How can I offer a free download in exchange for following my blog?

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  susanguagliumi · Member · Jan 23, 2013 at 12:00 am

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  I want to offer a free download calendar in exchange for people clicking “follow” so that I get more followers from the visitors. Is there a way to do this and where would I find the directions for setting it up?

  The blog I need help with is: (visible only to logged in users)

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  timethief · Member · Jan 23, 2013 at 12:04 am

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  What value does a so-called follower have who only clicks the button in response to a bribe once and then fails to contribute anything meaningful to the blog? Why would you demean yourself and your blog content by stooping to that level? In what way do you think bogus follower schemes will enhance your online reputation?

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  susanguagliumi · Member · Jan 23, 2013 at 12:10 am

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  I don’t think they have to be bogus – sometimes people don’t understand what they are supposed to do to stay connected. I have had a number of people tell me they didn’t understand what the following button was form. Not trying to pull a fast one here!

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  timethief · Member · Jan 23, 2013 at 12:15 am

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  You have a lovely blog and you are an authority in your field (gardener, textile junkie, beader and enthusiastic cook). Why don’t you publish a post that simply states you would love to have more followers and provide instructions for how to follow your blog?

  You can upload the documents of accepted filetypes like excel documents to your WordPress.com blog using the Add Media icon, particularly for users who wish to upload a document and add its download link to a blog post or page.
  http://en.support.wordpress.com/uploading-documents/

  1. You can set up email subscriptions by using this guide > http://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/follow-blog-widget/

  2. If you would like a follow button to appear on the bottom right hand corner of your site for those who do not have WordPress.com accounts see here >
  http://en.blog.wordpress.com/2011/09/21/more-traffic-for-your-blog-with-the-follow-button/

  3. You can set up a customized contact form http://en.support.wordpress.com/contact-form/ on a static page http://en.support.wordpress.com/pages/ or in a text widget http://en.support.wordpress.com/widgets/text-widget/ and above that form you can ask those who wish to have their email address “captured” to use it.

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  susanguagliumi · Member · Jan 23, 2013 at 12:23 am

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  Thanks – those are helpful suggestions. One of the motivators in trying to get following increased is that that is one of the criteria book buyers (like Barnes & Noble) use in deciding how many copies of an author’s book to stock is how many followers they have in social media. That adds a little pressure to an author to get the word out there!

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  timethief · Member · Jan 23, 2013 at 12:29 am

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  If you use publicize, WordPress.com adds all your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn followers to your stats. http://en.support.wordpress.com/publicize/

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  auxclass · Member · Jan 23, 2013 at 12:34 am

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  your blog takes an annoyingly long time to load – you should think about addressing that problem – it turns people off – the “More Tag” is a good place to start

  http://en.support.wordpress.com/splitting-content/more-tag/

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  susanguagliumi · Member · Jan 23, 2013 at 12:46 am

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  Thanks – that is the first time I have heard about a slow loading time. Will look into it.