It all started for me less than a year ago when I found out about a new blogging platform that gave out cryptocurrency for creating content on their blockchain. Being a super nerd that loves cryptography and all things Bitcoin mixed with a 15-year passion for blogging I knew this was going to be big.
After joining the Steem blockchain back in June of 2017, I ended up without a working computer for a few months, and the fact that I bought my first home then as well put content creation on the back burner for a few months. Then at the end of August 2017, I jumped in full force and began to take Steemit as seriously as I have so many blogs in the past.
In the past eight months or so I have managed to build a following of just under two thousand from zero. This growth is with no fame following me like many others with this growth have. I am not saying I grew the fastest from zero either but that it is possible to have a high return on your time when following a few key factors.
How To Grow Your Blog
Networking
To grow your blog to new heights you need to meet other like-minded bloggers on the Steem platform. I recommend the @minnowsupport discord chat for anyone looking to meet other new Steemians. There is also @thewritersblock which is for everyone who writes creatively and the @creatorsguild where new bloggers can ask questions and have their work proofread before posting to the blockchain.
When we join a group intending to network and build our blog, it is best to give from the start. Entering a group only to get more upvotes, views, and comments are wrong. People are good at sniffing out other people's intentions. When we join a chat room to take and not give only hurts us.
The best approach is to provide additional people upvotes, views, and comments and not ask for any in return. This approach may sound counterproductive, but we gain more when we ask less. When the other people we are networking with seeing how much we help the community, they will want to give back to us in return.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is a big part of the growth in traditional, self-hosted, blogging that I believe we need to bring to the Steem blockchain. It's a great way to get our names out to new readers both for the writer and the person posting to their profile. It's more than just a resteem it's providing content and promoting that content around the internet my two people instead of just one.
Take the writing of a guest post much more seriously than you would for your blog. Each post we make for someone else puts both them and us on the hook to uphold quality. Do not offer a post that has little or no effort for the reasons listed above. It will make you look bad not only to the host but their audience which could be quite extensive.
Use Simple SEO Techniques
SEO is an acronym for "Search Engine Optimization" and consists of tactics to help get our content into the search results for the correct terms people search for. We all need to keep SEO in mind when we write our content.
Keywords are the foundation of good SEO. Your keyword is the topic at hand. If the post is about Bitcoin Cash, then those two words make up your keyword. Finding your keyword is easy to do, and we all know what it is before we even start to write. But, we can get more granular with a little effort.
Photos are a great place to put your keywords and are almost always overlooked. Before uploading an image to Steemit, it is good practice to change the name of that image. When doing so, use the keyword or phrase in the name. This method allows us to pump up the number of times our keyword is on the page without coming off as spammy and awkward.
Have The Growth Mindset!
The opposite mindset is known as the fixed mindset. It keeps us focused on talents and outcomes but misses the process. When we have this fixed mindset, we run into challenges and give up. This lack of motivation is because we think we are not good enough or that we could never learn what it is that we need to learn.
The growth mindset is said to be 65 percent of our success, and only the remaining 35 percent is actual ability. We desire to learn and improve after every success or failure. The growth mindset is not something that we need to train for or study to be the best. All we need to do is change our outlook on life.
Keeping Readers On Your Blog
Keep Your Profile Professional
Your profile page is the most significant asset you have outside of creating fantastic content. It is here that the potential follower can see your consistency, your personality, and your niche. Use your bio section wisely as it may be the only information someone has about your and your blogging style.
Don't leave your background image blank, jazz it up and add some personal flair to your profile. If you look at mine, you see that it is very techy and hacker like and I love it! My background image expresses who I am at one level and gives my profile page the feel I want it to have.
Everyone looking to grow should make their first image in their post have the title of their topic overlaid with a relevant background. You can see that is how I do mine day in and day out. This consistency allows the people scrolling through the feeds to look at your post and get a sense of what it is about. Every chance we have to catch an eye the better off our growth will become.
Encourage Sharing & Engagement
At the end of each of my posts, I ask anyone to comment a topic that would like to see me cover. This does not mean that it will happen every time, but it will get them thinking. You can also ask a question in your post and ask them to comment their opinions. Anything that fosters engagement, that you can respond to, will help to strengthen your tribe and the bond with your readers.
Of course the more you share your content, the more your post gets around the internet. It's also good to encourage your readers to share the posts they like. It's not sleazy it's marketing and we all need to do it if we want to grow to our highest potential. Also, make sure to let your readers know where to find you outside of Steemit for further engagement and interaction.
Thanks For Reading!
If you have any topics that you would like me to cover please feel free to comment them below and I'll add them all to my list!
All images came from royalty and attribution free sources unless specified.
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