in no way am i an expert at this, but we are in a very similar position which is trying to carve a little bit of space for our view of this niche. looking at your blog, my first impression is the serious lack of content. 3 posts is all that there is from mid-december to now, almost 5 months. i consumed all the content on your site in under 5 minutes. the kind of reader you want to attract, might come back tomorrow to see if there's anything new, and if there isn't, chances are he won't be returning the next day.
there are a ton of ways to drive traffic to your blog, and a ton of online tutorials that offer tips/tricks. do the work, make your blog something worth visiting over and over. you have to put in the time, and write your blog as though you have a massive audience.
but think about what message you're sending this hypothetical massive audience when you only give them 3 things to contemplate over a 5 month period of time. what you're saying is, "i don't care if you're bored. if you want to be captivated, go somewhere else." well, those readers you covet, are going someplace else.
good luck man, it'll be interesting to see what new content you've added the next time i check in.
BKD gave a lot of great advise and basically mentioned all of the things I would have suggested. The only thing I would add is this: What was your reason for starting a blog? Is it because you really like paper toys and wanted to write about them? Is it because you had your own paper creations that you wanted to share with the world? What is it that you want to tell people? There's always a driving force behind a blog and it usually stems from the blogger's passion for something - art, music, comics, video games, politics, zombies, etc. Once you decide what that something is, like BKD mentioned, you need to do the work. The web is a great resource to find what it is you're looking for. Google it! If you want to talk about paper toys, obviously this site is a great resource. Comb through the blogs and photos. Check out your favorite designers' websites. Then stick to it and be patient. You won't gain a following of readers overnight. It takes time... lots of it.
baykiddead
andy,
in no way am i an expert at this, but we are in a very similar position which is trying to carve a little bit of space for our view of this niche. looking at your blog, my first impression is the serious lack of content. 3 posts is all that there is from mid-december to now, almost 5 months. i consumed all the content on your site in under 5 minutes. the kind of reader you want to attract, might come back tomorrow to see if there's anything new, and if there isn't, chances are he won't be returning the next day.
there are a ton of ways to drive traffic to your blog, and a ton of online tutorials that offer tips/tricks. do the work, make your blog something worth visiting over and over. you have to put in the time, and write your blog as though you have a massive audience.
but think about what message you're sending this hypothetical massive audience when you only give them 3 things to contemplate over a 5 month period of time. what you're saying is, "i don't care if you're bored. if you want to be captivated, go somewhere else." well, those readers you covet, are going someplace else.
good luck man, it'll be interesting to see what new content you've added the next time i check in.
bkd
May 3, 2011
Abz
Hi Andy,
BKD gave a lot of great advise and basically mentioned all of the things I would have suggested. The only thing I would add is this: What was your reason for starting a blog? Is it because you really like paper toys and wanted to write about them? Is it because you had your own paper creations that you wanted to share with the world? What is it that you want to tell people? There's always a driving force behind a blog and it usually stems from the blogger's passion for something - art, music, comics, video games, politics, zombies, etc. Once you decide what that something is, like BKD mentioned, you need to do the work. The web is a great resource to find what it is you're looking for. Google it! If you want to talk about paper toys, obviously this site is a great resource. Comb through the blogs and photos. Check out your favorite designers' websites. Then stick to it and be patient. You won't gain a following of readers overnight. It takes time... lots of it.
That's all I have to add. Good luck, Andy!
May 5, 2011