{No, I haven't quite made it all the way there yet -- but I can dream, right?}
You get them just like you get a million readers for your book.
You get them one at a time -- like you write your book one word at a time.
And you get them by giving them what they want to read, what they can get at no other source.
{I will, indeed, tell you how to get a million hits on your blog further on down in my post.}
Talking about giving readers what they want to read ...
What do writers want to read on a blog on writing?
HOW TO SUCCEED AS A WRITER.
I. KNOW IT IS ATTITUDE OVER TALENT.
A. What key factor will you find in every successful writer?
It's a desire to succeed as a writer mixed with the
right attitude.
You have to pick yourself up and keep going. Because
you know in your heart
you're on the right path and you won't allow those
nasty people derail you.
B. YOU ARE WHAT YOU DO.
Each day your butt should be in the chair and
your fingers typing.
If not, you're a dreamer not a writer.
II. Failure Shows You How To Get Better
A. CASE STUDY:
Bob Dylan was booed off the stage in 1967 when he went electric. He was booed off the stage in 1974 when he went Gospel. He’s been booed off the stage since then and yet he still fills theaters. The Monkeys, on the other hand, have never been booed off the stage and they’re just an oldies act. Being booed off the stage is a key part of being an artist.B. Don't write to please everyone. If you do that
you'll please no one, starting with yourself.
Write authentically. Write honestly.
III. Now about how to get a million hits on your blog ...
A. Some writers work smart. Some writers work
hard. Others are lucky.
I can't help you with the luck ... but with the smart
and hard --
B. Write stuff people might want to read, doing so
with humor and kindness; and
Compulsively e-mail your posts to bloggers who
might possibly consider linking you.
C. If somebody's throwing you traffic, you should either
(a) give them a link-back update, or at a minimum
(b) keep them in mind for future linkage.
D. Aye, Matey, I'll be showing ye where the treasure
be buried!
The easiest place to find blog fodder is Memeorandum,
which has an algorithmic formula that
automatically updates to tell you
what the hot topics are in the 'sphere.
Along with http://www.wesmirch.com/
E. SEX SELLS -
Once upon a time Stacy McCain was blogging
in promotion of the book, DONKEY CONS.
Because the subtitle of the book was "Sex, Crime,
and Corruption in the Democratic Party,"
he got lots of traffic from people Googling
donkey+sex. Sex sells.
F. A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME and other hints --
One: have a cool name. Something
memorable. Something different.
Two: make lots of friends. Pretty self explanatory.
Friends link you. Friends click over to read you.
Friends put you in their blogrolls.
Three: post about celebrities. Preferably the
good-looking female kind.
People google-searching for Megan Fox may
very well come here because of her photo.
Four: Enjoy yourself.
This is the most important thing. A blog can eat
your life.
Blogging can become addictive.
If you’re going to do it, you’d better do it in some
way that you enjoy.
Elizabeth Craig has a great post by
...a million hits, one can dream, can we not?
ReplyDeleteGreat advice, my friend ;)
...just keep typing, just keep typing...
El
Elliot:
ReplyDeleteI'm closing in on a quarter of a million -- that's something. And dreams can get us through many a dark day! :-)
Memeorandum - noting it now!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about hits (and was told they're often inaccurate anyway) but I just might be trying for a million comments on my blog...
Alex:
ReplyDeleteI would think comments are more accurate than hits but publishers and editors can look up hits easier than tallying comments!
Memeorandum is fun to browse to see what folks are talking about.
:-)
Haha! Yes I have to say that the post I did for my WIP as a Movie (and the celebrity cast photos contained therein) got a lot of traffic for the images!
ReplyDeleteI finally changed the captions b/c I didn't want all that irrelevant traffic.
'Spose it's not a horrible thing tho!!
Hi Roland .. gosh Alex trying for a million comments - I love my commenters and frankly would rather have those than a million hits ..
ReplyDeleteBut I can see Sex does sell .. John Locke, EL James ...
I'd rather be here ... cheers Hilary
and PS thanks for the link over to Elizabeth and Diane for their stressed out characters ...
too late to advise against blog addiction. we're all hooked! otherwise we're be out doing something else.
ReplyDeletebut blogging offers me what I always wanted: readers and interst for my opinions.
Carissa:
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand: if one out of ten became regular visitors because they liked what they read or saw -- that would be a plus, right?
Hilary:
I thought you might like that article about stressed out characters -- why should fictional characters have it any better than the rest of us? :-)
Adriana:
To find like-minded friends is always great. Blogging can be such a great community. :-)
Some excellent advice here and some I suspect more tongue in cheek... I don't even know what my hit count is as I prefer comments and followers. A million does sound impressive though!
ReplyDeleteSo true about sex getting you hits. I titled a post Facefuckbook Sucks and it was my top hits post for a long time. Yes, many people search face+f... Go figure. Anyway, traffic is traffic, I guess. Relevant content is the best way to have a successful blog. You have that nailed.
ReplyDeleteNick:
ReplyDeleteYes, I was tongue in cheek -- also I was internet cut off by my failing server which is why I am just now responding -- sorry!
Shell Flower:
Relevant means we will find like-minded spirits that we can communicate with -- great, isn't it? :-)