Blogging Lesson Learned

Yesterday, I published a blog article asking for advice on how to get more interaction and readership.  I can honestly admit that I was shocked (but very happy) with the response!

Yesterday's Readership Surge

Your Response To Yesterday’s Readership Appeal

I’ll share with what I learned:

Illustrate Your Point

People seemed to love the Wordle I’d done.  I’d seen it in a presentation by a marketing agency to me at work on Monday and thought “I’ll nick that idea” and, quite rightly, it’s been nicked since by Jon, for one.  It’s a good thing, so why not? It’s what the internet is for.. Well, that and naughty pictures.

Address Your Audience

I posted the article because I thought it might be close to readers’ hearts, as well as my own.  It seemed to strike a chord and as a result lots of people gave feedback, even people who had previously been silent readers, hiding in the closet of internet anonymity.  I don’t expect them to suddenly become vociferous advocates, but it’s been nice to see them pipe up.  Howdy!

Act On Advice

I asked for ideas.  You gave me ideas.  As a result, I put a “Subscribe By Email” widget on here last night.  Already some of you have used it and I thank you.

There has been other advice which I will consider.  My writing style probably won’t change much on this site, but if I ever get myself together and focus on a specific niche blog, I will make sure my brevity, focus and thought leadership issues are carefully managed.  Basically, I’ll talk less crap on more useful sites.  This particular site is my mouthpiece and, as such, I’m sorry but the drivel will continue for the foreseeable future.

Self Pity Sells

If you ever want something, ask for it.  I wanted advice and more readers, so I got on my knees and asked for them.  You delivered: good advice and harsh truth, but I did get more subscribers and a lot  interaction.

What’s the worst that can happen? Somebody might take the mickey a little (Joby).  If you’re flaky, you might be left feeling insecure.  What the heck, if you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Actual Visitors

Visitors Stats

Feedburner Surge - Thanks!

Feedburner Figures

Now What?

This kind of jump can’t be expected to be sustainable, but I’m delighted there’s been a step change in response to a direct appeal.  As a marketeer, it can be recorded as a very successful niche marketing campaign.  I suppose all I have to do next is start adding some actual value before I lose all my new customers!

I’ll get my thinking cap on.

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35 comments on “Blogging Lesson Learned

  1. Joby

    Cheeky f*cker.

    I for one won’t be subscribing to this blog anymore.

    Go f*ck yourself.

  2. lost

    Good good monsieur 🙂

    I’m like you actually, I blog about whatever happens that day or how I’m feeling. It’s a good thing to do I think.

    Best thing to remember is that it’s your blog so do what the hell you want with it (to a degree anyway 😉 )

    Ta for putting up the email subscription thingy. I have the rss thing too for you, but check my email more than i do my web feed.

  3. Clive Chapman

    If you don’t ask you won’t get?

    Can I have a Marin Titanium Team Frame please? It’s only 2.5k frame only.

    Thanks in advance…

  4. Phill

    Clive, I think you have to ask on your own blog. I’m kind of new to this.

  5. Phill

    Rooley: Orange I think, with your olive frame. Stick to Autumn shades. Or natural, like Lost’s race tyres. Tasteful.

  6. lost

    @phill: Ah, but the natural tyres are slicks and for track racing not knobbley mtb tyres. They don’t make natural tyres for road or mtb.

    @rooley: the yellow look better than the red with your frame colour.

    Only downside with phil’s ‘autumn’ shades suggestion is that we’re in SPRING now 😉

  7. Phill

    Lost: Yeah but I’m not suggesting Rooley changes tyres every season, it’s a bike not a bloody swimming costume! I just want him to have a bike that doesn’t look like a plate of sick.

    I believe you can get natural walled knobblies. But, the yellow ones do look ok. And Rooley, stop pimping your blog in my comments 🙂

  8. Sarah Arrow

    Phil I spoke about this at a blogging session I did this morning. Thought yesterdays blog was fab and today’s is good too. I love wordless I could spend hours doing it but then there would be no time for blogging!

  9. lost

    Pimp Your Bike!

    Hmmm I’ll let you off there. Mine are natural all over 😉

  10. Phill

    Rooley: Multi-fathomed? Multi-channel maybe, multi-pronged perhaps. It’s all about the routes to market.
    Lost: You’ve just thought of the next MTVTreeHugger channel’s new show! That and Pimp My Sandals.

  11. Phill

    Sarah, Welcome to the blog! Thanks for the brilliant comments, perhaps I can consider my ego stroked now. You make a good point about playing with gadgets reducing time for actual work. I love toys, but they’re a great work-prevention exercise sometimes aren’t they?

  12. Les

    Thanks Phil I dont av much to say on my blog not confident to write stuff but appreciate the following so once again when ure blog is massive I can say that celebrity Blogger Phil was my first follower probaly the only follower cheers m8

  13. Joby

    Cheers.
    I would apologise to Phill for hijacking his blog but he likes his comment count to be big so he’d better well f***ing (see – I starred it for you mate) appreciate it!

  14. Phill

    Odd, Les’s blog loads up ok here. Why’d you need to escape? Hey, it’s just a blog, chat amongst yerselves. And thanks for the self-censorship. I don’t mind a good swear but certain members of my ‘closet’ audience would sieze upon it. Nuff said. 😉

  15. Phill

    Actually I lied, Les’ blog is f*cked.Les, I’d sugget you appeal for help via twitter. That’s what I do and people are brilliant about telling you how to fix stuff. Not come across that problem before but it looks like someobody hijacked yer site.

  16. rooleymoor

    that’s why I pressed escape.. It stops the javascript from executing on the site and redirecting to the other site..

  17. Joby

    Just remove that counter top left – thats probably what is causing it.

  18. Les

    Cheers Joby thats what was causing the problem bin hijacked by something called china tv

  19. Phill

    Glad that got sorted whlst I was in Asda having a brew. We can all read Les’s blog now 🙂 Good work gents.

  20. Les

    There’s not much in it as yet I am not as good as u experienced bloggers

  21. Phill

    We’re not good, just full of crap like most people, but we write about it. Oh, and a little pad to remember random ideas helps! There’s my tip of the day right there. In fact, I’ll write that in my little pad as a blog title… *writes* .. T…I..P..S.. O.. F.. T..H..E….D..A..Y.. 🙂

  22. Les

    Phill do u know why my picture dnt come up on ure and Joby’s blog but does on clive’s any idea’s m8

  23. Phill

    It’s because you and Clive are on blogspot and some of the rest of us are on WordPress. You can fix it by going to http://en.gravatar.com/ and creating a gravatar with your usual username. Then that’ll come up whenever you comment on a WP blog – sorted! Joby taught me that.

    I have a Google and a Gravatar account, with t’same picture so it’s all seamless.

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