Although I left my full time job (s) in July to pursue my dream of becoming a full time blogger, I was not always my ‘own boss’. I worked in advertising and promotions, alongside writing for magazines, newspapers and online media outlets as a Freelance Journalist, but I always felt undervalued in my job and knew that I could amount to more. I felt degraded and not because of the nature of the job but because we were never rewarded for our ‘hard work’. I was consistently called out on being a top performer and yet the top performers were never rewarded for their contributions to the ‘companies growth’. When we had ideas on how we could improve our companies performance in the business sector, our comments were shut down and instead they stuck to their ‘traditional, outdated forms of advertising’ that quite frankly were stuck five years in the past. And I was right, their sales are still struggling and they still do not acknowledge their employees success, which to me is such a shame.
Although I am my own boss now, I still seek to reward my readers who follow me as well as rewarding the clients that work with me. I give others shout outs, I interact with other accounts and recommend other bloggers for jobs, opportunities, product reviews and events, because I believe it is nice to reward those who need it the most. And while ‘blogging’ might not have the same dynamics as a ‘traditional 9-5’, I nevertheless still feel that we should be rewarding our readers, because they are the ones who made your career happen. Without my beautiful readers, I wouldn’t be blogging full time or have met some wonderful blogging friends who I am proud to call my friends. But why is it so important to reward your blog readers for following you?
It Makes Your Readers Feel Valued
It might seem like a simple point to make but by acknowledging the effort that the reader has taken to read and engage with your content, it shows that you value them as readers. And while some readers might not comment, you should nevertheless reward your blog readers for ‘awarding you time’ out of their day, because it is important to show them how much you value their support. Not only does rewarding your readers-whether that be through giveaways, shout outs and social shares- demonstrate that you are giving something back to them, but it also creates the idea of a ‘loyalty programme scheme ‘. For example a ‘new reader ‘ comments on your post and as a token of thanks you too engage with their blog, until eventually you will automatically both engage with each other’s content creating authentic communication. The idea of a ‘loyalty programme’ exists in the notion of you rewarding each other for your ‘shared interactions’ thus giving more interaction, more recognition, more traffic and above all a genuine connection. Who knows your virtual buddy might even become your real life friend, it happened to me.
Some of my biggest supporters followed my blog and would ask whether we could meet up in person.We soon became fast friends, so my point being that not only can your readers feel valued but potentially you could be real life buddies too!
It Shows That You Care
Being able to ‘appreciate’ your reader’s loyalty shows that you care. Unlike celebrities who seem so untouchable and ‘out of reach’ bloggers are just ordanairy people like me and you, yet it saddens me when some bloggers act otherwise. As their followers grow they seem to forget about the followers who put them there in the first place;not only do they not interact with their followers at all, but I have witnessed how some can be at blogger events. Of course it might be a generalization believing that not interacting with audience shows that you do not care, as I am sure to some extent they are grateful to their readers. However that being said, even if it is just replying to a few special comments a week, it is important to reward your blog readers and show that you do care about them. Be humble… show your appreciation
It Shows That You Are Humble
And speaking of humility, rewarding our readers for reading our blogs or interacting with our social channels, not only helps you remain grounded but it also reminds you of your roots. I don’t know how many times I have to say this but following is not everything. In fact the whole reason that you get to attend cool events, are paid for your time and even invited to exclusive press trips is because of the readers who have supported you on your journey. There has been a multitude of times where I have met bloggers I had admired and respected online and yet they would freeze me out and pretend that I was ‘just some little fan girl’, when they were the ones who had followed me LOL. Or another instance where I was friendly with a micro-blogger, who after starting Youtube a few months ago became ‘Insta-Famous’ and immediately unfollowed me (and others on everything) and pretended like we hadn’t been friends in the first place! Everytime I would meet her again at events we both attended, she would pretend like she didn’t even know me and be ‘over the top ‘ in her niceness towards me . It saddens me especially when her subscribers comment on what a nice person she is, and yet she acts like a celebrity. It does not sit right with me.
My point being I have very sage words of advice for you: Success is not defined by how many followers you have… instead success is defined by happiness. And to me, nothing makes me more happy than recognizing how fantastic my readers really are. It beggars belief that some people are surprised how I ‘act’ exactly the same as I do online and yet I can see why they might be surprised. After all when you meet some people in person, you do realize that they can be hiding behind a persona.
