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How Many Readers Do You Really Need?

Supporters10? 100? 1000? 10000? One of the tips to maintaining a blog for the long haul is to set a goal on the number of readers you wish to have and to work towards achieving that goal. I am sure you have visited some blogs which shows impressive numbers of feed subscribers (if feed subscribers are an indication of the number of readers a blog has) and you fantasize to yourself how nice it would be if you also have that kind of numbers. But before you start hallucinating about having 100000 readers just as you are starting out blogging, I think you better finish reading this post and reconsider.

 

What kind of blog are you writing?

If you are writing a blog about your life - your hobbies, your cat, your kitchen tap bursting, what you ate this morning, who irritated you at work, etc - be mindful that this type of blogs do not attract a lot of readers unless you have a certain mesmerising skill in writing “out of the box”. Even so, it takes a long time to build a readership which runs in the hundreds or even thousands. Examples of successful bloggers in Malaysia in the personal blogs genre are KennySia and Lilian Chan. Even so, their feedburner stats show subscribers in the region of less than 300.

 

If you are writing a blog about technology, blogging or making money from blogging, chances are you might have a higher number of readers but to make it at the top, you will need to be someone special. Do you really think that you have that something special which sets you apart from the rests? Or do you think you have what it takes to have the number of readers to match the Steven Snells or Skellies out there? Look at the amount of work and time they invest into churning out those audacious, gripping and resourceful posts week after week. If you believe that you are as capable, if not better, then it would be okay to aim for readership numbers which they enjoy.

 

If you are blogging about food, chances are you may garner a high readership number if and only if, you write well (if you are a food critic / reviewer) or you cook well and you are good with food photography. This is a trait which I find in food blogs - you need those qualities to reach a high readership base.

 

So what am I getting at?

For all newbies, do an evaluation of what you want to blog about. Then, try to compare the blogs in the same niche / genre and see which are the blogs which seem to have a high readership base. Analyse what are the common traits in these blogs - style of writing, depth of writing, amount of resources offered, etc. Then analyse your own strengths and limitations. Finally, set realistic goals for yourself.

 

If you aim for the moon without even knowing basic rocket science, you are destined to a demoralising start and journey towards realising that there is so much of rocket science to learn, adapt and the going through of trial and error before you can build a rocket good enough to reach the moon. Just like blogs, if you are aiming to have 1000 readers by the end of 1 year of blogging, you need to do lots of groundwork preparation, writing, researching, networking, publicity and standing out to get there. Are you prepared for that journey?

 

There is nothing wrong in starting with small ambitions. Aim for 50 feed subscribers. Then aim for 100. Then 500. Or any other type of measurable goals for your readership base. Make sure that your goals are realistic and achievable based on your abilities. That would keep you motivated when you reach those goals. Reset and review your goals periodically. See what went wrong and how it could be improved.

 

Is there a secret somewhere?

Well, for me, my goal is to ensure that I keep my current readers happy and that they will stay on. Feed subscription would be my measurable goal. For as long as this blog has one reader who stays with and has an interest in this blog, I know that this blog is worth its keep. That, is the secret to my stamina in blogging. Being content and thankful for that one reader who keeps coming back is sure enough to keep the blogging fire razing. And because of that, I have just renewed this domain today.

 

In our constant chase for more readers, do not forget to connect with existing readers. You can do so by visiting their blogs (if they have one) and leaving comments where appropriate. You can also reply to their comments. You can even reward them in thoughtful ways - eg. sending them an e-card, voting or mentioning about their site, etc. You can even send them an email to connect on a more personal basis.

 

How many readers are you aiming for and how do you connect with your existing readers? Or are you not really bothered about your blog readership numbers?

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. 07 Jan 08 | About Beginners, About Blogging, About Traffic

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Intelligent Replies

  1. helen | January 7th, 2008 at 4:08 pm

    It’s true what you said but the important thing is if the kind of blog is for you. Personally I think personal blogs are the easiest to start. All you have to do is to talk about your favorite person.. you. lol

    But then you are right, personal blogs don’t fare that well unless you’re a celebrity or something. GUess you can’t win them all.. :-)

  2. Giddy Tiger | January 7th, 2008 at 4:53 pm

    You have me as a loyal reader of this blog, even though I may not comment on every post :) but you’re right…that one loyal reader gives you the inspiration to continue blogging.

  3. ParisB | January 7th, 2008 at 4:55 pm

    Niche blogs work well for traffic (like yours ;) ) but personal blogs are the best way to get started in blogging. Excellant observation as always. Me? I’m aiming for the stars.. and moon… and whatever else is unreachable ;)

  4. Tine | January 7th, 2008 at 4:59 pm

    I’m already happy if I have more than two reader on my blog - me, obviously, and Tim (well, he has no choice). Tee hee! :p

  5. Wayne Liew | January 7th, 2008 at 6:31 pm

    Well, apart from looking at other niche sites to set the supposed standard for my blog, constantly monitoring the response, traffic trends and feedback from readers will also tell what kind of contents should we produce more to attract more readers.

  6. How To Rule The World | January 8th, 2008 at 2:51 am

    Very true and i think this is the reason 80% or more of all bloggers fail is because they write about nonsense. I am already tired of reading through junk blogs about how depressed they are this morning, or how much they hate work or their boss. It seems like the ones that do succeed are the ones that are trying to educate rather than gripe. As for my blog, its about blogging, SEO, PPC, making money and various other topics on how to excel at life in general, but the current focus is blogging and generating income online which is what so many people want to do but can’t

  7. Adino | January 8th, 2008 at 10:22 am

    Thanks Pablo for this post, especially the reminder not to neglect current readers. You’re right about setting unrealistic expectations leading to discouragement. I’ve experienced that many times.

  8. pablopabla | January 8th, 2008 at 1:46 pm

    helen : Actually, one can start with a niche blog - stamp collecting, cars, cooking, photography etc. It need not be a personal blog. However, before the newbie starts dreaming of fantastic numbers in readership, he might want to assess the potential audience out there. Food blogs would probably be a popular but a plumber’s blog about plumbing might see very few readers in comparison.

    Giddy Tiger : You are my inspiration! Buy me a teh ais the next time we meet! Or you can ask your bro to do so ;)

    ParisB : You’ve got good potential in beauty product reviews and I am sure that will make the ladies interested. That’s potentially half the globe’s population! Those that have internet access, that is. LOL!

    Tine : Wouldn’t it be better just to communicate with Tim directly? LOL!

    Wayne : That’s true. It is helpful to evaluate periodically.

    How To Rule : LOL! Interesting name you got there :D All the best with your blogging ventures!

    Adino : Not only in blogging. But setting unrealistic expectations in life as well :D

  9. Steven Snell | January 11th, 2008 at 7:28 am

    Pablo, thanks for the mention.

  10. pablopabla | January 12th, 2008 at 12:30 pm

    Steven : The pleasure is mine. I’ve learnt much from you.

  11. lilian | January 19th, 2008 at 1:05 am

    One reader oso enuff pressure liao. Abuden, 1 or 1,000 or 10,000, write like you have one million like dat mah can lor.

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