Over the last few weeks I’ve run a poll here at ProBlogger asking readers what they want to learn most about blogging. I’ve run this to help me put together my editorial calendar over the coming months.
The results were fairly clear – just under a quarter of responses (1450 people voted) asked for more content on finding readers/subscribers (23%). Second was ‘growing advertising revenue’ (16%), third and forth (tied) were ‘writing content’ and ‘how to start a blog’.
The ‘finding readers’ has been the #1 response every time that I’ve run these types of polls.
Here’s how the graph looked.
I’ll be taking a couple of weeks off shortly (we’re awaiting the birth of our 2nd child – due date was last Friday) but once I’m back I’ll be developing a number of series of posts along these lines.
Thanks to everyone for responding to the poll – I appreciate you helping to shape this blog in this way. Don’t forget to vote in our current poll on post frequency.
If no one has cast a vote then users can delete the poll or edit any poll option. Advertising
These results make sense – increasing readership as the most important issue, and right after that, increasing ad revenue.
Wow, your second child. Having more than one child definitely takes some getting used to, and a lot of juggling, but when they are older and become friends it’s great. There’s nothing quite like watching your kids playing together and interacting with each other.
What right do you have to take time off?!! ;~)
Hey Darren, Good on ya mate,
Best to you all in the coming days and weeks.
Good Health to You,
Ed
Subscribers, definitely.
I noticed a Copyblogger headline today called “How to Increase Your Blog Subscription Rate by 254%” and couldn’t resist following the link. It’s a hot topic, probably because so many things (ad revenue, ability to sell value-added services) flow from that single measure.
I might be new to this site, my friend Buchin introduced me to you ;d
Anyway, I also just joined tweety and following you ^^
I’ll look forward for your articles, which I believe I will learn a lot from it, yes I’m a blogger =)
God bless your 2nd child man.
Three cheers for increasing reardership!
Perhaps this is naive, but it seems that increasing readership has a direct impact on many of the other categories.
I also voted for increasing readership, and not just the numbers, but the participation.
Darren, my best to you, your wife, your child and your new baby! Enjoy!
I’m sure congratulations are in order. But it all seems like a lot of trouble just to get one more unique visitor.
Sending good thoughts and looking forward to your return.
Hey Darren, Congrats on your soon to be born baby!!! Boy or girl? All the best to you and your family!
I’d argue that growing ad revenue and growing affiliate revenue should have been one category. It looks like the sum of the the two categories might have put them in first place.
Good luck with the new baby on the way, very exciting.
Hey, get some sleep.
Congrats on the wee one. We’ll miss you, but some things are much more important.
First and most important – Congrats
Having just started my own blog I can totally agree that finding readers is just about the only thing I am thinking about at the moment. Along with content of course.
Rudolf
Increasing readership/subscriptions in the number one spot makes sense. Theoretically, at least, if you increase your readership/subscribers you should be able to increase affiliate revenue and ad dollars. This could also have an effect on SEO because Google will see your site as more relevant than sites receiving less traffic. That is just a theory, however.
@ Darren – Congratulations on fathering number two!
@ Everyone else – A sure-fire way of increasing your readership is visiting every blog associated with every blogger who adds a comment to any post on any site. Add a comment on their site or link to their site, and you’ll get a comment or a link back. Maybe a reciprocal RSS relationship will come out of it. Never fails.
I love this site, and it’s one of my favorites because of how often you update it, but I guess a baby is more important. :o)
Congratulations, have a great break, and we’ll see you again soon!
I’d be interested in expanding this topic from “getting more readers” to include “eliciting more comments”.
Best wishes to you on the new baby – life will never be the same – in a good way!
Ann
Have a great break Darren, I will look forward to reading your valuable posts on your return.
I hope all goes well with the birth of your child.
Don’t stop at two, three kids are more fun! :-)
I’ve always wondered about the build page views vs. build RSS subscribers goals. One before the other? Both at the same time?
Thanks!
I am a little surprised that search engine optimization isn’t a high priority as search engines bring in the bulk of most blogs visitors. I am not surprised that increasing readership is the top choice as that is the ultimate goal of SEO and should be every bloggers main intent. My motto has always been morals before money with my blog. I would rather spend one hour on a insightful article then spend two hours trying to lure in traffic with crazy ads. To each his own tho!
