Photo by Saksham Gangwar on Unsplash
This is the second of five ways that I’d promote a new blog to new readers if i was starting out again.
Today I want to turn our attention to Networking as a great way to promote a blog.
If I were starting out in blogging today knowing what I now know I’d invest significant time each day into connecting with others online. The old adage of ‘it’s not what you know it’s who you know’ rings true in blogging.
By networking I mean doing all of those things that I regularly write about here at ProBlogger. Commenting on others blogs, answering comments that others leave on yours, emailing other bloggers when you write something that you think will interest them, making helpful suggestions to other bloggers, connecting with people via social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, emailing people to introduce yourself, linking up to others in your niche…. the list could go on… and on…. when it comes to ways to network but today I’d like to put forward a few more general suggestions.
A number of suggestions that I’d make in networking with bloggers:
- Be generous – a lot of the networking that I see going on between bloggers is fairly much about ‘taking’ rather than ‘giving’. One way to make a real impression on another person is to be generous with them. Help them achieve their goals – highlight their best work – encourage them – go out of your way to work on their terms. While you do need to have good boundaries (otherwise people will abuse your generosity) I think a spirit of generosity is the right attitude to go into networking with.
- Don’t Expect too much too quick – the most fruitful relationships that I’ve been a part of in blogging have emerged over time. Let the relationship grow naturally as you build trust and a mutual understanding of who the other person is and how you can work together.
- Look for the B-listers – many so called ‘A-lister’ bloggers are approached all day long with requests to connect. While you might get lucky – I’ve found that approaching slightly less know blogs can have more chance of working out (and they can still drive a lot of traffic).
- Prove Yourself First – if you’re brand new to your niche it could take time to make an impression. This isn’t necessarily because people are being cliquey – it’s often because they’re waiting to see if you’re going to stick with it and if you know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing more frustrating that networking with someone who disappears a couple of weeks later. Show you’re in it for the long haul and that your blog is making a contribution to the niche and you’ll find people more willing to connect.
- Persist But Don’t Annoy – some bloggers will take a few emails or conversations before they’ll warm up to you. There’s a lot of noise around the blogosphere so don’t be offended if people don’t respond – try again in a little while – but don’t stalk them :-)
- Look in Neighboring Niches – it is important with blog networking to interact with other bloggers in your own niche – however don’t close yourself to relationships with bloggers outside of your niche – particularly in those that neighbor yours. When you limit yourself just to other bloggers exactly like yours you will end up dealing mainly with people who could see you as a direct competitor. While some will be open to interacting with you I’ve found networking with people outside my niche can be fruitful. Another way to be strategic is to not look for networking opportunities just with other bloggers on your topic – but with bloggers who share a similar demographic of reader.
- Ask Questions – one key that I’ve found to work in networking is to ask a lot of questions of those around you. Some bloggers go into networking with obvious agendas and goals but fail to listen to the other party. When you become a person who asks others about their goals and objectives, where you know what their strengths and weaknesses are and where you know their dreams you not only create a good impression on them but you’ll be in a great position to know where your situation aligns with another person’s – this is where networking becomes most effective.
- Become a Go-To Person and a Connector – as you network with others don’t just focus upon you and the other person – but attempt to draw others into the relationships you have. I find that people are particularly grateful to me when I can’t help them but point them to someone else who can. This creates a good impression upon both of the parties that you connect which can lead them to come to you again with opportunities (ie you become the ‘go to’ person because they know you’ll either help them personally or point them to someone who can).
- Have an Elevator Pitch – a lot has been written about business people being able to articulate what they do in a concise statement (having your elevator pitch). I think being able to do this is important with blog networking too. I get many emails every day from people wanting tow work together in some way and in many cases it’s a few minutes into an email that I even work out who they are and what they are on about. Develop a few key sentences that describe who you are, what you do and what you offer others. Another good elevator pitch is on what your blog is about. Having thought through these things will help others understand what you can bring to a relationship – but they will also help you understand that too.
- Look for Points of Synergy – perhaps this says more about my personality type, but I’ve found the most profitable relationships to be ones where there was a ‘spark’ or ‘energy’ around our interaction – particularly where there was some sort of synergy around goals and objectives but also some sort of a connection when it comes to personality. My style has always been to look for points of ‘energy’ or ‘synergy’ and going with them. Perhaps someone else has a more technical description of this but it’s worked well for me.
Looking forward to hearing more about your own experience of blog networking and how it’s helped your blogging grow.
If you’re serious about building an audience for your blog and want to supercharge your traffic ProBlogger’s Find Readers Course will give you the roadmap and guide you through 6 clear steps to find readers.
This article was first published on Mar 13, 2008 and updated Feb 10, 2022.
Yeah, I’ve found that asking questions is extremely helpful. I read a ton of blogs and ask thought provoking questions about the posts, hoping that the author and other readers will add to the discussion. It shows that I’m reading the content and actually trying to contribute, rather than simply stain their comment section with a link to my blog. It seems to be working well.
I’ve also found that asking questions on LinkedIn is an amazing way to network. You can meet people, read their profiles, and approach them accordingly. It’s a great tool.
