Reader Engagement: A Short Introduction

How long have you been blogging? Do you remember when you started?

I am sure that, like me, you were in the throes of lack of reader engagement. It took me years of research, experiments, trials and errors, shares on social media, and comments on other people's blogs, to learn how to create content that triggers positive reactions from my ideal readers.

Today, let me share a few simple tips that will help you increase reader engagement on your own blog. But first, two important points.

What Is Reader Engagement? A Quick Definition

Reader engagement occurs every time your content triggers any sort of reaction from a reader.

People react differently to what they see. For example, some readers like leaving comments, while others prefer "liking" posts. But that is not all. Other instances of reader engagement include shares on social media and mentions on blogs.

In a nutshell, there are plenty of ways to measure reader engagement. You have to decide which ones matter the most to you. Those will help you ensure that you blogging strategy is successful.

Why Do Readers Not Always Leave Comments?

It is a great question!

If you are familiar with marketing, you have probably heard of the 10% "rule". This "rule" states that a response rate starting at 5-10% is excellent.

What does it mean? Very simply put: Out of 100 readers, only 5 or 10 will actually take the time to comment on your content.

So the next time you visit a blog whose posts get thousands of comments, remember the following. That blog has probably been around for a long time, has an established community of readers and subscribers, and gets monthly traffic in the hundreds of thousands (if not millions). So, do not get discouraged!

Last But Not Least

Now, when it comes to the Internet, you have to be aware of two things:

1. Social media is full of people who spend their time observing and never participating in anything. They are called lurkers. There are many reasons why people decide to lurk. For example, they may not know what to say; they may just be there to browse; or they may not like the content offered.
2. The amount of bad/spammy content outweighs the amount of good, quality content published daily online. This makes finding your posts very difficult, especially if you do not promote them widely and enough.

Does it mean that you will never be found? Not at all! To get where you want to be, you will need patience, consistency, and hard work.

Ways to Increase Reader Engagement on Your Blog

The list below is in no way exhaustive. But it is certainly a great start. I can attest to its effectiveness.

• Write attractive titles.
• Make your content easy to read: Short paragraphs (75 words maximum) + subtitles for main ideas. Readers should be able to scan your posts to be able to find answers to their questions as quickly as possible.
• Include relevant pictures and videos in your posts.
• Make your readers feel special.
• Ask questions at the beginning and/or the end of your posts: Do you remember...? What do you think? What is your opinion? What is your story? Do you have examples that you would like to share? ...
• Make your content relatable. Share personal stories.
• Ensure that your content is proofread, well-written, researched and unique, so it provides solid answers that may not be found elsewhere.
• Invite readers to share their knowledge with you.
• Answer comments in a timely fashion. Respond to feedback.
• Ask people to give you ideas for future posts. And mention their names if you use their suggestions.
• Redirect people to prominent bloggers in your field by mentioning an example of post that they wrote and that you like.
• Write different types of posts. Check out Darren Rose's excellent article on the topic: 13 Types of Posts that Always Get Lots of Comments.
• Harness the power of social media. Share your posts on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
• Thank those who took the time to comment on your posts and spread the word about them.

That's it for today! Thank you for reading!

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Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).

Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.