This video summarizes 5 tactics of reader engagement. The tactics are from this WriterViews interview I did with David Cain of Raptitude.com.
David’s blog posts regularly get 30-50 comments that are long, detailed and insightful. So, I asked him how we can do the same. Here is his advice:
1: Have a Support Group
- Started blogging, went to Google Groups and found a small group of 6 or 7 bloggers at a similar experience level
- They bounced ideas off of each other, acted as accountability to keep writing, and maybe most importantly for us: they shared and commented on each others work
- This provides a foundation for your community to grow from
2: Ask For Comments
- David on regular posts gets 30-50
- When asks for comments gets over 100
- Make sure you are genuinely curious for your readers answers
3: Write Insightful Posts
- David’s topic lends itself particularly well to this, because he writes about humanity
- But, no matter your topic, make sure you aren’t just regurgitating the same old ideas – add something new and thoughtful to the discussion
- What you’ll find is that other people will join in and respond to your ideas
4: Make Friends Not Followers
- Connect with readers on a deeper level
- You can do this through comments, by taking the time to reply to their emails
- Another thing David does is let Raptitude followers add his personal facebook account
5: Create Participatory Content
- David has two sections on his site that others can easily participate with
- One is experiments, tests he does on his own life, like going vegan for 30 days, or fighting against procrastination
- Some readers will do the experiments too
- Other is a life list, things that he wants to experience in his life
- To make it more participatory, he created a guide so readers can make their own!
