Jul 24, 2012 / Beginner

Get Interactive

One of the best parts of blogging is the immediacy of interacting with those who’ve read your post and who have followed you with each update. While we’ve posted about getting more comments in the past, directly engaging your readers with a question, poll, or activity is a fun way to get to know your followers. If you’re looking to add more interactivity to your blog, why not give these tips a try?

For a more interactive element, try adding polls or surveys to your posts. A quick poll is a direct prompt that doesn’t require a lot of work from your readers, and is also a great way to change up your usual post format. PollDaddy is automatically built into your WordPress.com site, so just clicking on the Add Poll icon in a new post will allow you to create and customize your own poll.

Looking for a more wordy interaction between yourself and your readers? Competitions, contests, and challenges will bring people back to your blog for updates, while also building a more substantial connection between yourself and your blog’s followers. For example, the site Field Notes From Fatherhood is currently holding a photo competition, and Go Jules Go holds a monthly giveaway based on creative comments in response to a monthly prompt. You don’t need to give away gifts or items, a simple shout out and thanks gets the message across. Similarly, teaming up with your readers to tackle a monthly challenge helps build camaraderie, and can even provide a built-in buddy system.

Sharing personal stories, confessions, and memories can prompt your readers, and new visitors, to share their own stories with you. You may even find that some of your more personal posts will bring new audiences to your blog.

While building your readership takes time, activities and prompts are a fun break from the norm. They also give your readers something direct to respond to, which can calm the nerves of those who are more prone to lurking than commenting.

Do you have any fun methods for engaging your readers? Have you ever tried a competition or contest on your blog? Or have you teamed up with your readers for a challenge?

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  1. Personal stories always make the best blog posts. The weird, strange, or unlikely situations and characters we encounter are always the most interesting. Of course now I’m thinking back through things that have happened throughout my life, and wondering what retrospective stories might be told…

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    1. I am new to WordPress.I was blogging in an Indian site (*sulekha .com) I was a popular blogger there.i have recently posted my first blog..You will do me great favor by visiting my site and give me suggestions so that i could become an active blogger.Thanks.My site reference

      ishttp://kvdsampath.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/silence-was-what-i-could-add/

      incidentally most of my blogs are personal stories.(slightly exaggerated of course!!)

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  2. I’ve actually done this, Erica! I wanted to start a category called “Quotes from the Masters,” posting a quote a week from a European master of literature, philosophy, theology, music, or the visual, performing, and culinary arts. (I’m sticking with quotes from Europeans to maintain the integrity of my European themed blog. 😉 ) Then, on a whim, I decided to invite other bloggers to use the quotes as an inspiration for their own posts. It’s sometimes cerebral, sometimes playful, but people seem to enjoy it, and that’s what the blogosphere is all about…isn’t it?
    http://bringingeuropehome.com/category/quotes-from-the-masters/

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  3. I’ve tried a competition before (or maybe two) but those only work when you already have a more established readership. My first competition, where I gave away a collection of poems by my town’s poet laureate, ran for over a month and still only had three submissions. But if I tried it now, with more regular views on my blog, I’d likely have a better chance. Only one person has ever responded to my polls… what am I doing wrong? I do find I get a fair bit of comments on posts about travel or niche posts like about postcards. A lot of people can relate, or few can but they are glad to see someone else out there has the same interests. Good tips though, I think I’ll try some more polls and contests in my upcoming posts!

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    1. What a nice prize for a competition 🙂 It can be frustrating when you’re getting only a few responses on your polls, but I’d say continuing to post them and keep following/commenting on other blogs, and it should start to pick up. Keep us updated!

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  4. Thank you so much for the shout-out – I really appreciate that! When I first started blogging in Feb 2011, I really had no idea what to expect, but have found the most rewarding part to be that interaction with my follow bloggers. I am addicted to running giveaways, and the creativity of the entries and responses never ceases to amaze me.

    I think interacting with other bloggers (on your own and on their blogs) is absolutely the best way to reap not only the rewards of comments, subscribers and likes, but also the reward of ‘community’ itself (i.e., the support as a writer, and even lasting friendships).

