If you want to increase your readership then one piece of advice I can give is to start writing about controversial subjects. Now, before you break away from this article and start on your controversial subject journey, one piece of advice: you really need to have a strong stomach for doing this. People will give you their opinions when writing about controversial subjects and they often do it in a very heated manner.
A lot of name calling is often associated with this kind of writing so again, are you the type of person that can handle it? So why do it? Because it’s a great mechanism to engage readers, period.
What kinds of controversial subjects should your talk about? It’s really important to use common sense when choosing your subject material. If you write about some kind of racial subject and you are deemed as a racist because of it, this could lead to a drop in readership which is the opposite of your goal of gaining readers. Topics about children, especially when it comes to any kind of abuse is particularly tricky and can get you into legal hot water if not handled properly. Topics such as religion and politics are prime candidates but even within these care is needed to avoid offending people to drastically.
Think about what you consider controversial. Then think about what kind of point you would like to make about those subject. Try to think ahead about what kind of emotions you will illicit and try to counter within your article in a way that may diffuse a contentious response. Then again, that may be exactly what you are going after. The last thing you want to have happen is have a group of people out to get you because of your writing (remember Salmon Rushdie?).