How To Let People Know About Your Blog

Is Your Blog Off the Map? How to Get Your Blog Discovered

Just as Columbus set out to discover a new route to the East Indies, you need a way to get your blog discovered amidst a sea of other blogs and content options.

While Columbus had royal backing, unless you've got a kickass hook and/or break through branding, you've got to get out there and give people a reason to read your content.

Here are twenty-one ways to help get your blog discovered. Some of them require more effort than others.

Leverage your blog's search optimization. Get your blog found via search engines.
Add social sharing to your blog posts. Let your readers give you a hand by discovering and sharing your content. To this end, you need strong content and great titles.
Include a link to your blog on your social media profiles. Don't assume that people know that you have a blog.
Add a link to your blog in your email signature file.Email signature files are great since your emails get through where corporate or other forms of promotional correspondence don't.
Engage other bloggers in your category via their comments. This doesn't mean spamming them with your URL. Rather, leave meaty comments that continue the public conversation. (Here's advice on blog comments.)
Offer your best content in guest blog posts. Be a guest blogger to get exposed to a related audience. Your goal is to broaden your blog's reach and build supporters.
Write guest columns on third party media. Like guest blogging, you're writing for another audience. The difference is you're doing it for a media entity.
Help reporters by being a resource. Sign up on Help-a-Reporter-Out and answer relevant press inquiries.
Answer questions on relevant Q & A sites. Build your reputation as an expert in your field by answering questions.
Be involved in online events such as Twitter chats, notably Blog Chat. Mention your blog in your introduction.
Get out and meet people in real life at offline meetings. Specifically attend events and Meetups focused on your topic. Put your blog's name and URL on your nametag.
Attend relevant conferences. Leverage the opportunity by getting out and talking to people. Don't just sit in the back of the room. Actively participate. Ask a question and identify yourself and your blog.
Volunteer to live blog conferences and events on someone else's blog or a third party media site. This is another form of guest blogging. The benefit is that you don't need to come up with an idea, just report the news.
Present at events and conferences. Include your blog with your contact details and your blurb in the announcements.
Use your business cards to promote your blog. Depending on your business, you may want to have a separate card for your blog.
Wear a QR code, whether it's on a piece of jewelry or a nametag, so people can scan it. One thing that's good about using QR codes is that they provide good conversation starters.
Post your presentations on a slidesharing site. After you've created and given a talk, provide your insights to a bigger audience.
Invite family and friends to join you. Ask your friends to participate on your blog. (Hey, you're just asking them to share their love.)
Send an email. Announce your blog to everyone you know. This doesn't mean spamming everyone whose card you've ever gotten. You need to be relevant and know the basis for the connection.
Spread your blog news. Think alumni, business and special interest groups, especially those that are looking for personal updates.
Share your blog posts on social media platforms. This doesn't mean spamming them. Remember that ideally you should maintain a one message about you to ten messages about others ratio.

The bottom line is that getting your blog discovered rarely happens without a lot of work to raise blog awareness and develop a blog following. Just like Columbus perserved with his idea that the world was round, you have to you have to find your own path to get your blog noticed.

Do you have any other suggestions for getting your blog noticed? If so, would you please include your suggestions in the comment section below.

Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen

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