You can’t run a blogging business, with consistent full-time income, if you don’t have at least a small, established following with loyal fans. There, I said it. It’s brutal but it’s true.
Now when I say following, that doesn’t mean JUST social media. This following could be email subscribers or even a private FB group or other online community.
Pssssttt...I run a series called Ask Allison where I answer readers' questions about blogging and business. You can ask yours by emailing hello@frugalontheprairie.com. This post is for the question, "Which ad network should I use?" Click below to watch!
First things first: Is the content you’re sharing going to help your readers in some way? People love posts that change their lives! And it’s important to mention their pain point first so that you immediately grab their attention. Then you need to hook them in by briefly stating how you’ve solved this problem yourself. Once you’ve described everything in more detail, leave an open-ended question to encourage interaction.
Additionally, you need to start genuinely engaging them by asking questions and getting to know them. Forget that you’re all sitting behind computers and pretend you’re sitting down having a cup of coffee. Your readers are people with a busy life, just like you. Connect with them!
“It’s a huge investment of my time, I’m not gonna lie. But it pays off in more way than just the monetary sense. ”
Take the time to send real-life, non-canned emails! I personally read and respond to EVERY.SINGLE.EMAIL that lands in my inbox. I try to imagine the reader and help them out in any way that I can. It’s a huge investment of my time, I’m not gonna lie. But it pays off in more way than just the monetary sense.
Genuine connections help me more fully understand my readers’ problems and blogging/business needs. This takes the guesswork out of deciding what to write about. Finding the solutions for them keeps them coming back, which in turn helps my interaction and business.