Are you your blog’s only faithful reader? Do you want to make your blog go viral?
How many visitors have you received in the lifetime of your blog?
When you divide that figure by the number of blog posts you have written, what is your visitor to post ratio?
A number of bloggers – a good number – publish blog post after blog post without any commensurate traffic.
How do you know if you belong in that category? If you are getting no traffic, you don’t need a seer to tell you; the sound of the crickets is enough to tell you all else are quiet.
A lot of bloggers panic when they realize they are getting no traffic and their knee-jerk reaction is to write more blog posts believing that they will even out in the numbers.
Sadly, they never see the relationship between the kind of content they are writing and the poor traffic and conversions they are getting – which, surprisingly, is clearly in view.
I mean, just heading over to a successful blog in your niche, you can look for trends in their most popular content and find out what works.
Writing such posts and promoting them using similar tactics can help you mirror the results they are getting.
In this post I will highlight three content types that easily go viral, and show you how to write them.
This post is really important especially if you are having challenges driving traffic to your site and engaging with your audience.
The content types include:
- List posts
- Ultimate guides and
- Guest posts.
Leveraging on these content models can radically change the traffic profile of your blog. In the following part of this post, I will consider these content types and demonstrate why they are so effective.
1. Write a list post
List posts are very popular because of their easy to read format.
Of late, more and more bloggers are finding it effective to use lists to help spread their content from one person to the other.
If you need any confirmation, check out the top social bookmarking sites and see which contents make it to the first page. You will be surprised to note that lists are in the majority.
Alternatively, you may take a look at the some of your favorite blogs and check out their most popular posts.
How many of them are list posts?
list posts work!
Four examples of lists posts types to inspire you into seeing the possibilities:
20 Types of Pages that Every Blogger Should Consider
This post uses a list with an image for each item in the list. This powerful technique works so well when you consider the eye-grabbing effect each image has on the corresponding item.
Ten Digital Nomads to Learn From
This list post uses what Chris Corbett calls the “Shining Examples” model to highlight bloggers that fit the mold he focused on.
Top 5 Benefits of Guest Blogging on Popular Blogs
The ‘top’ list post model may well be the commonest example of list post.
8 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content
This post presents a guide in the list format – detailing simple tips to achieve reader engagement.
Why are list posts so effective?
Simply put, list posts are easy to read and a great way make a complicated subject more accessible to persons without much time on their hands. Ironically, Brian Clark uses a list post here to declare that list posts are dead.
Of course, he was joking, for he has published hundreds of lists since then. If for anything, his post was a reinforcement that they are here to stay.
Some bloggers say they can no longer stand list posts, claiming the technique is overused and a sign of mental laziness, but who says a list post cannot be well researched and thorough?
2. Write an ultimate guide if you want to make your blog go viral
Have you ever read an ultimate guide?
I hope for your sake that the one you read was a worthy example, for the fact that a blogger chooses to call a post “the ultimate guide” does not necessarily make it one.
If you write a 750 word article, it may be an excellent post, but hardly an ultimate guide.
Take your time to craft a long blog post that delves into all aspect of a topic of interest in your niche. Include videos, slides and as many examples as possible.
If you do not have media you have created that you can include, embed other people’s stuff that helps make your point.
A good ultimate guide is usually a long post – not long just for the sake of satisfying length expectations, but because it is thorough and provides answers to all the major questions a reader may ask before getting a grasp on a subject.
An example I do not get tired of referencing is Oni Bamidele’s The Ultimate Guide to Guest Blogging. That post is just a few words short of 4000 words, not to mention the graph, charts, screen shots and other worthy examples that fill up the post.
As of the time of this writing, that the post has received 65 backlinks as well as more than a thousand social shares. Exciting feedback, you will agree!
For details on how to create and promote your ultimate guide, read Kriti Hines’ guest post published on KissMetrics: Creating Ultimate Guides and Using Them to Build Your Marketing List.
3. Guest Post on popular blogs
Disclaimer: This does not really qualify as a content type. It is more of a content marketing strategy, but I have added it here as a bonus of necessity.
I feel sad when I see beginner bloggers pile content on content in their blog, putting in the sweat-equity without getting anything in return.
While it is true that guest bloggers should ensure that the home-front is not a desert land before bringing in the crowd, I think if you have 10 quality blog posts your blog is more than ready for traffic.
Some bloggers have made huge traffic returns from guest posts that are sent to a page with just an email form. A good example is Devesh of Blogpreneurs. For months before publishing a single post on www.blogpreneurs.com, Devesh directed traffic from guest posts to a signup page on the site. Is it any surprise that Blogpreneurs is fast becoming an ‘overnight’ success?
