Blog Journal #3: Podcasting/Blogging Tips
Over the past few months, I've seen nice growth in my audience numbers and outreach. Posting articles, reviews and other fun things regularly has been a big help in gaining viewers and readers. Another big thing to happen has been the creation of my new podcast/radio show! Before airing our first episode, we re-branded the page as The Cinescape. We (my partner, Bill and I) were very fortunate to come into contact with a gentleman named Mike Francolino from Toxic Radio in Westville, New Jersey. Mike has been instrumental in helping us get started, along with the team at Wildfire Radio.
Since our debut last month, we have aired 2 shows (as they we currently are doing a show every other Saturday). While we have only gained a few subscribers, it's still really awesome to have people checking us out and giving great feedback.
In this journal entry, I'm going to give some of my strategies and things that I've done to increase audience and grow my community of viewers, readers and fans. While we may not have thousands of subscribers, our Facebook audience is close to 400, we have over 100 on both twitter and Instagram, along with our couple YouTube subscribers.
1. Find your audience: What are you posting about? Who are the people that you're trying to attract? Try to keep within your niche (whatever it is) and start catering to those who have similar interests.
2. Social Media: As we all know, social media platforms are one of the BIGGEST ways to get your content out to the masses. But is just posting to Facebook or twitter enough? Create your own Facebook/twitter page specific to your blog/podcast and start inviting everyone on your friend list. Getting initial likes is easy when they're your own family members and friends, so take advantage of it. Having them like, commenting on, and sharing your posts will begin to increase awareness to your page and may start to bring in new fans and subscribers.
One of the best things I've done on Facebook is to start joining groups based on the content I put out. As we cover film & TV, I've joined many groups related to the genres I cover and share content within them. This practice has really helped to bring in new fans and to network with others in the field. Make sure to follow any posted rules within the group to ensure you don't get removed or banned from it, being spammy with your posts can be annoying and will definitely get you booted.
Twitter has been a little bit of a tougher nut to crack for me. I recently became aware of a great twitter handle/hash tag called #podernfamily that podcasters use to promote their shows and to network with other podcasters. Finding these online communities has been really great to not only promote my content, but to discover other shows and blogs. Being able to incorporate elements of other shows or blogs into my own has been fun. Find other twitter pages similar to yours and give them a follow, a re-tweet, a favorite, or tweet back. While this may not always work in terms getting a follow back, it can't hurt.
Other social media platforms like Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest, etc. are also great to use, so make sure to cover all of your bases.
3. Create a website: When I first started my blog, I looked around at different web hosts, but didn't really want to pay for them. Find a free hosting site that fits what you want to do in terms of posting your content. I currently use Wix. Though it has limitations with the free version, I can pretty much do everything that I want to do with it in terms of posting articles, keeping my blog sections organized and accessible, and it is visually appealing. There's no need to spend money on hosting fees when there are great, free platforms to use, so do your research and find what works best for your needs. Wix has full integration with posting right to social media like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, which makes sharing content easy.
4. Post regularly: I've found that subscribers to different blogs and YouTube channels expect consistency with articles or videos in terms of when they get posted. Try to maintain a regular schedule with your posts. Currently, our podcast is airing every other Saturday, so fans know when to expect a new show. If you're going too long in between posts, you may not get return viewers as your space could slip their minds. Keep up that level of consistent posting to keep your brand awareness in the forefront of your audience's collective minds.
5. Networking: Along with using social media to promote your content, it's very important to also network and interact with your audience and other people with similar projects. Interacting with your audience shows that you care about them and their input, so comment back when they comment on a post. Finding others doing similar things with you can give you an insight into what is making them successful and can lead to possible collaborations down the road. If possible, attend workshops, seminars, and/or conventions related to your field to expand your horizons and meet other people just like you.
Example: On the second episode of our show, we had Robert Butler III aka RB3 from the Schmoes Know Show on YouTube. I've personally been a big fan of the show for years and reached out to RB3 to see if I could get him on as a guest. To my delight, he agreed to call in and we had a really great interview. He even posted online about his appearance to help us out, which in turn helped us gain some more followers/subscribers.
Collaborating with others in your niche, especially people with larger followings, is a great way to get your brand out there and can lead to other team-ups in the future. Don't be afraid to reach out, but remember to be respectful and professional at the same time.
6. Create a professional look: From social media to logos and website design, make sure anything you post or put out looks great. Audiences will respond better to a great-looking page than a thrown together mess. Having aesthetically pleasing logos, banners, and pages will let people know you put in the extra effort to make your space the best you can. Be creative when designing your brand name and logo, and look to free design tools for aid. Sites like cooltext.com are nice starting places for those people that aren't gifted or don't have the resources for professionally designed logos. Relating back to the networking aspect, reach out to friends or acquaintances that are more artistic for help. ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK YOUR WRITING FOR GRAMMAR ERRORS. There's nothing worse than reading an article and seeing blatant spelling or syntax errors. It makes you, the writer, appear unintelligent. Proofread your work and/or run it through spell check before posting.
7. Incorporate giveaways and contests: While you might not have anything to offer at first, try to be creative. Offering giveaway or contest prizes for actions like asking for likes, comments, shares and subscribers can entice people to check you out. You might not have the means or funds to give out DVDs, books, or gift cards, but there are plenty of other things you can do.
