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16 Effective Tips on How to Reward Your Blog Readers

Do you reward your blog readers? This post reveals many ways for rewarding your loyal site visitors to help you get consistent blog traffic and engagement.
16 effective tips on how to reward your blog readers
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Rewarding blog readers is very important for the success of your blog.

A reader decides the success for your blog. So unless you appreciate and reward your readers, you cannot move up to your blogging success.

There are various ways to reward the readers of your blog free of cost and effectively. Some of them may need a very small amount of money, but then this is the best investment you can do for your blogging.

Today in this post, I am going to share sixteen best and effective ways to reward your readers and keep them motivated and glued to your blog.

Just like an employee in an organization needs motivation to work, in the same way, a reader needs regular motivation to keep engaged on the blog.

Now, let’s see some of the best ways to reward your blog readers in detail.

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16 Tips For Rewarding Readers of Your Blog

I am now going to explain in detail how you can effectively make some changes in your blog or blogging practice and reward your readers.

Remember, most of these changes or ideas do not involve money; even if have to spend some money, it is very less.

Remember the formula: A loyal reader equals to followers. Followers become fans. And a fan becomes your promoter.

1. Use WordPress Sidebar Recent Comment Plugin

This is one of the easiest ways to recognize the readers. When a user leaves a comment on your blog, they love to see it displayed on the front page. Recent comments plugin

Do not forget to mention top and most commenters. The recent comment plugin is a good WordPress plugin to display the latest comment with the reader’s gravatar. You can add it and show your recent commenters.

Here is an example from my blog. I use the recent comments plugin.

This will not only motivate the blog readers to comment but also display that you appreciate their time, and you have a place for them in your blog.

2. Mention Top Commenters In Your Post And Social Media

Always mention the top commenters of your blog in social media.

Your readers will like it, and you can show them that you care. Harleena always mentions her top commenters on Twitter.

It motivates me to keep on tweeting her content as it helps me to get more followers.

Harleena Twitter Share

Try to make a habit of sharing and tagging the top commenters on Twitter, Facebook and Google plus.

It is also a good idea to write a post on your blog’s top commenters once in a month and thank them. I do it often for my blog, and I have noticed a very good response.

3. Prizes and Rewards

This a paid way to reward readers. Though you do not have to buy a costly reward, consider giving one to your top commenters once in 2 months or so.

Select a random winner from a giveaway and send them some prizes related to your niche.

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It can be an ebook, mp3 player, a novel or could be a recipe book. It does not have to be costly but just a way to show your readers that you appreciate them.

It also could be any in-house tool, any WordPress themes or anything you would like to reward to your readers.

This is also one of the best ways to attract visitors and also to get the word of mouth publicity.

4. Share Their Link in Your Post

This is my personal favorite. I keep track of users who comment on my post regularly. While writing a new post, always look out for a post from the top commenters. I maintain a list of my blog’s top commenters.

If I find something interesting and relevant to my blog, I always share their URL in the post. This will not only improve the relevance of your post but also create a personal touch with your readers.

Please make sure to let them if you share their content on your blog by email or tagging them in social share.

5. Invite Them to Guest Post

Not all bloggers accept guest posting. It is a great way to get quality content. If you see someone seriously engaged with your blog or comments and shares often; it is a good time to offer him/her a guest posting opportunity.

Even if you do not invite everyone, at least select few loyal readers and give them a chance.

It is a win-win for everyone. You will get quality content, and your reader will get quality backlinks.

Aha!NOW is a prime example of a blog which is open to all for guest post contribution.

6. Thank Personally

This is a must for every blogger. Everytime someone posts a comment; you must personally thank them and reply. Whether it is social media or a blog post, whenever you get time, you should reply.

A visitor always feels good and is likely to come back to your blog if you personally reply to them.

7. Send a Surprise Gift

Most of the bloggers follow this and get a good result. They create more followers and email subscribers using it.

You can send a surprise gift like an ebook, a free tool, magazine subscription or a goodies bag to your readers as a surprise gift.

It may not be a good idea if you are a beginner, but as you get more followers and start earning some money, it is a good idea to invest some amount here in retaining and adding new readers.

Some gift ideas could be a backpack, headphone, music player, a DVD, etc. Remember price is not important. Everyone like free stuff and it does not matter how costly it is.

8. Use Plugin Like Commenluv

A WordPress plugin like CommentLuv will be very handy to attract more readers. It will display the latest posts of the commenters below every comment on your post.

