Being around beginner bloggers for a few moments quickly reveals one common practice; new bloggers often invite family and friends to follow their blogs via a subscribe.
Does this seem like a smart practice?
Do your friends and family seem highly interested in your blogging niche?
If yes, invite them to follow. Targeted, highly interested readers are the only readers you want.
If no, do not invite them to follow. Non-targeted, disinterested readers are not genuine readers but simply numbers on a screen. Numbers on a screen do not follow blogs, buy eBooks or hire coaches.
None of my friends and family seems highly interested in retiring to a life of island hopping through smart blogging. I never invite them to follow my blog or to sign up for my email list because if they do not want what I have to offer, why would I waste their time and waste my time? I never would have invited disinterested people to follow my blog as a new blogger either; even back when I had zero readers. Targeted readers build thriving blogging businesses. Blood relatives and people you’ve known since you were kids bonded with you for reasons far different than your mutual interest of your blogging niche.
New bloggers often wildly push friends and family to subscribe to their blogs. Great. Friends and family subscribing to blogs merely means you registered numbers on a screen. Beginner bloggers usually joke about having 2 followers; perhaps your grandma and best friend followed your blog.
But does your grandma intend to really follow every blog post? Does your friend want to read every one of your blog posts? 99.99% of the time, neither grandmas nor best buddies care about your specific blog topic but sign up to help you out.
Why do you think I guest post on blogging tips blogs all day long? I am only interested in targeting blogging tips readers to Blogging From Paradise to follow my blog, to buy my eBooks, to buy my courses and to become loyal readers I intend to help with blogging tips. You better do the same if you want to go pro down the road.
Target readers. Get hyper clear on your ideal reader. Spend your day helping this reader, networking with pro bloggers in your niche and hanging out only in spots where these readers congregate and communicate.
Waste no time asking friends or relatives to follow your blog because in virtually all cases, no friends or relatives are hungry to gobble up your blogging tips, to hire you and to buy your stuff.
However, if someone expresses a strong interest in your blog – whether family or friends – share your link with them. A select few friends and fam visited my blog in the past. People seemed interested by a guy who circles the globe through blogging. I freely share my link with loved ones IF the loved ones express a strong interest in my blog first.
But I would never invite a friend or family member unsolicited because I only focus on attracting targeted readers to my blog.
Targeted readers build thriving blogging business. Non-targeted readers prove an ego boost, a quick visit then equally quick exit. I care less about numbers on a screen. I do care about folks who hungrily want my blog posts, eBooks and courses because loyal fans spread the word for me and help me to grow my blogging business.
eBook
Do you ignore branding?
Bloggers sometimes believe branding is only for billion dollar corporations. But individual bloggers need to brand themselves too in order to stand out from the crowd.
I wrote an eBook to help you brand yourself successfully as a blogger.
Buy it here:
10 Branding Tips for Confused Bloggers