So how do you proceed to use guest posting as a blog reader acquisition strategy?
It begins with identifying blogs that are where you want to be!
- Follow them,
Tweet their content, - Comment on their posts and
Pitch for guest post placement opportunities.
If your ideas are good, most bloggers will let you into their space.
When your guest post pitch is accepted, my advice is to write the most awesome post you have ever written. It is sad that some bloggers save their best posts for their own blogs, while sending out inferior content as guest posts.
Big mistake!
If your content is too weak to put on your blog, then the only place it is good enough is in the trash can. To get more, you must be reader to give more. If you follow the quality of guest posts writers like Oni Bamidele, Dany Inny and Jon Morrows write, you will discover it is no surprise that they have found massive success.
As soon as your post goes live, make sure you stay online with the audience and reply to comments and generally moderate the discussion. A good idea would be to subscribe to the comments on the post as soon as it is published, so you receive email alerts from the blog whenever someone leaves a comment.
Do you consider that too much of a hassle?
Remember, the purpose of your guest posting is to get traffic for your blog. Few readers will follow you home if you rudely ignore their comments. More importantly, it would be unfair to the blogger that hosts you to abandon moderation of the discussion on your post to the host.
Secondly, it is unfair to you who took out the time to write the post, since that would be handing over the credits for the guest post to the host.
Putting it all Together
This post is just a blog post.
Reading it will only give you knowledge, but knowledge in itself cannot give you traffic. It is the application of these ideas – the putting of the skills learned into practice that gives results.
If you decide to read this, comment and move on to the next “great post”, months later, and your blog may still be in a rut.
Use the three blog post ideas above – list posts, ultimate guides and guest posts – to stand out from the crowd, get your blog noticed, and finally become the expert you have always wanted to be.
And if you found this post useful, please share it in your social circle. I’d appreciate that; thank you!
Yeremi Akpan is the founder of Pro Blogger Tips, a blog where he provides advice on how bloggers can build an audience for their blogs. His freelance writing service is designed to meet the content needs of busy bloggers.
Hi Yeremi,
thanks for sharing your insights. Obviously, doing more of what doesn’t work won’t cut it so writing more posts when we don’t get any traffic won’t cut it. We need to write what people want to read and present it in an way that can by digested easily by people. That’s why list posts are successful.
Best,
Oliver
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Oliver,
That’s quite so true! The web is a very busy place and people appreciate it when you take the effort to format (at least some of) your posts in an easy to digest manner.
Great to have you here and thanks for the feedback.
~Yeremi
Read more: Three Blog Post Types to Help You Infect Your Blog With a Virus
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Oliver,
That’s quite so true! The web is a very busy place and people appreciate it when you take the effort to format (at least some of) your posts in an easy to digest manner.
Great to have you here and thanks for the feedback.
~Yeremi
Prashant says
Hi Yeremi,
List posts are important part of blg’s success. All the big blogs I saw till now have at least one or two list posts every week.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Prashant,
I have noticed similar figures too. You will also notice that those posts have considerably higher engagement levels. Thanks for the comment!
Aditya says
Hi Yeremi,
I think having a handful of posts ready to be published will bring a lot of difference to anyone.This post reminds me of something which i have never research in such a detail.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hello Aditya,
Thanks for your kind words. Building a portfolio of ready to be published blog posts is indeed a smart strategy.
Nishant says
Great Post Jane….
especially that ultimate guide idea is really good, i am gonna try it out
hope to get a good amount of traffic
Thankyou
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Nishant,
Glad you like the idea. Ultimate guides are indeed a good traffic strategy. When you implement this, the results will speak for themselves…
Chadrack says
Hi Yeremi,
I cannot but agree with you all the way! I especially love the idea about the ultimate guide post. And the way you pointed to other resources in the post shows that you are not just talking the talk but practicing what you are preaching!
I’m penciling that idea on my to do list. Might just come out with one very soon. Thanks for sharing.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Chadrack,
Thanks for your kind words. I have noticed ultimate guides are excellent content types, and I am in fact working on one.
I really appreciate your taking time to leave a comment. I will be looking out for your ultimate guide…
Chadrack says
I read that post at KissMetrics and I must say that is a powerful one. I’m actually going to do something in that line. There is so much on my hands right now but I really look forward to doing it.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hey Chadrack,
That post wowed me also! I want to write like that when I grow up…
Nice post. I’ve never thought about writing list blog posts before. I can see how they would be more attractive for readers, being easier to read etc. Think I shall give this method a try in my next blog post and see what kind of reception it gets.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Tracy,
Great to have you here and YES list posts are indeed easier on the eyes.
