RSS subscribers are the golden ticket for bloggers.

People who subscribe via RSS are making a commitment. It doesn’t mean they’ll read your blog everyday, buy lots of things from you, and make you rich and famous, but they’re still engaging and giving you a piece of their precious attention. And, they are customers. You should think of them like that (and treat them accordingly.) They’re also your true community of peers.

I was recently introduced to a new WordPress plugin which is called What Would Seth Godin Do. It’s a great name. Linkbait city. I love it.

The plugin allows you to add a message on your blog for new visitors – asking them to sign-up to your RSS feed. Here’s the description:

By default, new visitors to your blog will see a small box above each post containing the words “If you’re new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!” After 3 visits the message disappears. You can customize this message, its lifespan, and its location.

I haven’t tried it. I already have a fairly prominent request for people to subscribe that appears at the top of the main index page and at the top of each post. But I think the idea is great.