    Thank you again!

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      1. hi Erica V, my name is Emmanuel am from east Africa Nairobi -Kenya, i do live in slums of Nairobi, am un orphan am the third born of from the family of seven, ever since i was born i only know pain and safariing, it is not easy to live in slums, same time i ask myself what it the purpose of me living on this earth, i don’t see if i do have the reason to live, every thing that are happening in my live is unfair

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  5. Im in the process of starting up a new Podiatry Clinic in Kidderminster in West Midlands, im looking to rent out a couple of room to various Therapists, if anyone is interested, please email me at mypodfootclinic.co.uk

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    1. Unfortunately that doesn’t work on low volume views websites. Polls work when you have high volume of visitors. But, yes polls do help with interactivity and do strengthen the bond with readers

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    2. Hi PiP, you know I’ve run several blog hops in the past and even my most enthusiastic participants soon got tired of hopping. They don’t seem to do well on WP because we already have the DailyPost as a successful community building resource. Theme postings and weekly challenges seem to do better. Feel free to email me with questions. I understand how they work and have participated in them and co-sponsored them on my blogger blog. It works well on that blogging platform. 🙂
      Eliz

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  9. Giving it a try! I asked a question on my last post, hoping people can relate to my feelings. I guess it’s a little scary to ask a question when you don’t have many followers, for fear it will remain unanswered. Then again, maybe it was rhetorical, afterall.

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    1. I do not know how i could get to your earlier post.I am new here? can you help me?i would like to read your question? changing the world indeed starts with small questions.I don’t even know how to follow you.may be i would get to know after some time.

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  10. This post is awesome! Quite helpful, i just want to start blogging. My problem is i don’t know how to post on my blog. Will appreciate any help *thanks*

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  14. I’m kinda new to this too… please visit my blog and do read a couple of my entries… do not hesitate to comment on them too. thanks a lotsie! =)

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  15. hey everybody , i am new to blogging . I was thinking of a starting off a post where everyone could share their weirdest dreams . Kindly tell me is it a good idea..

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  19. Thank you so much for blogging these tips! I am brand-new to blogging and am trying to soak up as much wisdom as I can 🙂 Your blog has been so helpful, and I can’t wait to try out all of these tips once I have some followers (still trying to figure out how to get those…I ashamedly don’t have any…yet! ;)) Anyway, I look forward to gleaning more wisdom from your blog. Thank you for being so helpful!

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    1. Erica V gave a tip above. Read and comment/like/follow other blogs and slowly build a followership. Some people won’t reciprocate, others will… Don’t take it personally… Move forward and connect with as many people as you can manage. Be smart as it can become a bit much if you don’t pace yourself. Best wishes and welcome to blogging! 😉

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      1. Wow thank you so much! I also noticed you followed my blog…I really appreciate it and followed yours too! Thank you for the advice 🙂 I am loving the blogging world thus far!

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  20. when people find value in a blog they will come by again….though it may take a while to build a sizable bunch of subscribers. Keep the focus on high quality & interesting posts.

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  22. I started blogging because I wanted to engage in something really close to my heart (sharing personal stories), but I’m new at this too and it gets frustrating when you don’t get responses like you expected. I check out people’s posts, i read them and comment but i haven’t really gotten that interaction on my site. Thanks for this post, my site is http://www.girllivinglife.wordpress.com

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  23. even i am new here and getting very less response . but I think everyone has to wait for sometime before reaping the fruits of their efforts . till then lets work hard and keep posting . what say ….

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  24. New over here too!!! Excited for this new adventure and learning how to work this blog thing out. Lol. There is a lot more to this than just writing. 🙂

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  25. HI, my post are based on evidence based practice in physical therapy. Check out my posts! I am sure my post would come across to some of the information that you might have encountered in your past.
    Thank you.

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  26. Hi, I really like this post. I am new too. I thought I would do a “Journey” about me and the jewelry I make. I am trying not to be a bore. I cant seem to find other people like me. I would love to read their stories and see how they are doing. Any Advice on how to find them would be great. Thanks 🙂

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