You work hard to create and promote your articles. Are you attracting the readership you deserve? Here are 5 tried-and-true best practices that are sure to pay off:

1) Quality, quality, quality: The most important way to establish credibility with your audience is to produce high-quality content. How is quality defined? It ranges from the obvious: correct spelling, grammar and punctuation, to the less obvious: usage of photo and video, correct attribution, accuracy of facts, attractive format, local and topical. The best writers always look at their work with a critical eye before publishing.

2) Encourage readers to subscribe to your content. Put the subscription link in the signature line of your e-mails. Interact with readers in your comments section or if they take the time to e-mail you. Engage in the conversation and remember to ask them to subscribe to your column if they’re genuinely interested in your approach.

3) Create evergreen articles in addition to timely coverage. Timely articles provide a nice opportunity for a short-term spike in traffic, but how do you ensure that your traffic remains consistent over a longer period of time? Evergreen articles are the answer. These articles have lasting value since they are free from information that may become dated (think “How-to Guides”).

4) Establish non-search-engine traffic. Search engines can be finicky, so complete reliance on that type of traffic is a pitfall. How can you mix things up? Make sure you’ve got a clear footprint on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, but don’t forget other sharing sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Fark and Reddit. Also, go the old-fashioned route and establish relationships with humans in charge of other sites. Make a link exchange agreement with them, benefit from the direct traffic from those sites and STILL increases off-page search engine optimization at the same time.

5) If you’re writing news, make sure it’s newsworthy. Concerned about maintaining traffic from sources like Google News? You may be surprised about what is actually considered to be “news”. Here are some questions to ask yourself in determining whether your content is newsworthy:

* Is my article original reporting and not simply a reference to what another media source has already reported?

* Do I have a unique take on the story?

* Is my article simply a reiteration of a press release (not news)?

* Is my article of high quality (see above)?

* Is what I’ve written both topical and local?

* Does my story deliver on what the headline promises?

There are other considerations as well. Also, note the policy on promoting ‘live’ streaming video as part of news coverage.

I encourage you to use these quick tips to increase your readership, avoid being lumped in with cookie-cutter articles and to help establish yourself as a true expert in your space.