Your ability (or inability) to “click” with your blog audience will determine the fate of your business. All businesses – especially bloggers – depend on connecting with their audience. You NEED a loyal blog audience to survive as much as Jack needed Rose to move over and make room on the floating door in Titanic. Developing real love with your readers will build up an army of followers who’ll always have your back.

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The reader who connects with The Extreme Couponing Life is very different from the loyal Fun Ways to Splurge reader. Every blog audience is unique, including yours. So to connect with your unique reader, you’ve got to really get in their head and figure out what makes them tick (not in a creepy stalker-way, but in an “I get you” way, of course).

So who is your audience? Many optimistic bloggers will say, “Everyone! I want to appeal to everyone!” Spoiler alert: your audience is NOT everyone. Here’s the deal: trying to appeal to everyone will likely result in your blog connecting with no one. There is your blog audience and then there are other peoples’ blog audience and they aren’t the same. You need to pinpoint who your people truly are and craft a message for your peeps.

6 Ways to Pinpoint Your Blog Audience with Laser-like Focus

Want to figure out who your audience is? Want them to like you? Want them to visit you over and over? Become their friend! And like you learned about making friends in nursery school, the truths about building friendships in real life still applies to your blog audience—be yourself, be interested in who they are, talk about relevant engaging topics, and listen. Those who are intrigued are your niche, your market, your segment, your people. Capture them, and you’ll build a fantastic connection.

Ready to zoom in with laser-like focus? Use these 6 Steps:

1. Create Content with One Niche Blog Audience in Mind

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Did you know there are well over 440 million total blogs online today? (#themoreyouknow, am I right?) And this only accounts for blogs on Tumblr, Squarespace, and WordPress which means there are DEFINITELY a whole bunch more funky blogs out there doin’ their thang. Moral of the story is… blogging is like competitive swimming in a very large, very full pool. You need to do more than doggie paddle to say afloat. It’s the bloggers who master the art of connecting with one niche blog audience in mind who get the gold medal.

Where should you start if you’re still a newb to the blogging world? Always begin with great content. Each post needs to be specific and purposeful. Every post should focus on a single topic and should answer direct questions or explore topics relevant to your reader. Figure out what your blog audience wants to learn more about.

One critical mistake many bloggers make is they jump around between audiences trying to cover all the trending topics out there. When this happens, you lose your audience. Just because keto’s trending doesn’t mean your DIY Farmhouse blog should include a list of keto recipes.

Still confused? Think about it like this. If your blog is geared to 20-somethings figuring out how to “adult” then great topics might include saving up to rent your first apartment, working at your first full-time job, or managing the dating scene. Diet and exercise tips? Might appeal to certain audience members but doesn’t really hit the target. How to prepare for retirement? Not relevant at all…Now yes, maybe there a few fitness fanatics who are in your 20-something audience; maybe there are even a few over-achievers planning to “retire by 30,” BUT those visitors will visit a fitness blog or early retirement blog if they want those tips. They’re coming to you because they want to know how to master the art of adulting. Give them what they want!

A small, but loyal and engaged audience is far more powerful than an occasional reader who clicked over from Pinterest. Build your loyal audience by keeping every post on point.

2. Write in Your Voice

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Howdy! Bonjour. Nah. LOL. WHAT THE FIG NEWTON? No matter what your style of writing, embrace it and let the real you shine through! A huge part of connecting with your blog audience is authenticity. Show people your real self and become the type of person they want to know more about, someone they want to become friends with. You are a real person! Write like one!

Your unique voice and personal flair will set you apart from other bloggers. Special sayings, references, and punctuation are all fun ways to develop your own personal style a blog audience will really connect with and recognize. Readers are more attracted to real, authentic blog content; nothing staged and nothing rehearsed. Don’t stress about it being “perfect.” Be yourself and share what you know. Fans don’t read your blog simply because they like the name of your site, they read because the content resonates.

So, be yourself, lighten up, and have fun! This is a blog post; you probably won’t win a Pulitzer or a Nobel Prize for a blog post and that’s totally okay. The prize you want to win is the attention of your audience. Be authentic and genuine and people will naturally click with you. Those who don’t click with you? Well, they’ll look elsewhere for a better fit—and that’s okay too.

The main idea here? It’s not about perfection. It’s not even about proper grammar or punctuation, it’s about PERSONALITY and RELATABILITY!

3. Respond to Comments and Private Messages (When Possible)

Now, there’s a lot of spammers out there, certainly ignore those annoying comments (or block them). But your blog audience needs to feel heard and validated and there’s a real case for keeping comments enabled on your blog. Comments are a big part of maintaining your social media connections with readers as well. When they comment or send you a question, they’re hoping to start a dialogue. This accessibility is part of the appeal of the blogosphere. When you ignore a reader’s comments it’s basically like ignoring a phone call from your mom or not texting your sister back (seriously, ouch).

Ensuring every one of your readers feels acknowledged and appreciated will create a stronger connection with your blog audience. At the very least, respond to every comment with a simple, “thank you for reading!”

