The most difficult growth period is between zero and 100 subscribers.

The problem in this stretch of the blogging journey is that there is no momentum yet. And because you have no momentum and few readers, there is very little viral sharing.

Here are some strategies to get you your first 100 subscribers:

1. Tell people about your blog

When your blog is still small, you need to tell everyone you know about your blog.

The question is: who do you know?

Who do you know on Facebook, Twitter or on other social media? Think of all the people whose email address you have. What about your colleagues, friends, family members? The truth is that each of us is connected to many more people than we think.

If you’re shy, you may be tempted to play down your blog. However, if you want to grow your blog, you need to get people to it. I suggest asking the people you know to subscribe. The best way to do this is to have a clear call to action. Like this, for example:

Hi [NAME], I’ve written a post on my blog that you’ll find interesting. It’s called [YOUR BEST HEADLINE HERE]. Please subscribe to my blog and get free updates.

Business cards are also a good option. They should include your blog logo and URL. Hand them out to everyone you meet and suggest that they subscribe. This simple strategy works well because people get to know you before they visit your blog.

2. Comment regularly on blogs in your niche

Commenting on other blogs is something you need to do all through your blogging journey. Choose blogs that are in the same niche as you, or close to it.

It’s good to comment regularly on blogs the size of your own or slightly larger, because you are networking and building relationships with other bloggers. You can also start to comment on bigger blogs.

Make sure they are using the plugin CommentLuv because then your comment will show a link to your latest post.

Write thoughtful and interesting comments. It’s not enough to say something like ‘Great post!’ Remember that you are building authority with your comments. If you add something that was missing in the article, or show another point of view, the blogger will notice you, and readers will start to click on the link to your posts.

3. Get an avatar

An avatar is a small image that represents yourself. It will follow you around and appear alongside your comments. Think of your avatar as a form of branding and make sure that you choose an image that is in keeping with your blog topic. For example, if you write a thoughtful blog, you don’t want to use a photo of you wearing a clown’s hat as your avatar!

You can get a free avatar at Gravatar.com.

Note: the Gravatar is tied to your email address. If you use more than one email address, get multiple accounts on Gravatar and use the same image for all of them.

4. Join forums or online groups, and join in the conversation

In order to reach your potential readers, you need to find out where they hang out. A great way to reach future readers is to join a forum. Become someone who regularly comments on the forum and who is happy to help others.

A perfect place to hang out is on the A-List Blogging forum. The connections you make here can shape your future blogging success.

5. Set up your signature

When you join a forum, set up your signature. You can click on ‘Profile’ to find signature options.

Place a link to your blog in your signature. You can also set up a signature that automatically appears at the bottom of your emails. Feedburner has a nifty Headline Rotator that you can use as a signature in your emails. This is how it looks:

Conclusion

Each one of these five steps can individually create a huge amount of traffic to your blog. However, if you combine all five strategies, the synergy you create will definitely make your blog grow.

Author: A-List Team