A1: Engaged readers are advocates for your work! A reader will give you a view, a fan will get others to read too. #gswriterchat @GameSkinny
— Jay Ricciardi (@ThatJayR) February 17, 2016
Quintlyn: “The more engaged your audience is, the more likely they are to come back and share your content with others.”
How can I get more people to visit my portfolio, blog or site?
JR: Share it and tell people! Don’t expect someone to just find your work if they don’t know it exists.
How do I figure out who my audience is?
“Also, consider drafting up ‘reader personas’ to think about what common problems and interests your target readers have.”
Quintlyn: “They’ll figure it out for you. Create content you believe in & it will attract them. You can’t really force an audience.”
JR: “Typically, people share 3 things: A. Content that reaffirms their beliefs; B. Content they want to argue with/refute; and C. Content that will make them look helpful and knowledgeable to others. People also want to share things that help them demonstrate their emotional intelligence and empathy!”
Quintlyn: “Stuff that’s fun, makes them feel good, teaches them something or is interesting. Easy to consume and understand is a huge plus!”
What’s more important: followers, likes or shares/retweets?
“The more followers you have to share, the more followers you’ll bring in as a result of that sharing.”
JR: “It depends on what you define as success! Shares are often the most beneficial if you define success as reach & influence.”
Should I spend time commenting on other people’s blogs?
“This is also part of both getting your name out and participating in communities to understand your audience better. Do it!”
Quintlyn: “Yes! But makes sure your comments really add to the conversation.”
Quintlyn: “ It depends on what you’re looking for. People are more likely to interact with live, genuine responses. On a personal level, I quit following people who automate. But others may not care. The internet lets us to communicate with people we couldn’t have before. It helps if we ACTUALLY communicate.”
JR: “ It’s a good idea to have consistent tone for your internet presence, but I would strongly avoid having canned responses. You need to be genuine. Know who you are and what you want to support/advocate; don’t be a robot.”
Why is time spent on page important?
“ Also! More time spent on a reference-style page shows that people are actively keeping that page up to refer to for info.”
“ Use this information and look at your content to see what works and what doesn’t.”
Quintlyn: “Make good use of keywords. Make the topic apparent clear and apparent at the top of the arcicle…And seriously, interact with the people in your comment section. Google picks comments up too!”
JR: “Great question! To narrow it down to three… 1.Write excellent, authoritative content. There’s no shortcut there. 2. Provide value to your reader so they want to keep reading and sharing. 3. Format your work so it’s easy to read and understand. If it’s not, no one will stay on your content!”
How can I set and track engagement goals? What is realistic?
“It’ll become harder as your community grows, but try to make the effort. Honest engagement matters!”
JR: These goals will vary wildly from person to person, topic to topic. Just always strive to top what you’ve already done. For a start: analyze your performance and try to boost your numbers 10%+ for each article. Got 10 shares? Great, get 11. Set specific goals for your own, unique content & think critically about how and why you hit or miss those goals.”
What are your answers to some (or all) of the questions above? Share your thoughts and expertise in the comments below, and be sure to join us for our next Twitter Chat #gswriterchat.
