Who is Reading Your Blog?
The answer, unfortunately, is not everyone. However, you should think about exactly who you’d like to read your blog and how you might appeal to them.
To build a targeted readship that makes sense for your blog, answer any and all of these types of questions:
- How old are they? Are they male or female? Where do they live? (Do these demographics matter?)
- What level of expertise do they have? (Are they beginners, intermediates and/or experts?)
- Where do they currently get their information – websites, forums, blogs – about your topic? (Note: Look for resources that are both directly or indirectly related.)
- What do the readers do on those other sources? Do they interact or do they tend to be lurkers?)
- How do they communicate (Do they use techical jargon or slang or are they more informal?)
- What content do they respond to? (Are they straightshooters or do they enjoy being controversial or even snarky behavior?)
- What do they think is cool? (Would it be great design, geeky stuff, girly-girl, etc?)
- Can you add something that’s missing from these sources? (Remember to add your special expertise without copying or stealing content.)
- Besides your own blog, will you be willing to communicate on these other resources? (To build your own community, get out there yourself!)
Why Target Readers?
- You can write posts that they’ll likely respond to. (Nothing creates readership like great content.)
- You can develop a better relationships with some potential readers. (Think partnerships and about who can help you to promote your blog.)
- You’ll know who the players are in your niche. (And know how you can help to benefit their readers as well as your own.)
Get ready to build your readership!