Review: Creating A Blog Audience
I’ve got one free copy of this e-book to give away – scroll down to the bottom of the review to find out more!
Creating A Blog Audience is the newest e-book by Diane Gilleland, familiar to many of us as Sister Diane from Craftypod.
Very reasonably priced at $13.50, this 62 page booklet and accompanying 8 page worksheet is aimed at craft bloggers wishing to develop their blog audience through ‘engagement marketing’. Although the guide is targeted specifically at craft bloggers, don’t let this put you off: while there are a couple of parts that specifically mention craft resources, most of the information in this book is applicable to any kind of blogging.
Diane is well aware that many creative people run screaming at the thought of traditional marketing and her solution is to stay well away from old-fashioned aggressive techniques and ‘marketing speak’ like ‘Unique Selling Points’. Instead she offers a more gentle, organic and community-based way to build up a fan base. This is marketing without marketing – what Seth Goldin calls ‘permission marketing’. In essence, the idea is that instead of talking AT people, you talk WITH them. But of course there’s more to it than that and Diane guides you through the ins and outs with humour and skill.
If you’re au fait with Web 2.0 then much of this will be familiar but even an old hand like myself learnt some new tips and tricks. I found Chapter 4: Putting It All Together to be the most useful in this regard but I also had little ‘ah-ha’ moments throughout the whole book.
Where this e-book really stands out though, is in how useful it would be for beginners. If you’ve just started your blog or your visitor numbers are languishing and you don’t know why, then I think you’ll find this an excellent resource. A lot of people come to my blog looking for advice on blogging – my articles on that subject are perennially popular – I would absolutely recommend this book to them and the next time I update my recommended resources list, I’ll be adding this book to it.
The book is well written, in a relaxed, accessible style that will appeal to even the most intimidated new blogger. Diane is a confident writer who explains the issues with ease and the book is split into easily digested sections with occasional diagrams and photographs to break things up a little. There are also clickable links to useful resources, including a dedicated page on her blog. Frankly, I enjoyed the writing so much that even though I’ve been blogging successfully for years, as soon as I’d finished this book, I was immediately seized with a desire to read her earlier guide, Making a Great Blog.
If you’d like to know more, visit the book’s webpage or read these reviews from PlanetJune and Dude Craft.
To conclude: if you’re new to blogging or not quite on board with Web 2.0, then this book is an absolute must-have but even if you’re more experienced, you’ll probably find it valuable.
Diane has very kindly agreed to do a giveaway. In proof that her techniques work, I simply emailed her to say I was doing a review and asked if she’d consider giving away a copy and she kindly said yes. So I have one free, personalised e-book available (I’m dying to know how you personalise an e-book btw!)
If you’d like a chance at winning the book, please leave a comment on this post telling me what you hate about marketing, either doing it or being on the receiving end of it. If you’ve not commented here before, your comment will be held in moderation but I’ll approve it as soon as I can.
I’ll do a blind draw on Tuesday 15th September and announce the winner next Wednesday.
Standard disclaimer: I consider Diane to be an online friend – we comment on each other’s blogs & tweets and she interviewed me for Craftypod – however, I bought my copy of her e-book and she hasn’t influenced this review in any way.
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