Google, Metrics & Analytics, RSS, Strategy
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7 Tips to Build Consistent RSS Reader Growth

Posted by John Saddington on Jan 27, 2009

rss_increase

I’ll be the first to admit it: I’m a stat-junkie.

And it’s not necessarily for the ego-boost (well, ok… a little) but really it’s about continually improving the quality of my content and it gives me “measurements of success” as I continue to do what I do.

If my goal is to be the most effective for the most people then I’ve got to continually improve as well as create content that is valuable. Statistics can help provide the guidelines and boundaries and be a litmus test for your “effectiveness.”

So, if you’re into “Missional Blogging,” here are 7 nuggets that might help you continually grow that RSS Reader base. They’ve worked for me:

1. Content – This is it as they say. It’s obvious, I know. But it needs to be good. Do your best. Don’t publish it if it’s not. Take it seriously. Think about it: If a first time visitor comes to your site and it’s some s0-so content, they might not return, and certainly won’t subscribe.

2. Frequency – You have to post consistently. Notice how I didn’t say that you have to post a lot. Just consistently. It matters. Trust me. Scheduling works. Do it.

3. Focus – Sure, you’ve got tons of different ideas and things you’d like to blog about. Don’t. Seriously. Target a handful of interests that you are seriously passionate about. I’m passionate about Vanilla Bean icecream, trust me (ask my wife), but you won’t find my dedicating posts to it here. That wastes my time and reader’s time.

4. Visible – Make your RSS button visible. I knew this, but “forgot” it when I did my redesign. I just added some sweet icons/buttons on the right side. It certainly can be more obvious. I need to work on this for this site and my other one. And don’t forget to notice that I was “sneaky”: 2 of those icons head to my RSS feed.  Puaha..!

5. Email – Email subscription still works. Trust me. I’ve got a handful of subscribers that get my posts in their inbox every-single-day-every-time-I-post. I love it. They even forward it to friends. Wow, that’s called “traffic” people.

6. Everything – One of the things that really gets me is when some people have the audacity to give only “snippets” of content in their RSS Feeds. See the White House’s blog snippet in my Google Reader? Forcing me to “click through” to see the obviously boring content is not going to make me happy. I’d rather read it all right there without leaving the comfort of my reader. Please give Full RSS Feeds.

whitehouse_gov_blog

7. Reason to Return – Give them a good reason to return. This is where you can be creative with your approaches. The sky is the limit here. Do something out of the ordinary, be daring, spin it up, break the rules. Give them something to talk about.

Any other tricks and tips I’m missing?

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John Saddington

John is the Chief Editor @ The 8BIT Network and Senior Blog Junkie here at ChurchCrunch.He enjoys Triple-Tall Americanos, developing Wordpress Themes, and a few other Random Things.

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16 Responses to “7 Tips to Build Consistent RSS Reader Growth”

  1. ryanbrymer
    Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    Dig it. I'm all about getting the complete post and not just little snippets. I'll unsubscribe and stop reading if I don't get the full story… most of the time.

    Reply
  2. Ben Cotten
    Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 6:17 pm

    My two blog pet peeves: partial feeds and having to register to comment. Full feeds don't keep me from commenting, but partial feeds keep me from reading. I usually just don't bother to click through.

    Having to register and remember another username/password WILL keep me from commenting and sometimes it irritates me enough to not come back if I have problems with a password or have to wait for a confirmation email. If I like a blog's content, I'll comment. But if it's not convenient to comment, I won't bother.

    Reply
    • human3rror
      Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 5:44 am

      dude, registering for comments makes me insta-shut the browser window or go back. HATE THAT!

      Reply
  3. Phillip Gibb
    Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 6:54 pm

    If you are not posting often then I am loosing interest.
    The only thing I like about signing in to comment is that I leave a url foot print that can lead people to my blog ;-)

    Reply
    • human3rror
      Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 5:43 am

      content is important…! ;)

      Reply
  4. Phillip Gibb
    Tuesday, January 27, 2009 at 7:19 pm

    whoo, shot man!! I just got my feed burning and email subscription going as well

    (I can't seem to get this login right)

    Phillip Gibb

    Reply
  5. Rodlie Ortiz
    Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 3:51 am

    thanks for reminding me about the rss feed button. I just added mine.

    Reply
  6. Scott Fillmer
    Wednesday, January 28, 2009 at 10:31 pm

    great list, and consistent growth is what you will end up getting out of it too, thanks

    Reply
    • human3rror
      Thursday, January 29, 2009 at 5:32 am

      :) of course. no guarantee, but, just suggestions.

      Reply
  7. tommy
    Monday, February 2, 2009 at 1:39 am

    This is very helpful, thanks. What surprises and impresses me is how fast churchcrunch has amassed subscribers. Any advice here?

    Reply
  8. human3rror
    Monday, February 2, 2009 at 2:42 am

    The growth has been a few bucks short of “meteoric.” this isn't a surprise since I've been blogging since 2001 and have attempted to put all the “best practices” from experience and my corporate days into one basket…

    there are a few posts (hopefully) coming out that should help others do the same. it's not luck, it's close to “scientific”… but it does take some strategy, lots of planning, and prayer.

    :)

    Reply
    • tommy
      Monday, February 2, 2009 at 2:51 am

      Looking forward to these posts. I particularly appreciate the "good content" advice. I do a lot of pruning, but still need to hold my horses some times. That's what twitter's for…

      Reply
  9. human3rror
    Monday, February 2, 2009 at 3:02 am

    :) pruning is a good thing…!

    Reply
  10. Mikes
    Friday, July 3, 2009 at 10:32 pm

    no additional tips that I can give. Oh well with more than a thousand subscribers, you are the RIGHT person to give the tips!

    Reply