Getting More Blog Subscribers
One of the goals that every blog should have is to increase its number of subscribers. First and foremost, this helps motivate you because you can see that people are reading your content and are listening to what you have to say. So, how do people subscribe? Through RSS, of course.
RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and it provides your subscribers with a feed detailing the content posted on your blog. I use FeedBurner, a free service by Google, to manage the feed for this blog. You can take a look at it here. A feed is also built into every WordPress installation.
So, how are you supposed to encourage people to subscribe?
Start by making it easier for them to do so. Place an RSS Icon above the fold and in a location that is easily visible and accessible. Link it to your feed so that they can subscribe. People are not going to want to work in order to subscribe to your blog. The easier it is, the better.
You’ll also need to periodically remind people of the possibility of subscribing to your blog. Sometimes, it slips their mind and they forget. A friendly reminder never hurts – but don’t hassle your visitors. Speaking of a reminder – have you subscribed to my blog yet? *hint hint*
The absolute best way to encourage visitors, subscribers, and mailing list participants (Mailing list? I just so happen to have one of those here. Comes with a free gift and everything!) is to simply provide worthwhile content that will have them coming back for more. You might have the best-placed button and perfectly worded periodic reminders, but if your content is useless, why would anybody want to subscribe to it?
Place a tasteful social bookmarking widget in your posts. There is a handy WordPress plugin that automatically does this. You can see it in action by scrolling to the bottom of this post. The widget makes it easier for people to submit your posts to social bookmarking sites, thereby increasing your traffic and number of potential subscribers.
Once you have a decent number of subscribers (at least fifty), put a widget somewhere that shows people the current number. They will be more likely to subscribe if they know that others have done so as well.
Keeping Subscribers Subscribed: (try saying that five times fast)
If people are subscribing, you want to ensure that they will remain subscribed, and actually come back to read your content. You can do that by:
Updating your blog regularly.
Keeping your posts tasteful and professional.
Creating titles that draw people in.
Ensuring that your excerpts also work to encourage readers to come find out more.
