Thank you Addi of Frugal Fanatic and Simply Blogging Along for such a great guest post!
One of the most important things you can do for yourself, and your blog, is network and take part in collaborative projects with other content creators. Making connections and building relationships can be much more beneficial than you think. This is especially true for anyone new to the blogging world. Not only will you have the opportunity to create genuine friendships, but it is crucial to growing your platform.
Think of how much faster your blog could grow if you had other bloggers promoting it on a daily basis. Your content could reach a much larger audience than if you were just promoting it by yourself. Connecting with like-minded bloggers allows you the opportunity to expand your community.
This was such a scary thing for me when I first started my blog. I was extremely afraid to step outside of my comfort zone to connect with bloggers. I am a shy person and was nervous to reach out to forge relationships. When I look back on it now I wish I would have done it sooner. The relationships I have created through my blog have not only helped me to grow much faster, but have led me to long-lasting friendships.
If you are like me and are scared to network with other bloggers, here are a few tips to help you get started:
Be helpful – Do not just connect with bloggers for your own benefit. Be helpful in any way that you can.
Be Genuine – Take a real interest in people as if you were meeting a new friend.
Be Generous – Take the time to read their blog and leave valuable comments.
Overall, just be yourself. There are so many more advantages of building these connections beyond just simply growing your blog traffic.
Meeting new people can be difficult in the online world since you do not have the opportunity to approach someone in person. Like I mentioned above, I was afraid to connect with bloggers because I feared they would only think that I wanted something from them. But, I realized that I needed these relationships for support, education, and even promotion.
To start networking, figure out a few bloggers that you would like to reach out to. It could be blogs within your niche, or even websites that you enjoy reading. You do not need to overdo it. Start small, and identify a group of bloggers you want in your network and begin building strong connections with them.
Here are a few ways that you can begin to network:
Commenting – Take the time to leave valuable comments on other blogs to show your support. Do not just leave a comment like “Great Post,” actually write insightful comments in response to the post. This is a great way to start a conversation and the blogger will start to take notice of your meaningful comments. Plus, most blogs have some form of linking back to your blog within the comment. Plus
Social Media – There are more than enough social media channels that offer you the opportunity to connect and engage with other blogs. Start interacting by commenting, liking, sharing, tweeting, etc. Help promote their content and genuinely take an interest in their blog. You can even join Facebook groups, which will give you the opportunity to quickly connect with other bloggers. It is the perfect place to meet new blogs and even learn from one another.
Collaborative Projects – Not only can these be a lot of fun, but they can have huge benefits. There are plenty of ways that you can collectively work with blogs within your niche that will help you to grow your platform. A few ideas include collaborative eBooks, giveaways, themed series posts, and even hosting interviews on your blog.
Guest Posting – This is single-handedly one of the best ways to grow your blog while connecting with bloggers.
Related Post: How to Write a Guest Post that Will Drive More Traffic
You can also consider attending blog conferences, cross-promoting, or even creating your own tribe or group. Bloggers will start to notice your efforts and see that you are sincere.
There are many benefits to networking and collaborating with other bloggers, so if you have not yet started now is the time.
About Addi’s New Book:
Bloggers are constantly battling how to grow their platform, engage their audience and monetize their blogs all the while trying to balance their daily lives. If you are seeking step-by-step instructions to grow your platform and earn a full-time income from your blog then check out Adeline’s new book Breakthrough*. This powerful guideline provides proven strategies for developing a blog foundation that will help you to take your blog to the next level.
Author Bio:
Adeline Ganley is a mom, wife, writer, blogger and founder of FrugalFanatic.com. Since launching in 2011, her site has grown from a simple outlet for sharing how to save money into a popular frugal lifestyle blog. Adeline is also the founder of SimplyBloggingAlong.com which was created to help teach other people how they too can earn a full-time income from blogging. Over the past few years she has discovered what it takes to build a successful platform and to maintain a sustainable business.
STANDARD DISCLOSURE: In order for me to support my blogging activities, I may receive monetary compensation or other types of remuneration for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial and/or link to any products or services from this blog. Affiliate links will have an asterisk (*) next to them. {Read my full disclosure policy here.}
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Kirsten says
Can’t believe I haven’t heard of Adeline’s site before. I will add it to Bloglovin’ AND go check out her book.
I have done a very poor job at networking. I do lots of commenting on like-minded blogs, just because I am trying to learn more about personal finance, and I read blogs that talk about topics that I need to learn more about. (Or blogs with debt solidarity).
