Ever since I started blogging — in 1998 — the issue of getting engagement on posts has been a topic I have paid much attention to. After all, we all like to think that what we're sharing with the world is interesting enough that people are moved to respond to it. Right?
In a world where "numbers are king" — because we were taught that maximizing monetization on our blogs was a matter of the gross number of eyeballs being exposed to ads — I have always been a bit of an "odd duck."
I was always more interested in having readers than just having "likers," or ostensible "followers." I mean, anyone can click a button on a page and never come back, right?
I remember getting into a bit of an argument with some "social media expert" on twitter (still can't get used to calling it "X") — with the attendant 600,000 followers — over this particular issue.
The point I was making was that my puny 1500 (at the time) more or less hand-picked followers would actually click through and read my blog posts to a much greater degree than her "big number." Sure, they might give her tweet a thumbs up, but they never actually read the linked content.
Meanwhile, Somewhere on Hive
Around Hive, we are often trying to figure out how to get more followers, and more people who'll curate and engage with our content.
Sometimes I actually "sit" on the newly published feed, refreshing every minute or two, to get a sense of all the content that is being published... not just what my followers are saying, or what my communities are saying.
In a sense, it's a practice carried forward from those "hand picked" twitter accounts... we can't just rely on people finding us; we have to be willing to go find them, wherever they might be hiding!
In essence, the whole idea that if your content is "good enough" you'll somehow be discovered is a bit of a myth. What actually needs to happen is that you make yourself seen.
Being "Seen" is not Enough!
But simple being seen is not enough!
In a very distant past, I worked some with "store window design" for upscale retail shops, and one of the key principles is that of "Stop. Look. Remember."
You have to grab people's attention enough that they'll stop and then have a look, and what they look at must be noteworthy enough that they'll remember it at a later point.
When we are dealing with writing, we have to include something that's a true "hook" of some kind. And no, it doesn't have to be some piece of "sensationalist clickbait!" It just has to be something that not only makes your visitor want to actually read, but impart enough of some kind of feeling that they either learned something, or felt like their perspective was reinforced, or they wanted to either share their supportive OR contradictionary point of view.
Being disagreed with isn't necessarily a bad thing!
A healthy and respectful debate on some topic IS a form of engagement, you know!
Which brings me back to my time spent "watching" the new posts feed.
It is surprising how few posts really feel like much of an invitation to engage. In so many cases, I feel like I am just looking at a helping of "Word and Picture Soup," almost like the content was created for no greater reason than to just fill space. Not very inspiring. And certainly not very engaging!
Whereas I recognize that not every person using Hive is much of a writer or blogger, it doesn't take that much effort to make your content more interesting and inviting than watching paint dry!
Of course, I stand at an interesting crossroads, myself... about to embark on a 19-month long content creation and savings program.
What can I do to keep it interesting and engaging, for that long?
Time will tell!
Thanks for coming to visit, and do leave a comment if you feel so inclined! This is "social" media, after all, so it helps everyone when we make the effort to BE social with our fellow content creators!
=^..^=
Posted with proof of brain