The Ultimate 6-Month Flipboard Strategy for New Bloggers: Unlocking Untapped Potential
As a new blogger, you’re probably aware of the importance of driving traffic to your site. While many seasoned bloggers swear by platforms like Pinterest and Google for traffic, these platforms are highly competitive.
However, there’s a hidden gem in the content curation world that’s not as saturated and offers tremendous potential for exponential growth—Flipboard.
Flipboard is a content curation platform that allows users to create personalized magazines by flipping articles, blog posts, and other content into them. If you’d like to see an example of a Flipboard Magazine click on the link to view my magazines below:
Despite being around for a while, Flipboard remains relatively underutilized by bloggers, making it an ideal platform to establish authority in your niche quickly.
Like, seriously quickly!
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into a 6-month strategy for leveraging Flipboard to its full potential, from setting up your account to optimizing your blog posts for maximum exposure. This strategy is designed to help you tap into Flipboard’s unique audience and build a significant following, driving traffic to your blog and establishing your presence as an authority in your niche.
Month 1: Setting Up Your Flipboard Account and Laying the Foundation
Creating Your Flipboard Account
The first step is setting up your Flipboard account. Follow these steps:
- Download the Flipboard App or Visit the Website: Flipboard is available on both mobile and desktop platforms. You can download the app from the App Store or Google Play
- Sign Up: You can sign up using your email address or social media accounts like Google or Facebook.
- Set Up Your Profile: Choose a username that reflects your brand or niche. Upload a professional profile picture and write a brief bio that includes relevant keywords related to your blog’s niche.
Understanding the Flipboard Ecosystem
Before diving into content creation, it’s crucial to understand how Flipboard works:
- Magazines: These are collections of articles or content around specific topics. You can create multiple magazines focused on different aspects of your niche.
- Flipping: The act of adding content to your magazine is called flipping. You can flip content from your blog, other blogs, or even social media.
- Followers and Readers: People can follow your magazines, meaning they’ll see your content in their Flipboard feed
Creating Your First Magazines
Magazines are the heart of your Flipboard strategy. Here’s how to create them:
- Identify Key Themes: Think about the main topics within your niche that you want to focus on. For example, if you run a travel blog, you might create magazines on “Budget Travel,” “Luxury Destinations,” and “Travel Tips.”
- Create Magazines: On your profile, click on “Create Magazine.” Name your magazine using a keyword-rich title that clearly defines the theme. Add a description that explains what readers can expect.
Start Flipping Content
Now that your magazines are set up, it’s time to start populating them with content:
- Flip Your Own Blog Posts: Install the Flipboard bookmarklet or use the share button on your blog to flip your articles into the relevant magazine.
- Curate Other Content: Don’t just focus on your own content. Flip high-quality articles from other bloggers, reputable websites, and even news outlets. This will make your magazines more valuable and attract followers.
Month 2: Building Content and Establishing Authority
Consistency is key to building an audience on Flipboard:
- Daily Flipping: Make it a habit to flip at least 2-3 pieces of content into your magazines daily. This keeps your magazines fresh and engaging.
- Focus on Quality: Ensure that the content you’re flipping is high-quality and relevant to your niche. This will help build your reputation as a curator of valuable information.
Engaging with the Flipboard Community
Building a presence on Flipboard isn’t just about flipping content; it’s also about engaging with the community:
- Follow Influencers and Peers: Identify other users in your niche and follow them. Engage with their content by liking and flipping it into your magazines.
- Comment on Content: Although Flipboard isn’t a platform where comments are a primary form of interaction, leaving thoughtful comments on other users’ flips can increase your visibility.
Promoting Your Flipboard Magazines
To grow your audience, promote your Flipboard magazines across your other social media channels:
- Add Flipboard Widgets to Your Blog: Flipboard offers various widgets that you can embed in your blog. These allow your readers to follow your magazines directly from your blog.
- Share on Social Media: Share links to your Flipboard magazines on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to attract followers from your existing audience.
Month 3: Optimizing Content for SEO and Flipboard Search
Understanding Flipboard’s SEO Potential
Flipboard operates as a search engine within its ecosystem. Understanding its SEO potential can help you optimize your content for better visibility:
- Keyword-Rich Titles and Descriptions: Use relevant keywords in the titles and descriptions of your magazines and flipped articles.
- Hashtags: Incorporate hashtags in your magazine descriptions and article titles to improve discoverability.
Optimizing Your Blog Posts for Flipboard
When creating blog posts, consider how they’ll perform on Flipboard:
- Eye-Catching Headlines: Flipboard is a highly visual platform, so your headlines need to be compelling to stand out in the feed.
- Strong Featured Images: Flipboard displays articles in a magazine-style layout, so ensure that your blog posts have high-quality, relevant featured images.
Analyzing Your Flipboard Analytics
Flipboard offers analytics that can help you track the performance of your magazines:
- Monitor Views and Engagement: Pay attention to which magazines and articles are getting the most views and engagement. This can inform your content strategy moving forward.
- Adjust Your Strategy: If certain magazines or types of content are performing better, consider focusing more on those areas.
Month 4: Scaling Your Efforts and Growing Your Audience
Expanding Your Content Strategy
By now, you should have a good understanding of what works on Flipboard. It’s time to scale your efforts:
- Create More Magazines: If you’ve identified additional sub-niches within your blog’s focus, create new magazines to target those areas.