People will be likely to comment if you will display their latest post with every comment. Most of the blogger uses this.

9. Create Forums for Your Blog

A forum is a good place where you can let your readers ask a question and you can answer. It helps you to create a community around your blog. Even though you do not add any post, a reader still prefers to come to your blog to make new friends on the forum.

10. Introduce Some Free Content

If you want your readers to be more engaging, it is not a bad idea to introduce more free content. People like free stuff and they likely to stick with your blog if they get the free content regularly.

It can be a free ebook or a tool.

11. Offer Some Discounts to Your Readers

If you have created some tool or a paid ebook, offer some exclusive discount for your readers.

People like to get discounts. They have a better chance subscribing or continuing to be a part of your blog if you keep offering a discount.

12. Offer Free Services or Help

People rarely offer help for free when they are good at that. Occasionally, you can do so to your readers like setting up their website or troubleshooting any issue.

It will help them to build trust, and they will understand that you’re a helping person.

13. Promote Some Blog Readers as Moderators

People like to take extra responsibility. You can provide some loyal readers extra responsibility like comment moderation or proofreading.

This will not only take some burden off you but also motivate the readers.

14. Share Your Reader’s Post

When you know a reader always shares and comment on your post; it is your responsibility to do the same for that reader.

If that person is a blogger or a website owner, take an extra step and make sure you share their content on social media regularly.

This activity will motivate your readers and they will continue to comment on and share your content.

15. Reply to Comments

Make sure to reply to every incoming comment.

People come to your blog to read an interesting post and learn something new. Take some time and answer their questions or thoughts.

16. Host a Contest

It is a great idea to host a contest in a regular interval. Ask your blog readers to share interesting stories, or a picture or anything related to your niche.

Rewarding them with some gift will keep them motivated and connected to your blog.

Conclusion

Along with quality content, you need to have a process in place to reward and appreciate your blog readers. You need to make sure you appreciate new readers and retain the existing viewers.

The best way to do that is to create a personal touch with them by rewarding them.

Please remember whether you are a new or pro blogger, you need loyal readers and commenters for the success of your blog .

I hope these tips helped you to get new ideas.

Over to You –

I would love to hear from you about how you reward your blog readers. Please use the comments section to post your views.

Also, please do not forget to share this story with your friends.

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Disclaimer: Though the views expressed are of the author’s own, this article has been checked for its authenticity of information and resource links provided for a better and deeper understanding of the subject matter. However, you're suggested to make your diligent research and consult subject experts to decide what is best for you. If you spot any factual errors, spelling, or grammatical mistakes in the article, please report at [email protected]. Thanks.

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  1. These tips are really helpful sir, thank you! just one question sir,
    in no3. you mentioned about prizes and rewards sir, how can that be done in wordpress. Do you suggest any plugin sir?

  2. Yes, Putting comment moderation or proofreading is always a better idea and this way you won’t hurt the feeling of your audience.

  3. Hey Ravi,

    This was a great post. Who doesn’t want to be rewarded!

    It’s a great idea to give your readers and commenters recognition for coming to your blog. This will keep the engagement going and sharing reciprocation going.

    I use commentluv premium on my blog. I do have it set up so my commenters have to comment a number of times before a link from their site shows up. This is so that it can keep spam comments at a low.

    I also have seen Harleena tweet who her top commenters are. The thought never really crossed my mind to do it, but why not add this to my routine. I reply to my commenters and it would be great to give them some recognition to the Twitter world.

    Thanks Ravi for the great suggestions! Have a great upcoming weekend!

  4. Hi Ravi,

    There are several ways how I reward my blog readers. Normally I thanks them directly, or mention them on social media, especially for those who have shared my article.

    Also, I also made a list of those who have commented on my blog every month. I think it is a great way to appreciate them.

    Thanks for sharing this with us. See you around!

    Cheers,
    Nanda

  5. Hi Ravi

    Our blogs would not exist without our Loyal readers. Our audience are the ones that make our blogs to make a difference so it is just awesome to reward them.

    You have done a good job listing cool ways to reward our readers. I like all the ideas. Thanks for sharing. Take Care

  6. Hello Ravi,

    Thank you so much as this is quite helpful. It assured me that i am doing something right.

    Usually, i give out recharge cards weekly to the top commenters on my blog and also do a playful face of the week contest on our bbm channel asides the valentine writing competition and blog festival which will be coming up soon. I already started thinking its too much until i read this.

