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Increasing RSS Feed Subscribers

Critiqued by Cowboytf | December 12, 2007 .

I think we all want more subscribers.  When you’re subscriber count is low, you have low blogger self esteem and you’re saying to yourself, “why the hec am I blogging if no one is reading it?”.  BUT,  when you have a high subscriber count, you’ve got your shoulders strutted back and you’re saying, “oh yeah, they love me”. So what do you have to do to get and keep subscribers? 

  • Make a RSS page for feed newbies.

Many, many people have no clue what the hec RSS is.  How can they subscribe if they don’t know what it is.  Here’s my RSS page.  You want to include what RSS is, how to use it, links to readers, what a reader is, and why they would want to subscribe to feeds.

  • Make your feed accessible.

People are lazy!  If they don’t see a subscribe button or link, they won’t make the effort to find it.  I have links in my sidebar where you can subscribe to my feed via reader or by email.  Some people only check email and don’t have time to go to a reader and read.  They simply want it coming to their inbox so make both available.

  • Use Facebook

Okay, I’m not sure about this one because I don’t use facebook, however, you can check this post to find out how;)

  • Become a guest blogger

Now this won’t work if you guest blog on a crappy blog:D  You would think contributing your work on someone else’s blog would totally defeat the purpose but it actually does the opposite.  IF it’s good and your own work, people will want to check out your blog for more interesting articles.

  • Forums

When I started chatting in forums, my subscriber count increased.  It’s a way to meet new bloggers and lure them back to your blog.  Make sure to put your blog urls in the signature or they can’t visit you.  Also, entice them by leaving the url to a post that is relevant to the topic discussion.

  • Contests & Giveaways

People love free stuff so use your feed to your advantage.  One way to do this, would be to offer an ebook link that will only be seen by your subscribers.  Yep, this is a little evil but it works. 

  • Content

You knew it was coming.  One of the most important words of blogger dictionary.  ~CONTENT~  If your content sucks, why would I want to subscribe?  Whether your blogging about dolls or ways to earn money online, you need to have your own voice, opinions, and style.

  • Lists

“Top” lists are always popular and can keep people coming back for more.  You can create a list relevant to any niche and they are always fun to write and read.  You can check out my Top 10 Webhost Picks, you know, just in case you need an example:)

  • Create Controversy

While I don’t really recommend this one, it DOES work.  On my personal blog, “A Cowboy’s Wife”, I wrote about where a woman’s place is.  Woohoo! Now that created a bit of noise, in fact, I had to do a follow up on it.  But what I noticed, was right after that post, my subscriber count went up by 20%.  Not too bad, eh? 

  • And finally, add visualization.

Nobody wants to read 200 words on every blog they are interested in.  Add some color, videos, and pictures. 

Posted under Blogging Tips & Tools | 3 Neighs n Snorts Like this article? Subscribe to our RSS feed

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3 Comments so far
  1. Leigh  December 13, 2007 9:06 am

    I do use facebook, but not really to promote my blog. Great advice though, thanks!

  2. Maher Saleh  December 13, 2007 10:17 am

    I love the face book way looks interesting to try

  3. Shantanu  December 16, 2007 12:43 am

    Great post! Thanks for sharing this information, and for linking to the one on Facebook; that was useful info.