If you were listening to the episode 60 of the ProBlogger podcast, you would have heard me talking about why I think it’s so vital that bloggers create a culture of community on their blog to help deepen relationships with their readers and to drive engagement. I also promised a follow-up podcast on how to do just that!
Today’s episode is part two of building a culture of community and I wanted to talk about the strategy of how to create an atmosphere of belonging, what you should aim for, and how to go above and beyond just encouraging engagement, but to foster a sense of ownership and even collaboration with your readers.
There are 7 ways I think are useful in creating a culture of community to help your blog come alive. As i mentioned in the last podcast, there’s no real way to have it happen overnight, it just takes time as you build trust with your readers. These seven steps will help you on your journey though, so grab a pen and take some notes!
You can find the show notes of episode 61 here, and as always, I welcome your feedback on the podcast in the comment section. What have you done to create a culture of community on your own blog?
Further Reading:
- You’ve Got Readers To Your Blog – This is How You Keep Them There
- The ProBlogger Podcast How-To: Leave Comments on Blogs
- 5 Ways to Ramp Up Comments on Your Blog
- ProBlogger Podcast: Turn Blog Surfers into Loyal Readers by Building a Sticky Blog
- Facebook Theme Week: Case Studies of Popular Pages (and What They’re Doing to Get Great Engagement)
I am thoroughly enjoying plowing my way through your blog – thank you! I am ensuring I am using links for any purchases I may make so that in some way, I can show my thanks.
I have a query – as a mum who is not yet on social media that much, and is considering where to go next, I note that in many of your posts the only way a “like” can be given is through other media platforms … rather than a straight like on the blog page. ie: through facebook, etc, which I do not belong to … although with a 12 year old I am assuming it will happen one day soon. My query is why do you only have access via other media platforms other than a straight like button through your blog?
Thanking you
Hello Darren Rowse,
Thanks for write on cool blogging tips. pls share how make a perfect blog for user.
Thanks
Hi Darren,
I’m thoroughly taking pleasure in blowing my personal way through your site – thanks! I ‘m ensuring I’m using links for just about any purchases I might make to ensure that in some manner, I may show my personal thanks.
Darren,
I’ve been meaning to write to you for quite some time now and it seems strange that I haven’t sooner. It was several years ago that I picked up your ‘Pro Blogger’ book at Barnes and Noble (the last part of this sentence shows how long ago that really was). The book has been read, reffered to, highlighted, dissected, and scrutinized numerous times. It really didn’t hit home as to how much of this resonated with me until I saw this post. I have literally put together our whole blog based on a community feel. If our readers did not feel engaged in some way or other we would not have been able to achieve the level of success that we have received today. We finally got a logo for the site (you should write about when a good time to get one is) and included the word ‘Community’ on it.
Thank you for all the solid information that you’ve provided,
Nick
Hi! I’m new to blogging. I love photography too!
Thank you so much for this post!
Trying to figure out what people will read and what will keep them interested.
I’m focusing on a tough group of people but I think I’m doing ok.
I got my first experience in blogging when I took photos and talked about building my new home. I had no idea you could make money blogging at the time so now I kind of roll my eyes at how much traffic I “missed out on”.
I still have a long way to go, but I’m happy to have found your blog. I’ve actually seen your photography blog and I did photography professionally for a couple years until I had kids. (Weddings are long when you work full time and want to see your kids on the weekend).
Anyways…I hope to try and learn from your photography blog too. I am working on getting income coming in first and then I want to focus on trying to make a photography blog as well.
Thanks again for your site! :)