- Teach me how to do something.
- Entertain me.
- Stimulate me to think.
- Tell me a story.
- Present me with some interesting research results.
- Make me laugh.
- Review a product or service to help me make a decision.
- Tell me why and how something applies to me.
- Show me a case study of something you’ve (or someone else has) done.
- Make me feel like I’m not the only one who….
- Predict what will happen next.
- Collate what other people say about….
- Inspire me.
- Give me a project to go away and do.
- Give me a sense of belonging.
- Explain what something means.
- Summarize a topic or issue.
- Intrigue me.
- Introduce me to someone of interest.
- Tell me your opinion.
- Link to something that I need to see or read.
- Share something I can relate to.
- Provide me with a list of resources.
- Stimulate me to enter into a dialogue or debate.
- Give me a point of view that is different from the rest.
- Encourage me to keep going through something I’m finding tough.
- Keep me up to date with the latest news or developments in a field of interest.
- Guide me through a process.
- Solve a problem that I have.
What keeps you going back to others’ blogs?
I love that all of these things represent the reader attaining some sort of benefit from reading the blog. And really, if they didn’t benefit from it, why would they come back?
A nice, simple reminded that, if the content you write isn’t going to benefit anyone, why write it? Great list, Darren.
@Dana, I think if a blogger blogs with a benefit for the reader at the core, they would have hit the jackpot. Sort of like Darren.
@Darren, I believe you have just provided 29 blog posts to any creative person.
We do not have much time. Writing is difficult. So, we must always write for a purpose. I believe we must write to enrich the lives of others.
You’ve covered it. I don’t think you missed a point. At first I thought I returned to a blog because they had info I needed, and I do like learning but often times it is the personal connection I feel to the blogger, the sense of authenticity and integrity I get. Friendships form, based on trust and common interest, and that keeps me.
As a newbie, this kind of advice is great to run across. Just guessing here, but aren’t you suggesting 29 ways that twenty-nine different blogs could hold your attention–rather than wanting one blog to have all 29 of these elements? Ha!
I think one blog can have all of these. Variety will help not only the reader. It will ensure that the blogger will have fun!
I definitely follow most of these but some are new to me and thanks for that.
Will try to apply them to my blog.
These are great ways. I also think blog layout or having the option for RSS and comments is a big one too.
Why stop at 29. Couldn’t you think of just one more to make it an even 30. LOL This could have been 29 posts one for each topic. Love it.
These are great! And the reason I keep coming back to your blog is because you do at least half of them at any given point!
Happy Blogging!
Great list to keep handy before hitting the ‘publish’ button…
I think you’ve covered it all.
I’d say what encourages me to return to a blog are essentially your numbers 1 and 2 – Teach me and/or entertain me. If an entertaining blog makes me laugh, I’m likely to subscribe. If an instructive blog teaches me something new or prompts me to think of old things in a new way, I’m likely to return often.
Also, I find it refreshing to read a blog on a topic that I don’t write about. Not only am I learning, but outside of my blogging niche, I’m free from the compulsion to seem authoritative in the comments section. Of course, this last point is nothing that a blog author can accommodate; it’s just my quirk.
You’ve covered all my favorite reasons for going to a blog–to teach me to do something, stimulate thinking and inspire me! Thanks again, Darren, for a great post. I quoted you in a recent post of mine too.
Denise Krebs
Consumption vs. Production
This applies so much to video blogging as well; thanks!!
I agree that this applies also to video blogging. Variety and engagement will always work.
Thanks Darren, all points are valid and this covers everything I believe. Readers who are not coming to your pages are definitely missing things on internet community. You have God’s gifted power to bring your readers back again and again.
Thanks
Dipesh
Hi,
I read all the points and realized that you have not left any point. I feel you do all the points which are given in you own blog and that’s a great thing to do and that’s why many readers like me come and see your blog again and again.
Wow.
Great List.
I think you covered every single blog out there with your 29 suggestions.
It’s ok, I didn’t need those 2 minutes of my life anyway.
Motivation! I love spreading positivity and encourage everyone to do so is fulfilling :)
that’sa great post, all these points make me to subscribe to any blog
This is amazing list and i will try to follow these things in my blog.
I like blogs that inspire me to do something more with my life. Blogs that snap me out of the status quo, making me want to be better, making me want more from life.
Thank you Darren. I’m currently writing my next blog and it was really helpful to be reminded to think about the benefits for my readers. Great motivation.
Darren, you’re the man! You just gave me the subject matter for my next 29 posts! Thank you!
