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Before you promote your blog

Before you can even start on your 80% (promoting), you have to make sure your 20% (content) is the best it could possibly be. Make sure to proofread, edit and format every blog post.

For every blog post you should be able to answer these 3 questions:

• What is the purpose of my post?
• Who does it benefit?
• How does it benefit them?

You want to give your readers incredible value, you want to give them what they are looking for and more.

Related reading: How to write a killer blog post.

Another thing to check before you start promoting your blog is your Search Engine Optimisation. Optimising your content with relevant keywords will allow your audience to find you in Google.

To help you find the right keywords and phrases you can use this free keyword tool. Once you’ve got the keywords you want to use, install the Yoast SEO plugin to help you add your keywords to each blog post.

If you need more detailed steps on how to optimise your blog post for SEO, I also cover this in: How to write a killer blog post.

Last but not least…
Your branding and blog design. Does your blog look professional? Will your branding connect with your target audience? Is your blog uncluttered and easy to read?
If you want a few last minute design tips read my post:
How to design a kick-ass brand for your blog.

Okay now we know your 20% is in top shape let’s focus on the 80%.

Promoting your blog

Social Media is probably one of the first marketing tools you think about when it comes to blog promotion. And rightly so, since pretty much everyone is on social media these days.

But which platform do you go with? Or how many platforms should you be on?

When first starting out it’s probably best to focus your attention on 2 social media platforms (’cause you’d rather kick-ass on 2 then be average on 5).

Pick the 2 platforms that are best suited to your target market and products.
For most bloggers I recommend starting with Pinterest and Facebook, these platforms can drive some serious traffic to your blog if you use them right.

Have a look at the Buzzsumo results of craft blog ‘A Beautiful Mess’, especially the Pinterest shares are through the roof!

But social media is not the only way you can drive traffic to your blog so let’s have a look at 10 effective ways to promote your blog.

10 ways to promote your blog

1. Pinterest

If you thought Pinterest was just for drooling over exotic holiday destinations or discovering wacky craft hacks, think again. Pinterest is actually not really a social media platform but more a visual search engine.

Like online shops pin photos of their products, you can pin images from your blog post that will lead people to your blog.

To get the most out of Pinterest you need to set up a business page and create a keyword-rich profile. Add a friendly photo of yourself or use your logo for the profile picture.
Here’s my profile as an example.

To finalise your set up, you need to claim your website, you can do this in the settings.

Now you’re ready to create some boards. I’d recommend creating at least 10 boards that are related to your niche. Think about topics that you write about on your blog, ideally you can pin each of your blog post to several of your boards. Give all your boards keyword-rich SEO description and add a category.

Create one board that will only contain pins that link back to your blog. Set this as your featured board, so it will show at the top of the page.

Now you have to create some stunning pins with click-worthy headlines. It is very easy to create your pins in Canva. The ideal pin size is 600 pixels wide by 900 pixels high. Canva has pin templates ready to go, all you have to do is add a your image and a caption.

• Quick tips for eye-catching pins:

• Use bright colours
• Don’t add too much text, make it easy-to-read
• Try using transparent overlays to make the text stand out more
• Use quality photos (you can get free stock photos at pexels and unsplash)

Here’s an example of one of my pins (make sure to pin it to your blogging board!)

With your account set up and pins added to your blog posts, you can start pinning. Pin several times a day, loosely use the 80/20 rule again (pin mostly from other accounts and 20-30%) from your own blog). Pin at different times of the day and never pin the same pin back to back or you’ll start looking spammy.

To increase the reach of your pins, you need to pin to group boards. Group boards are boards with multiple users but managed by one person. Group boards have their own followers so if you pin to a group board with 10.000 followers your pin will increase its reach dramatically.

To find group boards, have a look at other bloggers in your niche, go to their boards and you’ll see their group boards. They have multiple people in the profile picture, like this:

Click on the board and see if they accept new contributors. Often you have to send them an email with a request to join their board. Try to join at least 30-50 group boards relevant to your niche.

