If you’ve been blogging for a while and built up an audience, you may be wondering how to get your website to the next level. Building a deeper connection with your readers is a great place to start. However, this is something that a lot of bloggers struggle with.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to engage and connect with blog readers. From including strategically-timed jokes to sprinkling slang throughout your posts, there are proven techniques that should suit your website as well as your audience.

In this post, we’ll explore why it’s important to build a relationship with your readers. Then we’ll share nine powerful ways to really connect with your WordPress.com blog’s audience. Let’s go!

Why It’s Important to Connect With Blog Readers

Truly connecting with readers can help to grow your audience further and establish you as an expert in your niche. As your readers ask questions and see that you’re able to answer them, you’ll eventually be seen as someone to go to for answers.

Another benefit of engaged readers is that they tend to spend more time on your site. This is known as dwell time, and it can positively impact your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

A strong connection with readers also gives you the opportunity to identify potential brand ambassadors. Try to remember those who comment thoughtfully and consistently, and are eager to engage with other readers. These are your biggest fans and are likely willing to share your blog with their own networks, which can increase your reach quickly and cheaply.

9 Powerful Ways to Really Connect With Your Blog’s Audience

So, just how do you connect with your WordPress.com blog’s readers? Let’s have a look at nine ways you can get started right away.

1. Spark Emotion in Your Readers

Eliciting strong emotions from your readers can stir them to take action, but sometimes you have to take a bit of a risk to pull off this strategy. One way to do this is to offer your opinions on important topics. Not everyone will agree, but your core audience will likely respect you for taking a stand.

Don’t be afraid to engage in relevant cultural conversations that may seem controversial. However, the keyword here is “relevant.” You don’t want to be seen as taking advantage of a situation outside your blog’s scope, so it’s best to stick with topics that are strongly connected to your blog’s focus.

2. Add Humor to Your Writing

If you have a gift for making people laugh, don’t hesitate to use it in your blog posts. Humor can humanize you and make you seem more approachable. Studies have shown that people who laugh together like each other more, so try to connect with blog readers through a relatable or self-deprecating joke.

However, keep in mind that it’s probably best to avoid injecting humor into sensitive topics. If you come across as insensitive or offensive, it can take a while to repair your reputation.

3. Commiserate With Your Audience

As a blogger, you already know you have something in common with your audience. Whether you write about business, crafts, or any other interest, your readers likely share some of your pet peeves.

Sharing a frustrating experience or problem you had to face can motivate your readers to share their aggravations. This is also a natural way to begin showcasing your sense of humor in your writing, and provide useful solutions.

4. Simplify Complicated Concepts With Metaphors

Using metaphors is a great way to get your point across succinctly. You might try using an extended metaphor that carries through your entire blog post. By coming up with an unexpected comparison, you can really grab readers’ attention.

Metaphors can also provide you with another avenue to connect with your readers. You can compare your blog’s topic with something seemingly unrelated that your audience can identify with. For example, you might relate advice for organizing business workflows with the process readers go through to clean up their homes.

5. Tell a Story

Like metaphors, stories are a fun and effective way to illustrate concepts. If you want to create more memorable content, try structuring your blog posts like a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.

Remember that a great story is entertaining, relatable, and may even have a moral. You can use the latter to convey valuable information to your readers.

6. Inspire Your Readers

Since you’ve put in the work to create a blog, you’re likely very passionate about its subject. It’s smart to share that enthusiasm to keep readers excited about and engaged with what brought them to your site in the first place.

If you want your readers to perform some activity, such as writing a short story or running their first 5K, make them feel like their goal is possible. You can do this by offering genuine help in your posts. For example, you can research your readers’ pain points and provide actionable advice for overcoming those obstacles.

7. Write Conversationally

Treating your readers like friends can help you forge strong connections. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is to write as if you were talking to a friend. Try using jargon from your niche or slang that fits your target demographic. This is also an effective way to let your personality show in your writing.

In addition, you can ask questions in your blog posts to help generate conversation. When you participate in the resulting discussions, treat your readers like equals and capitalize on what you have in common.

8. Get Personal

In addition to writing as if you’re engaging with a friend, you can try sharing some personal details. Opening up about your successes as well as your failures can help you appear more human, and encourage your readers to do the same.

Not only will you connect with blog readers more deeply, but they’ll likely connect with each other as well. This gives them more reasons to come back to your website over and over again.

9. Engage With Comments

A reader who takes the time to leave a comment is likely ready to have a conversation with you, so don’t leave them hanging. Your blog’s comments section is a great opportunity to show that you genuinely want to connect with your audience and offer help. 

You can show readers that you’re interested in them as well by asking relevant questions in return. This is also useful for developing new blog topics, as you’ll learn exactly what your audience is interested in reading about.

Conclusion

Connecting with your WordPress.com blog’s audience isn’t something that happens overnight, but with a bit of effort you should start to see results. You may even enjoy blogging more once you feel a kinship with your readers.

You can begin by adjusting your writing to be conversational and humorous. Then try sharing some more personal stories to help your readers relate to you. Finally, don’t neglect your comments section, as it’s the best place to build a sense of community.

Do you have any tips for connecting with blog readers? Share them with us in the comments section below!