I recently suggested that putting more of yourself into your blog might open the door to more linky-love reviews. That's not the whole answer, though. Many who have great blogs with good readership still don't get the lovin' they need. If your blog is link-worthy, why aren't the reviews popping up often enough to suit you?

Maybe it's because you didn't ask!

Sometimes it's as simple as asking for a review. We all know that blogs need link-love, but few of us think to do them spontaneously. We do them because the needs of a specific blogger are brought to our attention. They ask!

Ask the people who know your blog

Most of your friends and regular readers will do a review if you ask them. It makes sense that if they enjoy your blog, their own readers will enjoy it, too. They'll be doing their visitors a service by pointing out another good blog for them to read. It makes solid content for the reviewer, so everyone gets some benefit out of the deal.

Ask your new readers

If a first-time visitor posts an enthusiastic comment to something you've written, ask them to share it with their own readers. "Aloha GameGal! Welcome to skeet's stuff and mahalo for your kind words. It's always great to meet another hidden object game enthusiast. Could you do me a favor and let your own readers know you've found new source for game reviews? I'd really appreciate it!"  I've rarely failed to get a positive response to this approach.

Does asking make you a pest?

In the comments for my last Izea post, Drew's inquiring mind wanted to know how one can ask for linky love without being a pest. I don't think asking once is obnoxious. If the person says no, drop it. If they're regular readers, though, chances are pretty good they'll say yes. You can do it publicly, as I did with Mistipurple in that same comment string. I'll admit that was an experiment, though, and I wouldn't suggest doing it unless you're pretty certain of a positive response. An email or private message doesn't put anyone on the spot and will usually result in a review. You can also put out a general call for linky-love in a post on your blog, but I've gotten lackluster responses to that method. Making it personal by addressing someone privately has always worked better for me.

Ask outside your current readership

Ask for linky-love on message boards and public forums. Check out the Sparks forum on the Izea Message Boards. Posties are asking for love and they're getting it. Other posties are offering to give reviews. Take them up on it! Ask in the other communities you frequent, too. Ideally, you share some common interests with the members of those communities and they'll respond as enthusiastically as your postie pals.

Next up: Rewarding your reviewers. Stay tuned!

Posted by skeet at 04:19 AM in Blogging | Comments (3) | TrackBack (0)