16 Ways to Promote Your Blog Post + Free Checklist

I know you spend a lot of time, energy and tears into creating a masterpiece blog post. But did you know that creating your post is only 20% of the job? Yeah, I know.

Most of the work and reward is in the promotion. You should be spending 80% of your time promoting, repurposing and repromoting your post to maximize your reach, engagement and lead generation.

In this post, I'm sharing 16 ways to promote your blog post after you hit publish. At the end, I have included a checklist of all these ways so you can refer to it whenever you need to!

Post to Facebook.

Include the link on your Facebook page and share it to your personal profile. Make sure there is an image attached (if one doesn't automatically generate) and add a little teaser.

Post to Twitter.

Pull a notable comment, quote or point from the post and include the link in your tweet. Add relevant hashtags to maximize reach. And be sure to schedule a few more tweets throughout the week.

Pin image to Pinterest.

If your blog doesn't have an image you can pin, you need to go back and add an image. Pin your feature image to a relevant board. You can set up a separate board on Pinterest for your blog posts so all your posts are in one place. Over time, you can pin your posts to other relevant boards so your content is reaching different audiences.

READ MORE: Your Six Point Blog Post Checklist

Post image to Instagram.

Use your feature image or another relevant image. Add a caption, which could include a quote, a teaser or the first few lines of the post. Be sure to add clear directions where people can read the post. Add up to 30 relevant hashtags. Be sure to include the link in your bio.

Post to Linkedin.

Copy and paste your post as an article to LinkedIn. Or share your post as an update. If you know of someone in your network who might find this interesting, you have the option of tagging them in your post. If you have a Company Page connected to your personal profile and the content is relevant, share it there as well.

Share in Facebook Groups.

If you are a part of a Facebook group that might extract value from your post, be sure to post the link. For example, The Rising Tide Society sends out a weekly invitation to its Facebook group members to share their latest blog post. And it works. When I share my post in the thread, my web traffic AND post engagement increases significantly.

Share in Twitter Chats.

Similar to a Facebook group, if you are participating in a Twitter Chat and your post can add some value, post it! Make sure that the chat admins are okay with this. (Over self-promotion and shameless self-promotion are bad practices.)

Share in Instagram Pods.

This is a great way to bump up the engagement on your Instagram post. If you are a part of a Pod, all you have to do is share the Instagram post to your group. Of course, you need to be in a Pod first. If you are a creative looking for a pod, I suggest joining The Rising Tide Society Facebook Group where you can get connected.

Use the link in your email signature.

Email signatures are underused real estate. Include the link in your signature, so that anytime you send an email, the recipient has the opportunity to read your latest post. (And maybe peruse a little!)

Share it in your email newsletter.

If you have an existing email list, include the link in your next newsletter. Add an engaging photo and a little teaser.

Do a Facebook Live.

Video is going to dominate 2017, so if you can do a Facebook Live, DO IT! Explain the inspiration behind the post, expand on some of your major points or do a Q&A on your post.

Post to your Instagram Stories.

Screenshot the feature image and post it to your story with the link. Or post a series of short videos expanding on your major points.

Create a Periscope.

Similar to Facebook Live, use Periscope to connect with your audience in the moment. You can expand on your topic and respond the audience comments and interactions.

Snap a screenshot.

Do you use Snapchat? It can be a really fun way to promote your post. Similar to Instagram Stories, post a screenshot of the blog or record videos to get people excited about the post. An added bonus: fun filters!

Comment on other blogs.

Nothing beats engagement. The truth is: givers gain. Be proactive about engaging on other relevant blogs. And if it's relevant, post a link back to yours. Caution: don't be spammy!

Find an influencer.

If there are bloggers or social media influencers in your area or serve the same market, reach out and ask if they could share your post. Tag them in the tweet image or Instagram post. If you want to work with influencers strategically, start building relationships as soon as you can. Be valuable to them. Provide them with exceptional content. If it's well-done and serves their audience, they might share it.

Download your Blog Post Promotion Checklist.

Promotion Best Practices:

• Schedule your social media content using scheduling services like Hootsuite, Buffer, Co-Schedule or Sprout Social.
• If you are avoiding posting on a particular social network because you don't think it's relevant, test it out. You never know. For instance, I never thought LinkedIn was going to be effective as a promotional tool for my content; however, much of my traffic and engagement now comes from LinkedIn.
• Share more than once. It's okay to tweet the link a few times a week or post to Instagram twice. Social media changes constantly and your audience grows, so maximize the reach of a particular post by reposting multiple times.
• Don't be afraid of boosting posts, sponsoring content and putting out ads. If you have a post you are interested in driving a lot of traffic to, boost a Facebook post. Put out the twitter ad. Promote your pin. Sponsor your LinkedIn content. This investment is generally small, and if targeted well, it can generate some good traffic.
• If your post has been out there for a while and you want to add some new life into it, find a way to repurpose and repromote. Can you create a SlideShare? Is you content fairly data heavy? Create an infographic and repost it to social media.
• Make sure your post is optimized for SEO. Not sure how to do that? Check out this checklist before you hit publish on your next post.

How do you promote your blog posts?