It Creates A Higher Retention Rate
The more that you reward your blog readers, the higher a retention rate it creates. Think about it this way; if you are in a 9-5 job and your boss wants to ensure that you stay ‘loyal to the company’ as well as showing that they ‘appreciate you’ it is likely that they will install some sort of ‘incentive system’ where the more sales you create, the greater your chance of reward is. And because we all like to feel valued, rewards will make us more likely to ‘stay on at the company’. Now when it comes to blogging, the idea of a ‘loyalty scheme’ in order to ensure your readers stick around, is very much something to take into consideration. While the most obvious choice might be to create a ‘giveaway’, giveaways do not create the most ‘loyal readers’, thus not creating a higher retention rate. But the idea of a comment exchange, personalized emails or shout outs, will make them more likely to come back to your blog, because you have shown how much you value and appreciate their readership.
I mentioned earlier that I often do shoutouts across social media; while my aim intrinsically might not be motivated by the aim of ‘creating a higher retention rate’ and is rather motivated by the ‘want to help others’, it does mean that these ‘spotlighted readers’ are more likely to want to interact with me again, because I too took time out of my day to ‘give something back’. And it’s not hard, it can be something as small as replying to their comments but in doing so they will potentially come back to your blog and be a long term reader.
It Improves Your Own Productivity As A Blogger
I am motivated by my readers overwhelming kindness and support and truly I cannot thank them enough for how much love they have given me. I feel inadequate sometimes in how much I can give back, but regardless of financial circumstances, you don’t need money to show your readers how much you adore them. And speaking of which the idea of a ‘compliment’ or a positive action, reinforces that we are doing something right, resulting in a higher level of productivity for both you and your readers. For example your reader feels more productive because you have rewarded them for interacting with your account and in turn you feel happy because you made them feel special, which motivates you to work harder and be a better blogger.
I was so surprised looking back at why my readers stood by me; after all being the self-critical woman that I am, I found that I hadn’t yet found my blogging voice, my pictures though unique were not amazing and while I worked hard, I did not regularly post in the early days. Yet by some miracle, many of my readers are still with me today, because they believed in me and knew I could get better, even if I didn’t believe in myself. I remember having a conversation with a PR, who also happens to be a friend, telling me how proud she was both as a brand and a personal reader, to see how far I had come in the space of two years and how quickly I had grown. I felt like I would be big headed if I acknowledged that she was right but it is true. Time and hard work makes us better workers but it is my readers who make me the most productive blogger that I can be. Even on days where I am ill or am feeling low, knowing that my readers are still there waiting for me is the motivation I need to reward my blog readers.
It Helps You Establish What Types Of Posts Perform Best
When we analyze audience metrics like ‘post views’ , number of comments and likes and shares, we can establish what type of posts perform the best. But how does this relate to being able to reward your blog readers,I hear you ask? Put simply, the more that readers interact with a certain type of post i.e. blog tips, the more it shows that you can reward your blog readers by choosing to write blog content that they would be interested in reading. For example if I was to write a post on how to grow your following on Instagram- Oh wait I did that- I would see that my readers are interested in reading a ‘post that helps them grow’ because we all love ‘how to and tips posts’. Indeed if I was to look at my top 5 most viewed posts, I can quite easily establish the best performing genres, which in turn shows that I am rewarding my bloggers, by creating content that they want to read.
My Top 5 Posts
- How To Grow Your Following On Instagram
- A Letter To My Aunty On Valentines Day
- 35 Blogging Platforms & Groups That Pay You To Blog
- Why I’m Quitting My Full Time Job To Blog Full Time
- 10 Types Of Fuckboys That You Will Find In The Dating World
By looking at this ‘top 5 posts’ I can already determine that ‘blog tips’, ‘personal posts’ and posts about dating are what perform the best on my blog, because that is what my readers are most interested in reading. Thus you will notice, that while I do have a lot of fashion posts-which also perform well- my most liked content is centered around my personal life and how I can help my readers grow ( i.e. how to posts that answers readers questions) . So naturally, most of my content is what I like to call ‘reader approved’.
