Do you want more pageviews, or do you want more readers?

When it comes to generating content online, there are generally one of two goals behind it.

1. Get more pageviews on your website.
2. Get more people to read your content.

While they sounds like very similar ideas, the approach for each can be quite different.

Let’s assume we’re talking about a blog post like this one. While the main post lives on my website, there are many different ways I can share it.

If I want more pageviews, I would:

• Publish a partial RSS feed to force users to click “read more” and visit my site to read it.
• Do the same with my email; include a tease and a link.
• Do the same on social media; include a tease and a link.

This would undoubtedly get more people to my website and my traffic numbers would go up. However, a good number of people will see the headline and link and simply move on with their day.

If I want more readers, I would:

• Publish a full RSS feed so users can read the full content as soon as they see it.
• Publish the full content via email, so those users can read the full post in their inbox.
• Share as much as possible…