How to Double Your Subscribers While Blogging Half as Often

A rapper performing on stage.

Dear Readers!

Are you still with me? Then say “Yeah!”. I can’t hear ya! Say “Yeaaah!!!”. All the ladies say “Heeeey!”. All the gents say “Ho, ho!”

Why? I’m sick and tired! Not of blogging particularly. Or rather I’m sick because of being too tired. That’s why I blogged less and less on SEO 2.0 – my blog here.

And do you know what? Yes, you know, you read the title already: I got many more subscribers despite blogging far less often.

Even if you only take those two feed readers I basically doubled my subscriber number. It means more than 100% growth of subscriptions. No kidding!

It might sound pretty contradictory to get twice as many subscribers by only blogging half as often.

Yes it is on the first glance so I ask you to examine the top 5 techniques that allowed me to accomplish this daunting task.


Change Your Focus!

To get more subscribers focus on the subscribers. At beginning of SEO 2.0 I had to focus on social media to get the word out.

Later – after achieving social media success – I had to offer a lasting and recurring value to those who chose to stay with me.

While blogging for social media is like a one night stand, blogging for your subscribers is more like a lasting relationship.

In order to please the casual one night stand social media participant you have to look spectacular or at least appear to be spectacular.

Your long term partner on the other hand prefers you neat and tidy while also offering new insights and ideas, instead of just looking spectacular repeatedly.


How to Make Returning Visitors Happy

Happy man wearing a grey t-shirt and a dark hat looking up in the sky from a sitting position.

Then what exactly must be done to make your subscribers happy? There are many ways to improve your blog for regular readers! Here are my favorites:

1. Cover the same topic again and again, while not repeating yourself but elaborating each time a little more.

Add the experience you gained in the time that passed since the last time you covered it. Don’t repeat yourself.

2. Try to reach a consensus on what each of your subscribers agrees more or less and start your posts with retelling what the consensus is. This can be a very broad one.

For instance on SEO 2.0 I guess most of my subscribers and returning visitors agree that something really has changed about the Web.

The Web has become more social and less technical and thus SEO as we “know it” can’t remain unchanged. It has to evolve.

3. Be true to your established style. Most probably your subscribers have subscribed to your blog because of your style of blogging which must be unique in some sense.

It’s about what information you choose to convey and how.For instance on SEO 2.0 I won’t bother you with what Google says on paid links. I’m way beyond that.

In contrast I will tell you which social media tool is a must try instead. I do not review such services every day so if I do you know I must have good reasons for that.

Besides I make you laugh! Why? How dare you ask, you infidel! It’s just because I’m Tad Chef the funny money maker…

Did I already mention that I’m Tad Chef the SEO destroyer! I’m Tad Chef, the first SEO rock star! Sorry, I digress…

4. Socialize with fellow like minded bloggers by engaging with them, joining bloggers’ groups on social networks and supporting each other with advice.

For instance a blogging friend of mine had a basic SEO question one day and I replied. A day later he tipped me off that a post of mine has been ripped and shared on another site.

Other bloggers are most likely to subscribe to your feed as they all use feed readers in the first place to cope with the amount of information the net offers each day.

5. Ask your subscribers what they want, offer some choices! You wonder who is most prone to comment on your blog?

Your most ardent readers, those who apparently subscribed, or at least your often silent subscribers.

Those who seemingly get informed instantly each time you publish something, like Glen does. This time I want to ask you again which post do you want to read next:

  1. 10 Ways to Improve [a Popular Tool]
  2. 10 Ways to Improve [a Niche Community]
  3. Why Bloggers Should Use [Unknown Tool] for [Common Use Case]
  4. [Important Title Everybody Should Read] Book Review
  5. 7 Blog Posts Which Inspired Me Most Last Month
  6. [Search Engine] Webmaster Tools Features Review
  7. [Advanced Tool] SEO Software Review
  8. SEO vs SEO 2.0: Top 10 Differences
  9. 25 SEO Companies That Sport a Great Web Design
  10. How to Get Every Single Post of Your Blog Shared

Well, just to name a few as usual ;-) Choose up to three favorites and tell me your choice in the comments! Say “Yes, yesss!”

Updated: April 25th, 2018. I added a teaser image, subheadings, line breaks, a meta description and generalized the post, especially the ideas at the bottom so that they make sense in a new context as well.