- Collaborate with Other Flipboard Users: Reach out to other Flipboard users in your niche for potential collaborations. This could involve flipping each other’s content or co-creating a magazine
Leveraging Flipboard’s Curated Collections
Flipboard occasionally curates collections around specific themes or events:
- Participate in Curated Collections: If you see a collection that aligns with your niche, make sure to flip relevant content into your magazines. This can increase your chances of being featured by Flipboard, which can lead to a significant traffic boost.
Using Flipboard Ads (Optional)
If you’re looking to accelerate your growth, consider using Flipboard’s advertising options:
- Promote Your Magazines: Flipboard offers ad placements that allow you to promote your magazines to a wider audience. This can be a useful tool if you have the budget for it.
- Targeted Advertising: You can target your ads based on interests, demographics, and more to ensure that they reach the right audience.
Month 5: Engaging Deeper with Your Audience and Establishing Authority
Becoming a Flipboard Contributor
One of the best ways to establish authority on Flipboard is to become a contributor to larger magazines:
- Pitch to Larger Magazines: Identify popular magazines in your niche and reach out to the curators with a pitch to contribute content. Being featured in a well-known magazine can significantly boost your visibility.
- Start a Collaborative Magazine: Invite other bloggers or influencers in your niche to contribute to a collaborative magazine. This not only diversifies the content but also taps into each contributor’s audience.
Hosting Flipboard Events or Challenges
- Hosting events or challenges can help you engage with your audience on a deeper level:
- Flip Challenges: Create a challenge where participants flip a certain type of content into their magazines. For example, a “30-Day Blogging Tips” challenge.
- Host a Q&A Session: Use your Flipboard magazines as a platform to host a Q&A session. Encourage your followers to ask questions related to your niche, which you can then answer through flipped articles.
Deepening Relationships with Followers
By this stage, you should have a dedicated group of followers:
- Engage with Comments and Shares: Take the time to engage with your followers who comment on your flips or share your content.
- Offer Exclusive Content: Consider creating a magazine that offers exclusive content or early access to your blog posts for your most loyal followers.
Month 6: Reviewing and Refining Your Strategy
Analyzing Your Progress
At the 6-month mark, it’s time to take a step back and analyze your progress:
- Review Analytics: Look at your Flipboard analytics to see how your magazines have performed over the past six months. Which magazines gained the most followers? Which types of content received the most engagement?
- Assess Traffic: Analyze the traffic Flipboard has driven to your blog. Use Google Analytics to track referral traffic from Flipboard and compare it with other sources.
Refining Your Strategy Based on Data
Based on your analysis, refine your strategy for the next six months:
- Double Down on What Works: Focus more on the magazines and content types that have performed the best.
- Experiment with New Approaches
- Now that you have a solid foundation and data to work with, it’s time to experiment with new tactics to see if you can further boost your reach and engagement.
- Try Different Content Formats: If you’ve primarily been flipping blog posts, consider experimenting with other content types like videos, infographics, or podcasts. Flipboard supports various media, and diversifying your content could attract different segments of your audience.
- Test New Headlines and Images: Since Flipboard is a visual platform, test different headlines and featured images to see which combinations attract the most attention. A/B testing can help you determine the most effective styles.
Expanding to New Niches or Sub-Niches
If you’ve successfully built authority in one niche, consider expanding into related sub-niches:
- Create New Magazines for Sub-Niches: For example, if you’ve been focusing on “Healthy Recipes,” you might branch out into “Vegan Recipes” or “Quick Weeknight Dinners.” This allows you to reach new audiences while still staying within the broader scope of your blog.
- Cross-Promote Between Magazines: Use your established magazines to promote your new ones. For instance, mention your new “Vegan Recipes” magazine in your popular “Healthy Recipes” magazine to drive initial traffic and followers.
Long-Term Relationship Building
By now, you should have a clearer idea of who your most engaged followers and collaborators are. Focus on deepening these relationships:
- Feature Followers in Your Content: Highlight your most engaged followers or contributors in your magazines or blog. This not only shows appreciation but also encourages further engagement.
- Collaborate on Larger Projects: Consider collaborating with other influencers or brands in your niche on larger content projects, such as co-creating an eBook, hosting a webinar, or even launching a podcast.
Planning for the Future
With six months of experience under your belt, it’s time to look toward the future:
- Set New Goals: Based on your progress, set new, more ambitious goals for the next six months. This could involve increasing your follower count by a certain percentage, doubling your blog traffic from Flipboard, or establishing a new niche authority.
- Stay Updated with Flipboard’s Features: Flipboard is continually evolving, so make sure to stay updated with any new features or changes to the platform that could affect your strategy.
The Takeaway – Flipboard Has Untapped Potential for New Bloggers
Flipboard represents a unique opportunity for new bloggers to establish themselves in their niche quickly, thanks to its relatively untapped potential.
While platforms like Pinterest and Google are crucial for long-term growth, the competition on these platforms is fierce. Flipboard, on the other hand, allows you to carve out a space for yourself with less competition and more opportunities for organic growth.
By following this 6-month strategy, you’ll not only learn how to navigate Flipboard but also how to leverage its features to drive significant traffic to your blog, build a loyal following, and establish yourself as an authority in your niche.
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As always I’d love to hear from you – let me know if you’re using Flipboard to drive traffic to your blog in the comments below!
