If you run your own blog or business, you know how hard it can be to get your name out there. You can only pin your posts so many times, so then what? Facebook ads are effective, but if they’re not in the budget, you can start to feel a little lost.
Fortunately, there are plenty of easy and free ways to promote your content without being spammy. Forget filling your friend’s newsfeeds with a constant flow of your latest updates.
When promoting your content, focus on sharing real value, as opposed to selling. If you lead with a genuine desire to help your audience, you will be lightyears ahead of your competition.
Here are several ways to start adding value and growing your audience now.
Social media
It seems obvious, but we can’t ignore the fastest way to get in front of your audience’s eyes. Social media is a powerful tool when used strategically. Hint: strategically does not mean getting sucked into 3 hours of reading posts about the election.
Set aside some time each week to schedule your social media posts. Start with your favorite platform, whether that be YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. Think about how your target market spends their time. You want to be on the platform that makes sense for them. By focusing all your energy on one platform, you’ll build a genuine following and start seeing some real engagement. Once you’ve built it up, move on to the next.
Yes, Pinterest counts as social media, but it’s so powerful these days that it needs its own category. If you are targeting women of any age group, it’s time to start upping your pinning skills. First, focus on light and airy pictures for your pin. They must be vertical in order for people to take notice as they’re scrolling. Start with a few boards and make sure to give them rich descriptions.
Guest posts
I think guest posting is the most underutilized list-building strategy. To provide a valuable guest post, start brainstorming any website or blog your target audience loves. Try to think of niches than complement yours, but are separate. For example, if you are a health coach, rather than guest posting on other health coaches’ websites, reach out to a fashion blogger.
This way, you won’t be competing with the person who is allowing you to have access to her audience. Once you have a good list, send an email offering a free guest post. Most people love the chance to take a week off from writing while giving their audience something new.
Webinar
Hosting a webinar is an amazing way to grow your audience by giving away some free value. If you have a product that you’re currently focusing on, brainstorm some possible webinar topics that could feed into that. For example, if you are a relationship expert, maybe do a webinar about how to share the holidays this year.
To quickly grow your email list, try teaming up with a fellow entrepreneur. With both of you on the webinar, you’ll be able to share more knowledge while introducing yourselves to each other’s audiences.
Read all the ways to promote your content for free, inside HER Magazine. Access May’s issue by downloading our magazine in iTunes or Google Play.
