Take a quick scroll through ActiveRain's blog roll and what do you notice?
How many of the 20 posts on the page make you want to click the post? Probably not many of the 20 made the cut, so how do you increase the odds that YOUR post is one that gets seen and opened?
Consider the blog roll your storefront. Block after block of other writers trying to grab attention from a sea of people making snap decisions about how to spend their time. If you know human behavior, there are things you can do to catch their eye and increase the chances you get the click.
There are three key elements for your post on the blog roll
1. Feature photo
You can believe content is king (queen, jester, and the rest of the royal court) but many (most?) humans are visually driven, so having a Featured Photo is step 1 in getting attention on the blog roll, and it's easy enough to add when you're creating a post. Just click "Choose File" and upload.
Now I'm not saying just ALL featured photos are created equally. Whether you use pixabay.com, an AI image creator, or something from your on camera, having something that is eye catching is key. And bonus tip, Featured Photos are required to have a Featured post.
Bottom line, if you skip adding a Featured Photo, you lose a huge opportunity to catch attention.
2. Title
Here's your chance to grab attention and give an indication of what is inside. You can go sensational (Why I Punched My Client!), factual (3 Tips To Improve Your Blogging Results), bait and switch (How To Make Your Bedroom Life Better (with tips from your favorite home stager). You can break the rules of don't talk about sex, religion and politics, or go all in.
Bottom line, a title is the bait on the hook. Right bait gets a nibble. Wrong bait gets ignored.
3. Author
Reputation matters.
If you're a 10 post marketing report blog roller, comments turned off, repeat every day an have no interaction with the community, odds are VERY VERY low anyone but the consumer is going to click is low.
If on the other hand, you consistently supply posts that provide education, entertainment, value to other members, interact with the community, etc., you have a much higher likelihood of having any post you write gain engagement, even if your title isn't on point and you didn't add a featured photo.
Bottom line, reputation isn't established overnight, but is a product of sustained performance in the community.
If you can hit the trifecta of a good featured photo, a good title and a good community reputation, your odds of your post being clicked and read are significantly better.
Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help,
Bill & Liz aka BLiz
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