DISQUS

Instigator Blog: 10 Things To Do After You Launch Your Blog

  • David Airey · 2 years ago
    Nice Ben.

    See with the FeedBurner email sig? I couldn't get the graphic to appear. Instead it showed just a line of code.

    I wonder if this is correct and that after the recipient opens it they will see the graphic, or should you be able to view your graphic in your own email program?

    Thanks.
  • Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago
    David,

    If you're using Gmail you have to add an extra workaround step --

    1. You've probably added the code to your signature in the Settings right?

    2. When composing a new email cut the FeedBurner code.

    3. See the < > in the toolbar above the email? Click that and paste the code in there and click OK.

    It should now show up as a rotating headline graphic in the email itself.

    Kind of a pain to have to do it all the time, but you get used to it.
  • Daniel · 2 years ago
    Thanks for the mention Ben!

    Also this is a great action plan for beginners, I will refer them here if they ask me how to promote your blog on the initial stages.
  • William Tully · 2 years ago
    Now this is a great post!

    I've started another blog as a side project, and now trying to remember the trial and error method I did with my main blog, is a bit challenging.

    Thanks for the reminder!
  • Easton Ellsworth · 2 years ago
    Tip 11: Open Your Mouth. Blogging is a talker's realm. The early bird gets the worm, and the blogger who goes the extra mile in making and strengthening personal connections will excel.

    That means commenting at a blog or whipping up a post even on an off-day. It means throwing any fear or hesitation out the window. It means LAUNCHING the thing like you would a rocket - with as much fanfare and awe and commentary as possible.
  • Char · 2 years ago
    Another very valuable lesson I learned is don't be afraid to ask for help. If you run into a stumbling block, have a question about how to make something work, or screw something up, post a plea for help. You will be amazed at the number of bloggers who will gladly run to your aid and be will to teach you in the process.

    And when it comes to blogging (and other aspects of life) the more you give the more you receive - whether its links, comments, advice, or traffic.

    Great series, Ben!
  • Maki · 2 years ago
    Nice post, Ben!

    I think you could throw in the Top Commenters plugin to encourage comments.. and the Bumpzee widget for internet or affiliate marketers.
  • AndyBeard · 2 years ago
    I loath top commenters plugins, even though I frequently benefit from it.

    Thanks for the recommendation Ben

    I'm tempted to add "Decide on a Niche and define your own style"

    Time to write a controversial blog post on "Top Commenters" plugins.
  • Scott · 2 years ago
    Ben,

    This is a great article.

    I just wanted to add a big "DITTO" on Stumbleupon. I'm getting massive traffic, mostly from Stumblers.

    Here's a trick. You can pay Stumbleupon to direct traffic to your site. I usually spend about $5 or so to promote each new article. They send around 100 Stumblers to you, and if the Stumblers like your site, they will give it positive votes and you will move up the ladder and get more "natural" Stumbers visiting your site as well. I seeded an article this past weekend this way and got over 400 hits, not including the 100 that I paid for.
  • Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago
    Thanks for all the comments.

    Andy - Why do you loathe Top Commenter plugins? I look forward to your post.

    Scott - I haven't tried paying for traffic from SU but I have heard good things about it from other sources. Thanks for sharing that with people - I'm sure it's not commonly know that you can give that a try.

    Easton & Char - True and true on both counts. Get out there - talk the talk and also feel free to ask for help (I've done it many times.)
  • Sean · 2 years ago
    Awesome article! I'll definitely be coming back to this. Thanks!
  • broc · 2 years ago
    i think the biggest of the 10 you mention here is:
    link smartly
    this seems to be the best way to get your name out there (into the blogosphere)
  • Shawn Blanc · 2 years ago
    I am always advising people about your first point. So many blogs start and then they run out and promote but they only have one or two posts that say "Hello World" or "Well, here I am. I'm a blogger now."

    They need to work their blogging muscle, and get a little pillow of posts published.
  • James · 2 years ago
    Very informative article. digg+
  • Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago
    Broc - link smartly is definitely the most important. Blogging successfully means being very strategic - something I think I'll expand upon in the near future.

    Shawn - a pillow posts - I like that phrasing, it expresses things very nicely.

    James - thanks for the digg! I appreciate it. Sadly the submitter put the post in the wrong category so it never had a chance of going anywhere but it's nice to know someone's willing to take that time for me.
  • Cord Silverstein · 2 years ago
    Ben,

    Excellent post, great ideas and insight. I particularly liked your thoughts and opinion on the stats. I totally agree with you that it is a marathon not a sprint and we tend to get all stat crazy. Thanks.
  • Dave C. · 2 years ago
    Brilliant Post, Ben. I launched awhile ago, but there's some stuff here that I hadn't thought of before. Thanks.
  • Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago
    Cord - thank you.

    Dave - glad I could help.
  • Chris · 2 years ago
    Great list thanks.

    Arrived here via StumbleUpon, it's definitely the best tool of it's kind for driving traffic to content that deserves it-Someone kindly stumbled one of my posts (Ironically it was about using Stumble) and it got over 9000 hits across a month on that one post. It's way more democratic than Digg as well, which has to be a good thing.
  • Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago
    Welcome Chris! Glad to see a commenter from Stumble.

    I love StumbleUpon - totally addictive and great for driving consistent traffic of a higher quality (with the occasional spike.)

    I hope you'll stick around...
  • Calvin · 2 years ago
    Great article! I also liked how you've linked to a lot of different articles for us to read.

    I remember using StumbleUpon several years ago and didn't think too highly of it. I've also heard how people are getting a lot of traffic from them so I'll have to give it another try.

    If you're interested, I found your site by stumbling upon SuccessCREEations.com via FuelMyBlog.com. From there, I linked to this article.
  • Ben Yoskovitz · 2 years ago
    Calvin - thanks for stopping by and commenting. It's great to learn how people came here - especially when it's through a few random connections on StumbleUpon and then real clickthroughs from other blogs. Much appreciated!
  • Calvin · 2 years ago
    No problem, Ben! Now, onto creating my StumbleUpon account. ;)
  • Dave · 2 years ago
    Ben,

    I know I'm late to this party but this is a really useful post. Thanks for this and all the other great content you post here.
  • andron · 2 years ago
    nice post. exactly what i need.
    thank you
  • Shycon Design · 1 year ago
    Good tips. A lot of people forget that the content is the root of your success... so either never stop writing, or stick to writing amazing things.