Pay special attention to one of your readers
When I was in grade school, one of my favorite teachers, Miss Hanke, had an awesome weekly activity. She would choose a student of the week and call them to the front of the class, where she would praise them and have them tell a little about themselves. Oh, the excitement of having your name called! I remember standing before my classmates, proud that I was the one Miss Hanke noticed that week. Not only did I feel special, but the rest of the class felt the warm fuzzies, too, because she showed that she really cared about her students.
And that is the gist of today’s 31 dbbb lesson—highlighting a reader in some way that makes our readers feel valued. Sure, the person we spotlight feels special, but everyone gets the message that our readers are important to us.
Let’s make a reader famous!
Are you wondering what you could possibly do for your readers? According to Darren Rowse, paying attention to a reader is only limited by your imagination. Fortunately, for those of us with spotty imaginations, Darren gives us some great tips:
- Promote a comment to a post. Did a reader make a really great point in a comment, or touch you in some way? Why not highlight it in a follow-up post?
- Write a post about the reader’s blog. When you visit your commenters’ blogs, is there one that strikes your fancy? (You are visiting and commenting on your commenters’ blogs, right?) Write a blog review and tell your readers all about your blog crush.
- Send your readers to comment on another blog. Read something that resonated with you? Tell your readers why and ask them to join you in commenting on that post.
- Give readers an opportunity to promote themselves. Posts that ask people to leave a comment about their own blog always seem to generate a lot of traffic. Let’s face it, we bloggers want to plug ourselves…give us a free opportunity and we are there!
- Reader of the week. Be like Miss Hanke and highlight one of your readers in a weekly post. Everyone will be dropping by to see who the lucky pick is that week.
- Projects, memes and competitions. A bit more work, but worth it for spreading the love. I have really enjoyed running contests on my blog and have visited many blogs that use memes and competitions…all great ways to involve your readers.
- Run a reader poll and display the results in a post. Make sure to highlight some of the best poll comments in the follow-up post.
- Invite guest posts. Guest posts not only widen both your audience and the audience of your guest, but they allow readers a prominent position on your blog.
In the end, it all goes back to community. As you build others up, it only helps to build your own blog. As long as you are genuine, your readers will know that you appreciate them, and in turn will appreciate you.
Please share your plans for today’s activities in comments.
This is a guest post from Kianwi.
I found your on Donetta’s blog and am so glad I did. I too had a grade school teacher who made me feel special. Whenever she called on me I was nervous, but I was also giddy with excitement to share. What a wonderful idea. Sure am glad I found you. Will try to find you on FB and like your page!
So this is pretty late, the last week has been really hectic, but here is what I came up with: http://breakingmoulds.com/2013/07/26/the-noble-hero-complex-discussion-highlights-how-you-play/
I’ve been scratching my brain for awhile for how to do this one… I don’t have many long-time readers, yet, so I’m thinking of doing a post highlighting some quotes from the comments from my freshly pressed post on morality and games – I got a lot of super thoughtful comments, so maybe a “best of” that also includes a short blurb about that reader and their website? Just an idea… what do you guys think?
I still haven’t managed to get around to all the commenters’ pages and I really want to make that a priority so I’m thinking this might help give me extra incentive… but I also don’t want it to seem like I’m playing favourites or that I appreciate others’ comments less… I’m probably overthinking this.
File under “Projects, memes and competitions”
About a month ago, I started a link-up with fellow fashion bloggers which I titled “52 Pick-me-up”. It’s a weekly challenge on remixing items from one’s closet, with some not so typical prompts. Starting Wednesday, for instance, is “Choose your shoes first. Then get dressed.” My reader reward is that I illustrate one of the link-up outfits and send the blogger a jpg of the sketch. It’s been a lot of fun!
That sounds really fun. I’d be nervous and embarrassed to see my sketch. I wear the same three pairs of shoes, no matter the outfit. Do you have a wall of shame?
Ah, Erica, no need for nerves. I turn everyone into a supermodel. Sometimes I don’t even bother with the shoes, though I guess I’ll have to deal with them next week!
This link will give you a fast scroll-through of my sketches:
http://spygirl-amb.blogspot.com/search/label/fashion%20sketch
Must have one of those sketches! Let us know when the next challenge is up and we’ll come check it out.
Love this! I am not into fashion so much, but you make this appealing to anyone, and is a fabulous way of involving your readers. I will definitely check it out.
Copy away! I know you’ll put your own unique spin on it. Let me know if you decide to do this and when the page goes live.
I created a new page for my blog called “Couldn’t Have Said it Better.” I’ll select one comment per month (a week seemed too frequent) to highlight. I haven’t decided whether to write a post about the selected comment/reader each month or just keep adding to the page.
Ooh, that’s a great idea! I will have to check that page out on your blog and I may possibly copy, hope you don’t mind 🙂
I like that idea, too. I’m not certain what I will do with it yet, but you get the credit as my inspiration.
I got highlighted! I loved it! I feel like I really won something important. As a reader, it’s awesome. Especially made up for the fact that my husband is out of town (I know, I’m not supposed to say that on the internet) and my kids broke a window, killed a plant, and put sunscreen all over the house and in their eyeballs in a 20 minute period today.
And see, right there is why this lesson is a great idea! It makes people happy to get highlighted, even after a day of marauding children 🙂
Yay! This is proof that this concept works. I’m glad that this was something to cheer you up.