I had a very interesting email come in this morning from one of my readers asking me for a little guidance on blogging. He is about to launch what sounds like a very interesting blog and wanted to know how I was able to get my blog off the ground. I answered his email and then decided I’d write a quick post on the topic so others can possibly get a little motivation and learn what has worked well for me recently.

There are so many topics to write about and an equal number of ways to promote a blog. That being said, I want to point out that these are ways my blog gained a readership. Other blogs have succeeded in completely different ways. I wouldn’t say any particular way of bringing readers to your site is better or worse than another. As such, let’s open a discussion in the comment and share with each other various ways we’ve succeeded on this topic.

Write About Something That You Really Love

So many bloggers have allowed money to steer their creativity and chose to write about things that would bring in the ad revenue. What I’ve observed is that some of the best blogs out there have site owners writing about things that they truly care about and have become experts in the field. One of my personal favorites is zenhabits.net because I can tell as I read each post that the author has put a lot of time into formulating his opinions and he does a fantastic job of communicating his ideas. On more of a tech side of things, take a look at Smashing Magazine. This blog has developed an amazing following for good reason–every post is superb! The authors are experts on their chosen field and are more than happy to share their expertise with us, the readers.

Ask Your Readers To Do What You Want Them To Do

I absolutely love when readers leave comments on my site. After all, I shouldn’t be the only one writing here. We all have great ideas and can learn a lot from each other. Why not ask my readers to participate? I see it being slightly similar to batteries being at the checkout counter of your local supermarket. On many occasions, I’ve stood in line and realized, “Oh yeah! I do need batteries!” It is a win/win situation because the store makes some money on the additional sale and I get to go home with the items I need. In a way, asking my readers to post comments is that same sort of suggestion.

On this same note, write posts that merit responses. I am not insinuating that you try to be intentionally controversial with your posts but it doesn’t hurt to discuss topics that can have various viewpoints. I recently expressed my opinions on a television show I watch and the comment section was astounding! People expressed their opinion in droves and it really kept the article alive long after it was published.

Don’t Censor Your Readers

When I wrote my first post for DailyBrilliance, I decided that I would not censor my readers. I made this vow because I get incredibly annoyed on other blogs when I take the time to share my opposing opinion in the comments section only to see it removed. I don’t want to play God in my comments section so I will never delete a comment that disagrees with my stance on something. My girlfriend said to me recently, “I don’t see how you take it. Some of these people can be really mean.” That’s fine–you have to have thick skin when you put your opinions out there.

Content Is More Important Than Design

How many blogs do you see developing a strong following due to their good looks alone? I think the value in a blog is in the content. It’s important to have a clean palette for people to read from but what is most important is that you’re writing about topics that interest people in a clear and concise manner. We all have time constraints so if you’re juggling the design of your blog and the outline for your posts, stick to the outline. The design can always come later.

Leverage The Power Of Social Media

This site would barely be off the ground if it weren’t for social news sites Digg and Reddit. I add my articles to the sites and the readers take over. Unfortunately, this caused a server outage on three occassions as the digg effect swept across my server but it brought an incredible amount of traffic with it. I saw my RSS Subscribers increase a great deal and the number of comments per post also went through the roof. I love these sites and what they can do for me and so I ask my readers to digg my stories if they like them. Not everyone will appreciate my posts but those that do really helped me out by digging.

Post Regularly To Encourage Continued Visits

One regret I have on this issue is including the word “daily” in my domain name. This does put a lot of pressure on me but it also serves as motivation to not let the readers down. It’s so important to launch a blog with good content from day one and then continue to build your content on a regular basis as you go. Have I done that so far? Yes and no. I’ve posted regularly but not quite as much as I’d like to. Get your readers into the habit of checking your site often for new posts. If they know that new posts can be expected every other day, they’ll likely be on your site three to four times a week!

Respond To Reader Comments

I ask for your responses in my comment section so it should come as no surprise that I expect bloggers to join in on the fun of a comment section. If nothing else, you’ll likely keep the conversation going and maybe learn a few things by questioning people on their opinions. It’s great fun as well and shows that you really care about your readers. If you don’t care about your readers, don’t fake it. People can see right through you.

What I Have Learned Not To Do

There have been a few bumps in the road along the way and I’ve learned some valuable lessons. This post wouldn’t be complete without sharing those with you as well.

Check Your Work Before Posting

When I wrote my article on 36 Ways To Save Some Extra Cash Each Month, I inadvertently did some bad math. In my post, I mentioned the exorbitant ATM fees and said that if you withdraw $20.00 and you’re charged a $2 bank fee, you’ve just given back 20% of your money. Whoops! Of course, $2 of $20 is 10% and my readers were very quick to point that error out to me. Add to this the fact that the post hit Digg’s front page and we’ve got quite a few comments and emails coming through! I have no excuse for this one–I hurried to post an article and shot myself in the foot in doing so. Check your work before posting. It will save you in the end!

Don’t Abuse The Shout System On Digg

I learned just recently the way the shout system is not intended to work. I have a large number of friends on Digg and I shouted to them when I posted a story to hopefully get some extra attention. The attention came but it wasn’t the positive type that I was looking for. Instead, my post was quickly buried. Despite getting over 100 diggs in a few short hours, the post never hit the front page and a lot of people didn’t see it that otherwise would have. Again, my fault entirely. What I have decided to do is only send shouts to people that either support my work routinely or those that send shouts to me. I’ll revise this policy if need be but I won’t shout to everyone in my friends list.

Respect Your Readers To Earn Their Respect

This final point is very important. I’m putting my own opinions out there on a routine basis to try and earn your respect so the least I can do is respect your viewpoint as well. I have gotten emails or comments that basically amount to, “You’re a moron” (or “your a moron” which is the definition of irony). These are fine as I mentioned before but what a blogger shouldn’t do in my opinion is fire back. Remember back to your childhood on the playground. What follows, “You’re fat” during a playground dispute? Inevitably, “You’re ugly.” We don’t get anywhere by taking pointless stabs at each other so if you’re launching a blog, try and respond to those comments that merit a response. Leave the other ones in tact and without censorship. You’ll look like the bigger person and you won’t diminish some of the respect you’ve worked so hard to earn from your readers by firing back a heated response.

If You Made It This Far, You Knew I Would Ask

Are you a blogger? What has worked for you that might also work for myself or other people looking to start their own site? Have you made mistakes like I have that you’d like to share? If you’re someone not interested in starting your own blog but you read this post, what do you like about certain blogs or what types of things make you leave a blog once and for all? Let’s have at it in the comment section!