    I just installed commentluv too. I had alawys seen it on other bogs but never knew its relevance. Thank you

    1. Thank you for your comment Elsie. It is so nice to hear that my post helped you. A reward for your readers may not be always costly. A Reward is also a great way to say thank you to your readers. I am sure commentluv will help you to get more comments to your blog. Happy blogging 🙂

  7. Hello Ravi and thanks for this great post! I learned a lot and plan to utilize some of what I learned. I also have shared links to this and other articles from this blog to my Twitter. I wanted to let you know that I found you through posts Harleena published on Google+ so that you will know your social media marketing is working. But then you probably already knew that…LOL. Well thanks again for the valuable content! Cheers

  8. Hello, Ravi…..
    First of all I wanna thank you for posting such a wonderful post, Because while I was writing my own content I was having lot struggle like how to make this content to be user’s reading content at that time I also thought of giving the discount to that tool but one thought suddenly came into my mind only through discount does this will help them to get it.
    It was a great time that I saw your post and it was very inspiring for me to do further…
    I will continue with my work if I have some struggle I would like to get a help from you, sir… I also believe that you will help me out to solve any problems.
    Thank you, sir.

    1. Thank you for your appreciation Sathish. I am so happy my post helped you to get ideas and inspiration. I am ready to help anytime. I would suggest offering more to your customer than a discount. A better customer service is always a good idea once a customer purchases the product.

  9. Hello Ravi and Harleena,

    You certainly shared some great suggestions here. I love the idea of rewarding them with prizes…I’ll going to consider that one and see what I can do.

    I used to share a monthly blog post called “thank you notes” and would give a shout out to top commenters. I can’t remember why I stopped doing that but I just might do that again.

    Thanks for sharing. I hope you both are having a great week.

    Cori

    1. Thank you for your comment, Cori. Along with a thank you notes, a giveaway or contest is a good idea to engage your reader. It can be a monthly or a quaterly. We need to make sure we keep motivating top commenters.

  10. Hi Ravi

    Readers are so important in a blog and when you take care of your readers, it is a sure way to boost loyalty. I commend you for such a lovely posts and sharing so much cool ideas and great technique

    Thanks for sharing. Take Care

  11. Hi Ravi!

    What would we be without our readers? They are so important.

    Thank you for sharing these great tips. I was glad realizing that I’m implementing most of them already. Just the plug-in for commenters is something I’m considering adding to my blog.

    All the Best to you, Ilka

    1. You are right Ilka, A blog is nothing without readers. They are very important for your success as a blogger. Try commentluv and comment sidebar widget. Start with a free version and if you get a review, go for a premium commentluv+.
      Thank you again for stopping by and comment

  12. Hi Ravi,

    It is really good to see you on Harleena’s blog and you have contributed a nice post for the bloggers.

    I agree with your viewpoints on rewarding the loyal readers is indeed needed.

    I follow some of the tips that you have mentioned here. Yes, it is a nice idea to feature them on our blog posts.

    Blogging success is impossible without the readers and thus we have to please them by doing some favours.

    Starting forum is also a good idea and yeah, the dedicated bloggers are forming an active community in Facebook and WhatsApp.

    You have done a nice job, thanks for the useful content.

    1. Thank you for your kind words Nirmala. I am thankful to aha-now admin for accepting my guest post.
      Showing top commenters does not cost you anything and it pleases your readers.
      Forum, Guest post , Giveaway etc are not the very costly way and they bring new and old loyal readers back to your blog. It is a tried and tested way to reward your reader’s community.

  13. Hi Ravi, these are great tips. I’ve done a couple of giveaways in the past but I should do another. I would love to add comment luv to my site, so I’ll look into getting that plug in. Thanks for all of your suggestions. Thanks Harleena and Vinay for sharing Ravi’s knowledge here.

    1. Thank you Lisa. I am thankful to Vinay and Harleena for accepting my post.
      I would love to hear some Giveaway ideas from you, will be useful to aha-now community.
      Commenluv comes as a plugin and it is very easy to install. I would suggest you to try its premium version; it comes with little more features.
      As far I am concerned, I always post comments to the blog which uses commentluv 🙂

  14. I love to thanks commenters personally and add them in my posts. This will give me their loyalty and more traffic. Really nice piece of content.