Example: As I post a lot of super hero-related content, I offer up digital download codes from comic books I purchase at my local comic book shop. It doesn't cost me anything extra and is a nice little incentive for people to check out what I'm offering. Keep in mind that there will be people to enter your contests only to later disassociate themselves from you, but that's just a part of the game. Do a Google search for sites that host giveaways and sign up.
8. Give appropriate credit when using quotes and information from outside sources: In this day and age, the rampant spreading of rumor and false truths regarding news stories is getting out of control. When scouring the internet for news, make sure to get your info from trusted, reliable, reputable sources and be sure to cite your source within your own posts. By adding a citation telling readers where you got your intel from, you not only save yourself from plagiarism, but can also come off as someone that has done their research.
Example: When I'm looking through my RSS feed for news stories, I use sites like The Wrap, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. I also double and triple check news stories from multiple outlets before feeling comfortable posting something. Spreading false information can ruin your credibility and dissuade readers from taking you seriously.
9. Seek out freelance writing positions: Getting other sites to post your content is a good way to hone your editorial skills and to have another outlet to have your content read. A site like ProBlogger is a great resource for finding all kinds of freelance positions in many different fields of writing.
Example: Since I have been running my blog, I have partnered with a few online outlets that like and feature my work. Having published articles outside of your own blog space lets readers know that your work is being noticed by other people in the industry. Likewise, add these credits to your resume or LinkedIn profile.
10. YouTube: For those of you posting videos to your YouTube channels, make sure to incorporate accurate video titles and keywords to increase your chances of having your videos looked at. Use YouTube’s features for organizing your channel, create playlists, and even create a short channel trailer letting people know what you're all about. Tools like TubeBuddy and vidIQ Vision are great add-ons that can help you regarding analytics and optimizing your content. Sharing your videos and channels to your social media and other online communities is a great way to gain exposure and subscribers. I wouldn't worry about the length of your videos. Though most viral videos are shorter in length, things like podcasts should be longer and be filled with great content.
11. SEO: You're putting all of this hard work into your project, but is anybody seeing it? Adding SEO to your sites can help others to find your content through their search engines. Tools like Google Analytics can help you learn more about how well your content is doing and who is seeing it. Learning about the who, what, where, and when people are viewing your content can help you in targeting your audience, so pay attention to the numbers.
12. Quality content: This is usually the #1 tip you'll see when searching for blogging tips, and it's for a good reason. Posting poor content won't do you any favors in growing your readership/viewership, so make sure everything you put out is thoughtfully done. This may seem obvious, but it's very important.
13. Be yourself: Another cliché tip, I know, but take this one very seriously. The main reasons people will view your posts, articles, or videos aren't solely in the content, but in the personality of the author. Add your own personal style and flair to what you're sending out to people. People relate to people more than words, so be yourself.
Example: The YouTube channels I subscribe to and watch regularly not only have enjoyable, entertaining content, but have people that I genuinely enjoy watching and listening to. Anyone can spit out news stories, facts, or scoops. But what hooks me is the person doing said spitting. I received a great piece of feedback on YouTube for my most recent podcast, which I'll share in this picture below:
14. User feedback: As you can see in the picture above, I received some great feedback on my podcast. The commenter asked about adding time codes to my videos as well as more personal info regarding my hobbies, interests, and favorite films/TV shows. Taking feedback into consideration can add that extra layer to your content that clearly your audience is looking for. While there may be times that people ask for things that just aren't possible or things you don't want to include, try to cater to them when applicable. These alterations and upgrades will keep your audience content and coming back for more.
15. Never stop learning: As technology improves and new trends arise, the potential for personal growth is limitless. Finding new, innovative ways to promote your content will keep you in the game. People are always looking for the next big thing, so BE THE NEXT BIG THING. Always strive to do your personal best and feel confident in your content. Changing with the times will keep you relevant, so don't stay stagnant.
16. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint: This tip could be the biggest one I have to offer. YOU WILL NOT GET FAMOUS OVERNIGHT. I've been at this for about 7 months now, and though I have seen respectable growth, my numbers aren't outstanding, and that's ok. Sure, there are tons of viral videos out there that have millions of YouTube views, but they're flashes in the pan and aren't sustainable. Growing your audience is going to take time, and lots of it. Some of the biggest YouTubers will tell you that they've been doing what they've been doing for years before they finally "made it". You're not going to get rich off of an article or video. Heck, you might never make a cent off of anything. But the people that are doing what they do are doing it because they're passionate about it. Your passion, personality, content, and hopefully networking connections can help to gain you the exposure you're seeking, so STICK WITH IT.
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There are countless tips that I'm sure I've missed. I don't consider myself to be an expert in this by any means, I'm simply offering up information based on what has worked for me. I am always looking for new ways to better myself, my online presence, and my content, and so should you. I haven't put a dime into anything I've done as of yet (though I will have to begin paying for studio time). Your project doesn't have to include a massive marketing budget. Great word-of-mouth really does go a long way, so hit your social media platforms strategically and look to network with others that can help you along the way. I hope some of these tips help you, I know it can be daunting trying to get started. If you put in the time, you'll eventually start seeing the payoff you've been striving for.
