Welcome to Part 3 of the Better Blogging Series. This series will run over the course of a couple of weeks and will provide some ideas and plans of action to make you a better blogger. To see all of the current posts in the series, click here.

Have you ever been to a blog that just feels like you are reading a story? A story is fun to read, but when you are reading Harry Potter, do you feel a connection to J.K. Rowling? Probably not. You may feel a connection with Harry, or the other characters, but what about the author?

I guess the point here is to not just be a storyteller. While everyone appreciates great writing, you want to give your blog a face and a voice, rather than just a bunch of fancy words. If you’re focusing too much on crafting a beautiful story, you might inadvertently be creating a disconnect between yourself and your readers. Chances are most people are coming to your blog because they want to feel like they are connecting with someone as opposed to reading a novel.

So what are some things that you can do to be more approachable on your blog?

• Including photos of yourself (especially in everyday life) in posts goes an incredibly long way in improving your approachability. It makes you seem like a real person, as opposed to a fashion model, or a make-up artist. Of course it is perfectly fine to include outfit pics and make-up shots, but I wouldn’t make every photo on your blog one of you done up all nice with perfect makeup and dressed to the nines. Let your readers see that you live a normal life too!
• Respond to comments that you get on your blog. Publicly. If people see that you are taking the time to respond to some, or all, of the comments that you get on your blog, they are more inclined to try to connect with you by either leaving a comment or dropping you an email.
• Take the time to write back to readers who email you. Answer that question you get from the newbie blogger. And of course, make your contact information very available.
• Link to other bloggers and show that you are part of the community.
• Be active on social media.  If people see that you are active on Twitter, Facebook or wherever, it gives them another way to reach out to you and connect with you.

I hope you realize the importance of forming a real connection with your readers. Having great readers who like you can lead to so many opportunities. Businesses love working with bloggers who have strong reader numbers. Equally important to most companies is how interactive those readers are on that person’s blog. So focus on making those connections and it will help your blog’s growth in immeasurable ways!