Raza Imam
http://SoftwareSweatshop.com
I am very new to blogging (3 weeks) and I have networked with some very helpful bloggers on LinkedIn. One who actually sent me to your blog. The information on your blog is super helpful. Thanks for all the great advice.
What a great article. This whole website is fantastic for someone like me. I am working (off line so far) on a blog I’m hoping to launch later this spring (which has nothing at all to do with my photography by the way) and all this information is invaluable.
Jean, I had to check out your son’s blog! Pretty trippy stuff, I love it! :-)
Well that was professional, I put in the wrong address for my website….
Loving this series of tips Darren – thank you!
Commenting can get a little crazy to manage. I’m trying out CoComment to try and streamline managing it.
I would say that the value is in the content. So , yes, definitely: if you write interesting comment, readers will be interested in what you say and come to your blog to read more from you.
But commenting also mean having a conversation: so you need to track your conversation to be able to answer and actively participate.
I’m just learning about blogging….how it works, how it connects to a community of people, ways I can share and learn from others.
I’m excited to keep learning from the topics shared in this website. This website is perfect for tips in blogging.
Kent
http://www.EducationalToys4Tots.com/
Good learning again for many bloggers who need more blogging tips to improve their blogs.
You mentioned a few key concepts that I find true in all aspects of life First, it’s about relationships This is fundamental to being human, so influences business, happiness, politics, creating neighborhoods… you name it. Second is asking questions. This opens communication, indicates respect and allows the other person to feel important. As a beginning blogger, it’s good to hear these things matter in netspace, as well.
Networking is definitely a great blog promotion tool. I’ve found quoting what other bloggers have had to say in my niche area (and linking to their blogs) instrumental to promoting my blogs.
thanks for the tip darren
Wow, thank you so much for all this pure gold you’re sharing with us!
I learn so much from your blog, but you probably hear that everyday, don’t you? :)
thankyouthankyouthankyou,
Yael
To be successful on the internet you must socialise in the ‘real world’.
I go to quite a lot of internet seminars to network and I always leave my business card with people.
I’ve just started blogging and my business cards have helped me receive quite a lot of traffic.
yea…i think those tips can really help me getting spread…and luk started right here…thanx
GREAT TIPS! I find blogging fun and interesting. I enjoy reading blogs that others have created. It’s amazing how many there are.
“When you can’t be there, bVisual”
Good advice! I’m glad i found this post. I just started an orlando based golf blog and your tips will really help. I don’t know if it’s been mentioned yet, but there’s a plug-in called CommentLuv and it’s a pretty awesome tool. If you are a blogger and you visit a different blog and leave a comment, at the bottom of your comment it will generate a message with the last blog entry you made. If you want to see what I’m talking about, check out orlandogolfblogger.com and leave a comment. It’s pretty cool
I agree with the comments about this being good advice, but being a novice, I am still challenged with the specifics….like connect where?
I am trying to connect with investors. I write my blog to try to gain support. What would be the best networking sites to join. I looked at MyBlogLog communities but I got the impresssion the members were mostly young entrepreneurs and not investors per se.
Of course I encourage anyone to visit and greatly value any feedback.
I have a new blog and i don’t know how to promote him
any help?
OK.. cool…But here’s (what i think is) a better way to increase your blog’s traffic:http://wwww.blogs21.com
I use it on my blog and it’s the best i found so far…
Anyone have any similar sites?
This stuff is great! please submit if you have any simmilar sites!
Great post Darren. I have just made a new post on my site where anybody, that has a blog and wants to promote it, can post a comment about their blog and a link to one of their favorite post. Who doesn’t love to have a excuse to post a link to their site in a articles comments?
Interested stuff. I am using Adoptic (see my blog: http://www.brian1127.blogspot.com ), but I’ve also heard of other companies that help with promotion like blogrush and entrecard.
I think blogging connections it’s more of time a thing. It really takes time to get established and know people. The internet is as big as the world, have to start in small places and make your way through.
Great article. I think its good that you highlight that promotion does take time and effort. Many new bloggers incorrectly believe that it can be done overnight.
Hi, i’m a new blogger, it’s really interesting. Thanks. I find a lot of tips here, keep up the good work
You’ve got some helpful suggestions here – keep ’em comin :)
Thank you for the information about networking with other bloggers. I will be implementing your suggestions as I continue to blog.
Lonnie
I really like what you said about looking for points of synergy. My blog is just focused on success in general and though I don’t often use the word synergy, I relate it to the “MasterMind” group I talk about so much. I think a synergy is created with the right combination of people. This, I feel, is essential for success… any type of success.
Great info in this post… thanks!
I just put up my first blog today, it’s about getting my first book out. These sound like good tips and I want to see about putting them into operation.
Anyone want to do me a favour, please have a look at my blog!
I have started a blog a few days ago this site has a lot of information I am happy I found it.
My blog is about relationship but it is somewhat different.
Introducing myself to others via email or by growing a relationship through comments seems to work for me. And by “work” i mean meeting new people in my niche which makes blogging more interesting.
Great tips. Thanx :)
Good advice, thanks. I’m new to blogging. I’m only nine posts in. Check it out if you get a chance.
