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Blogging Guide > Building a subscriber base
Since I started writing about blogging and website tips without the jargon, I've discovered several sites whether the author suggests ways to get people to subscribe.
While many of these tips are very good, there are some techniques I've seen around the web that I don't like. I subscribe to an increasing number of sites and I am starting to become more choosy with the sites I subscribe to. Here are some of the reasons I might not subscribe to a site.
1. A huge orange feed icon at the top of the page.
Some blogs make their feed icon very obvious. I think it should stand out, but there are limits.
Bear in mind that not everyone knows what the icon means. Those who do understand it may feel like they're being pressured into subscribing. This is a bit too "in your face" for my liking.
2. Constantly nagging me to subscribe.
I have seen some blogs where there are numerous "subscribe" links all over the page. A link at the end of a blog entry can work wonders, but do we really need to see several identical links in various places on the same page? To me, it just screams of desperation.
3. Not being able to find the subscription link.
While some blogs have too many subscription links, others have too few! Perhaps there's just too much clutter on the page and I can barely find your content, let alone the subscription link.
Using something like "Recent Entries RSS" for the link text doesn't help either. If a non-technical reader finds this link, are they going to understand what it does?
4. Lack of "subscribe by email".
Currently, my preferred way to subscribing to a site is by email. Oh, you don't have that option? Well, why not?
Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I find it very disappointing if I can't subscribe by email.
5. Not using Feedburner.
It does seem like most blogs use Feedburner. This is an excellent service that provides some very handy tools for managing your feeds.
However, some blogs use other services, and it really puts Feedburner into perspective when you see those other services! In my opinion, Feedburner is the best site for all things feed-related.
That's my list - what stops you from subscribing to a site? Do you ever give feedback to sites that you would subscribe to if they made changes? Or do you just move along?
Writing good quality content and networking with other bloggers are two extremely important ways to get people reading your blog. But it's not very convenient to keep going back to a blog to check for new content - that's why subscribing is so handy.
It really helps if you can help your readers by telling them what subscribing to a site is all about. My basic guide to RSS is a good starting point.
I'm not a big fan of "hidden navigation" like this - for instance, if I wanted to make something private, I'd actually change my site so only certain people can see it. What some people do is just hide the link that would normally take you to that area of their site. I think this is pretty silly as it can hinder the ease of navigation for legitimate users.
Depending on the system you use for your site, you might be able to do it even more easily. Simply set up an area on your site for the special content and post it there. Your subscribers will see it, people will still be able to find it from the site if they look around, but casual visitors won't see it on the home page.
I'm going to start doing this with my Tutorials section - did you know I posted an HTML tutorial yesterday? If not - you'd know if you subscribed. (Do you see what I did there?)
I know it's tempting to write about anything and everything, it's your blog, you can do what you like... but try and stop yourself from doing this. If you start a blog where you review the latest movies, don't spend a week blogging about how frustrated you are at work (assuming you don't work in a movie theatre!).
Of course, this applies regardless of whether you're talking about subscribers or not. The reason why I've brought it up is because I often see blogs that start out as one thing but end up as another, then complain that they don't have many subscribers. Think about it.
Don't force subscriptions on people.
For instance, don't force people to subscribe just to enter your latest competition. It doesn't work. If they want to subscribe, they'll do so anyway; if not, they will unsubscribe when your competition is over.
You'll get to read good content, the blog owners will be happy, and if you comment - you might get comments in return. You can't lose. Check out my tutorials if you need help with anything subscription-related.
How many sites do you subscribe to?
Do you explain what a site feed is for visitors who might not know?
Anything else you'd like to add?
Sick of people finding your site and moving on? Want to get more readers? Here are some tips that might help.
Think about why you want to blog. Who are you writing for? Find your target audience, and make your site appealing to them. Don't try and impress anyone and everyone. Focus on your target audience.
How big is your header? I've seen headers that take up the whole screen. If a visitor can only see the header, you're not giving them any of your content.
Do you use an eye-catching theme? You don't have to have a really over the top graphic-heavy design on your site, but there's something to be said for a clean and unique look. Still using a theme that's on a hundred other sites? Maybe it's time to get your own look. After all, your site should have its own identity.
How quickly does the site load? Slow loading sites are a major turn-off. I've seen sites that take over a minute to load - and they're still loading things at this stage. I'm not on a particularly slow connection, either - goodness knows what those sites are like on dial-up or on a mobile device. Yes, people do use their phones to surf the web!
Will a visitor understand what your site is all about? For instance, "Ben Barden" is the large text at the top of my site, but "blogging and website tips without the jargon" is the focus. That description makes it very clear as to what the site is about. Do you describe your site clearly?
Why should a visitor stay on your site? They have to like what they see. Let's look at what they will look for as they have a closer look at your site.
