subscribe to your blog’s feed simply because they already have enough reading material and have no time for more. However, a podcast means they can listen to you as they go about their daily life. Podcasting will really help build your reputation and also encourage people to interact with you, as well as help grow your readership by appealing to someone who prefers to listen instead of read. If you choose to start a podcast, make sure it gets into podcasting directories and iTunes to broaden your exposure.

8. Use Competitions and Freebies

Tempt visitors to subscribe to your blog by offering a free ebook, a chance to win a prize in a drawing, or whatever else you can afford that may help them to justify paying for a subscription. To maximise your return on investment, give away something that’s in hot demand such as an iPad or MacBook. You should also consider what your visitors would be more likely to respond to, for instance you won’t have much success giving away a book about knitting on a blog about basketball.

9. Advertise Your Blog

One way of growing your subscriber base that is underused is to advertise your blog. There are numerous ways to go about this, but the easiest and most cost effective would be to start a Pay Per Click campaign on search engines so that your blog comes up for relevant searches. Another means of advertising would be to buy banner space on other blogs in your niche.

This is a guest post written by Tom Walker who blogs for an online store offering HP 300 ink cartridges, toner and other supplies for the creative industry. Visit their blog for his posts about advertising and design.

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