To really boost your Pinterest traffic you need to be pinning around the clock. Now I hear you thinking: “I ain’t got time for that shizz”, ’cause who does, right? But to make this easy you can use this Pinterest scheduling tool. Simply schedule your pins to go out several times a day and watch your blog traffic grow.

2. Facebook

Start on Facebook by creating a business page for your blog. This way people can follow/like your page and get notifications when you post something.

Try to post a minimum of 3 times a week and twice a day at the most. Post both your own content and share content from others. This way you’ll have more content to post and the owner of the shared post will appreciate and notice you.

Make sure all content you share is quality and valuable for your audience this way you’ll become the go-to person in your niche.

Facebook is a great platform to get truly social on. To get noticed you should join several facebook groups that are relevant to your niche and actively participate. Share and like content, tag people, be helpful, answer question and always reply to those who join in.

You can follow my facebook page here 🥰

3. Your email list

Adding a link to your latest blog post in your email newsletter is sometimes an overlooked blog promotion technique by newbie bloggers. Yes, the people on your list already know about your blog, but without you prompting them, they might not read your blog.

Use enticing subject lines to improve open rates and compelling copy (introducing a problem that you solve in your blog post) to get people to click-through and read your post.

4. Feature other bloggers in your blog post

Round up post are a great way to connect with other bloggers.
You could ask other bloggers in your niche to answer a question or give their best tips for a certain problem your audience might have.

Don’t approach the biggest bloggers out there. Try to find bloggers that have a similar audience size as you. Simply send them an email and tell them about your blog post idea. Be specific in what you want them to write about and once your post is finished, ask them to share it.

Bonus Tip

Do cross-promotion shout outs.
Mention another blogger in your blog post or newsletter and ask them to do the same for you.

5. Commenting on blog posts

Every one loves getting comments on their blog post. So if you read a post that you find helpful or inspiring, let them know! Be thoughtful and leave meaningful comments that show that you’ve read the post, not just: ‘great post!’ and run. Leaving comments on blog posts in your niche is an easy way to get your name out there (the author will surely check out your blog and some comment readers might too.)

To make your brand recognisable make sure you have your usual profile picture next to your comment. If you don’t know how to make your profile picture show up with your comment, check out this quick tutorial.

6. Join blogging communities

Increase your blog’s reach by joining a blogging community. Submit your blog post to sites like Bloglovin’ and Triberr and spread the love by sharing and commenting on other posts.

7. Guest posting

Writing guest posts on other blogs is another way to increase the reach of your blog post. Not only will your post be exposed to a new audience it also builds quality backlinks and search engine authority.
Make sure to only approach bloggers in a similar niche and preferably with an audience that’s a bit bigger than yours.

To find blogs that accept guest posts check out My Blog Guest.

8. Share your knowledge on Q&A sites

If you write a blog you are most likely knowledgeable on a certain topic. Why not use your skills to help others on Q&A sites like Quora or Yahoo Answers.

Answering questions and being active on sites like this will help you put your name out there and become an authority in your niche.

9. Host a webinar or facebook live

If you want to host a workshop or seminar for your online audience you could host a webinar (web-based seminar). Getting interactive with your audience builds trust and familiarity.

If your readers hang out on Facebook, you could create a facebook live. Connect to your audience and answer their questions in real time.

10. Create infographics

Infographics are an extremely popular way to share bite sized content. They are visual, they are jam packed with information and they are shareable, what’s not to love?
You can create your own infographics with sites like Canva or Visme or you can get someone to design one for you on Fiverr.
Once designed, make sure to submit your infographic to several infographic directories like Visually and Reddit.

Bonus tips to grow your blog:

• Always reply to comments on your blog posts
• Make your blog look good
• Be your reader’s best friend
• Update old blog post to have links to new post
• Add social sharing buttons
• Add a comments section
• Be consistent

These are my 10 favourite ways to promote my blog, I would love to know how you promote your blog, let me know in the comments below.