Before I went to BlogPaws I promised I’d share my tips for Engaging Your Reader with you, my readers. My session was a little different this year than the last time I spoke. This year my session was a ten minute table discussion with nine different people. 

I wrote a quick outline of talking points I could hand out to attendees, but tailored the individual discussions based upon a questionnaire I e-mailed to them.

The reason I did this is reader engagement is different for everyone. Some folks want more readers, some want more comments and some people to return to their blog. 

For me, it’s a combination of all of the above, but also about building a community. I really feel this blog has a great sense of community. I notice when I’m reading your comments that some of you comment on previous comments. It’s like a little neighborhood coffee klatch. 

Once a while back when I was trying to get a feel for what my blog is about, Jen from My Brown Newfies said something like, “Your blog is like Cheers, where everybody knows your name.” That was a huge compliment for me and it really set me on the path to where I wanted to go with this blog.  (Thank you Jen! XOXO).

So enough babbling, here are my tips on Engaging Your Reader.

Keep in mind this is an outline of talking points.

Keep content relevant to your mission statement.

• A blog about training dogs should have posts about training dogs.
• Product reviews should have relevancy to mission statement. (A blog about dog training should have products used for training dogs.)

Write with authenticity.

• Use words you would typically use in conversation.  (Many people say reading my blog is just like sitting down and talking with me.)
• When sharing facts, link back to your source.

Write about topics that instill passion in you. 

• Passion shines through in writing.  People will connect with your passion.
• Editorial calendars are useful in scheduling posts and jotting down ideas for future posts.
• Did you read a blog that touched your heart?  Bookmark it for future use.

Connect with other bloggers.

• Link back to a post that inspired you.
• A well thought out comment adding to the discussion will encourage others to check out your blog.
• Connect with other bloggers on social media.
• Ask for another blogger’s help if you are stuck on something.
• Collaborate with other bloggers for special blog hops or events. ( example: Caring for Critters Round Robin.)

Don’t engage in too many blog hops.

• Non-blogging readers may not understand (or care) what blog hops are.
• Don’t become predictable, it’s easy for someone to blow off reading your post when you become predictable.

I want to try and express this a little better, as I’ve heard this may seem like I’m against blog hops, which I’m totally not!

Blog hops are great, I love blog hops, heck the best blog hop I know is Thursday’s Barks and Bytes hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and yours truly. 🙂 

Blog hops are a great way to connect bloggers (or readers) with other bloggers passionate about a particular topic.

For instance, Barks and Bytes is sort of like gathering around the water fountain at work on Monday and catching up with your co-workers. It’s a great way to connect with other bloggers and work on building your own community. Fit Dog Friday is amazing if you are looking for tried and true tips to help get and keep your dog in shape. Tasty Tuesday is the place to go when you are looking for treats to spoil your dogs.

I’m just saying, you want to be cautious about when you join a blog hop, why you join and how often. Don’t join in just to join in. Join a blog hop because its message speaks to you, you think it will interest your readers and because you have something to add to the conversation.

Do you have any tips for engaging your readers? What does engagement mean to you?

Discuss.