You may be thinking it would be helpful to use a "sticky" post of some sort to keep a good post at the top. If you have this option, use it with care - it can make your site look like it isn't updated very often. Plus, it's rather confusing if the posts aren't shown in date order (newest first).
Is the posting style consistent? Did the visitor find one good post only to discover that the rest of the content is dull? Are the posts mostly on-topic or are they totally irrelevant? I've lost count of how many "make money online" blogs I've read that don't actually write about how to make money online! You might be able to get away with this once your blog is huge (no names mentioned...) but if you think you can do it when you're starting out, think again.
Is the site clear and easy to navigate? Is it relatively free of clutter? If you have ads or widgets on your site, keep them neat and organised - don't scatter them all over the page.
Although I understand that not everyone wants to say who they are, I highly recommend including at least your first name and a small photo. You don't have to give out too much information or write your life story. Just say what's relevant to the topic you're writing about.
My About page is not necessarily the format that will work for you, and you might want to include less information than I did. But you might be able to get a few ideas from it, so check it out.
Subscription should be an offer your visitors can't refuse. Including an obvious subscription link is a good start - have a look at my home page for an example. I'm not a big fan of the huge icons next to the subscription link, but I have found that a small icon makes it easier for people to subscribe than having no icon at all.
Not forcing subscription on people means not asking people to subscribe over and over again. I have the subscription box on my home page and a quick reminder at the end of each post. I don't include things like "welcome, you must be new here, why not subscribe?" For me that's an immediate turn-off - I'll be the judge of whether I want to subscribe. If I feel like a site is pushing me to subscribe, I usually don't bother.
There's little point in getting people to subscribe as a way of entering a competition. Just ask them to leave a comment instead. After all, they're only going to unsubscribe when the contest is over, or stay subscribed but forget to read your site. This isn't always true, of course, but if people were going to stay subscribed I think they'd choose when to subscribe in the first place.
Let people make up their own mind!
Have you found any other ways to turn visitors into subscribers?
What techniques have you seen on other sites? Do you think they work or not?
To be honest, I'm not a fan of either one of these schemes. People who subscribe to a site should do so because they like the site. They're far less likely to unsubscribe if it's their choice to subscribe in the first place. Writing great content is a good way to start.
Subscription is a convenient way to keep up with the new posts on a site, but what if you subscribe to a lot of sites and they all update frequently? Can you keep up with them all, and do you have time to comment?
On the other hand, dropping cards via Entrecard is a good way to find lots of new content without having to subscribe. Even though I'm not dropping a lot of cards at the moment, there's still a steady flow of new readers coming from Entrecard. Some of them comment.
The problem might be more to do with most people only leaving a small number of comments on a site overall. There are a few people who leave a lot of comments, and a lot who leave a few.
What do you think?
Of course, the question now is how to smash my previous target of 150 subscribers (which I have surpassed) and get 2 billion subscribers in the space of 24 hours.
Somehow I don't think it can be done. Never mind, I'll just keep writing some slightly more useful posts than this one.
Building a subscriber base
All about subscribers - getting subscribers for your site, plus comments about why subscribing is beneficial.
Pages: 1
5 reasons why I might not subscribe to a site
Don't know what an RSS feed is? Read this: What is RSS and why should you care?Since I started writing about blogging and website tips without the jargon, I've discovered several sites whether the author suggests ways to get people to subscribe.
While many of these tips are very good, there are some techniques I've seen around the web that I don't like. I subscribe to an increasing number of sites and I am starting to become more choosy with the sites I subscribe to. Here are some of the reasons I might not subscribe to a site.
1. A huge orange feed icon at the top of the page.
Some blogs make their feed icon very obvious. I think it should stand out, but there are limits.
Bear in mind that not everyone knows what the icon means. Those who do understand it may feel like they're being pressured into subscribing. This is a bit too "in your face" for my liking.
2. Constantly nagging me to subscribe.
I have seen some blogs where there are numerous "subscribe" links all over the page. A link at the end of a blog entry can work wonders, but do we really need to see several identical links in various places on the same page? To me, it just screams of desperation.
3. Not being able to find the subscription link.
While some blogs have too many subscription links, others have too few! Perhaps there's just too much clutter on the page and I can barely find your content, let alone the subscription link.
Using something like "Recent Entries RSS" for the link text doesn't help either. If a non-technical reader finds this link, are they going to understand what it does?
4. Lack of "subscribe by email".
Currently, my preferred way to subscribing to a site is by email. Oh, you don't have that option? Well, why not?
Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I find it very disappointing if I can't subscribe by email.
5. Not using Feedburner.
It does seem like most blogs use Feedburner. This is an excellent service that provides some very handy tools for managing your feeds.
However, some blogs use other services, and it really puts Feedburner into perspective when you see those other services! In my opinion, Feedburner is the best site for all things feed-related.