It Helps You Think Outside The Box
When your readers have the kindness to reward you with ‘their time’ it makes you think of ways that you can reward them in pleasant and unexpected ways, that go against the grain. Whether that be by setting up a blogger event, that hooks them up with brands and helps them create a bigger and more connected networking system or a chance to win a meal and drinks with you, it allows you to think outside the box. I have a blogger friend who has started a make up business because her readers were frustrated with the lack of diversity in make up brands, while another created a slow fashion site, in response to the consumerism in fast fashion of modern youth. So you see, our readers needs and preferences can help us think of new and exciting ways to capture their interest and retain their loyalty.
It does not necessarily have to be as forward thinking or as bold as creating your own makeup line, but even creating simple shout outs each week or dedicating a post to your ‘favourite colourful bloggers’ shows your audience that you are grateful and as committed to them as they are to you.
It Motivates You To Be A Better Blogger
My readers motivate me to be a better blogger, because if I didn’t have their encouragement and support then I wouldn’t be a full time blogger today. Your readers help you dream, your readers pick you up when you are feeling down and while you may never get to meet some of them, you share a special bond with those who have favored you with their love. Whether you get 600 views or 1 million , all you should focus on is the people, rather than seeing them as a collective number. They will motivate you to be a better blogger because if they did not interact with you, you might feel disheartened, if they didn’t follow you or send you messages, your following might not be what it is today and it certainly makes you a greater person, as you show gratitude towards your readers.
So in short here is why it makes you a better blogger:
- Praise is an incentive to make us work harder and thus become more likely to be successful at what we do
- It inspires you to create tailored content that you know will help your audience grow alongside you
- It teaches you the art of humility and to realize that your readers help you stay grounded, even in ‘crazy times’
It Helps You Develop A Genuine Connection With Your Audience
As micro-bloggers, we have a honed audience, meaning that they are not only more engaged in our content, but also engaged with who we are as a person. If you choose to message that one person out of the 2,000 people that might have liked that one ‘Instagram Post’ it helps them build rapport with you and your brand. In return, building a consistent and engaged relationship with your audience, helps to develop a long term genuine connection with your audience. While it might take me a few days to reply to some messages, I always aim to reply to every DM or email that my audience sends me-unless its a creepy dick pic in which case NO- because I want to show my readers that I am interested in what they have to say.
If your readers message you asking for help, help them out. If you see someone struggling recommend them to brands that you know are looking for bloggers. I know that myself and many of my readers do this , which shows what a kind audience I have, and I am proud that they are such a lovely bunch of people.
It Helps Boost Your Audience’s Morale and Self Esteem
It goes without saying that ‘to reward your blog readers’ is to boost their morale and self-esteem. We all love a boost of confidence and praising our readers makes them feel more positive and good about themselves which is always a great quality to bestow. Whether you notice that they have written a post on being in hospital and you have messaged them to make sure they are ok or notice that they have got engaged and you give them a shout out congratulating them, being nice is far better than ‘tearing people down’, at least in my opinion anyway. And when you boost your audience’s morale and self-esteem, in return it puts you in a positive frame of mind for doing a good deed!
You know how some random strangers do a ‘good deed Friday’? Well although I love the concept I believe it is important to give something back to others, regardless of what day of the week it is. Even when you are feeling low, sometimes helping others can make you feel a little bit better.
How Can You Reward Your Readers?
While this will be a separate post in itself, there are a few ideas below:
- Create Your Own Blogger Award Ceremony
- Create An Email Opt In With Blogging Tips And Tricks
- Create A Night Out For Local Readers
But what if I am the boss of a company outside of blogging and want to reward my employees for their contribution to my company?
Whether you are a blogger or journalist, regardless of occupation we would all like to be valued for the hard work we have put into our job. So if you are reading this as a reader who does not blog and is a ‘boss’, you can still show your employees that you care. Not only does it increase productivity and job satisfaction, but it also creates ‘retention’. In my job, there were weeks where the turnover rate was so high that I barely recognized my colleagues and it was a sad fact to behold. Yet I knew friends who worked in jobs where they were truly valued. There would be ‘team pizza nights’, bonuses for top performers and VIP invites to exclusive events and launches. But if you are worried about what the best way to reward your team would be, then contact Corporate Rewards who can help you create a team culture and award winning recognition, incentive and event programmes that inspire people to do more.
