How do I gain a loyal following?

Hi Sarah,

I recently launched a blog at www.pocketyourdollars.com all about saving money in every area of life.  Locally, in Minneapolis/St Paul, it has been very successful and I have been featured on local TV and am gaining credibility as a local subject matter expert.  My question is: with so many similar-type blogs nationally, how can I broaden to a national audience and differentiate myself enough to gain a loyal following?

Thanks, Carrie Roch

Hi Carrie,

I think your blog has great potential to be huge!  I love what you are doing – especially love your honesty in recounting your personal story.  I do think this particularly sets you apart from a lot of other bloggers doing the same thing. Perhaps you should make MORE of that on your home page…what do you think of that?  Maybe something like “I went from here to here following my own suggestions and know you can too” sort of statement.  I think this could help attract readers and possibly help with your SEO as well. There could be more content on the home page too.  I was also thinking that if you could start to add some video that will help you be different from the similar sites.

As far as the “going national” part – I tend to feel that you should stay local and really develop the blog into something HUGE before you go national with it. Obviously you are on to something since the local TV channel responded. I would keep up with more local deals and earn the trust of your community as you work towards going national.

A great niche for you to pursue for more exposure might be Mommy blogs.  We (myself included) are always looking for a deal and ways to save on “stuff” and put the savings towards college……or in some cases (again like mine) private school.  Maybe you can take out some ads (they are usually fairly inexpensive) or get them to review your site. Some of them have a ton of readers so ask about the demographics too.

Also – images really help to “sell” the blog entry.  I think you could spiff up the look of your blog easily with a few simple changes and by adding photos to really make it a destination for anyone looking to put money in their own pockets!

Hope this is helpful,

Sarah

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Written by Sarah Shaw