1. Be consistent. We are all creatures of online habit, and if you are hoping to build traffic and a regular audience, it’s essential to worm your way into people’s routines (much harder than actually getting them to like you!). And in order to do this, it’s important to have a posting frequency that your audience knows and expects. Whether you blog/Tweet/Tumble once a day, five times a day, or once a week (but not less than that), know thy social media schedule and keep it holy.
2. Reach out and comment someone. The best way to build traffic is to be noticed. Pick a few well-trafficked blogs and/or Forums, become a fixture, get to know the regulars, write witty comments, and try to attract people naturally your way. The more you invest in other people, and I mean genuinely invest in them, the more they’ll be willing to return the favor. Better yet, you might even make some wonderful real-life friends.
3. Take the long view. A following is not built overnight. When impatience enters the picture there’s a temptation to be overly controversial, which is a good short-term way of getting traffic, but damaging in the long term. If you make everyone mad people will definitely stop by, but chances are they won’t be back.
4. Find your niche. The Internet abhors a vacuum, and it’s important to think about what unique information or perspective you will provide. Be as unique and interesting as possible, and make yourself stand out from the pack.
5. Short paragraphs. There are few things less inviting than a massive wall of text. Twitter forces you to be brief, but everywhere else make your paragraphs short and punchy.
6. SEO. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Think about your post titles and imagine what someone would Google if they wanted to know about the topic you’re talking about. The more links you receive from other sources the higher your search results, and the more natural traffic you’ll receive.
7. Be selfless. It’s not about you, it’s about your readers and followers. Think about what you are providing them and deliver the goods.
Terry Odell says
Good advice. I would expand on your #2 to add the caveat, "don't use someone else's blog to tout your own wares", although I think it's OK to include a link to your website and/or blog in your comment (and let me know if that's annoying!)
Terry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Is Dis Normal or Dysfunctional? says
Nathan, you are sooo right on with your tips, thank you for reaffirming my belief that I need to hang in there and be patient.
I am rapidly gaining popularity as Aspen's #1 blogger and don't want to lose content quality to buy out. On the other hand, I could use some $$ to support my passion, ya know what I mean? I can't help but believe that if I continue to offer good content and help to bring business to other professionals of whom I respect than how can I not eventually be prosperous?
BTW: I would like to access a copy of your book for my boys! How 'bout I write a review for you on my blog?
Noelle Pierce says
I've found #2 to be invaluable, and I have to remember that it *does* take time when I get frustrated or impatient. Slowly but surely, after a year, my blog has increased hits until at least ten people stop by, whether I post something new that day or not. It gives me the warm fuzzies. *grin*
Noelle
Tracy says
My biggest concern has always been not the number of people who follow me, per se, but the percentage who comment on a regular basis. Those are the people who genuinely like me and they're the ones I keep in mind while I'm blogging.
Jen says
Another great post. After almost a year I'm finally seeing traffic on my blog site. I get discouraged peeps don't leave comments but I know it will take time. I'm toying with tag words to see which work the best and am quite active on a few select forums.
I always link my blog site to a post and I don't mind others doing the same. I've come across some really great blog/websites from visiting other people's links. I've also met some great online friends all over the world from posting to boards and joining online writers' sites.
I used to be a very impatient person but this blogging thing has tamed this savage beast. Getting noticed in the writing field takes time, whether it is with a blog or with a book. I just need to bide my time and keep writing. My time will come to shine, when it's the right time.
Thank you for your awesome posts and for being such an inspiration to so many. It must feel absolutely amazing to know you have touched so many people's on such a personal level. Have a fabulous day and a wonderful Thanksgiving.
jen
https://jennykellerford.wordpress.com
Cynthia says
I agree with Tracey, Most people don't follow, but will consistantly check blogs. Those are the people we need to remember!
Hillsy says
Damn! I can only be embittered and misanthropic on a semi-regular basis.
Susan Kaye Quinn says
Great advice – and don't be afraid to follow. It took me awhile to not fear the "follow" button, but now I'm happy to click on a blog I find interesting.
eeleenlee says
I agree with consistency- dead blogs are a little offputting
Anna says
Thank you so much for this post! Perfect timing, respectful voice, great advice. Thanks for keeping the blog going!
Joanne Sher says
Excellent
Neil Vogler says
Good advice. The question for authors nowadays is: just how much energy can I realistically devote to keeping on top of my web presence? Between Twitter, Facebook, and blogging, not to mention work and family commitments, it's important to work out just how much of your (finite and incredibly valuable) creative energy you can afford to put into social media. It's an exhausting business, and speaking for myself I try and plough as much energy as I can into my WIP, and any I have left over to the blog etc. Scheduling, people. It's all about scheduling and discipline. And not getting distracted by shiny new internet memes…
dwkazzie says
I've become increasingly fascinated with this topic.
After writing a weekly humor blog for several months (for mostly Facebook and e-mail friends plus a handful of others — it was very hard to expand the audience), I got lucky with a short animated video that I wrote and linked to from my blog. Amazingly, my little movie went viral and is pushing 1 million hits on YouTube.
