3 Ways to Use Groups to Grow Your Blog
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The document provides 3 ways for bloggers to grow their blog with groups: 1) Start a blog carnival where bloggers write on a monthly topic and share each other's posts. Consistency is key. 2) Form a critique/mastermind group of 5-7 bloggers who give feedback on draft posts using a checklist. This improves writing quality before publishing. 3) Organize blogger meetups on Meetup.com to find others and potentially create your own meetup group to build community. Working with others through groups engages more readers and supports bloggers.
3 Ways to Use Groups to Grow Your Blog
- 1. 3 Ways to GROW YOUR BLOG WITH GROUPS
- 2. Hello, I’m Tea (aka The Chef) • • • • • 20+ years in marketing Author of “Attract & Feed a Hungry Crowd” Passionate about food & stories Proprietress of StoryBistro.com @teasilvestre
- 3. First, Make Sure… 1. Your blog addresses a REAL need in the market place (do your research!) 2. You've done the requisite homework to understand your Ideal Client/Ideal Reader
- 5. You Compete w/ 80+ million blogs In 2012, there were 160+ million blogs in existence. Today, more than 50% are inactive. -Wikipedia
- 6. Everyone is an Influencer Don’t discount your peers and colleagues “Big Name” Bloggers aren’t The Answer Today’s B & C-Listers are tomorrow’s A-Listers
- 7. #1: Twist on an Oldie The Blog Carnival
- 8. What’s a Blog Carnival? A blog post that contains links to other articles covering a specific topic. Most are hosted by a rotating list of frequent contributors and serve to both generate new posts by contributors and highlight new bloggers posting in that subject area.
- 9. WordCarnivals.com The Word Carnival Group
- 10. After 1 Year Together, We… Rotate the Leadership Pick a monthly topic together Commit to writing 10 out of 12 months Comment on each others’ posts Share via social media Create your own website Start an email list (publish via RSS) Publish eBooks to give away
- 11. What to Look For… Quality writing! Regular posts (2x/month) Similar audience Size (look at social media) Type (same readers?) Fresh Voice/Perspective
- 12. Be Consistent The Leader Must Lead Pick one day per month (e.g. Last Wednesday) Reminders Membership Guidelines & Expectations Communication!
- 14. #2: Focus on the Writing The Critique/ Mastermind Group
- 15. Polish Prior to Publish You could spend ALL DAY posting and emailing links to your blog. If your writing sucks, your readers … Won’t Finish Reading Won’t Share Won’t Comment Won’t Turn Into Subscribers
- 16. Fiction Writers & Playwrights Small Groups work Best (5-7) Gather to share pieces of their work Give constructive feedback Brainstorm ways to approach topics Provide a supportive environment Publish together
- 17. Critique Checklist Does the title/headline hook you? Does the opening line pull you in? Is the point of the post clear? Does the post fulfill the promise of the headline? Is it interesting? Is it easy to read? Does it tell a story? Is it relevant to your Ideal Client? Is there a call to action? (Full checklist avail by email: tea@thewordchef.com)
- 18. Support After Publishing Comments Social Media Sharing Mastermind larger projects (books!)
- 19. #3 Twist on Networking The Meet-up!
- 20. Find ‘Em Google: Your City + Bloggers Check Meetup.com
- 21. Create Your Own
- 22. It Won’t Be Perfect People will come and go – always be on the lookout for the right new blood Create ways to build community (e.g., private Facebook group, teambuilding and purely social events) Communicate, communicate, communicate
- 23. Questions? • What’s one thing you will implement immediately? • What did you find unclear or want more examples of? • Other burning questions? • Talk to me! @teasilvestre (Twitter)
- 24. Join Our Group: Learn More: http://bit.ly/blog-master