That's my list - what stops you from subscribing to a site? Do you ever give feedback to sites that you would subscribe to if they made changes? Or do you just move along?
Subscription should be an offer your visitors can't refuse
The web is full of blogs. Many of them want you to read, comment, and subscribe. Of course, we can't all look at everything, so we look at what interests us.Writing good quality content and networking with other bloggers are two extremely important ways to get people reading your blog. But it's not very convenient to keep going back to a blog to check for new content - that's why subscribing is so handy.
Beware of the pitfalls.
Or to be more specific, the 5 reasons why I might not subscribe to a site. Since then, I've stopped subscribing by email - but some people like to do this. At least give them the option - why not?It really helps if you can help your readers by telling them what subscribing to a site is all about. My basic guide to RSS is a good starting point.
Special subscriber benefits.
Some bloggers like to provide secret downloads and special links in their feed, so if you subscribe you get some benefits. I think this is a good idea, but there's a slight problem: what if you just want to find that content from the site itself instead of having to go to your feed reader first?I'm not a big fan of "hidden navigation" like this - for instance, if I wanted to make something private, I'd actually change my site so only certain people can see it. What some people do is just hide the link that would normally take you to that area of their site. I think this is pretty silly as it can hinder the ease of navigation for legitimate users.
Depending on the system you use for your site, you might be able to do it even more easily. Simply set up an area on your site for the special content and post it there. Your subscribers will see it, people will still be able to find it from the site if they look around, but casual visitors won't see it on the home page.
I'm going to start doing this with my Tutorials section - did you know I posted an HTML tutorial yesterday? If not - you'd know if you subscribed. (Do you see what I did there?)
Stay true to your focus.
Earlier I mentioned good quality content. Think of a subscriber as someone who finds your site, likes the content and decides that they want to read more of it. What do you think they're going to feel if you post off-topic content for a whole week? They'll unsubscribe.I know it's tempting to write about anything and everything, it's your blog, you can do what you like... but try and stop yourself from doing this. If you start a blog where you review the latest movies, don't spend a week blogging about how frustrated you are at work (assuming you don't work in a movie theatre!).
Of course, this applies regardless of whether you're talking about subscribers or not. The reason why I've brought it up is because I often see blogs that start out as one thing but end up as another, then complain that they don't have many subscribers. Think about it.
Don't force subscriptions on people.
For instance, don't force people to subscribe just to enter your latest competition. It doesn't work. If they want to subscribe, they'll do so anyway; if not, they will unsubscribe when your competition is over.Remember this as a reader, too.
Don't feel pushed into subscribing to a site. You don't have to. Also, it really pays to learn a bit about subscribing to sites so you can keep track of the sites you really do like.You'll get to read good content, the blog owners will be happy, and if you comment - you might get comments in return. You can't lose. Check out my tutorials if you need help with anything subscription-related.
Tell me about your subscription habits.
How do you get people to subscribe to your site?How many sites do you subscribe to?
Do you explain what a site feed is for visitors who might not know?
Anything else you'd like to add?
How to convert new visitors into subscribers
Before you start
Accept that not everyone will like your site. Sometimes, a visitor will look at your site and decide it's not for them. No matter how much time you spend making it appealing, some people just won't be interested.Think about why you want to blog. Who are you writing for? Find your target audience, and make your site appealing to them. Don't try and impress anyone and everyone. Focus on your target audience.
First impressions
Think about what a visitor sees when they first come across your site. What information will they see first? Don't assume that people will scroll down - many people won't. You need to capture the attention of visitors in a very short space of time, so it's important to look at what comes up first.How big is your header? I've seen headers that take up the whole screen. If a visitor can only see the header, you're not giving them any of your content.
Do you use an eye-catching theme? You don't have to have a really over the top graphic-heavy design on your site, but there's something to be said for a clean and unique look. Still using a theme that's on a hundred other sites? Maybe it's time to get your own look. After all, your site should have its own identity.
How quickly does the site load? Slow loading sites are a major turn-off. I've seen sites that take over a minute to load - and they're still loading things at this stage. I'm not on a particularly slow connection, either - goodness knows what those sites are like on dial-up or on a mobile device. Yes, people do use their phones to surf the web!
Will a visitor understand what your site is all about? For instance, "Ben Barden" is the large text at the top of my site, but "blogging and website tips without the jargon" is the focus. That description makes it very clear as to what the site is about. Do you describe your site clearly?
Why should a visitor stay on your site? They have to like what they see. Let's look at what they will look for as they have a closer look at your site.
Looking around
What's the latest post about? Is it any good? If you think you can get away with only writing one good post a week, remember that the "filler" posts will be at the top of your site from time to time. Are these really the ones you want people to read first?You may be thinking it would be helpful to use a "sticky" post of some sort to keep a good post at the top. If you have this option, use it with care - it can make your site look like it isn't updated very often. Plus, it's rather confusing if the posts aren't shown in date order (newest first).