  15. HI Ravi,
    A great list of ways to reward our blog readers. Out of them, the comment Luv is my favourite. It truly gives readers and commenters a small motivation and of course a great reward for letting them post their recent blogs on our page.
    Keep up Bro.
    Have a nice day….

    1. Thank you for your comment Ugyen. I too love commentluv and from the day of its install, I have noticed the number of comment going up.
      Including your blog readers, recent posit is a great idea to motivate readers. I do that often and never forget to send them an email.
      I am glad you like my ideas. 🙂
      All the best.

  16. Hey Ravi,

    Our readers are the best marketing tools to promote and spread the word about our blog. As our blog readership grows, so does the number of channels to disseminate blog content across the web. Rewarding our blog readers is another important part of blogging. It is a great way of keeping our loyal readers and attract new readers.

    Especially, the core members of our community, come to our blog because they admire us. We are a kind of, sort of a celebrity in their world. Responding to comments gives them a little piece of that is extremely personal. It’s a way to reward blog readers at zero cost, other than time. We can also take the time to actually answer emails. Rewarding our readers using a points system or badges for interacting with the community. Readers love to display the fact that they have a high number of points or have a badge identifying them as a veteran member of our community. It encourages readers to come back again and again, in addition to making them feel good. Eventually, thanks for sharing your worthy thought with us.

    With best wishes,

    Amar kumar

  17. Thank you, Ravi – this is so true and really well said! Blessings to you! This helps me as I am still just getting my site going – Christina

  18. Hi Ravi,
    Fantastic post!
    Thankfulness and appreciation are so powerful right?
    But sometimes we get so busy doing other things for our blog that we forget about the most important part to this art:the readers.
    They define the future of our blog just like you mentioned.
    WordPress sidebar recent comments plugin is a grest idea. Most of my followers are from WordPress.
    I really enjoy sharing others post it keeps me connected.
    Thanks for opening my eyes with this post.

    1. I am so glad you like the post Vernon. You are correct. Thanking your readers not only encouraged them but encourages them to return to your blog.
      Yes sometimes we are so busy in writing content, we forget the most important part of blogging; the readers.
      Wordpress recent comment widget is not optional, but I think it is a must for every blogging. You need to give a space on your blog for the readers.
      Thank you for your comment and good luck

  19. Hi Ravi,

    You have given great Ideas for readers to make their blogs successfully
    I could learn so many new thinks.

    Thank you very much

  20. Hey Ravi, I totally agree number 2.

    If we show our readers, how much they mean to us by mentioning them, they will keep on coming.

    And yeah, they will as well be the ones referring their friends

  21. I am SO big on #4 too Ravi. I call it the “bring them along for the ride” technique. Just link to 1 or 3 or 5 fellow bloggers in almost all your posts. This gives readers props which leads back to you too,as when you show love you betcha you’re gonna get features and interviews and love from many of your readers.

    I link to 2 or more other bloggers in almost all of my posts AND guest posts. If I’m writing for the Huffington Post or Blogging Tips I just mention my readers and blogging buddies a few at a time to expose them to a big, engaged, targeted audience.Give ’em a shout and wow will they love you for it.

    Thanks for the fabulous share!

  22. Hi Ravi,

    What wonderful ideas to reward our readers. They are the one’s that help us all the time so why not?

    I’ve rewarded them by giving a free eBook and of course reciprocating to each person and spreading their blog posts around. Other than that, you have given me wonderful ideas of taking the next step.

    Thanks so much,

    -Donna

    1. Hello Donna, I am so happy it helped you get some ideas. Free ebook is a great idea to increase subscribers and gift it to your readers. I would suggest to do it at regular interval to keep your readers engaged. All the best to you.

  23. Hi Ravi, Wonderful topic here at Harleena’s blog! I completely agree about CommentLuv. I disabled it over the summer but didn’t feel good about it. I do believe readers should be rewarded for commenting and CL does a great job at that.

    If a reader wants to submit a guest post, I would certainly consider it seriously. But I don’t think I would make a reader a moderator of comments. I’ve had bad luck in letting people into my dashboard.

    I also don’t do giveaways. That would work for some blogs, but I don’t sell anything so I don’t have anything to give away!

