How to promote a blog post: 4 simple ways to get more eyes on your content

If I told you to put out a huge advert on the Underground every time you wrote a new blog post, you’d probably do one of two things: laugh it off like the clear joke it is, or stare at me in disbelief and sudden shocked horror.

But before you either laugh, cry, or write me off completely, allow me to explain.

When an author releases a new book, they’ll have multiple promotions lined up, don’t they? Interviews, podcasts and radio shows, social media posts, sending it to reviewers and bloggers, book signings, and, yep, those advertisements around town.

Publishing the book was just step one. And the same goes for your business blog.

You’ve created something. Now you need to put it in front of the people who want to read it. 

How do you promote a blog post?

Promoting a blog post comes down to four simple habits: sharing it on social media, weaving it into your email marketing, linking to it from other pages on your site, and refreshing older posts to give them a second lease of life.

Of course, you're hoping your posts will rank on Google over time. That's the dream: consistent organic traffic finding your site through search. And it should happen if you're strategic about your topics and how you structure your content.

But while you're waiting for those rankings to build, these four approaches help get your content in front of people right now; and once they become habit, they take very little time at all.

1. Share the blog post link on your Social Media platforms

   
   

Make the most of the platforms you're already on and give your new post a proper shout-out. You've put the work into building an audience there, so let them know something good is waiting for them on your site.

A few ideas to get you started:

• Instagram: Share the post to your stories with a link. Create a carousel post pulling out key tips or insights. Film a quick 1-minute Reel talking through the main points.

• Facebook: Post it to your business page with a brief summary to encourage people to read more. Pin it to the top for a few days if it's particularly relevant right now.

• LinkedIn: Adapt the post into a LinkedIn article or share key takeaways as a text post. You can also set up the feature that allows for automatic posting if you want to save yourself some time.

• Google Business Profile: Post an update linking to your new blog post. You could also do a roundup at the end of each month, reminding people what topics you've covered.

Which means:

• Pretty much ready-made content for your socials

• More opportunities for direct clicks onto your post straight off the bat

• A stronger reminder to your audience that your blog is active and worth checking in on

• A chance to test which platforms (and formats) your audience responds to most

Win-win!

Top Tip: Create templates for each platform. A Canva template for your Instagram Story. A fill-in-the-blank template for your Google Business Profile. This turns promotion from another time-draining task into a simple admin one.

2. Add your blog to your email marketing strategy

Your email list is full of people who have already said yes to hearing from you: past customers, potential customers, people who love what you do. They're exactly who you want reading your blog posts, which makes email one of the best promotional tools you've got.

Here are a few ways for your blog and your emails to do a little collab together:

• Send a dedicated email about your new post*, especially if it's timely or ties into a product launch. Write a short bit at the top explaining why this topic is relevant to them right now, then link to the post itself.

• Pop snippets into your automated welcome sequences. When someone signs up to your list, send them your most useful content as part of their welcome series. They get to see what you're all about straight away, and you're making the most of the content you've already written.

• Bundle posts into a monthly roundup: A sort of, "Here's what we've been writing about this month." Inject some personality in, make it a bit of a series that people expect every month. You could have as much fun with it as you like!

• Include a little "Recent on the blog" section to your regular emails. Just a sentence or two with a link keeps your content visible and in the corner of people's minds.

• Add links to related blog posts when you promote products or collections. It reminds customers that you know your products inside out and have plenty of useful content to back them up.

By doing this, you’re helping your blog posts live longer and reach more people. One can welcome new subscribers, feature in your monthly updates, and reappear later when the timing’s right, which means you're getting even more value from every post you write.

*Check if your website already emails subscribers when you publish a new post. If it does, you can tweak that template to sound more personal, or skip sending a separate one.

3. Link to it from other pages on your site

Of course, you’ll be linking to products, collections, and other blog posts from your blog post. But remember to do the reverse and link to it from other places on your site.

You can:

• Add a short mention in relevant product descriptions

• Reference it in older blog posts covering similar topics

• Link to it from your FAQs to give readers a detailed answer to common questions.

For example, if you’ve written a review of a product, link to the review on that product page. If you’ve written a care guide on leather sofas, link to that care guide on your leather sofa collection page.

The more your content connects to each other, the easier it is for people to find what they need. You're creating this content ecosystem; a helpful web of information that guides people through your site.

Bonus tip: Make sure your customer service team knows when new posts go live. Your blog often answers the same questions your customers are asking, so it’s a great resource for your team to share in replies or refer to when helping someone. 

4. Give Old Blog Posts New Life (and New Readers)

Your blog is a living part of your business, and your older posts have plenty of life left in them. As your product range grows and new information comes to light, a lot of your earlier content will be ready for a refresh.

Every six months or so is a good rule of thumb, and you can easily keep track of updates in your content calendar. Add a column titled “Date to review” or “Next update due.” Use a simple formula to calculate six months from the original publish date, so you always know when to revisit each post.

When you revisit a post, look for things like: 

• New products or services you've added since it was published

• Updated information or industry changes

• Fresh statistics or examples that could make the piece even stronger.

Once you've given it a spruce up, go back to #3 and promote it all over again! Share it on social, mention it in your newsletter, link to it from newer posts. Your audience has grown since you first published it, and plenty of readers will be discovering it for the very first time.

I'd say this is one of the most underused tactics I come across. Businesses put a huge amount of effort into writing posts and then forget all about them, when a quick update and a reshare can bring in a whole new wave of readers.

Keep your blog alive beyond publishing day

So there we have it: four simple ways to get more people reading your blog posts. Share it, email it, link to it, and revisit it. A few consistent habits go a long way, and with each post you promote, you're creating more ways for people to discover your business and connect with what you do.

No Underground adverts needed.

Need a hand with your blog?

If you've got ideas but no time to write them or you're starting from scratch and want to get it right from the off, I'd love to help.

I write blog posts for businesses of all shapes and sizes, from Shopify stores to service providers, bringing together creativity and strategy to give you content that represents you well and brings the right people to your site.

Take a look at my blog post writing service, or get in touch and tell me what you're working on. I'd love to hear from you.