What Does It Take to Get A Feature Blog?

Good question Patrick, I wish I new that one myself.

Hi Patrick - Featured posts are somewhat of a moving target in the Rain. Current events and major real estate topics are definitely good candidates. When you write about them, shoot for 3-500 words with an interesting title, good use of keywords, a couple of nice images or photos, and plenty of whitespace. There's a webinar called SEO Blog Training from AR University that explains this really well.

The AR Team also seems to like 'How-To' posts as well as AR success stories ("A buyer contacted me from one of my posts, and it led to a sale and two referrals ..."). Personally I've had posts that I thought were slam-dunk features that went nowhere, and others I wrote on the spur of the moment that did get the gold star.

Features are nice once in awhile, but keep focused on your target and provide quality content for your readers -- and those results will be far more valuable. Good luck!

Patrick - I've been a member of AR for about a year and a half and in that time have written almost 400 posts.  While I've had a few "featured," I've observed that there is not always logic in the selection process.  Some posts I've spend hours researching, and felt were well-written hardly received a comment, much less a "feature."  While other posts put together hurriedly, were featured and received dozens, sometimes hundreds of comments.

The best advice I can give is to write meaningful, interesting, and timely content.  Give the topic an unusual twist.  Or write something controversial; sometimes those posts receive lots of notice.  And titles are important. 

You are probably aware that members can recommend posts for a "feature."  Click the flag at the bottom of the post.  Just keep writing and you'll get noticed.

Try writing a local blog for your community, town, suburb that is original, or a local shopping area, restaurant,etc.

John - First and foremost, I just want to say that these are just my personal opinions based on my personal observations.  While both John #3 and John #4 are correct in saying that educational and informative posts have a good chance of getting noticed, read and flagged for a feature, unfortunately, it takes a lot more than that to get featured.  

Getting featured is not so much about what you post but rather how many subscribers and fans you have that will flag your posts to be featured.  In the 19 months that I've been blogging, the few features that I have received were mostly on my members only posts and only one was on one of my hyper local posts.  

You wonder why some mediocre posts get featured and other really fabulous posts don't?  Well, chances are that the mediocre post was written by some AR old-timer who has a gazillion subscribers who flag every thing and any thing they write regardless of how worthy and/or worthless it may be.  The really fabulous post was probably by some newbie who hasn't developed a following yet.

On another note John, let me ask you something?  Why did you join AR?  If it's to pick up as many subscribers and fans and points and features that you can, then focus your blog on member only posts, make your target audience the AR community.  Write posts that will interest them.  Subscribe to all the really popular bloggers here and comment on their posts and hopefully they will reciprocate with comments on yours and subscribe to you.  If your posts are well written, interesting, informative and educational and your comments sincere and meaningful (thats a whole other post), eventually you will rack up features and points and subscribers.

However, if you joined AR to increase your exposure to your local market in an effort to grow your business, focus on hyper local content, target your consumers, buyers and sellers in your local market.  AR has mad SEO and your posts will get noticed - consumers will find you.  Unfortunately, consumers aren't real big on commenting but what they will do is pick up the phone and call you or send you an email.  I speak from experience when I say this.

Lastly, consumers couldn't care less about your ranking, your features (or lack thereof) or your points.  What they do care about is what you know and how is that going to help them get a loan and what can you do for them.

Anyway, sorry for the long comment and for what it's worth, decide what it is you want to achieve here on AR.  The answer to that will help you determine the direction you need to be going with your blog.  JMHO

I will have to check out the link above... thanks for sharing it!

Have a great weekend!

Thanks,
Tom Davis

Great question! I've really learned some things reading the replies! I always thought it had something to do with the number of comments - but I have no idea why I thought that. I had a featured post last month - and I've been on the rain for YEARS blogging on and off. Was the featured blog my best post? Not in my opinion - but there you go...