The Key to a Loyal Readership: How to Build an Audience that Will Last

Keeping your current audience happy is just as important as attracting new readers- perhaps even more so. These loyal readers who have been with you since the beginning will be the people most likely to talk about you and your site; it’s these life-long readers that can help you build your brand so it’s imperative that you look after them! Here are four key actions you can take today, to start engaging with your readership:

Make Sure You Ask for Feedback

Don’t just guess what your readers want; ask them! Actively inviting your readers to get in touch with ideas, feedback and suggestions is not only a good way to build a rapport with those who read your blog; it’s also a great way to come up with new content ideas without the stress of trying to work out whether it’ll be popular or not.

Blogging can be quite isolating, and it can be really easy to forget that on the other end of a comment or tweet there is  person- make sure you’re making the effort to get to know readers. There is nothing more useful than some honest and constructive feedback from a loyal reader!

Make a Note of People who Regularly Comment on Your Posts and Share Your Content

Keep track of those readers who often comment on your content, or share your posts. Not only is it important to acknowledge and thank these loyal and engaged readers, it’s really useful to take a good look at them. Who are they? Are they also bloggers? Do they read any other blogs? Finding out about your most engaged readers can help you work out who to target when writing new content, helping you build a larger readership of loyal fans!

Find Out as Much as You Can About Who Reads Your Blog

Google Analytics is a great way to find out more about your readership, if you find it a little daunting check out our Bloggers Guide to Google Analytics. Here you can find out some general information about your readership, which can help you understand who they are and why they enjoy your content.

Be Responsive

If someone comments on a post with a question- reply! Starting conversations is the first step to building a readership that’s loyal to your blog. The same goes for social media, if someone shares a post, say thank you! If you find lots of fellow bloggers are engaging with your content, return the favour at take a look at their sites. The aim is to start building a community, of which you are at the centre. You want your readers to be able to see that there is a person behind the blog!

So there you have it; a brief guide on maintaining a loyal and happy readership! Keeping your readers engaged can be really simple if you just invest a little time.

Do you have any tips, or some questions of your own?! Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you.