Better yet–plan your next post around common private messages you’ve received and questions you’ve seen from readers. Your audience is essentially telling you EXACTLY what they want to hear. Now, you don’t need to address every single oddball concern, of course, but when your audience speaks to you, it’s important to pay attention. If you want a finger on the pulse of your audience, reading comments is a good place to start.

Even if you’re unable to respond to all the comments on social media, your blog, and any other web spot you hang out, respond as often as possible. Craft a sweet and sincere automatic response for everyone, and then focus on the most relevant, when possible. Human interaction is one of the best parts of blogging. Give it to your blog audience and they’ll return the favor

4. Be Honest and Share Imperfections

No one is perfect! In fact, many of the most influential bloggers and websites embrace the imperfect. Give your readers a glimpse into your everyday life, the stresses and the struggles, not only the good stuff. Chances are if you’re struggling with something, so is your audience.

Your readers want to read a post they really relate to on different levels. In the Instagram vs. Reality pic, they want the reality. Glamorous makeup, expensive dress, cocktail in hand vs. messy bun, glasses and oversized sweats? Your blog audience wants to see version number two.

After the Met Gala, the iconic Jane Fonda tweeted a picture of herself waking up in her dress because she couldn’t get it unzipped—and fans LOVED it.  Why? Because it’s totally freakin’ relatable.

Invite your audience into your home (figuratively not literally, of course… that’s weird). Offer them a seat on the couch and pour them a drink. The more authentic your blog is the more you’ll stand out from the millions of other bloggers on the internet.

5. Be Honest About Sponsorships

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First of all, there are important legal reasons why you MUST disclose sponsorships and brand relationships to your audience. Plus, it’s just plain weird, right? *Turns to audience and takes a sip of Diet Pepsi* I mean, we’ve all had an SMH moment when we’ve seen bad product placement happen in movies and on TV. Blogging is no different. If you’re getting paid, you’ve gotta say.

Some bloggers fear sponsored posts will turn their audience off. But here’s the deal—your readers want to know where you got that awesome blanket, cool sweater, delicious snack, or great lipstick color. In fact, influencers who share pics and don’t tag the relevant brands will often get asked, “WHERE did you get that?!”

There’s nothing deceptive about sponsorship, as long as you disclose it. It’s tough to look past the dollar signs turn down all the freebies, products, and sponsorship opportunities that come your way, but don’t cross the line from blogger to spammer! Only promote products you love, use, and feel good about sharing. Keep your reputation in check by only using your blog to honestly promote what you know. As long as you follow that guideline, your audience will love to know where you got that stellar jacket or the secret to your fabulous skincare routine.

6. Practice Good SEO

We have to say it—building your blog audience starts with good SEO. The great news is, if you’re writing great content, you’re already 90% of the way to awesome SEO (that’s Search Engine Optimization, folks). If you want to connect with your audience and bring more readers to your blog, they must find you first. How do they find you through organic search? Through good SEO practices.

SEO basics mean your blog is cleaned up on the back end. This typically starts with a site audit, where you can assess what’s working (and what parts of your blog need some help). Broken links are fixed, meta tags are in place, keywords are implemented. Optimized content is authoritative. It’s singularly focused. It’s written with the audience (and their query in mind) …which is why connecting with your blog audience comes back to SEO.


Not sure where to start with your SEO? Contact Posts by Ghost to set up a free consultation and schedule your site audit today!

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How do you get ahead of the SEO game moving forward? Write each post with searcher intent in mind. What is this post about? What query would someone use to get here? Sum it up in a few words, and you’ve created your keyword. As long as your post is singularly-focused and long-form, the keyword will naturally occur throughout the post (there’s no reason to ever force a keyword).

When SEO is in-place, your readers will find you! If your content is written for your blog audience directly and clearly, low and behold, it will click with them! Search favors authoritative well-written content. Authoritative content is easy to search. You’ve established peak blogging synergy! Great content=great SEO and great SEO=great content!

Building a blog audience is daunting when you first start out, but as long as your authentic, genuine, honest, and implement good blogging practices, they WILL find you. Your readers will read your posts and keep on coming back for more.

Colin_faviconIs it time to make real changes to the content on your blog? Are you in need of major help to increase website traffic? Do you have a thousand random questions about everything you read? No worries, we can’t wait to help you! Contact Posts by Ghost™ or leave a comment below!

3 Responses to How to Better Connect with Your Blog Audience
  1. […] In this case, repurposing content allows bloggers the chance to try again and put in effort towards connecting with new blog audiences. If you’ve changed over the life of your blog, your readership may have changed […]

  2. […] results or benefits. Keep your perspective and wait it out, but never quit. Work your butt off to connect with your blog audience and it will happen. As your company grows, so will your online presence and your SEO […]

  3. […] audience before you write to them. Deciding on the who, what, when, where, how, and why behind your blog audience can be entirely confusing and overwhelming. Luckily for you, together SEO and content marketing […]


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