After people find your blog you want to make sure they keep coming back. The first thing you need to do: give them a way to stay in touch. The next thing: give them something for staying in touch.

First, don’t risk people finding your blog, then losing you on the web. Make sure you have options for visitors to subscribe via e-mail or RSS feed. Using a service like MailChimp will help you keep track of who signs up and who gets a freebie. It’s free to sign up, though you will eventually have to pay when you reach a certain number of users.

Once your readers have signed up, send them a thank you – not just a note, but something people can only get if they subscribe to your blog.

People love getting free stuff, and companies don’t mind giving it away. Don’t believe me? Go to Amazon.com and search for free Kindle books. Google “free samples”. Stop in at Sam’s Club on a Sunday afternoon. It’s easy to find people giving things away. Why? Because it gives people a sample of your work. It brings people back. It gives you a good rep. Besides, it’s nice.

If you want to encourage people to follow/subscribe to your blog, give them something in return for their loyalty. The trick is to make sure the freebie is something of yours (not just a pen you picked up at the grocery store). People are subscribing to you, they want to see of more work, get to know you better. Here are some ideas:

Do you have a photography blog? E-mail a free photo. Cooking blog? Share a recipe. Travel blog? Send your list of top 10 tips for traveling abroad. It doesn’t matter what your theme is, there’s something you have to offer that only your subscribers can get from your blog.

What can you offer your subscribers?