When starting a blog how do you ......

[DonX]

When starting a blog how do you get traffic to start off?
Do you submit to directories? If so which ones do you use?
Do you do hard link exchanges with other blog owners in the niche your doing?
Or do you just wait for search engines to pick it up?
Or all the above?
Any suggestions, tips, articles on how to run a successful blog etc would be greatly appreciated please.
Thank you in advance

[faxxaff]

Personally, I prefer to build a blog with at least 10 to 20 posts rich in content first. While this happens a little bit of SE traffic starts to flow. This helps to determine what direction to take.

Once that is done I start a couple of link exchanges with a handful of my own related directories/blogs, later submit to about 10 other directories and finally exchange links with related blogs. This process will happen in dripping speed. One exchange at a time while I keep publishing new posts ..... It will always be a work in process. On some blogs I will give up after awhile and others will grow bigger and stronger.

The ones that I stop working on will be helpful in providing links to new blogs in the future as I can always start a new post on an old inactive blog saying 'sorry guys, but I moved on to this new blog, hope to see you there'.

[Cleo]

I cross link all of my blogs using Link Organizer and do link trades through Linkspun and Link Organizer.

Also submitting your blogs to link lists is helpful.

Plus I dump my own traffic to my blogs using links on free sites and galleries.

[faxxaff]

Originally Posted by Cleo

Also submitting your blogs to link lists is helpful.

Haven't done this myself as many link lists had really annoying recip codes last time I checked, but maybe this has changed since I last looked into this.

How do link list submissions compare to blog directory submissions? Do they provide more traffic and link juice?