Disclaimer
Please note this is a paid collaborative post in conjunction with Corporate Rewards but this does not affect my thoughts and all opinions are my own.
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I believe it’s so important to make the readers know and understand that bloggers care for them and value their thoughts and opinions. I generally host giveaways for this purpose.
Great story, building a community around your blog is important. I love running into readers at events or just getting an email about a story I wrote and how someone enjoyed it. I always carry stickers and do regular giveaways to the fans and followers.
By night I work for corporate America an manage a team of nine technical people. One of the biggest ways I’ve found to create a happy and coherent team is to simply say “Thank-you. Job well done” Every evening before I log off, I jot down things that happened on the sift as well as little (and positive) things I noticed. Person A handled an unhappy customer with grace. Person B managed three large problems all at the same time. I then bring them forward when we have larger group meetings. In a world filled with negativity, it takes just as much time and effort to look for the positive as it does to see the negative, and the rewards are so much greater. x
Can’t agree more! We’ve got to do what we love and love what we do in order to success in any business. Cheers boss girl xo
This post makes total sense. Blogging just like other job requires time and effort but we also have to consider the time and effort our followers make to stay loyal.
A blog without readers is a bit useless so your post makes a lot of sense. I like your comparison with rewarding employees, and building a loyal relationship. I’m from a marketing background so I tend to think that bloggers need to provide values to their readers as a company or a brand provides value to its customers.
Its hard to leave something that we have been doing for living . Start something new will always challenging . But glad that you found what you want and wish to do . Yes to be your own Boss , work for your self and do something that you’d like to do .
I am one of your blog followers , I new for writing blog , I like to read your article . Found some great idea , even on this article to . Giving reward to our blog reader , its a great idea but still far from my imagination .
Great post this. Rewarding your readers is always important I Think. I’m forever running contests etc for them to enter!
I’m so with you! You have to give back. Without our readers we wouldn’t be exposed to as many things as we are as bloggers.
You are right. As bloggers, we cannot take the readers’ attention for granted. Reward programmes definitely allow for more interaction, recognition, traffic and above all of course genuine connection. Have thought about that for my blog too!
It’s very true – showing recognition is positive for everyone 🙂
I think your readers are obviously the most important part of any blog. I always respond to every comment or email. This is a great post with lots of honest opinions and help! Much appreciated x
Couldn’t agree more – my blog has grown much quicker since interacting more across social media & reciprocating! x
Without you we would not be able to reach out to other bloggers. Thank you for all you do. By the way great pictures.
I agree it is very important to reward your employees, your followers/readers and well as just friends and family! Everyone likes to feel rewarded every now and again! Love that you interact with other accounts and give shout outs!
It is important to let our readers know that we care about them. I mean, we wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them.
I definitely agree with you, although I’m not a big fan of running giveaways on my blog. I think I’d rather give my readers something of a personal gift. I haven’t really thought of what yet, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about lately too.
Aw, I love this so much and I adore how down-to-earth and appreciative you are – it’s sad that not all bloggers are like that! Your ideas for rewarding readers are fantastic too – I think making a little personal effort with people really means the world! <3 xx
First of all, your look absolutely stunning in this outfit! I love the dress! I was reading the first paragraph and I was like OMG this is so relatable! This was literally me in my previous job! We don’t have as much time for blogging as we used to but we understand how valuable our readers are and we always try to reward them for that
You always have such amazing advice and tips and so deserve the recognition you get from your readers x
Oh I love this idea! I am so grateful to my readers but never quite know what to give back other than my thanks and my words of gratitude. I need to think about what I can offer them on a more personal level!
I too left my full time job for many of the same reasons as you to become a blogger. You make a great point in this article! Readers are so important and it is important to let them now how much we value them.
I’ve worked for companies where I was treated very poorly and then they wondered why I chose to leave. It’s definitely the same when it comes to readers, and I need to dedicate more time to show my appreciation towards mine.
One of the things I love about the blogging world is that it is very supportive. I try to always give something of value to my readers, and many of them are bloggers themselves. It is nice to be able to help each other out and grow as bloggers.
I think it is important to reward your readers or customers whatever sector you work in as when people feel like they are wanted / useful and appreciated they are going to keep coming back again and again.
