Learning all the different ways to start a conversation with your blog is going to be critical if you really want your blog to succeed.
After all, a blog is all about being social, and building up a relationship with your readers.
Today let me show you a few techniques and ways that I have learned so that you can start a conversation on your blog today.
Don’t Hide Yourself
One of the biggest mistakes that I see many people making is to write articles and call them blog posts. They are perfectly written, great grammar, full of useful content and most importantly, they are BORING to read.
Don’t take my ranting the wrong way. When I first started blogging, I went at it the same way. I wrote high quality articles, which were full of valuable content. People would read them. They would even occasionally bookmark them, and share them with others. But, I struggled to get anyone to start a conversation.
Once I started writing more personally for my blog posts, I saw that this was one of the best ways to start a conversation with my readers. You need to really know who your readers are, and write as if you were sitting there talking to them. Otherwise, it won’t work. Be funny, controversial, and thoughtful. Share your experiences, and most importantly, let your personality shine.
Conversational Writing
Learn how to write as if you were speaking. Conversational writing is difficult, especially if you are used to using proper English. If my English teachers went and found my blog posts, they would probably go into a fit. Now, it still needs to read well. Try reading your articles out loud. If it sounds natural, you have hit the nail on the head.
One of my little secrets is a program called Audacity. Don’t worry, its free. I record myself talking about my subject for the post. This way, you reall are starting a conversation. Then, I just listen to the recording, and type it out.
If you can talk for 4-5 minutes, you can wind up with a 700-800 word blog post easily. And, if you don’t know your subject well enough to talk about it for five minutes, please, go do some more research
Size Really Does Matter
Hey, we are talking about your blog posts here. When it comes to really taking advantage of your blog, you need to write posts long enough to really get in touch with people. I get really frustrated when people tell me that a blog post should be like 200-300 words long.
No wonder people struggle to find ways to start a conversation. If you aren’t giving enough content to grab someone’s attention, then you don’t have much chance of getting it right.
I have some posts that are one and even two thousand words long. Now, usually when I get that long winded, I will break it up into two or three posts. But, my point is, longer is better. I can’t even see how people get by with a 200 word blog post. It takes me that long just to get warmed up.
If you can write enough about your topic to get people interested, then you have a good shot at getting them to talk to you. However, if you are going to write that long, you have to keep it interesting. Throw in a joke or two. Slide in a little innuendo, and do something that makes their eyes pop out of their heads.
Don’t Hesitate To Ask
Another one of my favorite ways to start a conversation on my blog is to finish my post with a question. In order to do this, end your post by asking for the opinions of your readers. If you create a thought provoking post, it will draw people into it. Leave the post asking for the opinions of the readers. They will be swarming to answer your questions.
For example, on one of my dating blogs, I recently wrote a post about unique gift ideas. I wrote out several ideas including certain skincare products and lotions that I know some ladies love, and making something special, for those with a little skill at woodworking.
At the end of the post, I asked for my readers to share the most unique gift they ever received. As the comments started pouring in, I stayed on top of it, and began throwing some more ideas out as well. We had a great conversation through the comments section, and I learned as much as my readers did.
These are the biggest things that I use to drag comments out of my readers. There are many other things that you can do to start a conversation with your blog, including comment giveaways, and stirring up controversy. Perhaps if you are nice to me, I might even share a few more of those secrets with you later.
So, now it is your turn. What are your favorite ways to start a conversation with your blog posts? Let me know, and we can all grow our blogs together.
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