Hi Darren Rowse –
This has been the most informative blog that I have recently found about marketing a blog. Many of the items that you have address I already do, but there where a few other suggestions that I had not knew.
I will tryout some of these suggestions and see if I can improve my readership. The downside about my blog is that I do not specialize in any one area. I sort of write about anything that captures my interest. Maybe, I need to focus my writing interest to one or two areas and keep within these niches.
Thank you for your expertise and knowledge.
Sincerely,
Nelson Doyle
Thanks for the advice. I think it will prove helpful. I am new to blogging and have not yet established an audience. I am hoping to build one soon because I think it will help to shape the blog’s personality. I could be wrong, but I feel like its hard to blog effectively when you don’t know your audience.
hi frnds
I am new to the blogs, we are a website design company in UK, was looking for the websites who can actually give me the valuable information about blogs and must say came across a very useful website, i will hopefully learn something and try to follow and increase my readers.
Well done mate!!
This is the best site I have found in doing my research of blogging. Everyting else seems so complicated during my newby status as a blogger. Will it ever be understandable if you are not an IT type? I do it on blogspot.com and it is very simple but I am unsure if I am doing it correctly since all I have to do is type. Even your explainations are easier than the ones from google. Go figure. Thanks for the information you provide.
It is nice to read about Networking Catalysts (NC). But the questions that came to my mind after reading this article are:
1. Who would qualify as a NC and where do you come across such individuals?
2. What activities do they undertake?
I along with a close friend of mine have started a professional networking website for professionals (http://corporategrapevine.com). Would users on our website qualify as NCs….because that the actions/ events described in the article do define to a great extent as one.
This is a great post that will really help me a lot as a newbie when it comes to blogging. i just started a few days ago, a week to be exact and traffic is still like a trickle but with a great resource like this i’m looking forward to better traffic in the coming days.
Thanks
Once again, consistent work from Pro Blogger. A must-have resource for bloggers, both new and experienced. Keep up the good work.
Just wanted to say thank you for the helpful post – I started up my own blog recently and have been sifting though many websites looking for helpful insights on how to do it well, and I have found myself coming back to Problogger repeatedly for good advice. Thank you!
Very Helpful and imformational post, Great work, Its nice to have some advice when you have so many blogs being posted everyday and need to drive traffic towards them. Thank you again.
I found this to be very helpful. My blog is a month old is growing by the day thanks to your advice.
Thanks for the great tips. I find myself coming back to your blog each time I need to get some energy and motivation to increase my blog promotional efforts. It always works.
Hi darren,
In my opinion you wrote down some nice ideas. Currently I’m trying to improve my social networking by investing in my linkedIn. Today I activated the “blog” feature in linked in which shows the latest headlines of my blog, hopefully inviting people to have a look.
Keep up the great work!
Regards,
Steven
http://software-testen.blogspot.com
thanks for the article, darren.
this post hits home for me as i have just started a new blog that focused on a particular niche, but i don’t have much of a network yet and other bloggers within the niche have already established their blogs.
being the newcomer to this particular niche, i’ll take your advice and build up on my network.
Thanks for the article, Darren. I’m brand new to blogging and have just gotten my site off the ground.
I feel I am a newcomer to my niche, as well, as I have yet to find another decent blog even remotely related to mine. I’m sure they’re out there.
I too have been using the LinkedIn blog application, and so far it has started to generate some hits to my site. With some of your tips I hope to pull in some true readership soon.
Thanks again!
-Mike D
http://www.daileymuse.com
Darren:
Great post! Like how you take a very “human” approach to networking online. I especially like the “take your time” suggestion to let the relationship build naturally over time. It makes so much sense because then you end up with a true collaboration and bring mutual value to each other.
Our company just launched it’s blog last winter and I just started blogging with the rest of my team at work. Have to say that we are all getting enormous satisfaction from it. Just hearing what each other is interested in and what we each find helpful is of great value to our entire team.
Now we are excited to start sharing our thoughts with others in the community beyond our own circle.
So thank you for the simple, playful and intuitive approach that fits so much better with our own style of networking.
Laura :)
Hi, i have two blogs dedicated to shipping, but from what i can see in the blogging world, my blog seems to be the ONLY ONE with such content..
There are VERY FEW other blogs related to shipping, freight and maritime and ESPECIALLY the type of articles and information that i wrte..
If that makes me a “niche” blogger that would be nice, but at the same time i have not many people in the same niche to network with or comment on or exchange links with..
in this situation, how do i promote it more and more.. since october 2008 i have about 4966 hits but only about 30 subscribers on average..
Ideas..??
I have three blogs 2 for by business and one is my personal blog, although I do have two of them that rank high on google. I have hits but no responses or followers, how could I improve this ?
I have three blogs 2 for by business and one is my personal blog, although I do have two of them that rank high on google. I have hits but no responses or followers, how could I improve this ?
Hi Darren,
Thank you for sharing this. Its good to learn from somebody who has great experience. From your tips here, at least we know where to start.
By the way, Is it the same principles when you are starting a blog here in Asia?
Thank you.
Daniel John
http://productivepinoy.blogspot.com/