Brilliant post Ana. I believe in reward quite strongly and felt undervalued in my last job as did many of my colleagues who still do. We stayed only because we actually loved our jobs but never got recognition for our hard work. I think it’s important to reward readers if you can. I also like to help other bloggers who reward me if I can, a sort of pay-it-back type thing..
I love to conduct giveaways as a reward to my readers! I agree with you that we should always stay humble and not suddenly think we’re some kind of untouchable celebrity. A truly matured person does not crave that kind of affirmation or recognition.
It is extremely important to reward your reader as it gives them a sense of belonging and also because they are an integral part of blogging. This is such a useful post as most of the times I get confused in deciding suitable rewards. 🙂
I agree with you! It really is important to reward readers! Though, I don’t really know how to do that. All my audience are mainly other bloggers & my niche is very different than others. So, I always find myself in a pickle! But, yes, I can understand how you must have felt when your friend got popular & unfollowed you. I mean,when things like that happen to you, you treat others better, at a whole other level, I guess?
And, I think you’re amazing to blog full time & you must have A LOT of readers to host a reader night out party! Would be so much fun!
PS: Loved your outfit!! 🙂
I think your ideas are great and to reward your readers is a great idea. You really seem to care what they think and how you can be helpful to them with your experiences.
It is so important to make and reward readers that they are valued as they are without them we would not be doing what we are .
What a great post and congratulations on becoming a full time blogger – I know you’ve worked really hard to get here!
Ana this post is right on the money, I felt unappreciated in my job at some point until they put their money where their mouth was. I was finally rewarded for my hard work so I can appreciate the importance of rewarding my readers too
I totally agree with you. By rewarding your blog readers you make them feel that you actually care about them, their opinions and their needs, this way they will more likely stick by your blog and interact with you more and more, and thus you will be motivated and become more productive.
Great post Ana, xo
This is so important in my opinion. I’ve been blogging less than a year, but I always think, “What are my readers going to get out of this ?”before I put a word on the page. I haven’t done of your suggestions yet though, so I will have to think of a reward I can do!
Engagement is so important..I find that the more you interact with readers,the more opportunity will come to share your blog. I enjoy doing shout outs and including many readers and writers when I do so.
I think everyone likes to feel valued. You are spot on with your thinking here. I love that you really dug deep and thought of what it might mean to your various readers.
I think readers getting rewarded is important. I definitely agree with you about it makes them feel valued
Engagement and giving your readers a reason to want to come back again and again, and feel like it’s worthy of their time, is definitely important! I see some food bloggers popping insta stories highlighting the readers who have made their recipes which I think is a great idea
Great post! I’m actually same boat as you are! Quit my 8-6 job and be own boss! It’s super great feeling and sub a rewarding way to start the morning and end the evening! we rock girl! Cheers! Love all your photos!
It’s refreshing to see a blogger that’s so appreciative of her followers! You’re very inspiring! Keep it up!
I’ve been a blogger for years now and there’s definitely nothing better than showing your readers how much you value them through different ways. I think these are all awesome reasons to reach out and reward your readers! They’re part of keeping your blog alive after all.
This is a really well thought out post. Thanks for sharing your top 5 posts that is really interesting to read. I try to reward my readers. Sometimes I use competitions for this. A night out with local readers sounds interesting. I have never considered that one!
Love this!! Great, practical advice for bloggers of any kind.
I so agree with this. I like to tell my readers thank you, because without them, I might not be here. I mean, I think I’d still be writing because I love to do it, but it wouldn’t be as fulfilling. I need to do a thank you giveaway for a gift card at some point.
I completely agree with you and definitely think that connecting with your readers is incredibly important. You have an interesting mix of top posts and I’ve personally found that all my posts about myself and my personal life to perform really well! I’m definitely going to read your post about the types of fuckboys because it made me laugh when I read the title 😉
Helen xx
Such a beautiful and thoughtful post, indeed we all should reward our readers for it is they because of whom we have reached any milestone. Though I too quit my Job 6months back to be a full time blogger, but I must say that my company always rewarded me since I was a top performer. They gave me all incentives and promotions deserved:)
I completely agree with you! People love receiving rewards, and any way that you can make your readers/audience feel special will keep them coming back.I hope to implement a few giveaways next year for my readers to help them feel special. I also want to offer a free ebook!
