So you’ve decided to start a blog. Excellent!
- You read all you can about how to start. (see my easy step by step guide here)
- You pick a topic and choose a name. (get a free domain with hosting here)
- You create a nice looking website. (grab my theme here)
- You join all the different social media sites to promote it. (for seamless social sharing click here)
- You write some great content.
- You sign up for affiliate links. (the only tool you need)
- You find some great pics, pick appropriate tags and post. (find beautiful feminine images here)
- You spam your posts everywhere.
Then you wait. And wait. You get a few hits but you don’t understand why it’s not taking off. You read all the “how to’s” and followed every step. What now?
You feel like you’re standing alone at the bottom of a mountain screaming “Look at me!”. All the while you can see others on the ascent with their eyes clearing focused upwards. They don’t see you. They don’t hear you. Why? WHY?!!!
Short answer: You think blogging is a competition when it’s really a community.
Yes, there are a lot of blogs out there. Yes, it is more than likely that someone else covers your exact topic. Yes, they are probably getting a lot of hits and winning competitions and awards for their writing. How did they become so successful?
They didn’t do it alone. If you look closely, you will see that someone is holding their hand, pulling them upward while their other hand is helping pull someone else up.
So how do you become a part of the community?
Get Involved!
- Find and follow other bloggers on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest etc. Do not limit yourself to your genre. Don’t wait for them to find you.
- Join blogger groups on Facebook. Here’s a link to mine: blog•share•learn
- Be generous. Like and share other bloggers’ posts.
- Read and comment as much as you can on other blogs. Not only will you learn from others, hone your own skills and connect with other bloggers, you will leave a footprint that says “I was here, I’m listening, come check out my blog”.
- Participate in linky parties.
- Participate in hashtags on Twitter. #MondayBlogs #ArchiveDay #SundayBlogShare #wwwblogs (there are many more)
It is so easy to become a part of the blogging community. All you have to do is:
READ, COMMENT, SHARE
You will see that others are more then willing to return the love.
The best investment I ever made in my blog and online business was going self hosted through Bluehost. I have made thousands of dollars with my blog and it all began with less than $4 a month. You can do it too!
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Good advice! Here are my two links (I don’t really do Instragram) and I think I already follow you on twitter! Thanks for being so generous with your experience.
http://www.pinterest.com/jttwissel/
http://www.facebook.com/JTTwissel
Perfect advice!
Thanks for reading!
Great advice! I’ve liked your Facebook page with my author page account. 🙂
https://www.facebook.com/allisonmaruskaauthor
Thank you for reading and liking my page. I have liked yours too! I look forward to reading your posts and mutually sharing ideas!
Yes, exactly, community, community, community! I doubled followers once I realized that, but just as importantly, I found really fascinating bloggers.
This is excellent clear advice. I’m a full-time author but also guest teach at Michigan State University. I’d like to use this if I ever do a talk specifically about blogging. Would it be okay if I printed it out–as well as gave people the link (you know students can lose things)?
Lev Raphael
“Writing Across Genres”
http://www.levraphael.com/blog/
Thanks so much for reading! Of course you can use but I think you would be better off texting it to students if you didn’t want them to lose! Lol btw, I’m just north of you in Ontario.
Agreed on this–it’s a community. You get out of it what you put into it.
Visiting you on the social media. My Facebook is http://www.facebook.com/VictimtoCharm and Instagram @victimtocharm 🙂
Thank for reading and taking the time to comment! I will visit you as well. I look forward to sharing and exchanging thoughts and views!
These are all good suggestions. I’ve been blogging since 2009 and it took me a while to find the blogging community. I would also highly recommend blogging challenges – they give you focus, some give ideas, and all teach discipline.
That’s a great idea to add! Thank you!
P.s I think we were on each other’s blogs at same time! Lol
great article with some fine tips, you know whilst i share my blogs on twitter, I have never come across the hashtags you mention, will investigate
Thank you Mike! Please share any hashtags that you use.
This is spot on. It took me a couple of months of blogging with no comments before I understood this concept of reciprocity and community building. Then when I started grasping this then my blog traffic started building. Then I created my own huge community.
I’d still like to see more traffic at my sites, but on the other hand I’m in a comfortable blogging zone.
Good advice in this post well worth heeding.
Arlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Thank you so much for dropping by and leaving a comment. You are proof that my suggestions work!
Hi Elena,
That was difficult for me to grasp when I first started blogging, that it’s a community. I’m an introvert so I still have to push myself sometimes but I’ve found that the blogging community is {so far} is generally quite supportive. I’ve enjoyed connecting with other bloggers. Great post!
http://www.facebook.com/thesunnyshadow
http://www.instagram.com/thesunnyshadow
http://www.twitter.com/KristaPfr
http://www.pinterest.com/kristapfeiffer1
Thanks Krista! Followed you back at all. Message me on fb if you ever want to chat.
Thank you for encouraging me to emerge from the shadows and to comment!
My clients are reluctant to comment … the stigma of infertility runs deep here. Yet some of my posts are life issues.
Super advice, greatly appreciated!
