Ask Liz: On Gaining Readership

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I am so glad you all are enjoying this new series! I was flooded with emails last week after my first post about staying motivated, and more than a few of them asked about gaining readership. Here are a few things that have worked for me...

Get involved. When I first began blogging, I had no idea of the incredible community that comes along with it. Sure, we all start out blogs for our own reasons - to have a creative outlet, to document our lives, to create a diary of events, but when you start to see that your blog influences and inspires someone new, you begin to realize the importance of community. Make friends, comment on other blogs, engage in social media conversations, promote and share what inspires you, and stay consistent. You are your biggest marketing tool so let your voice be heard! The more you talk, the more people will remember and recognize your name. 

Create social media accounts. Seriously you guys, this is one of the best things you can do for your blog. Consider it another platform of blogging and use it to connect with your peers, chat with your favorite brands, share your voice, and make the relationship with your readers much more personal. You will be maximizing your outreach with every tweet, pin, tumble, and status update, so what are you waiting for? 

Follow S&S on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Tumblr.

Find your niche. This is something that doesn't happen overnight, I think it takes awhile for bloggers to figure out just what they plan on blogging about. Experiment and decide what works for you, what you do best, and run with it. Learn from your readers and what they enjoy. Once you narrow down the posts and content that makes your blog successful, it will be easy to put together a weekly plan of good content. If you are aiming to create a brand with your blog, content will be your biggest tool. So make it good!

Don't just be another blog, create something new! To create a blog that lasts, you have to be original. 

Finally, I recommend learning from the best. There are a few bloggers who, from the get go, just get it. They inspire me, they are honest, they aren't afraid to let you in on their tricks, they answer questions, they push you to think outside the box, to challenge yourself - make friends with these people. A few of  my favorites include Grace, Julia, Kiley, Alicia, Molly and Sally, Bradley, Bailey, Katie and Meg. These girls are always such a pleasure to visit everyday, I recommend finding inspiration like this and letting it help you.