I totally love this post! It’s refreshing and very eye opening. Sometimes us bloggers we forget that our readers have certain “needs” and “wants” as well. I am all about that rewarding … and totally need to implement these changes asap. Thank you for helping me realize what I have completely had an oversight on for a long while now.
Without our readers, we won’t have anyone to share our posts with so it’s really important to show them how much we appreciate them. Engagement is also important, since most of the time they read our posts because they can relate to us.
I reward my readers by running giveaways – its a way of giving something back to them and I love it when I get a gushing email thanking me for making their day
What a lovely thoughtful post-Ana. It is always a good idea to reward your reader and get them involved 🙂 Your readers are so important and if you keep them happy they keep returning 🙂
I do think rewarding people is so important because it shows you really appreciate and value them x
I love to reward my readers and always do giveaways as often as I can x
I never really thought about this but it seems quite interesting. Thanks for sharing this thought
It is so important to reward readers and show them you care. I definitely think that is what makes bloggers different than other forms of media.
So much important advice here, its very important I agree! I love to talk to my readers and thank people etc
I couldn’t agree more. Although blogging is only a part time job for me, my readers always make me feel special and I love connecting with them.
This is such a useful post, I like reading my readers with giveaways and I interact with them often on my blog and social media too. I think it is sad when some bloggers act too big for their boots when they get a bit of success, such a shame you have experienced this from bloggers you thought were friends x
Going freelance is great isn’t it. I have gone freelance this year and it’s been brilliant. So many opportunties and the fun level is so high. So I agree, why not appreciate those who read your work and be grateful for their time. Good luck with continuing freelance work.
I am a part-time blogger I agree that it is essential to reward blog readers because without them your blog will be worthless. Blog readers keep a blog alive because they read what you write and interact with you through comments and suggestions. Hosting giveaways or events for your loyal readers will make them feel that you also acknowledge their presence.
Now a days, ideas are worth a lot. The people who make the ideas come alive are subscribers, followers and readers. I love the positive vibes in this post. Thank you so much for being who you are- someone who thinks about your loyal readers.
This article in itself makes me feel valued as a reader. As a fellow blogger, I think that you are completely right and love the idea of your own Awards ceremony and a local meet up too 🙂 xx
I’d never really considered this, but I think you’re absolutely right – it’s important to make your readers feels special.
I would like to say that the happiness of readers is the measurement of blogger’s success. I am waiting for the time I can be a full time blogger. Thank you for such motivating post. Wish you all the best.
Really nice ideas and I think it’s so important to think about your readers and how you can connect with them.
I love when blogs give freebies or giveaways for the readers. It’s so helpful when it comes to interaction and also to keep up with the blog
Rewarding is always a nice thing, and as you mention it shows that you value your readers. Organizing a night out for your local followers sounds a great idea.
I love rewarding my readers through raffle and discount vouchers. I make sure I value them as they are patronizing my writing and my website. I also commend great comments and accepts feedbacks
I love rewarding my readers through raffle and discount vouchers. I make sure I value them as they are patronizing my writing and my website. I also commend great comments and accepts feedbacks from them.
You are so right with interacting with readers. I have an error in my site where I can’t respond to comments and I have put off fixing it the past couple weeks and I need to move that to the top of my priorities. Congrats on being a full time blogger.
I bet you are glad you are working for yourself although it can get a little lonely sometimes if you are working on your own at home ad do your own photos etc. It is important to make sure readers feel valued and their appreciated as this means they will return.
I love hosting giveaways for my readers! So satisfying.
I, too, left the media industry after 22 years with much of the same sentiment. Best of luck to you as you are well on your way to success. I love your blog articles and ideas. Thanks for creating and sharing the link to your top 5.
What a great idea and way to create consumer engagement which is a critical component to marketing. Love your blogging and fashion ideas, you are so creative.
Having people that support you in whatever you do makes it worth it, especially in blogging! I love all the tips that you brought up.
I wouldn’t be where I am without my lovely readers. They are solely responsible for the fact I get to do what I love with my life – and I will be eternally grateful to them for that. Love the idea of a local night out for local readers – I’ll ponder that!
You are seriously one of my favorite bloggers because you care about other people, you are honest with your readers, and you have such amazing style! I love this post so much! I need to give back to my followers more often! Thanks for the encouragement, beautiful!
