Top 6 Strategies to Put Your RSS Feed Promotion On Steroids
As I wrote in one of my previous articles, the orange revolution
has begun. RSS is here and it has taken the internet by storm.
The number of webmasters becoming a part of this online
revolution is growing on a fast pace. The reason is, RSS feeds
have proved to increase traffic in a big way. And creating your
own RSS feed would surely be a step towards tapping in a new
source of traffic.
However, just publishing your own RSS feed and waiting for
miracles to happen won't work. In order to get those most wanted
subscribers, RSS feeds need to be promoted and marketed in the
right way. With a good dose of quality traffic directed towards
your feed, long term subscriptions will definitely start pouring
in.
The following 6 ways will not only help you get the word out
about your RSS feed but also help you retain a fresh flow of
targeted visitors to your website.
Strategy #1: Create an individual webpage for your RSS
feed
The most important part of your promotion should be creating a
webpage dedicated to your RSS feed. Since RSS is still new to
most of the online users, you can give your readers an
introduction and explain how beneficial it is to subscribe to
your RSS feed.
You can also have a small FAQ section about RSS here answering
any questions and doubts your readers might have. Most of the
time, the key here is to give your potential subscribers more
than one option to add your feed. Different subscription options
like "My Yahoo!" "My MSN" and "Newsgator" allow your visitors to
add and subscribe to your feed with their own convenience.
However, if you are not a techie and wouldn't prefer to create a
webpage, then you can use a service like
http://www.rapidfeeds.com . Here you get a designed page for
your feed with different subscription options. There's also a
link to a short tutorial for those who are new to RSS. Once you
publish a feed with them, you can directly promote your feed's
URL. But it would be much better if you can create a webpage
specifically for your RSS feed.
Strategy #2: Add the Auto-Discover code to your RSS feed
webpage
Browsers like Mozzila Firefox have added a lot of new features
in the past few years and made browsing a different experience.
One of the good features offered by Firefox is subscribing to
RSS feeds.
That's right, it acts as an aggregator and lets readers add
feeds directly into their browser. The browser automatically
detects RSS feeds on the site and asks the user, while he's
surfing the site, if he or she wishes to subscribe to the feeds.
In other words, it makes it very easy for users to centralize
information of their choice.
However, for Firefox to detect your feed on the webpage, you
need to have the "Auto - Discover" code on it. So that the
browser can automatically detect the feed, alerting the user.
Simply include the following code in the section of your
web pages:
This should set you up for some automatic subscriptions to your
feed!
Strategy #3: Write and distribute articles
Writing and distributing articles is a well known and a very
respected method of driving traffic to your website. It has been
effectively used by thousands of webmasters over the years to
bring in some quality visitors.
Therefore, it's an excellent idea to promote your RSS feed
through articles written by you. There are many benefits that
you'll experience once your start writing your own informative
articles. First of all, you'll be recognized as an expert in
your field. Secondly, you will gain the trust of your readers
even before they subscribe.
Your article doesn't have to be very long in length. It can be
anywhere between 500 -1000 words. A "resource box" in the end
should follow your completed article. The resource box usually
is a short bio of the author. Here is where you can promote your
RSS feed and give a link to it, explaining about it in brief.
Once you are done with the article, you can go ahead and submit
it to online article directories like ezinearticles and
goarticles. You can also go ahead and contact individual ezine
publishers for publishing your article, as they are always on a
look out for fresh content.
It's really not a big deal to write an article on the web. If
you know your expertise, then I'm sure you can come up with an
article worth reading.
Strategy #4: Submit your RSS feed to directories and search
engines
Submitting your RSS feed to online directories will certainly
draw in visitors who are actually interested in what you offer.
In the past few months a lot new directories have come up. For
example, Syndic8 and 2RSS are thriving with thousands of RSS
feeds on different topics with many more being added daily. Your
feed can very well find its place in these ever growing
directories.
There are even feed specific search engines like Feedster, which
index only RSS feeds. These search engines get visitors who are
searching for RSS feeds on a specific. So getting listed in them
could convert to more targeted traffic and give your feed a good
subscription rate.
These niche directories and search engines always tend to bring
out the best out of your promotions. They don't cost you
anything, so are definitely worth a try!
Strategy #5: Promotion through email
Promoting your RSS feed via email is one of the most under -
used methods. However, email promotion for your RSS feed usually
yields in a higher subscription ratio.
If you are already running a newsletter, then you should
consider including a section introducing your readers to your
RSS feed. Since, RSS is growing rapidly, you can expect a large
number of your email subscribers turning to your RSS feed.
You can also strike joint venture deals with other ezine
publishers and swap ads promoting each other's RSS feeds. This
can mutually work wonders for both the publishers. You can even
try promoting your ezine on the "thank you" page of your email
subscription or your joint venture partner's page.
Lastly, don't forget to promote your feed in your email
signatures. As your day-to-day correspondence can get you new
subscribers for your feed.
There are many creative ways you can use email to promote your
feed. You just need to come up with your own, which compliment
your business in a positive way.
Strategy #6: Update your content regularly
Keeping your RSS feeds fresh and updated is very important if
you want repeat visitors and new subscribers. Just like content
oriented websites are updated regularly, content-wise, your RSS
feeds are no different. RSS is meant to deliver new and up to
date information, as it directly goes to the aggregators.
Your readers really don't have any reason to be subscribed to
your feed, if it doesn't deliver new updated content. RSS feeds
aren't just meant for new visitors but also your old
subscribers. You have to keep it updated for people to keep
coming back to your feed.
On a finishing note, RSS feeds are an absolute way of turning
the cards in your favor when it comes to building traffic and a
loyal subscriber base. You need to keep on experimenting with
new promotional methods and test new marketing techniques.
That's all it would take to put your promotion on steroids!