Have you ever wondered why some blogs have a readership that only increases with time whilst others struggle to get even 100 visitors in a day? Problogger.net has 76894 readers subscribed via RSS. I don’t even have 9.  Of course, let’s not forget the fact that he had a head start way back before I did and has been a revelation of sorts since then.

(It’s amazing how Problogger manages to find a mention in most of my posts. But readers might agree that the guy is one of the icons on the blogosphere and we can’t help but analyze and emulate his success mantra.)

So, what is it about some blogs that make them stand out from amongst the rest of the crowd? What will it take for you to be the next Problogger? Is there some hidden strategy that isn’t being revealed by the big guns? Apart from posting regularly and posting quality content (Yes, we know the drill), what is it that some blogs lack?

In case you haven’t noticed, some blogs are out there just for the sake of existing on the blogosphere and despite doing everything else correctly, they are making the one biggest mistake of their lives in blogging. And it is this mistake that might well be the nail in their coffin.

They do not offer value to their readers in their posts! Do you?

Are you offering your reader something that a million other websites on the internet aren’t? Or are your blog posts out there purely because of the necessity to post thrice a week? Answer honestly. This answer might well help you make a significant difference to your reader base in the days to come.

‘How do I offer value?’ one might ask.

There are numerous ways to do it. Offer a tip or an idea that can bring about a small or maybe, even a significant change in their lives. Offer a solution to a simple problem that no one but you has thought of. If the problem has already been spoken about and you would like to add your own tidbits to it, then do it. A fresh perspective is always accepted.

Start a series of articles on a particular topic within your niche (extremely popular), give out a compilation of your articles as an e-book, share a useful link that you might have found, write a review, start a poll, accept feedback!

Readers are ordinary human beings, who are facing ordinary problems like inflation, lay offs and the recession. Connect, empathize, suggest, enquire, assign, or ask a question. There are hundreds of ways in which you can turn each post into something unique and yet, offer value.

The only way to build a community of readers on your post is to build loyalty. To make the reader come back everyday. To make him/her interact via the comments section and for this to happen, your posts must not be good. They have to be the best.

It’s easy to follow a winning formula. It’s hard to create one of your own. The least you can do is try.

Notes: Photo courtesy Flickr: special offer, originally uploaded by sindesign.