Just this past week, a blog that I frequent contacted me. She noticed that I had written an article that referenced a specific financial company, and she happened to have a contact within the company. She asked if I was interested in being an affiliate for them, and she put me in touch with their office. I am now all signed up and ready to start earning money. This wouldn’t have happened if I were self-serving when visiting her site.
Jessi says
That is awesome Kirsten!!!! 🙂 That is so exciting and love hearing stories like that. You’re so right, if you’re being self-serving when trying to network it won’t work out but when you’re genuine people notice and want to share their knowledge or connections.
Addi says
It is ok! I was horrible with networking. I still feel like I am because I am naturally shy. It is hard taking the step to reach out to new people but it is worth it. That is awesome that the blogger reached out to you. Persistence pays off!
Candice says
Deeply encouraged by your testimony Kristen; i’m completely new to the blogging world, but come to realize that the best way to succeed is through network with others.
Thanks a lot,
Candice
Maureen says
Great post and I’m going to check out her book. All good points. Some I’m pretty good at and others I could do better at. One day at a time, one step at a time! Will definitely stop by their blogs!
Addi says
It definitely takes time! I completely agree with taking it one step at a time so that you do not become too overwhelmed!
Corinna says
I’m sure networking can be really helpful, but I haven’t really encountered situations where it works in my niche. Since I mostly publish weddings, there aren’t too many opportunities to collaborate with other bloggers, unlike a wedding photographer who may solicit other industry professional for their services in a styled shoot or something similar. I’ve been contemplating the benefit of attending a blog conference for some time now, and I still haven’t decided if it would be a worthwhile endeavor for my particular case, although I would like to attend one in the future. I think it’s important to identify other bloggers who also publish similar content and connect with them if that’s a possibility. But until there’s a conference specifically for bloggers within my niche, I’ll probably just continue to go the comment route and hope for the best.
Jessi says
Do you publish about wedding topics in general? If so, you may be able to attend some bridal shows or network with local wedding shops to your area. There are also lots of Etsy shops especially for weddings that I know have made “their mark” by networking with other wedding-related shops and bloggers. Maybe reaching out to them will prove to be fruitful. I used to think that I wouldn’t be able to network with anyone in my niche because they were either super huge or they wrote about things that I didn’t necessarily agree with (nor wanted to be associated with). But, once I reached out to those super huge bloggers, I started finding smaller blogs in my niche to network with. 🙂
Addi says
Hi Corinna! I would also try connecting with bloggers outside of your niche too. Try to think of blogs that you would want to be linking to you. For instance, make a list of blogs who have a target audience of people who would eventually be getting married or be interested in what you have to offer on your blog. You can also think of blogs who you could link to from your site, so those could be bloggers who write about topics that happen after marriage like kids, parenting, housekeeping, etc. There are so many different ways that you can network and participate in collaborative projects no matter what niche you are in. I hope that helps, but doing comments like you are is also a great strategy!
Samantha @ The Harmonious Homemaker says
I love these tips. Be Helpful, Be Genuine, Be Generous. Sometimes it can be hard to find the right people to network with because some bloggers have a tough time understanding that other blogger are not competitors. If we can build each other up, we can all be successful and grow our sites together!
Debbie says
This is something I’m just starting to work on. It can be difficult as I’m really quite shy and find it hard to put myself out there. Thanks for the great tips!
sarah says
This is definitely the hardest part of growing my blog. I really struggle with reaching out to other bloggers. I don’t mind commenting, but other kinds of networking make me so nervous! Thanks so much for the tips. It is definitely something I need to improve on!
Nikki Stein says
I needed to see this, so thank you SO much! I literally have a million tabs open between you & Sarah Titus lol! I am passionate about writing, so I look forward to learning from the best, not only for blogging, but the great financial advice you give. I printed out a ton of your forms earlier. My husband and I are wanting to be debt free sooner than later, but know we need to take steps, so the fact your forms are free really is a MAJOR help! I look forward to reading more posts!
Jessi Fearon says
Thank you so much Nikki for your kind words! And good luck on the debt-free journey – y’all can totally do it! 🙂
Peter says
I started a blog about 8 months ago and did very little in the first six months. I made no contact with other bloggers until a few reached out to me recently. I reacted out of courtesy. I think both I and the bloggers who reached out to me have since both obtained some benefit in the form of swapping tips and useful comments on each others blogs. I now think this a good idea. Your article is well written and has given me more ideas in respect of co-operating with other bloggers.