You have a sharply designed blog page and well-written, worthwhile blog content. Now all you need are blog subscribers. After asking everyone on your Christmas card list to subscribe to your blog, you hit a wall. That is because even though blogging is exploding in popularity, the sheer number of blog spots is so overwhelming that readers find it wearying to sift through them all.  Your list of subscribers won’t grow without some strategy on your end.

You already know that you need to make it easy for your readers to find and view your blog and you probably know that an RSS feed is the simplest way to help that happen. So subscribing to your RSS should also be easy. Here are some tips for reaching out to potential blog subscribers with an easy to find and use RSS feed.

• Place your RSS icon in a highly visible location on every blog page and at the footer of all postings
• Guide your readers to use your RSS by placing bold text that says Subscribe beside the RSS icon
• No multiple steps for subscribing allowed. It’s not as easy as 1-2-3, more like as easy as 1. A single click should be all it takes
• Use similar content blogs to cross-promote. Readers of a quality blog that covers related topics will be more apt to take a look at yours (and the reverse) when it is recommended to them from a trusted source
• Make some content available only to those who subscribe. It should be something that appeals strongly to your readers. It could be a recipe, a contest, access to research – there should be a carrot on the other end of the subscribe stick
• Stay active. There is no substitute for site content that is witty, informative and up-to-date.

Some blog subscribers won’t be up to speed on RSS feeds so you will want to offer them email subscription.

Looking for other ideas about how to boost your subscription rates? Contact the social media marketing experts at SJC Copywriting Solutions.