This site contains affiliate links. Please see Policies for more information.
Looking for more blogging tips? Everything But the Posts, my new book, gives tips about setting up a blog, connecting with your community, and monetizing. It’s available in paperback, on Kindle, Nook, and iBooks.
__________________
Since leaving my job and staying home to concentrate on my business and blog, I’ve learned a few things that have helped my blog almost double it’s pageviews. Today I’m sharing them all with you :)
It’s important to note that my definition of “viral” is when your post receives five times your average traffic within a week. The term “internet viral” refers to posts that receive tens of thousands of pageviews a day and are something left a little more to chance, but can definitely be helped along with these tips!
1. Give Every Post A Pinnable Image Now that Pinterest is so popular, it seems that everyone on the web is pinning everything. Pins are extra awesome because they have long-term rewards–someone could pin a post from your site today and down the road it could go viral. Making your post images pinnable with text and a great image help to catch pinner’s eyes and make them want to repin your content to their boards.
2. Pin Your Posts More Than Once The same social media rules that apply to facebook and twitter apply to Pinterest–share multiple times. To avoid having duplicate pins on one board, create several boards that each image can be pinned to. I have a board especially for My Crazy Good Life. I also have one for recipes, a board for healthy recipes and fitness tips, and boards for each of my kids. One recipe post can be pinned in all of those places, maximizing the pinners who see (and share) it. You can see some more Pinterest tips for bloggers here.
3. Share Your Old Posts Many bloggers share their previous content using a plugin. Here are a few reasons this isn’t the way to go:
- You have limited control over what is shared You can tell the plugin which categories to share but unless you have gone through those categories with a fine-tooth comb you’ll eventually be sharing closed giveaways or posts that aren’t relevant anymore.
- You’ll be sharing the same message with each post From what I’ve experienced, each post that is shared using a plugin begins the same. I don’t know about you, but as soon as I see, “From the archives…” I focus my attention on something else.
- You can’t relate your posts to the season I want to share all of my fall and Halloween themed posts in the few months before Halloween–not in February. Unless you manually change the categories being shared you don’t have control over this.
Though a bit more time consuming, I’ve been using Buffer to manually share my previous posts. The one thing I don’t love about blogging is that if you’re not sharing previously written posts, they are lost under all of your new content. I sit down once a week and add my favorite posts to Buffer, write a personal message to accompany them and share away. I usually post twice a day to my facebook page and 3-4 times a day to twitter. This has easily doubled my numbers.
4. Use good Search Engine Optimization Posts that aren’t “SEOd” aren’t being seen. This is fine for the posts I write about my daily life, my InstaFriday posts or posts I write to remember things the boys do. Those posts are for me. The posts I want people to find are my recipes, party ideas and tips for tweens and teens. I use the SEO by Yoast plugin for my SEO.
5. Find new blogs Finding new blogs and leaving meaningful comments is a great way to grow your blog. You can do this by finding your favorite blogs and looking in the comment section for bloggers who have left comments – this way you’ll find like-minded bloggers that are good at interacting.
What tips do you have for creating content that goes viral?
I like the suggestions here. Tips # 2, 3, and 5 are some ideas that I hadn’t really thought about before.
I definitely have to take some time and make pinnable images for pre-Pinterest posts!
What a great post! ITA about SEO – it’s so important! I equate it to a great big community jar of marbles. If you just drop another marble into the jar, it won’t do much of anything to get anyone’s attention. But if you paint that sucker red & purple polka dot, someone is going to notice it!
Yes! That’s a great way to think of it!
Love this! Thanks Becca.
This is great Becca! I never thought about pinning the same images in other boards, great tip! All my traffic these days is coming from Pinterest. It’s crazy.
I’m a new follower {and blogger} and am loving your posts about blogging and social media. I’ve learned a lot from you in a short amount of time. I’m really starting to see why this blogging thing is so great!
Thank you, Kate! I’m glad you’re learning new tips over here – I love that! And I totally agree – blogging is pretty awesome :)
Great post! I would add networking in groups related to your business – particularly on Facebook and LinkedIn. I found you from the #startexp!
I agree, Sarah – those are great ideas!
Great advice! Thanks so much for sharing.
I think having great content is really important too. The posts I’ve had go viral have all been ones that really resonate with the reader and they share them like crazy. I do agree with ALL of your tips – great ideas!
I agree, Amanda! I actually had that down as one, but then realized that “great content” is kind of biased–we all think we have great content. Maybe “write content that resonates with your readers?” You said it best, I think.
those are great ideas….These days I work on my blog to see how I can improve it.I will try idea no 2,usually I pin one time only.Will try to pin again in a different time…
For no 5,I found joining with ‘linky parties’ are also a great way to find new blogs…
Thanks for the informative post!
These are great ideas! As a new blogger, I really appreciate posts like this. Thank you! Interacting on Twitter has not only gained me readers but has put me on to some great blogs.
Thanks for stopping by! Twitter is an amazing tool for blogging!
Im the biggest one direction fan in the world
Two questions:
1. Where do you get your images that get Pinterest traffic? Do you make them yourself, buy them, or get them from creative commons images?
2. Do you need to have a Pinterest following in order for your pins to get traffic?
Hi J.T.! I’m so sorry, I missed this question somehow!
I create my images using PicMonkey, photos that I take or photos I download from photosharing services such as Unsplash or iStockPhoto.
Yes, you need to have followers. Otherwise, nobody will see your images! You don’t need a huge following, though, as one repin could set off a series of someone else’s followers repinning your posts.
Nice tip on finding like minded people via comments. I never thought about that. Thanks!
Thank you!
You had me in your bio at loves all Margaritas! :) Loved reading what is working for you and definitely want to check out buffer. Thanks again!
Thanks, Angie! We should have a virtual margarita sometime ;)
I have found Pinterest to be balky – when I pin something and then go back to add the source it takes FOREVER and sometimes doesn’t take. I get frustrated with it.
Tami, I’ve noticed a few things recently with Pinterest. I wonder if they’re just having a few issues lately?
Operation Post-Old-Posts to commence! Thanks for the advice. :)
Get to it, girl!
Great Advice! I need to start repining my pins! :)
Since self hosting, I have learned so much! Attending Bloggy Boot Camp taught was a great way to improve my blog. I am trying out Buffer. Thanks for the tip!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing! I think sometimes we forget it’s ok to go back over our old posts and share them again or even freshen them up some.