The blogging atmosphere is quite populated. We mean there’s something like one blog for every ten people on the globe.

So how do you make yours one of the ones that people want to give their information to? To follow? To actively seek out?

You have to create something worthy of their attention. Lead generation isn’t easy, but it’s possible, especially with the tips below.

1. Invest in Investigating Your Audience

Sometimes, in life, the simplest things make the most difference. This is one of those times.

So many people start a blog without doing enough audience research. Your audience research tells you everything from what ads to run to what keywords to use.

Does your audience like a casual tone, or are they better suited by something more professional?

It should also tell you what platforms your audience likes best for cross-posting and what kind of images to use. In a nutshell, it tells you everything.

If you don’t know the answers to all these questions, that’s okay. It just means you have some work to do. Learn about how to create an audience persona here.

And if you don’t have time to do that quite yet – ask yourself the following questions. What pain points does my blog solve? Who has those pain points? Where are the bulk of those people?

Those questions will give you a good place to start.

Step 2: Write. Every. Day.

Yes – every single day, without exception. Well, maybe you can skip writing on a couple holidays, but other than that, you’re on the hook.

Writing every day isn’t just a way to make sure you get new content out. It strengthens the writing you already do. Most people don’t think of writing as a skill that gets better with practice, but it is.

Just like you get better at everything else when you practice more.

But you won’t always know what to write when you sit down for your daily session. That’s okay – here’s a method quoted in Lauren Graham’s book that works for her.

For however long you write each day, say 30 minutes, open two documents. One document is your content, the other is a brain dump.

When you’re not able to write anything relevant, just write things on the brain dump document. What you had for breakfast, what the sky looks like — literally anything.

Getting started writing is the hardest part for everyone, so this tricks your brain into doing it. Plus, you may get so bored of typing about the mundane that creating content seems more attractive.

3. Create a Calendar and Schedule Posts

Sometimes you’ll have great writing days and you’ll come up with a bunch of content. Those are great days that make us feel productive and like we actually know what we’re doing.

But having one of those days doesn’t mean you can not write tomorrow. It means you now can start scheduling your posts out so they post automatically.

You’ll deliver constant and consistent value to your readers, which they’ll love.

With the right software, you can schedule everything from blog posts, to Facebook posts, to email campaigns.

4. Use Proven Strategies

Do you know what the human attention span is like nowadays? On the internet, it’s pretty comparable to a goldfish’s.

That’s part of the reason we’ve seen such a push towards “listicles” instead of classically formatted articles.

When you write and publish listicles, your reader can get to what they want faster. They just scroll and skim until they find something relevant to themselves.

If you don’t want to write a listicle, make sure you don’t write anything more than 300 words without a header to break it up. People like headers because it gives their eyes a break from a big chunk of text.

5. Create Online Products

This includes creating things like “resource guides” which is a great, free, way to get leads.

All you need to do is create an online product, like a resource guide and give it away free. All the reader needs to do is give you their email – which is (bam!) a warm lead.

6. Use This Effective Call to Action Strategy

In the email that includes the product, make sure to make the download directions clear. But also use it as another selling opportunity.

“Name, If you liked this free research guide, you’ll love the document which is just 12.99.”

Or link to a free quote or call. “Did you have any questions about these resources? Still need help? Schedule your TOTALLY FREE and pressure-free call today”.

If they’re like most people on the internet, this is the one time you’re going to have their willing attention. Yes, you can keep emailing them, but getting them to open and read it is a battle.

Use this one, assured open, to your advantage.

7. Make Your Opt-ins Visible

Too many times we see blogs that only have one subscribe area. That’s no way to get people’s emails!

You want to have an opt-in or subscribe button on every page, at least somewhere. It’s hard to balance a link on every page without being obnoxious, but it’s possible with the right graphic designer.

Let them know what you’re thinking and they’ll sort it out.

Lead Generation

Unlike SEO – there isn’t one perfect formula for lead generation. Every blog and audience is a little different.

That’s why the real key to blogging lead generation is to try out and track the results from all these tips. If something doesn’t work, try to figure out why – then move on to the next thing.

With the simple tips above, you’ll have more leads than you know what to do with – as long as you put in the work first.