Google Reader was a tool utilized by wide swaths of people (both in its hey day and at its demise) who used it to consume their favorite content on the web. The Reader let users pull in RSS Feeds from their favorite sites like news outlets, blogs, and other content publishers in an easy to track tool that both promoted reading and writing. Now it is gone.
So, let’s say you are a voracious reader and want to know where you should upload all of your RSS Feeds? You might go with Feed.ly (the frontrunner in the RSS Feeds arms race); of course there are a number of other sites offering various readers for anyone interested in tracking content. Many of them have actually been working together since the Google Reader announcement and it is probable that this shift in that marketplace will propel RSS Readers to their next evolutionary stage.
Some RSS Readers you may want to try:
- Newsblur
- Digg
- AOL Reader
- Feedbin
- Pulse
Which RSS Reader Should I Promote On My Business Blog?
If you own a business (small business or large) and you have a blog – this moment, the “death of Google Reader” is likely the perfect time for you to strike out to grow that audience.
Think about it. Why are you writing your blog? Hopefully it is to generate content that is informational about the topic you are passionate about: your business and the industry you are in. A very nice secondary benefit of writing passionately about topics related to your business will be all of the SEO strength that good content gives to your site (a higher Google ranking directly translates to stronger leads).
But you still need readers! You especially need readers who will appreciate your content and readers who will pass your blog content on to others, growing your influence as a thought leader. Knowing which RSS Feeds people are switching to, and which offer the best sharing is an important part of this strategy. And even more important is making sure that your blog – lets them easily add that content to their favorite reader.
How do you do that? You need to supply your readers with the RSS Feed for your blog. Do that by prominently displaying the RSS Feed icon as a link to help them find it easily (I’m always surprised when blogs don’t make finding an RSS Feed easy). This way people who want to add your content to their RSS Feed tool can do so easily, and that feed will show them what you are writing about and remind them to come back and learn more from your site. Being included in someone’s RSS Reader is sort of like getting a byline in their favorite newspaper. Whenever you write – your headline and a portion of your content will appear to entice them to come visit your blog (think of it as free blog advertising!).
Another step you can take is to promote specific RSS Readers to your audience on your site. Do this by including share buttons for those Readers on your blog posts. There are certain RSS Readers that promote sharing more than others. Its always great to have someone following your RSS Feed – but isn’t it even better if they can pass on an article if they think someone they know my benefit from your insights?
A great RSS Reader for promoting sharing is BlogLovin. You can do this by importing the BlogLovin widgets onto your site. This RSS Reader is especially helpful for blogs that use images and photographs very well. This is because Bloglovin is similar to Pinterest in that it is set up to start you off following blogs (it promotes certain bloggers).
Additionally, DIGG provides a great boost in page views if your post is shared and upvoted on that site. Many people have already had a “Share on Digg” button on their blogs, but the site recently introduced the Digg Reader for people looking for an alternative to Google Reader. Digg is a good RSS Reader to promote on your site, especially if your target client is twenty- and thirty-something males.
Rather than the RSS Readers of old (Google Reader) the new, Web 2.0 version encourages and promotes sharing of blog posts – a great thing for anyone who maintains a blog. As people search around for a new RSS Reader – why not nudge your readers to a platform where they are compelled to share the nuggets of wisdom that you dole out? For more information on Google Reader and its effects, contact our experts at Premiere Creative and give us a call at (973) 346-8100.