Most bloggers are busy and may not have the time to go through text-dense content, but with a list post they can easily scan and get the message.
Hi I think writing an ultimate guide is a bit beyond me at the moment as my blog posting is in its infancy. What I will try is list posting though. I haven’t tried this yet and it sounds very attractive. Like you say though I won’t over do the list posting. It might well though help mix my posts up a bit.
So for great info thanks lee
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Lee,
Thanks for your honest feedback. Writing an ultimate guide is hard work, not a walk in the park. It takes time and effort to accomplish.
The trick is to see it as if you were working on a mini eBook. Start first with an idea for your guide and break it down to an outline. Overtime, you may flesh it out as needed.
Of course, you can have great results with list posts in the mean time. Just make sure you make it a valuable resource.
Angela says
Thanks so much! I’m going to put ‘write an ultimate guide’ on my list of blog ideas!
I’ve already started with the lists and find them to be successful!
Yeremi Akpan says
Hey Angela,
Thanks for stopping by!
I wish you all the best with your ultimate guides. I can assure you that you will find them as successful as the list posts.
Listing blog post is something that I adopted not long ago and since then I have seen a lot of success on my blog. I will advise people who haven’t tried it to go ahead and give it a shot.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Steven,
Thanks for the vote!
I really appreciate hearing you are also having successes with list posts.
In my experience, list posts are the easiest to read and that has a bearing on the level of traction they receive.
List posts are one f the best ways to go if you want to go viral.
There are many list posts generated everyday, so you will have to be very unique and offer the best resources.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Samuel,
Truly said!
Going by the number of list post generated on a daily basis, one has to write them not just because they are easy to write (the good ones are not, believe me), but because they are easier to read.
Put as much work into your list post and make them resourceful, and they should stand out from the crowd.
This post is a list post, but I bet it is so thorough that most persons may quickly forget they are reading a list.
Hi Yeremi,
Yes I agree with you initially I too thought that to use low quality post on other blogs but I was wronf now am submitting my best article as guest post.
~@khajamoin1
Yeremi Akpan says
Hey Khaja,
That is one of the classic mistakes beginner guest post writers make. If it is good advice not to wash your dirty linen in public, should the same not apply to your dirty posts?
When I write guest posts, I put my best foot forward - aiming to please not just my host but also my audience.
If you intend to make any impact with a guest post, then it should live up to the challenge of the best posts on the host blog. Otherwise, you are defeated even before you started. Your post would land without a thud, and die in the archive uneventfully.
Anton Koekemoer says
Hi Yeremi,
Great ideas you’ve shared with us on how to get your blog and or website to go viral – Well, at least increase the chance. Great post, Thanks for sharing.
Yeremi Akpan says
The pleasure is all mine, Anton!
Of course, this post does not have all the answers but I daresay it points any serious blogger in the right direction.
Sneha says
hie Yeremi,
You have given answers of my so many questions.
The most important is how can i write a post without getting bored of writing as well as my visitors also love to go through my blog post.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hi Sneha,
Thanks so much for leaving a comment.
It means so much when readers tell me how much they enjoy my post!
Hi, Yeremi !
Your Blog has given valuable suggestions as to what content type can be selected so as to drive traffic to our sites. You have clearly explained their benefits too. It is really helpful indeed.
Regards.
Ramit
Yeremi Akpan says
Hey Ramit,
It is a pleasure to have you.
If you put the tips in this post to good use, you can bet on getting a payload of traffic knocking on your door.
The challenge, of course, is applying the tips we learn. Sadly, when the tips become much, the tendency to relapse into overload mode becomes high.
The trick is to pick up one thing in a post we must implement and start work on it when we still feel strongly about it.
Hey Yeremi
You have explained it in really simple and effective way here. Traffic is something that every blogger look for as they want to reach more and more people. A blogger needs to find out where he is going wrong and what isn’t working and then take a step in the right direction. Thanks for this great insight.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hey Richa,
Thanks for the vote!
In blogging as well as in any venture worth doing, continued self assessment is highly needed.
Well said…
Disha says
Hi Yeremi,
well explain how does blog post Infect on Blog with a Virus. Its really helpful way for blog. I am totally favor of “Write an ultimate guide’ I personally think 750 word article, is enough for blog & it will surely get attract blog readers.
Yeremi Akpan says
Hey Disha,
Thanks for leaving a comment. True, 750 words are enough for the average blog post. However, if you are writing an ultimate guide, the level of details required surely requires more depth.