Blogging is full time for me and I really work hard to keep my readers in mind when I do anything. They’re the reason I do this!
Thanks for this post its great and really got me thinking, I do some of these things already but now I have some new ideas and my mind is on overdrive!! I find Facebook live helps connect me with my readers too as I am a real person chatting to them and answering questions that pop up etc, it shows how human you are and not just a blogger with posed photos ha ha my facebook lives show how normal I really am!
You explained this beautifully Ana. I enjoy giving back to my readers.
Great points here lovely! I totally agree that our readers are so important. I love hosting giveaways and offering lots of awesome prizes for my readers. It makes it all worthwhile when I get an email thanking me for making their day 🙂 x
Great checklist. thanks for sharing. This was a much needed post for a lot of folks.
Building a following is very challenging so yes, absolutely reward those you already have. I typically try to respond to questions within a day and if I don’t have the answer, I actually do the research for them!
I agree with you. Our readers are the fuel to our creativity. Their positive thoughts inspire us to raise the bar higher. I may try to do a giveaway. I will have to think which products would appeal most to my readers. I want something that they will find useful or beneficial.
You make some very good points. Thanks for sharing.
What a great point to make. Why have a blog, that’s public and traffic driven, if not for the readers?
I absolutely agree with you! Blogging rewards you very very slowly and in that time, you need to find the time to reward your readers as well! I have never seen such a competitive atmosphere in blogging. Someone, somewhere is always trying to better than the other blogger!
This is a wonderful and interesting post! As a newer blogger, this is a great perspective and makes a lot of sense. I will definitely have to look into how I can appreciate my readers more!
Everyone loves rewards (both old and new readers) coz this means they are valued. Or even a reply to their messages makes them happy. Everyday I took time to reply to DMs and PMs from my readers inquiring about certains products and recommendations (even those items are already past my collaborations). They like itand it builds relationships.
Great points! I’m always trying to think of ways to motivate readers to come back and it’s the most difficult part of blogging (after writing good content). Giveaways are always a good idea but they need to be good and have value your readers will appreciate.
This is a great post, I definitely think it’s super important to give back to your readers, since they really do so much for us! Great ideas on how to do it too, thanks for sharing! xo, Brittany | http://www.theblistblog.com
I think you make a really good point. It has loads of benefits but I must admit this is something I need to get better at
Couldn’t agree more! Which is why I like to host giveaways every few months 🙂
I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to reward my readers recently, but haven’t been able to think of something specific… But doing it can really help to build you up and increase engagement!
I always liked your writing style and it’s great how far you’ve come and what you’ve managed to achieve while having other jobs as well. I know how important it is to value employees, I’m very glad our company is very good like that!
This is something I have been considering and I definitely need to host a giveaway soon! Rewarding readers is important and something I haven’t been doing well.
I’ve always thought it is important to reward your readers, without them we would be nothing x
Such an amazing post and I have to agree, it is really important! I wish I had the following and retention you do, I just can’t seem to grow my views even with replying to comments.
In fact the comments are what keep me going, yet on many occasions they are non-existent. I get tonnes on facebook yet not many on here.
Saying that, I love the readership I have and I blog for myself, loving the process of writing. I have to fit it around my full time job so I cannot devote as much time as I would love to.
This was such a helpful read for me. I want to have more of a connection with my readers.
It’s so important to respond to your readers. It’s lovely that people make the time to read our blogs as I’ve found so many lovely people through blogging and the fact they take the time to read and comment is always lovely. I always try and mention other bloggers on social media as well as a way of giving back.
These are all amazing tips and very true advice! We have to show them we appreciate their visiting the site and reading our content. Giveaways are great for this and rewards in many other ways too!
Ana once again, your post helps other bloggers and it has wonderful content! I agree with you, everyone enjoys and will get interested in free help, freebies, etc and having readers in your blog that will come back is one of the most important things as a blogger for a new-ish blogger, like myself!
Knowing who your readers are and giving them what they want is fundamental in building your own community.
Ana, you are so right on with this post. If you want to help keep your readers happy and engaged, you have to be engaged with them. This doesn’t just mean an engaging personality, although that is part of it. It’s actually making sure to respond to your readership and to be able to have them respond to you. Actually, I read this post and it has inspired me to do something a little bit different with my next blog post. We will see how all of that works out. I’m not sure but I am excited to see the kind of response I will get and how the whole thing will work.