I’m glad you did Helena! Welcome to the conversation and I hope you find a tribe of bloggers that can help you expand the conversation of the real issues your blog is about.
Great post, very timely. I always appreciate your advice because I sometimes have to stop and reevaluate what I’m trying to accomplish. 🙂
It is always good to take a step back and evaluate. I do it all the time. Unfortunately, I do it with my furniture lay out at home too. lol
Great tips as usual and your advice does work! ?? I love #BlogShareLearn !
It does work Linda and you are proof. Thank you so much for being such an engaged member of my fb group!
Like anything else, it is a lot of work to garner a following. I pick and choose my social media or I’d spend all day on them. Tweeting this!
Thank you so much for sharing Carol. Social Media is so time consuming. I have to cut myself off sometimes just to write. lol
Thank you for the tips and for hosting this linky party!
You are very welcome Barb! Thank you for participating!
This is actually some great tips that many others forget to mention. Understanding that it isn’t a competition but rather, a community is key and even though I’m still learning all of the social media stuff, it has helped me a great deal plus I love getting to know other bloggers. Getting to know them and my writing has been a great form of therapy! Thanks for sharing this! Visiting from #blogsharelearn
It is great finding people you can connect with all over the world. And they are so supportive which helps me on days where I am not feeling it. Thank you so much for joining the linky.
I believe these tips to be true, but I’ve discovered that it’s a slow process and social media can be very time consuming. Definitely effort has to be put into it. I think it’s important to find your tribe (group) of people that you connect with, as well. Facebook groups have really helped me with making connections. Visiting from #BlogShareLearn 🙂
Facebook is great for making connections and I love that I now have blogging friends all over the world!
Great reminders! And it seems the less niche your topic the more important these tips are! thank you for #BlogShareLearn – I find lots of great info through this!
You are very welcome Tara! Thank you for participating in the linky!
Thank you, Elena for the smart tips and hosting today on your blog. Sharing and supporting takes time, but is well worth it. I would be lost without all the gracious, experienced writer and blogging advice from people like you!
I have learned so much from other bloggers and I am so thankful that everyone is so open with sharing information. Thank you so much for participating!
You always share such great information about blogging. Thanks for sharing! #BlogShareLearn
You are very welcome Paula! Always great to see you participate!
I love what you’ve done here!
Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment Shareen!
Hi Elena! You are one of the kindest and most generous bloggers out here in the blogosphere and your energy and enthusiasm are so very much appreciated. What you say here is so very important. The only thing I could possibly add is that patience is also very helpful–especially if you are offering something unique rather than the usual. ~Kathy
I agree Kathy. Too many bloggers are in a hurry for traffic, money or success. If you enjoy blogging and write what you are passionate about, sooner or later, readers will find you.
Awesome! I have only recently started learning about the community aspect of it and I have been more of an ‘active blogger’ rather than a ‘passive blogger’. Joined the linky party and your blogging group on Facebook. Now link it to my post on my blog ! 🙂 Thanks, looking forward to learning more!
That is so awesome Omkar! I am so pleased to have you join.
Community – that’s what it really is all about, Elena. Thanks for re-stating that.
And I love having you in it Corinne! Thank you for reading.
I love connecting and building relationships with readers and other bloggers. It’s not all about the numbers. Enjoyed your post and some good points raised
I’m more a turtle than a hare. The numbers will come, at least it did for me. Building the relationships is what makes blogging fun, even on the dull days.
Hi Elena,
#Blogsharelearn These are great tips especially for newer bloggers that don’t understand the value of going to other people’s blogs to network. Too many have the illusion others will come to them.
Janice
Thank you for participating in the linky Janice!
Thank you for starting #blogsharelearn. I am still a new blogger and love getting to know new people through the community. You shared some great tips and look forward to learning more from other bloggers.
Welcome Tina! Thank you for participating and I hope you can implement all that you learn.
Thank you for the post! I’ve been really struggling with this especially because I write in a niche that’s so crazily saturated (beauty). I will definitely try some of these tips out!
There are so many in every niche. Find the few you relate to and you have a community!
I just joined your facebook group! Thank you so much for the advice. I’m just starting out and finding ways to increase blog traffic is difficult. You are very right that blogging is a community. Now I just have to find my way in. Again, thank you!
Welcome to the group Deanna! I hope you find friends and inspiration! Thank you so much for reading.
Thanks for this post! I just started a blog just over a month ago. So I am very new to it all. One thing I haven’t done yet is start up a Facebook or twitter page. I have never experienced twitter so I’m not sure if I am ready to tackle that just yet. I have been going back and forth on when a good time to start up a Facebook page would be. I have read that it is good to master one before the other but not sure if that is what is best to get my blog out there. Do you suggest starting up a Facebook page sooner rather than later?
I love your blog and would hope to be at this point one day! Thanks for the help and the advice!
-Lyndsey
Hi Lyndsey! Thank you so much for visiting and the kind words. I would at the very least, grab the url’s for each social media platform now. You can develop one at a time after that but you don’t want someone else scooping up your name. Let me know how you make out.