Is the posting style consistent? Did the visitor find one good post only to discover that the rest of the content is dull? Are the posts mostly on-topic or are they totally irrelevant? I've lost count of how many "make money online" blogs I've read that don't actually write about how to make money online! You might be able to get away with this once your blog is huge (no names mentioned...) but if you think you can do it when you're starting out, think again.
Is the site clear and easy to navigate? Is it relatively free of clutter? If you have ads or widgets on your site, keep them neat and organised - don't scatter them all over the page.
Who is this person?
Some people will want to find out a bit about you before they subscribe, or perhaps once they've read a few of your posts. Give them a good About page to read. Say who you are and why people should read your site.Although I understand that not everyone wants to say who they are, I highly recommend including at least your first name and a small photo. You don't have to give out too much information or write your life story. Just say what's relevant to the topic you're writing about.
My About page is not necessarily the format that will work for you, and you might want to include less information than I did. But you might be able to get a few ideas from it, so check it out.
Make it easy to subscribe
I've been told that some of my readers found they gravitated to my subscribe button. I think this is because it's easy to find the subscription link and because I don't force it on people.Subscription should be an offer your visitors can't refuse. Including an obvious subscription link is a good start - have a look at my home page for an example. I'm not a big fan of the huge icons next to the subscription link, but I have found that a small icon makes it easier for people to subscribe than having no icon at all.
Not forcing subscription on people means not asking people to subscribe over and over again. I have the subscription box on my home page and a quick reminder at the end of each post. I don't include things like "welcome, you must be new here, why not subscribe?" For me that's an immediate turn-off - I'll be the judge of whether I want to subscribe. If I feel like a site is pushing me to subscribe, I usually don't bother.
There's little point in getting people to subscribe as a way of entering a competition. Just ask them to leave a comment instead. After all, they're only going to unsubscribe when the contest is over, or stay subscribed but forget to read your site. This isn't always true, of course, but if people were going to stay subscribed I think they'd choose when to subscribe in the first place.
Let people make up their own mind!
What do you think?
Do you agree or disagree with any of the above tips?Have you found any other ways to turn visitors into subscribers?
What techniques have you seen on other sites? Do you think they work or not?
Incentives for subscribing to a site
I've seen some sites that will enter you into a competition if you subscribe to their site. Some people offer to exchange subscriptions with you - i.e. you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.To be honest, I'm not a fan of either one of these schemes. People who subscribe to a site should do so because they like the site. They're far less likely to unsubscribe if it's their choice to subscribe in the first place. Writing great content is a good way to start.
Subscriber-only content
Offering "subscriber-only" content is a bonus (I have started doing this on a trial basis), but in most cases the "subscriber-only" content will be visible to anyone who has the link. You would also be able to find it quite easily just by navigating through the areas on a site. Putting this kind of content in your feed but not putting it on your home page is just a convenience really. It's far from watertight.Special downloads
Perhaps you'd like to provide a special subscriber download, such as an e-book or a theme. But you only have to subscribe, download, and unsubscribe. Again, it's not ideal.Members-only content
You could provide "members only" content. This is quite different in that it would require people to be registered on your site and to log in. On my site, the feed will check whether you're logged in, and display restricted content if you have access to it. Well, it would if there was any. Unfortunately, it won't show up if you use Feedburner, and logging in is too much of an inconvenience - especially if you had to do it on every blog you visited.So why subscribe to a site?
For convenience! Because you like the content! Subscription should be an offer your visitors can't refuse. If they can refuse, either you need to work on your content, or they're not in your target audience. Not everyone will like your site.What do you think?
Do you think there are any real incentives for subscribing to a site?Do subscribers comment?
Whenever I post content that subscribers can read but that I don't put on the home page, it seems to get a lot less comments that when a post is on the home page.Subscription is a convenient way to keep up with the new posts on a site, but what if you subscribe to a lot of sites and they all update frequently? Can you keep up with them all, and do you have time to comment?
On the other hand, dropping cards via Entrecard is a good way to find lots of new content without having to subscribe. Even though I'm not dropping a lot of cards at the moment, there's still a steady flow of new readers coming from Entrecard. Some of them comment.
The problem might be more to do with most people only leaving a small number of comments on a site overall. There are a few people who leave a lot of comments, and a lot who leave a few.
What do you think?
Yes, subscribers do go up when you post less
As per the little discussion we had a while back, I can safely say that yes, subscribers do go up if you go from posting frequently to not so frequently.Of course, the question now is how to smash my previous target of 150 subscribers (which I have surpassed) and get 2 billion subscribers in the space of 24 hours.
Somehow I don't think it can be done. Never mind, I'll just keep writing some slightly more useful posts than this one.