Now then, I've found it just as hard to duplicate that video's success with my newer videos. Yes, the YouTube traffic it has increased traffic to my blog tenfold, but I wonder if that will hold up, even if the quality remains consistent (I think it does, but I realize I don't get to be the judge of that).
So anyway, I really appreciate this post, as it's become my new obsession, and I'm learning that Internet fame can be quite fleeting!
Today's Word Verifier: palin
Nikole Hahn says
Genuine is the key. ;o)
Elaine AM Smith says
Great tips.
#7 Be selfless is the real challenge. Self-promotion as altruism?
Cathy Yardley says
Thanks for this post! I agree, although I'm still trying to figure out how best to work SEO for a fiction novelist. I don't think it's applicable in the way most people try to "own" keywords… I don't know of a single reader that goes "I need a new romantic comedy author. I should Google that." But I could be wrong there.
As far as juggling Social Media & writing, I think that once you've got the plan in place, it shouldn't take that much time. As writers, I think we tend to be extreme (No, really? ) and think we need to write 2000 word posts and tweet twenty times a day. As you say: consistent is better.
J. R. McLemore says
The third tip is the hardest for me as I tend to be impatient. I'm getting better at waiting because, really, it's not worth it to try to be controversial for the sake of traffic.
Excellent advice, Nathan. Thanks.
Transparent Mama says
Being selfless. That's the best one. Online and in real life.
Mike says
Well said. I'm basically into my third week of blogging, http://www.everytownusa.com. I hope to have the fortitude to continue through the long haul.
Mike Koch says
Just found blogging as it turns out can you believe it? Heh, I'm loving them too. For me though, I couldn't care less if I have 1 follower (currently) or one thousand, the result will hopefully remain the same. That being an outlet for my creative juices to flow into that are not directly related to my work in progress.
So like what Neil Vogler said above it is going to be an interesting balancing act with keeping the internet presence and writing going. I hope I can keep up the momentum and wish the same for all of you. So please keep writing in your blogs I can't wait to read each of them in turn.
Carol Riggs says
Great basics, here! I can relate to what Susan Kaye Quinn said about "fearing the Follow button." It took me a long time to figure out it's not an unbreakable contract to the blog you follow that you'll be there every day, writing copious comments. It's more like a neat give-and-take, like "cool!–you're following me? okay, then I'll follow you!"
I really agree with your advice, Nathan, about large blocks of type, huge paragraphs. Way too daunting to read. And will people stop making those BLACK blogs with the WHITE or NEON lettering? Ow, my eyes!
Charli Armstrong says
Sigh…
If I could just master #1.
I'm getting there, really I am!
Phoenix says
Too many fiction writers, I think, blog about writing — what writing means to them, where they are in the process, tips about how to write. It's difficult to stand out in the plethora of writers' writing blogs.
My own blog falls just barely outside of that: I critique queries and synopses.
Now don't get me wrong. I LOVE writers and I LOVE being able to help my fellow careerists. But at some point I'm sure we all want to target readers outside the writing arena. Cultivating THAT audience is the real challenge.
Any chance of advice on how to expand from a fiction writer's blog to a reader's blog, without become a book-review blog?
Stirling Noh says
Consistency is the hardest part because, frankly, it's hard to stay interested in most blogs.
Nate Wilson says
Excellent advice, Nathan! To help prove your hypothesis, I shall be part of your control group and disregard all seven tips.
(By the way, to ensure I disregard tip #2, please ignore this comment.)
Haste yee back ;-) says
Haste yee back ;-)'s blog has consistent genuine nothin'! So, come by and contemplate nothingness, sorta like Arkansas Zen. (Watch for droppin' Hickory nuts… big ole' suckers, I mean, knock yer ass out big)!
Haste yee back 😉
Bryan Russell (Ink) says
Guest blogging with Rachelle Gardner probably helps too. 🙂
T. Anne says
Great tips Nathan. I find following people and commenting on their blogs is a great way to build relationships. I try to post M,W,F that way I maintain consistency and yet it's not too overwhelming for me. Also taking extra days off (unplugging) for Holiday's and vacations helps maintain my sanity.
Fun seeing you over at Rachelle's blog today! I'm glad you're enjoying your new endeavor.
Anne R. Allen says
One of the best, most concise pieces on blogging ever!
I'd add a #8 DON'T APOLOGIZE. Nothing is more boring than bloggers apologizing for not blogging. Decide how often you want to blog (even once or twice a month is fine) but then do it. And if you don't, shut up about it.
dwkazzie–she's everywhere. Be afraid. Very afraid.
salima says
thanks nathan! this is really helpful after realizing how critical social media can be. i read betsy lerner's post and have been thinking about this stuff ever since….
Sommer Leigh says
I think you can also add to that list to optimize your blog so that anyone can post.
There are several blogs I follow, usually Blogger or Livejournal blogs, that have their commenting set, either by default or on purpose, to only accept comments from blogger users. Because I am on WordPress.org, not Blogger, I can't post without creating a blogger account, which I don't want to do. It makes me sad 🙁
The option of Name/URL for commenting is appreciated for those of us not on blogger.
