The Red Stapler Chronicles

It is certainly every bloggers dream and it goes something like this: You get home from work, turn on your computer, log on to your blog and see 62 comments awaiting moderation. Your first thought is that you have been spammed, but quickly discover otherwise. You then check out your stats–Holy Cow!! you have over 5000 hits today. It turns out one of your posts was featured in a mainstream CNN article. Or maybe you made in to the front page of DIgg.

Okay, someone pinch me, the dream is over. Unfortunately for me, my blog has never had such a dream day. In fact, I have never even come close–the best day I have ever only yielded a little more than 250 visitors. But this simple fact will not stop me from pursuing the dream. In fact, since I think about this dream more than I should, I have thought about what I should do to prepare for this glorious day and will now share them with you.

1. Can you really handle a big day of traffic? Will your site crash? I really can’t imagine a more frustrating thing than your blog being “discovered” only to have your site go down. When choosing a hosting company, keep this idea in mind. Sometimes the cheapest option is not the best option.

2. Have a generic post ready to go that explains your site and features your best content. A great example of this technique in action can be seen at The Frugal Dad–one of my favorite sites. On several occasions his posts have been featured in very high traffic locations and he certainly has found a way to convert those visitors into regular readers!!

3. Since a traffic spike will most likely be the result of a link to a specific post, not just your homepage, you need to use make sure you add the information you would include in a generic post to the bottom of your newly popular post.

4. Be ready to change your ads (or add new ones) to cater to your new audience. For instance, if my post on Banks was featured on MSN, I would quickly move my ads for ING, Equifax,and LifeLock to the top and would include on of them in my actual post. I would also then see what other ads I could quickly ad via Commission Junction and Linkshare (This is why you should apply to as many affiliate networks as you can, even if you don’t think you will use them).

5. Work on that About Me page. When I discover a new blog, I like to check out this page to learn more about the blog and the author. The about me page is another great place to promote your very best posts.

6. Make your very next post in the same category as the popular one. Now that you have captured the attention of some new readers, keep them interested with a post that they will probably find interesting.

7. Remember that not everyone is familiar with the blogging world. For instance, when one of Frugal Dad’s posts was featured on MSN, I would guess that over 75% of the traffic he received was from people who usually do not visit blogs. Try not avoid using acronyms and explain things in a little more detail than you usually would when welcoming these visitors. Perhaps explain the different ways that you can subscribe (or maybe even how to subscribe). Be ready to answer more questions than usual and be sure to respond quickly to those who figure out how to leave a comment (especially those comments that don’t link back to a blog).