    1. Thank you for your comment, Carolyn. I have seen a positive growth in comments after installing commentluv. Even when I visit any blog and notice commentluv, I always comment there.
      So in short, it encourages readers to post a comment, so that they get a chance to display their latest post.
      Guest post is also a good way to attract readers. Most of time a top blogger do not accept guest post but I still consider it as a good option.

      for comments moderator, you must select one or two readers who are with your blog from a long time and written at least 25 + guest post. They should be well aware of you community.
      A givewaway always does not have to be very costly, it can be an ebook of $5 or can be an amazon gift card of $10. You do not have to spend more. But think about the traffic and readers you will get because of it.

  24. Wonderful tips Ravi! Aha- now has been using all these for a long time and taught some to its readers too! Actually readers make a blog successful and therefore your suggestions could be very helpful. Often readers forget to share the blog post, which should be done even before you start reading it. 🙂
    Thanks for sharing. Have a nice day.

    1. Thank you for your comment Balroop. I love aha-now as it does everything readers expect. I love the way Harleena encourages every guest blogger. No doubt why so many blogger attached to the aha-now community.
      I am very happy to be a part of it.

      You are right, if you like a post as a reader, you must share it.
      Also, a blogger not only makes your blog successful, they also help you to earn money and increase credibility.

  25. Hi Ravi,

    These are excellent ideas.
    I’m happy to say I implement a lot of them.
    Love the idea of a forum. I’ve thought about it, just don’t know how to go about it. It’s like taking the conversation in the comments to the next level, so it’s something I’d be interested in learning more about.

    As far as inviting people to guest post – I’ve done this and now that you’ve reminded me, I’m ready to do it again. It’s been a while since I’ve had a guest. I love featuring other people on my blog.

    Thanks for all of this. Simple ideas, but a much needed refresher for me.

    1. Hi Dana, thanks for your encouragement. The forum may not be a good idea if you are a relatively new blogger. But with a good traffic you should capitalize it to create a community around your blog.
      The forum software is mostly free and has seen many successful bloggers is using them.
      The guest forum is good for both newbie and pro blogger, My readers love it and I am planning to offer it soon.
      Thank you again for your comment.

  26. Hi Ravi,
    Glad to see you on the pages of AhaNOW. 🙂
    Great share here!
    Yes, the tips you shared are really wonderful, and sure it will get attracted by our readers to visit on our page.
    In fact I am following most of the tips mentioned in this post, Well honoring our readers especially those who are taking time to send their feedback should be suitably rewarded whatever way we can. The one I follow diligently is projecting my readers profile with their comment number on my web page’s side bar, presently it is showing the Top Ten comment authors, and every month’s first week I published a short post about my blog comment authors especially by projecting our top comment author on a prominent place with his or here photo.
    In fact some of the thing mentioned inthis post are really new to me, I will check out those too soon.
    Thanks for sharing
    Thanks Harleena for bringing Ravi to your page.
    May you both have a great time of sharing and writing ahead! 🙂
    Best Regards
    ~ Phil

    1. Thank you Philip for your comment, so happy to know you like the post. I am already delighted by such a good response.
      As a blogger, you should respect the time readers spend to write a long and detailed comment. They are your loyal readers and should be taken care of.
      Rewarding them will make sure that they always return and comment. Great to know you publish your top commenters regularly. Adding pictures of readers is really a good idea. I would love to be in that list sometime 🙂

      Thanks again for your encouraging words and I am looking forward to it.

  27. Hi Ravi, Harleena, and Vinay,

    I absolutely love these ideas. If we reward our readers, they continue to return, right? Thanks so much for sharing these great tips! I learned a few new ones!

    ~B

    1. Thank you for your comment, Bren.

      You are correct. Our aim should be not to create new readers but also to retain existing one. No matter if you are a newbie or a big blogger, you need a continuous flow of readers.
      Rewarding them at regular interval motivates them and gives you a good traffic.
      Sometimes it also involves a bit investment but it is all worth.
      Glad you like the post.

  28. Hey Ravi,

    While handling a blog, you must always take care of your readers. Rewarding them by providing the backlinks can be helpful.

    CommentLuv is there to manage it. Showing the top commentators is also a good step. I totally agree with you about allowing your readers to write a guest post on the blog.

    You have mentioned some informative points here.
    Thanks for sharing with us.
    ~Ravi

    1. Thank you for your comment, Ravi. I always keep a track of my loyal and top commenters and always bookmark their important post.
      I use those post later as a reference in my blog post. It not only help me to create a relevant post but also gives them a backlink.

      Also, I have seen a jump in the comments after using commentluv. The paid version of this tool has more features and I would recommend to use it.

      Remember positive and loyal readers should be your first priority.

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