As bloggers, we rely on direct advertisements and paid promotions in order to make an income out of blogging. Once you started blogging, you’re going to work with advertisers who would see your readers as their potential customers. Advertisers will then come to you for the value that your authority will hold in moving your audience to action.
That said, the most pivotal part of your success as a blogger is going to depend on the amount of site traffic that you’re able to generate per month. With a sound content strategy and optimization, you’re one step closer to achieving that.
However, the reality of the situation is that ranking in search results will take time. So if you’re not taking measures in putting your content directly in front of your target audience, you’re going to miss out on the opportunity to boost your traffic sooner.
In today’s digital age, there are a number of ways to promote your blog without spending a dime. In an attempt to keep you from being overwhelmed, however, we’re going to focus on approaches that have proven to be effective in drawing more readers in as little time as possible.
Ways to promote your blog
1. Use email marketing
Building an email list is crucial for any bloggers because it helps you build and maintain a relationship with your readers. An effective email marketing strategy begins with placing opt-in forms in your posts.
At this stage, it is ideal to make your forms as attractive and interesting as possible—this increases your chances of inviting more readers in your email list. To achieve this, it is essential that you use a good email marketing tool such as ConvertKit. This will help you with design, analytics, and automation, leading you to have a smooth-running email marketing process in no time.
2. Streamline your social media marketing tactics
There’s a reason why brands love social media—a lot of people use it for learning, a lot of people use it to interact with others, and it’s free. On top of this, it creates an opportunity for your readers to share your content with their friends, expanding your reach to a wider audience.
Before launching, it would be best for you to set up social media pages for your blog. This ensures that even your earliest readers will have a chance to connect with you in real-time.
3. Use the Pinterest trick
This technically falls under social media but Pinterest is in a realm of its own. Just like most social media sites, this one’s being used to share content. But unlike other sites, gaining more reach on Pinterest is not limited to those who have a significant following. With this site, you can get your content in front of a larger audience simply by joining group boards that have a lot of followers and good re-pin rate.
A good Pinterest strategy is this: create a business account on Pinterest, join group boards (check out Pingroupie for help), create boards that are relevant to your niche, create a board that would showcase your best posts, and schedule your posts through Tailwind.
I’d suggest creating a schedule that pins your post on your showcase board, on all of your relevant personal boards, and on all of your relevant group boards. Have them pinned on the day you published the post with an hour or two gap between each Pinterest board.
You should also take note of your featured image’s design. If you’re not well-equipped with photo editing skills, consider using a tool such as Canva which lets you create Pinterest-ready images at no cost. In creating your image, make sure that you are using an attention-grabbing photo with a 2:3 aspect ratio and highlight your blog post title. Here’s an example:
4. Take advantage of relevant communities online
Another great way to reach out to your potential readers is through the help of online communities.
Just like planning your content, you’re also going to see better results when your promotional initiatives are customized to your target audience. My preferred method of doing this is to create a list of blogs with the same niche as you then use a site called SimilarWeb to see their traffic sources. It’s a great way of getting an insight about the most effective means of attracting your target demographic and consequently knowing the approaches that you should prioritize.
Other ways to promote your blog
 • Write guest posts for other blogs in the same niche
 • Connect with people who’ve shared similar content as yours
 • Connect with other bloggers who’ve written similar topic as yours
 • Incorporate your website URL in your email signature
 • Speak at events and mention something about your blog
 • Research the optimal posting time for your niche and create a publishing schedule around this
 • Engage with your readers by responding to comments left in your blog post
 • Encourage your readers to share your post by adding social sharing buttons in your blog post
Your Turn
Start building your email list by signing-up for an email marketing tool of your choice. This lets you set up a system for collecting email addresses from your readers. Next, create social media accounts for your blog. This process only requires a few details and should take you just a couple of minutes to complete.
Summary
No matter which tactics above you choose to incorporate in your promotional strategy, remember that proper planning, keyword research, and producing high-quality content will drive your blog’s success in the long term. Building a loyal following and creating a steady stream of traffic takes time, but the journey towards achieving this is what makes blogging so interesting.
That’s all for now, check back soon as we know more about the different ways to monetize a blog!