D.G. Hudson says
#1 is difficult for me, but this year was better than the last, so it's improving. I like to have a theme sometimes, and book reviews (of what I've read and recommend to others) As some of the others have said, it's difficult to balance writing time, blogging time, research, and regular life into 24 hours.
I like that blogging forces me to write as consistently as I can manage, and simulates meeting deadlines (albeit they are my own).
One thing I would add – be discreet on your blog, as you never know what might come back to bite you (you know where). Also if you have trouble with comments which aren't appropriate, you may have to approve comments first.
Keep your blog interesting, by using photos,contests or whatever you choose, but limit the ads — most readers hate those.
Thanks for the excellent tips, Nathan.
madisonwoods says
By 'blog titles' do you mean post titles or the actual title of the blog itself?
I had never considered using good keywords for my post titles – but if that will help, I surely will in the future.
Thanks for the tips!
Nathan Bransford says
Oops, thanks Madison, that's what I meant.
Anonymous says
# 9, provide a reason for interaction. Ask questions, take polls, ask for contrary opinions, ask for discussion and participate in the discussion, ask for further insights on the topic. In a best practice, artfully pose the questions so readers don't feel obliged to comment but comment anyway.
# 10 reach out and touch readers with encouragement and approval; avoid naysaying at all costs.
The above two will go a long way toward building a faithful fan base, perhaps more than any of the previous eight, including Anne R. Allen's # 8 Don't apologize, which is true if a self-deprecating appeal. Better still, never post anything that requires an apology. If an apology is indicated for a misunderstanding then by all means do so. If an apology is warranted for a misstated fact or such, then by all means do so.
Anonymous says
# 11 Keep it simple. Busy blogs confuse and disorient and visitors blink off. Manage content by archiving old threads in link indexed folders, minimalize graphic content.
In my estimation, the Nathan Bransford blog is a bit on the busy side.
Nathan Bransford says
anon-
What would you change/remove?
Kelly Hashway says
Great post. I completely agree with number 5. I know when I'm commenting on blogs, I cringe when I see long paragraphs. People want to read a post quickly and long paragraphs can scare commenters away.
Lovelyn says
Thanks for the great advice. I tend to fall short when it comes to consistency, but I'm really trying to correct that. Do you think it's necessary to post daily when you're first starting out?
Anonymous says
Mr. Bransford,
I wouldn't remove so much as organize. Putting the left and right column listings under downstream page links would clean up a lot of the clutter. I wouldn't change the Jacob Wonderbar graphic or the masthead content. The rest didn't interest me much after I'd examined them once. Query Shark, for example, maintains a relatively streamlined front page.
I'm of two minds about the content after "You might also like:" being on the front page. Perhaps a link to that for downstream content too. But then it's not right there for newer followers ready access.
Gospel Girl says
Great post Nathan…and you're right consistency is very important and if you sincerely and faithfully visit and comment on other blogs, sometimes they will do likewise.
Jodie Renner Editing says
Thanks for another great blog post, Nathan! I've been running a blog since July that is dedicated to advice for fiction writers, and I'm really starting to notice the increase in traffic lately! It feels good!
In case anyone wants to check it out and glean a few tips on writing fiction, it's at https://jodierennerediting.blogspot.com.
Love your posts, Nathan!
M.A.Leslie says
Nathan,
Thank you for your post as usual and as usual it is inspiring me. It made me think today. What is my least favorite part of this whole writing process?
Honestly, the answer so far is genres. I haven't gotten a handle on them. Frankly, I think that I may have queried work in the wrong genre just do to lack of educating myself.
Let me make the story short, too late. I am going to try and compile as much information about genres as possible and work to post about what they include and lack. Maybe, I will be able to help another soul out there that is querying in the wrong genre and get some discussion so that we can all learn together.
If I haven't said it enough, I'll say it again. Thank you Nathan.
Jessica Ashley says
Awesome advice! 🙂
LEO TOLSTOY says
'There a few things less inviting than a massive wall of text.' Whatever do you mean?
LEO TOLSTOY says
'a' should read 'are', of course. I'm just not used to writing short sentences. Or short books.
HERMAN MELVILLE says
Leo is right!
J. T. Shea says
'…become a fixture…' Yep! You'd have to get me surgically removed at this point!
BTW, I don't have a link, but a seven-year-old chihuahua named Momo has joined the police canine rescue team in Nara, in western Japan. In a test, Momo took under five minutes to find a target person in an 1,100 square foot area. So, if you lose anyone in your apartment, just send in Buster.
Also BTW, something tells me those guys above are not the real Leo Tolstoy or Herman Melville…
toni says
Thanks for the advice Nathan!
I think I'm good with everything except #7. Working on it 🙂
J. T. Shea says
'I can only be embittered and misanthropic on a semi-regular basis.' Are you sure, Hillsy? Have you REALLY tried hard enough?
Anything worth doing is worth doing well, particularly bitterness and misanthropy. Both can be practiced as a fine art. Learn from the masters (you'll meet them everywhere).
Always remember, it is not enough for people to fail dismally, we must discourage them from ever even trying!