Generating buzz for your blog

I’ve come across sites that just write pretty excellent and funny content. This alone makes me subscribe to the blog’s feed and read it all of the time. It helps when you add that nice touch of sarcasm or snarkiness, or have a fountain of useful information on your blog.

It’s all well and good and you could have the most nicely written and informative content on the planet. If no one is reading it, then what good is it?

These tips will help you along the way and are good just to know for blogging in general. Feel free to add your own!

Set yourself apart

Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Set yourself apart from other bloggers out there by putting your own unique spin on the things that you care about. Writing in your own voice and injecting your unique personality into your blog goes along way. People will read you and get to know what you put in front of them.

Be personable

If you’ve taken the time to send someone an email, asking them a question or commenting on their content, then you shouldn’t go ignored. Setup the plugin comment relish for automatic emails to first time commentators. It says that you appreciate the time they’ve taken to make a comment and it shows that you care.

Be responsive

Commentators love conversation, that’s why they’ve come to your blog in the first place. They’ve seen something that they liked and they want to speak on it. If someone has commented on your page, speak up! Comment back. That will show them that there is a live person behind the scenes and you care about their opinions or appreciate their feedback. It’s not unheard of to comment on your own blog, but don’t be the first.

Start a contest

Everyone is starting a buzz right now with blog contests. So much that there is an entire blog dedicated to blog contests. If you have the extra cash, you can offer that as a prize. Or, you can offer a nice linkback to another blogger’s site. You would be surprised to see what people will do with a few minutes of their time everyday for a chance to win $100.00. That $100.00 may seem like a lot to you, but it’s worth it’s weight in gold for the links and posts you get from other bloggers. You can even get a sponsor to offer the prize and not have to come out of pocket for anything. This way you can still reap the benefits of a contest.

Group Writing Projects

I know a lot has already been said about Group Writing Projects and their impact on the blogosphere, but I’m going to tell you my thoughts on them. GWPs are very helpful if you’re a new blogger and are looking to get recognized. They usually have prizes that you get a chance to win and are centralized around a theme. Liz Strauss does her projects and has offered books and a linkback to your blog. Darren Rowse’s last GWP offered up a nice $1,001.00 prize to a random winner. I know that a lot of us don’t have that kind of money laying around, but the point of it all is to get people involved. You can’t ignore the 893 posts that his last GWP generated. It shows you the power of the project and the scope it involves.

Let people know you’re out there

You can do this by finding blogs in your own niche and commenting on them. Remember, if you don’t find anything of interest, then it’s best not to comment at all. If you’ve found a blog that really sparks your interest, email the author. We all love to hear feedback and you may give us ideas on new content. Other bloggers sometimes will not know you’re out there unless you tell them.

Join a community

I have found several friends already through MySpace and MyBlogLog. These sites can be really useful in meeting others that are interested in the same type of topics you are. You can make friends this way and throw some ideas around. Another good thing about MyBlogLog is that your mug shows up in someone else’s widget when you visit their site.

What’s your take? Talk to me in the comments and let’s spark some conversation!