Let’s say that you, like me, have a blog. Let’s say that you, like me, get warm fuzzies when people say things like “Hey, I read your blog. You’re probably the most brilliant writer that I’ve ever read.” Ok, so no one has ever said that. But, I digress. While I enjoy reading blogs, I actually read very few. If you want me to read your blog, here are 5 tips.

1. Keep it short. 300 words or less is brilliant. The handful of blogs that I read/follow are dedicated to being short. Don’t get me wrong, I love reading your thoughts (no, not sarcasm). I’m just more likely to read them consistently if most of your posts are short.

Example of tip 1: Seth Godin’s blog

2. Break it up. Analogy: Sometimes I get calls from family or friends where I sit and do nothing but listen for 20 minutes. I have a relationship with the caller; so, it is easy for me to stay interested during these calls. On the other hand, occasionally I’ll receive a phone call from someone whom I don’t know; and, this person won’t. stop. talking. They’ve got some awesome story to tell me and they don’t pause to take a breath for twenty minutes. While I admire his or her superhuman feat of respiratory control, I spend most of the one-sided conversation thinking to myself “please just give me the bullet points” (don’t judge me…you’ve done it too). This is how I feel when reading many blogs. Give me some bullet points. If I start following your blog and like your stuff, I might actually start reading what you put underneath your bullet points. There’s some brutal honesty for you.

Example tip 2: http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/

3. Create titles that give me a hint as to how long it will take me to read your blog. Example: “My Thoughts on Leadership” vs. “3 Traits of a Leader”. I’m 10 times more likely to read the post with the second title.

Example tip 3: LegalZoom.com newsletters (it’s not a blog; but, the article titles in their newsletters always draw me in)

4. Stay positive. I like reading upbeat stuff rather than sob stories/gossip about how your coworker is a wackadoodle. Yes, I said wackadoodle. I’m not saying that you should never post sad stuff. Never sacrifice being real. I’m just saying that I would prefer for the overall theme of your blog to be positive rather than negative. I tend to empathize when I read. So, if you are always sad, angry, or frustrated when you post I’m likely to be also…which makes me less likely to continue reading. I only enjoy being grumpy when I’m at home loading up on Ben & Jerry’s…and, I don’t read blogs from home.

Example tip 4: O Me of Little Faith blog I use this example because he has a great way of talking about heavy stuff without making me grumpy.

5. Link to your blog everywhere that you can: email signature, facebook profile, twitter profile, etc. Chances are, I’m not giving your blog a chance because I don’t know that it exists.

There you have it. Oh, one more way that you can get me to read your blog is by leaving a comment on this post. Include your blog address. Who knows…my 7 or 8 readers might just be interested in your blog also.

Stay tuned for 5 more ways to get me to read your blog—coming tomorrow.