Getting readers to click on your RSS button is a lot harder than it might initially seem. While you may have great content and update your blog on a regular basis, getting a reader to subscribe to your blog is a matter of winning their confidence.

To build a loyal base of subscribers, you may want to consider some of the following points to make it a regular attraction to those interested in your niche:

1. Pack your posts with value. Your content should be interesting, focused and relevant to your niche, indicating that you are an authority on the subject. The more specific your content is to your niche, the more value it will hold for your audience. People will subscribe if they feel that they can benefit from what you say, now or in the future. They’ll subscribe only when they’re convinced that you have information that will somehow improve the quality of their lives.
2. Win over your peers. Actively seek out the endorsement of other bloggers within your niche. Comment on their posts, email them or talk about their work on your own blog. Give credit where credit is due and your peers will eventually take notice of your kudos, and graciously return the favour. One of the best endorsements they can give is you is a recommendation for your RSS feed on their own blog.
3. Push for lots of comments. Many popular blogs also feature RSS feeds for recent comments, informing readers of new discussions taking place in your blog’s community. You can help diversify your RSS subscribers by pushing for more comments on your articles. As more comments begin to appear on your blog, it will become a hotbed of new activity, encouraging new subscribers to get in on the action and click on that special RSS button. People naturally want places to belong to, so a surge in comments is a sure indicator for newcomers that they’ll have a blog to come home to.
4. Make your RSS button large and easily to find. This is a pretty obvious point but an incredibly important one. While most web browsers have the tiny orange RSS button in the address bar, it’s easy to miss. Having a large, easily accessible button near the top of your page is a clear indicator that you want people to subscribe and they will act on this encouragement.
5. List the number of subscribers you already have (if it’s not too embarrassing). On many blogs, you’ll find the current number of subscribers listed next to the RSS feed button. If you have earned yourself a fair fan base, say over 50 subscribers, displaying the fact may encourage others to join in as your blog starts taking off. Readers who are really caught up in your blog may see these numbers and encourage others to subscribe and take part in your blog’s growth spurts. Again, there is a certain threshold for displaying your subscriber numbers. Use your discretion. If you feel the number isn’t all that impressive, it’s not in your best interest to display it just yet. Have patience, build on your content and then revel in your new found popularity when the moment is right.
6. Post consistently. For most blog readers, consistent updates are the deciding factor when they subscribe to a blog. If a blog is updated on a frequent basis, and the tone, scope and focus of the content is equally consistent, then having the RSS feed is essential. RSS feeds are there to give readers immediate access to new and important updates, and updating frequently and consistently expresses that urgency, making them all more likely to subscribe.
7. Write topical posts. Tying into the above points on value and consistently, writing on topics and events as they happen within the blogosphere will encourage readers to follow your blog on a regular basis. If you provide them with latest developments and updates on things important to them then you can convince them that you will be there when the big news hits. Just as Google and BBC news feeds are incredibly useful for newshounds, an RSS feed for your blog streamlines your content and places emphasis on the speed and accessibility of your information.
8. Express your opinions. As we touched on in our Being an Ass post, stirring controversy and sparking debate is an excellent way of drawing in readership and giving your blog a unique voice that is worth people’s attention. Shocking articles, blunt statements and honest commentary adds to the urgency and essentialness of your content – fuelling the readers’ urge to subscribe.
9. Have strong, catchy headlines. When people have a feed to your blog, the only thing they’re going to see when it drops down in their browser or Netvibes page are the post headlines. And they probably have hundreds of feeds they track regularly. So it’s up to you to showcase your flair for headlining writing. Make it easy for them to understand the main message and subject matter in your article right off the bat.
10. Have confidence in your posts. Believe in yourself and others will too! I know that sounds cheesy, but as you gain confidence in your blogging abilities you will start producing valuable, consistent and relevant posts. This in turn increases your growing base of subscribers. Subscribers want to spend their time checking on a blog that is authoritative and well-versed in the subject matter. It must exude self-esteem and self-worth if others are to mark your blog down as an essential, daily read.

Gaining a base of subscribers is never an easy task. It requires great patience and self-examination. It also takes a combination of techniques and talents to capture a readers’ interest and make them click that orange button - even if it only takes a second to do so. Concentrate on the above 10 tips and your blog is sure to eventually gain the subscribers it deserves.