I found this article "Secreets to Building a popular blog" on www.doshdosh.com

"The success of a blog often depends on its audience size." So the articles #1 advice is to have a core audience of supporters. The circulation of your blog outweighs the content. Blog readership = word of mouth marketing.

3 Strategies for builing a core audience
1. Power networking- make sure your blog offers value to the intented party w/o requesting something in return. Stay on the radar by blogging often and encourage discussions with and amongst readers
2. Content Syndication - include guest bloggings, recommendations and links
3. Use social media websites as a distribution channel like Digg or Reddit