SESSION SEVENPromoting your stories – Engaging with an

audience

Session Seven

By the end of this workshop the learner/s will have

knowledge of techniques for building a website audience.

This will be achieved by considering:

• Techniques for generating an audience

• Building credibility

• How to respond to flamers

GAINING READERS

Think about all the things you can do to gain

readers for your online presence.

• Search Engines - How do they work?

• Optimising your content:• Links

• Well written content

• Google likes sites that are updated frequently

• Google likes long form articles

• Robots index text

• Make sure your site is search engine optimized.

• Keywords • Think about your key words – which words might your audience

search on? Use them in your writing.

Gaining Readers - SEO

• Repurposing content to increase audience access

points – Using Social Media.

• Likes

Task – Look at this site: http://www.greeningofgavin.com/ and

explore how Gavin creates and repurposes content to ensure he is

visible on a wide range of social media platforms

Gaining Readers – Via Social Media

• Links via comments

• Linking to previous posts

• Joining Meme’shttp://herlibraryadventures.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Flea%20Market%20Finds.

• Give-aways

• Time – The best read blogs are often those that have been around a while. Be patient, keep putting your message out there and you will eventually get noticed. The more you do the higher up the search engine rankings you will creep which in turn will lead to more readers and so on.

Gaining Readers

DEVELOPING LOYAL

FOLLOWERS

How do you turn a reader into a follower?

Creating a community of insiders

Generating Comments

Replying to comments

http://www.blogtyrant.com/search-engine-ranking-positions-display/

Regular predictable posting pattern

Interacting yourself

Authenticity is contagious

Developing loyal followers:

ENGAGING AN AUDIENCE

Key components in establishing credibility?

• Authentic Quality Content

• The About us page

• Reading widely

• Seeking to understand

• The power of questions

Engaging an Audience – Establishing

Credibility

• Fact vs Opinion

• Ethical considerations

• Staying on topic

• Contributing to discussion forums

• Expert Organisations

• The power of endorsements

Engaging an Audience – Establishing

Credibility (continued)

Evergreen content , constant research

• http://www.askthepilot.com/

• http://blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/trouble/ (mental health

issues)

Sarah Wilson – a case study

Engaging with an audience – Remaining

relevant

COMMUNICATING WITH

YOUR AUDIENCE

Dealing with Flamers

Techniques

• Don’t respond with anger

• Be tolerant of criticism – you may learn something

• Take responsibility – assess whether you provoked their

reaction

• Censor with care

• Respond with pride, change the topic, maintain your

integrity

• Ignore them

Dealing with Flamers

Review

Today we have considered a range of mechanisms you

have for building an audience.

• SEO

• Using Social Media

• Establishing Credibility

• Authentic, Quality Content

Next Steps

Tasks:

1. Read the WIKI

2. Research relevant expert organisations for your health

message

Next (and Final) session

Representing Yourself & Your Organisation:

• Your online identity:

• The importance of consistency

• Understanding Ethical Considerations

• Protecting your image

• Understanding policies

• What to do if you overstep

• Dealing with the media

END OF SESSION SEVEN