A recent study revealed what it was that made people go to read certain blogs over and over again.
What are the determining factors of readership, according to the study performed by Vizu Answers and Advertising Age?
Concerning why people read blogs, 65.7 percent said that their primary purpose was entertainment. Of those polled, another 42.5 percent said that it is directly connected to their personal interests or hobbies, 32.5 percent said it was for information or education, and 12.3 percent said it was for work.
The great majority of blog readers - 67.3 percent - find them through following links from other blogs, recommended by other blog writers (22.9 percent) and about 20 percent find them through search engines.
What's really interesting though is the answers on what makes a blog a good one. The top reasons were the topic that is focused on, with 43.6 percent saying that was the determining factor, while about the same, 43.9 percent, said that the quality of writing was the major reason for reading a blog.
Another factor influencing it was the reputation of the author which 38 percent said is what was decisive in credibility. The quality of the blog writing was another indicator of credibility to readers, which 51.5 percent said was important.
What separates a blog from other types of media? Having personal opinions interjected into the topic or story, said 38.4 percent of respondents. People want to know what it is you think about things. Other key factors were writing style (28.2%), editorial freedom (26.3%), and layout (25.8%).
Those who read blogs for professional reasons to it primarily to track information or trends.
When taking all of this in, it comes down to being true to what your passions are. People that read blogs, like in other areas of life, are interested in what is connected to their daily lives (other than celebrity gossip type blogs), and will connect with those that write interesting post about those things.
Another thing they like is consistency as people are increasingly wanted to get little "bites" of information to feed on daily. Those that provide it will win in the blog world.
Comment Preview