I agree that it is very important to reward your blog followers! It really helps to make sure they come back again and again. Also, Love your dress!!!
This is a great post. I need to think about more ways to reward my readers. Growing and nurturing an engaged audience is so important.
You are making some great points and you are right we bloggers should be more thankful to followers and from time to time do some extra good. Great post, thanks for sharing 🙂
What a lovely caring post. I totally agree that by building up relationships with your readers, it helps us bloggers determine which types of posts work best.
It really is so true about rewarding people. Everyone likes to acknowledged for their hard work or for their engagement. If you only post content but don’t offer connection, you are missing out on letting your readers know you hear them and that their voice is important for your blog.
As social influencers we are constantly evolving and growing. Our audience is that great group of cheerleaders supporting those changes and growth. We definitely need to show that we are listening.
Yes, we should treat our readers with care. They’re like our customers. Rewards are essential in our jobs and even with the blogging world.
I can’t agree more! To reward and value blog readers are very important. I wouldn’t be here today blogging if it’s not for all my loyal readers. Doing a giveaway is another way to show appreciation to readers. Great post Ana!
As a newbie “Blogger” I find this article very enlightening and useful. I’m still trying to find the balance between creating content and marketing my blog but I’ll get there. Trial and error. Rewarding your Readers is priority because in the end they are the ones who really matter. Something I decided right from the beginning was to engage with my readers by encouraging some kind of feedback.
I love your photos and your style.
I agree with you. I think when you show you care, it helps you connect better with your readers. Also, without them we would not have blog exposure so I think this is so true!
Another way of thanking our readers, is to throw a blog thanksgiving party!
Am thinking of organizing one 🙂
Blogging has evolved so much and now it’s like any other business or job for some of us. Rewarding readership is like a gift that keeps on giving and helps build a genuine community.
I think it is important to say thank you to the people who read and support my blog too. It is important to engage with readers as much as they engage with the blogger.
I’ve experienced this sort of treatment at events and had bloggers ignore or dismiss me because their following was too big to be talking to someone like me. You ate completely right, it’s about happiness and that is the most important thing to me when it comes to my blogs.
I always make it a point to reply to my readers’ comments on my blog post. It gets rid of the animosity. I have not tried doing a giveaway from my readers. I think that is a great idea. Thanks for the suggestion.
It’s so true that there’s no greater motivation for a blogger than engaged readers. Whenever I get great feedback or comments, I’m instantly more driven.
As always, you look stunning in that dress and the necklace. Really beautiful look, all the way around!
You have brought up a TON of essential points to remember and you have me realizing I need to do some rethinking about my own behavior toward my readers. The area I’m falling WAY short in is responding to my readers who, as you said, take the time to read, comment, and interact. I really need to get better at this.
I have started keeping track of what blog groups I’m in on Facebook (like yours and others!), and when I comment and reciprocate — but I also need to add a section in my notebook about interacting on my own 2 blogs! Thanks for the push!
I also think I should take a look and see which blog posts are most popular on my blogs. That should be interesting!
I think it’s easy to get busy and not remember to acknowledge your readers. I agree that it’s important to reward your readers! These are some great reasons why it’s important.
This is great as most bloggers dont realise that their audience is a HUGE part; glad you’ve established this and had a coherent post in detail. Do you think bloggers actually care about their audience< id say 50/50! Love the dress! You're right, it does help think outside a box!
This is a great reminder that blogging should be a two-way street. Bloggers should not always ask their followers for more engagement, bloggers should take opportunities to give back, whether it is a simple acknowledgement and “thank you,” giveaways, or VIP tips. I have recently taken on a part-time virtual assistant, and I have made sure to give her positive feedback and welcomed her suggestions and insights as well.
You’re so right! The readers are everything and it’s definitely something I’ll start doing when (if) my blog grows. I know myself that I read blogs more if they care about their readers.
This is such a great post. Gave me good ideas and a new perspective 🙂
Great blog, I’m aboutto binge read 😀
http://www.desiringsme.com/10-things-about-me/
I love the idea of rewarding our followers. Makes them feel so special! Great stuff!
Readers are so important and I thank mine in every post.
Wow Very Helpful. I’m looking forward to using this on my blog thank you.