3 ways to use groups to grow your blog
Post on 17-Oct-2014
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If you're attempting to grow your blog's audience, here are some tried-and-true options.TRANSCRIPT
3 Ways to
GROW YOUR BLOG WITH GROUPS
Hello, I’m Tea (aka The Chef)
• 20+ years in marketing
• Author of “Attract & Feed a Hungry Crowd”
• Passionate about food & stories
• Proprietress of StoryBistro.com
• @teasilvestre
First, Make Sure… 1. Your blog addresses a REAL
need in the market place (do your research!)
2. You've done the requisite homework to understand your Ideal Client/Ideal Reader
Everybody deals with
Not Enough Eyeballs
You Compete w/ 80+ million blogs In 2012, there were 160+ million blogs in
existence. Today, more than 50% are inactive.
-Wikipedia
Everyone is an Influencer
Don’t discount your peers and colleagues
“Big Name” Bloggers aren’t The Answer
Today’s B & C-Listers are tomorrow’s A-Listers
#1: Twist on an Oldie
The Blog Carnival
What’s a Blog Carnival? A blog post that contains links to other articles covering a specific topic.
Most are hosted by a rotating list of frequent contributors and serve to both generate new posts by contributors and highlight new bloggers posting in that subject area.
The Word Carnival Group W
ord
Carn
ivals
.com
After 1 Year Together, We…
Rotate the Leadership
Pick a monthly topic together
Commit to writing 10 out of 12 months
Comment on each others’ posts
Share via social media
Create your own website
Start an email list (publish via RSS)
Publish eBooks to give away
What to Look For…
Quality writing!
Regular posts (2x/month)
Similar audience
Size (look at social media)
Type (same readers?)
Fresh Voice/Perspective
Be Consistent
The Leader Must Lead
Pick one day per month (e.g. Last
Wednesday)
Reminders
Membership Guidelines &
Expectations
Communication!
#2: Focus on the Writing
The Critique/ Mastermind Group
Polish Prior to Publish You could spend ALL DAY posting and emailing links to your blog. If your writing sucks, your readers …
Won’t Finish Reading
Won’t Share
Won’t Comment
Won’t Turn Into Subscribers
Fiction Writers & Playwrights
Small Groups work Best (5-7)
Gather to share pieces of their work
Give constructive feedback
Brainstorm ways to approach topics
Provide a supportive environment
Publish together
Critique Checklist Does the title/headline hook you?
Does the opening line pull you in?
Is the point of the post clear?
Does the post fulfill the promise of the headline?
Is it interesting?
Is it easy to read?
Does it tell a story?
Is it relevant to your Ideal Client?
Is there a call to action?
(Full checklist avail by email: [email protected])
Support After Publishing
Comments
Social Media Sharing
Mastermind larger projects (books!)
#3 Twist on Networking
The Meet-up!
Find ‘Em
Google: Your City + Bloggers
Check Meetup.com
Create Your Own
It Won’t Be Perfect
People will come and go – always be on the lookout for the right new blood
Create ways to build community (e.g., private Facebook group, team-building and purely social events)
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Questions?
• What’s one thing you will implement immediately?
• What did you find unclear or want more examples of?
• Other burning questions?
• Talk to me! @teasilvestre (Twitter)
Join Our Group:
Learn More: http://bit.ly/blog-master