Kimber here. Mom says it’s time for a little bloggish housekeeping. (She calls it “housekeeping.” I think it’s more like Rants From the ‘Ole Curmudgeon. Don’t tell her I said that, okay?)

Here’s the deal. Mom gets tons and tons of jun… um, stuff in her In Box. Every day. You probably do, too. Lots goes straight to the big kitty litter box in the sky.

If you’re a book blogger or other writing humanoid, listen up! The blogosphere is crowded. You have seconds to grab and keep your audience’s attention. You don’t want to lose them right out of the gate, right?

So we’re offering, at no extra charge, four handy-dandy blogging dos and don’ts (especially if you’re trying to get Mom’s attention):

1. DON’T:

Open With a Boring, Redundant Headline

Nothing puts readers to sleep like: “Book Review,” blah, blah, blah in a subject line or blog header. Readers already know you’re a book blogger. Kicking off your post title with the obvious is like hawking up a hair ball. It’s tasteless and redundant.

Let’s face it. Most of us have the attention span of a gnat these days. So if you don’t grab your readers’ attention in a few seconds, it’s goodbye, Charlie. Don’t turn readers off with a boring, dopey headline.

DO:

Spend some time coming up with a catchy, intriguing headline. Like, with a verb. Or a question. Maybe a How To or a Why?

Examples:

• Why I Dropped Everything to Finish This Page-Turner (and you should, too).
• How to Avoid Putting Your Readers to Sleep in 3 Easy Steps.
• Creating Blog Brilliance with Kimber the Magnificent. (Hey. If the paw fits…)

So, unless you want your readers to send that post straight to la la land, lose the “Book Review” in your title. Thud.

2. DON’T

Make It Impossible Comment

Mom the Whiner: “I’d love to comment on this blogger’s post. So where’s the Leave a Reply or Comment box? Is that info a matter of national security? What?”

If Mom has to fetch hammer and tong or trowel and shovel to dig up your comment  spot, Mom’s outta there! Unless they have the patience of Job or a cat to bathe, most of your readers will be, too.

DO:

Make sure you Comment section is obvious and easy to access.

3. DON’T:

Have a Desktop-Friendly Only Format

Desktop computers aren’t the primary way most people access the internet anymore. They’re using mobile devices more and more. So make sure your blog is optimized for mobile. If you don’t, you’re likely to get left in the dust.

DO:

For more on this, see my genius post, How Spinach Can Make You’re a Better Blogger.

4. DON’T:

Bore Your Readers to Death With Overly Long, Rambling, Needlessly Loquacious, and Off Point Nattering So They Fall Asleep, Move On, or Order Out for Pizza and Start Eating Before You Can Say ‘Jack Robinson.’

DO:

Keep your sentences short. Keep paragraphs pithy and on-point. Use bullet points to break up text and make it easy on the eye.

For more, see Is This Blogging Thing Going to Work?

See how this works?

Love to stay and chat. But I gotta go wake up Mom. (It’s a tough job. But somebody’s gotta do it.)

XXOO,

Kimber

What are some ways you’ve found to effectively boost your blog’s readership?