Congrats on your new little tike!
Darren,
Congrats for becoming daddy again. :-)
It’s no surprise that “Increasing Readership” and “Ad Revenue” are #1 and #2 in the list. We’ll be waiting for your post on this topic once you come back.
– Ramesh
Due date passed? That must be frustrating indeed. After my first which ended in an emergency C section, I scheduled all the other kids to be born that way. Made things easier for me in the future.
Best wishes to you and your wife and your children!
Barbara
Per Barbara above – Our daughter turned four this Saturday. She came almost a full week past her due date. Those days were just a complete haze.
I remember waking up every morning thinking “today is the day”. Then every night I would go to be sure that my wife would wake up in the middle of the night telling me to take her to the hospital.
You have all of our very best wishes!
Darren,
Congratulations! I wish you and your wife all the best. Have a lovely break, and have fun getting used to the new, larger brood!
Regards,
Kelly
Darren,
Congratulations! I wish you and your wife all the best. Have a lovely break, and have fun getting used to the new, larger brood!
Regards,
Kelly
Looking for more readers, listeners and subscribers is one of my main activities. I’m looking forward to the series.
I’ve had luck in classified areas and forums. Social sites such as digg have become too much of game that I don’t have time for.
Rosh
http://www.prosperousartists.com
For me – Writing good quality content, Gaining lot of readers to my blog, Ad Revence
Congragulation for your 2nd child birth. so you will be spending full time with that child. Enjoy
I look forward to seeing some more indepth articles written by your good self, Darren.
And good luck/congrats on #2, we are expecting our second baby this friday (the 13th!!), heres to more sleepless nights (constructive as they can be).
Early congratulations, Darren, that is wonderful.
– Eric
Ooh, that’s a GOOD reason to take some time off. Congratulations!
Thanks for all that you do. And blessings to you, your wife and the little one!
me i pretty much know all the basic now
i am want to learn more about creating your own blog design instead of having to pay others
Congratulations Darren for your second child. May the new born and the family have a happy life ahead.
Regarding the voting, well, I too vote for increasing readership. Cheers.
I’ve noticed, based on comments, that it seems most of my visitors are also bloggers themselves. I certainly appreciate their visits and comments – but how do I get not just more readers, but readers that are also not bloggers?
I don’t blog about blogging, so really there is no reason that most of my readers should be expected to have a blog. Any suggestions on this?
Must be quite a kid. He’s already taking the limelight off your blog topic onto his own! Now what were we talking about?
I missed the survey with family in town or I would have voted for readership as well. All of the survey items are already in place in your own blog, a regular happening. So much so I’m worried about you. You seem to have completely won at this game, which of course would give you no challenge.
I suspect you are looking to take it to the next level but what is that? What does a super-blogger do next? A book? That was a good move.
Right now your involvement of others in your blogging topics is actually invaluable and is probably a good by-line to the top survey item “readership”. Like when you sent, with a wiggle of your hand, over a hundred comments to the blog at Abundance Highway. And these were good quality contacts for her as well. At the top there there is much room for generosity.
It is appreciated.
Can the next vote be about baby names? :)
Darren, I found this blog post at “Jorge Camoes’ Charts ” and he was discussing how really good bloggers who preach solid blogging techniques do not know how to properly graph data as well as they can blog. I agree. I am no expert, but I did spend 3 days last with an expert. That expert’s name is Stephen Few and I attended his 3-day workshop in Boston, MA. Here is my advice:
For all of you who want to know the proper way to display data I strongly suggest you read Stephen Few’s book, “Show Me the Numbers”. It is a hard cover book constructed like a college text book. Its list price is 45 in United States Dollars. His website which has a lot of free content that can teach you the basics – http://www.perceptualedge.com
Good luck learning and remember this thought. We can all learn a little something from each other. Because of Jorge’s constructive criticism of your graphing capabilities, I found your blog and after I finish this post I am going to add it to my Goggle Reader.
– @dmgerbino