This is great, I used to come back to a blog when I find out that the content is unique, creative, brave, informative and funny as well. Inspiration could come from everywhere, including from blog, so inspiring blog definitely becomes may first destination and I will back for many times. :)
I love this post and find it very applicable to my niche (book blogging) GREAT TIPS :-)
Thank you very much for this great post. Great lesson. I agree with the other comments. Please keep up the good work. I know you will. It’s good to know that you can’t help others without helping yourself in the process.
Shows me that I still have to work on 28 points. Damn.
Okay, this was worth a small part of a tree…I printed and posted on my office wall. Great list to remind me (and anyone else who wants to attract and keep readers) of what it takes to earn those followers, likers, subscribers, and friends. Thanks!
THANK YOU! I am going to post the list next to my screen and see how many I can check off every time I post on my blog.
Way to go daren , Amazing post , i liked 4 5 and 29 the most :)
I particularly like the point about a different point of view. so much of the stuff out there is the same. I think your blog needs to have an identity that sets it apart. What can you uniquely bring to the table. I’m a health psychologist with a research background, so my posts are informed by research findings. The secret is to make it accessible to the general public, so people can relate. My link is http://marinpsychologist.blogspot.com.
The one that I would add is this:
Provide fresh (new) content.
Too many of us fail at that. You can’t leave the same old post u without constantly providing new content.
#30 Show something they aren’t going to see somewhere else, something original.
I hate seeing the same things blog after blog. I go for the original source. That’s what keeps me coming back for more.
I am happy that I am doing 15 out of 29 mentioned tips :)
Well, what a lovely little idea jogger list! Thanks. Printing this one to look at in those occasional moments when I come up blank. Love it!
Thank you. I keep on coming back to a blog because it inspires me to become a better person. That I think is very important.
As always, Darren gets to the point and heart of the matter… Lovely! :-)
I bookmark only home pages but I bookmarked this post. I declare this is one of the best post of all time you have written.
I return to blogs for many of the reasons you mentioned above and more. If I don’t like it, I don’t return. No since in wasting my valuable time. I wouldn’t want people wasting their time reading my blog if it didn’t benefit them in some way. I try to apply all the things mentioned above. I’m pretty new at this. Therefore, I have some work to do. I don’t think I’m doing too bad. I’ve been blogging for about 3 months now. My stats are rising daily. I value your tips. Thank you!
Sorry, no sense in wasting my valuable time.
As soon as I read this post, I emailed the link to my client, highlighting that it was a very short but important read. I suggested he start a running list of things that cross his mind in the course of a day, following the points outlined here. It’s hard sometimes for business people to think beyond “article”, which tends to be much more confining.
Love the simplicity and the tips. By following “Encourage me to keep going through something I’m finding tough.” – we need to believe someone ended up at our blog for a reason and we could really make a difference.
that is a great way, give me a guide so that i know exactly what the first to do and help me so much, instead of improving amount of reader
Best article I have read on how to engage others in my blog posts. I have saved it to my desktop
to help stimulate text I can use along with displaying my paintings! Thank you!
Thank you so much for this post! I’m definitely a student when it comes to blogging and this list has greatly influenced on how I prepare posts in the future.
This is one of the rare blogs that I follow, you speak to me with every post. It felt great to read, letting readers know that they are not alone, that was why I started http://www.the-laststraw.com, to offer a soft place to fall for those in and recently out of domestic violence. The one thing that I hear over and over from readers is just that, it helped to know that they were not the only one.
Thanks for reminding me where to put my focus. I think for a blogger at heart, most of this stuff is a natural.
Love & Peace,
Rebecca
Hey,
Thanks… This will help many bloggers including me :)
Great post about how to keep them coming back. I’ve noticed I get several peeks depending on the subject matter, but I hardly ever try to engage them.
You made a great post but i think it’s not perfect for news blogs *** at least some of them***
-http://sound-spot.blogspot.com/
Okay…my head is spinning lol. Seriously,, I think this will be very useful once I spend a bit more time studying it. You were very thorough. Thanks
This is cool! Thanks! This could actually work as topics for 29 blog posts! I`m takin` on the challenge! haha Thank you again! God bless!
I may not always have something educational, enlightening, or even helpful to say, BUT if I can make you laugh, for just one minute out of a not so cheerful day…well then my job is done!
What I knew frm my experience is if ur blog is successful then people will be willing to know about you.
Very nice list put up.
Well, I would honestly say its unique, because hundreds of blogs out there showing what to do and how to do. But this post actually describes HOW TO RETAIN!