Written on March 13th, 2008 at 12:03 am by Darren Rowse
How to Promote Your Blog through Networking
This week I’ve been suggesting 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.
125 Responses to “How to Promote Your Blog through Networking” - Add Yours
Protycoon
March 13th, 2008 12:38 am
I have recently started commenting on other blogs, and have made a few friends in the blogging world, it is a great way of connecting with people.
I also like to email other bloggers, when I write something that could interest them, in the hope that they might link back to me.
Another Great Post Well Done.
Joliber Mapiles
March 13th, 2008 12:45 am
In my case, I always try to extend my help whenever a fellow blogger is having a technical issue. Although there were instances that I was not able to resolve their problems, still, they appreciated my efforts. As a result, they become my friends and turned out to be regular readers..
Anyway, thanks Darren for the information you provided. This could really me as a newbie in the blogosphere..
Patrick Burt
March 13th, 2008 12:46 am
@Protycoon.
You’re doing great already, I’ve already checked out your blog. :)
Chetan
March 13th, 2008 1:17 am
Social networking sites have not been that successful for me, but commenting on other blogs like i do here have helped me in some promotion and traffic ;)
Good post and suggestions btw..
Dan Schawbel
March 13th, 2008 1:30 am
I think evangelism ties in nicely to networking. By building evangelists, they carry your message, thus you do less work and get more promotion.
Brian Auer
March 13th, 2008 2:05 am
Really great points all around, Darren. I think this is something a LOT of new bloggers could be doing better. It’s interesting how your perspective changes once you get on the receiving end of networking requests.
All too often I’ll get emails from new bloggers in my niche who want to network with me… but they do it completely wrong. It’s usually something along the lines of wanting me to link to their site in my blogroll or in an article. I usually just send an email back stating that I don’t have a blogroll, and I never hear from them again.
Seriously, Darren’s points about being generous and proving yourself first are right on the money. If I don’t know who you are, I’ve never seen your site before, you’ve never even left a comment on my site, and you cold contact me about linking to you… chances are, I’m going to blow you off. Not to be mean, but I really don’t have the time or energy to give handouts to every new blogger that sends me a 2 sentence email out of the blue.
My advice if you’re looking to connect with other bloggers: become a part of their community first, then approach the blogger about what you can do for them, then (once the relationship becomes more personal) you can start to ask for small favors or exchanges (helping to promote a project of yours, exchanging guest posts, etc). Don’t just cold-contact somebody asking them to give, give, give — it comes off like spam.
Andrea
March 13th, 2008 2:10 am
Knowing what your blog is about and being able to describe it in a few sentences is *great* advice. It will really help people clarify things. For example, someone may say “I blog about how to make money online.” To which I’d want to hear how they are different that all the other money-making blogs out there. :)
And me? I blog about WordpressMU. How to use it, how to tweak it and how to make an awesome network with it. ;)Also, your em tag needs closing. ;)
Niklas
March 13th, 2008 2:15 am
I find it’s beast to build a reputation in your niche as a respected blogger by collaborating with others and that the end result can build a substantial amount of link-backs between the two.
Every now and then you can e-mail someone with help for something which gives you the idea of writing a post about it since it’s obviously not “that” easy.
Commenting on other blogs is just as important as they’re community might visit your site and since your already a “friendly comment guy” it makes it feel a lot more semi-familiar.
Caroline Middlebrook
March 13th, 2008 2:33 am
I’ve said in my posts many times before that the vast majority of my traffic comes from other people / other sites and so networking is vital. One excellent way of getting started with this is to help promote others in social media.
Get on StumbleUpon and stumble other bloggers sites, if you are first to submit they will surely notice you. This works on all sorts of social media sites. If you are in the IM / make money online niche then try Sphinn and submit and vote for other people’s posts.
This has a direct benefit for you first because the other users of those social media sites appreciate the content you are submitting (assuming it’s good!) and you can widen your own friend network that way as well as getting in the good books of those people who you are submitting. It’s win-win-win all around.
Tom Ross
March 13th, 2008 2:34 am
Great post! For me the point that is most frustrating is ‘prove yourself first’. I know that I will still be blogging months down the line, but it’s frustrating to try and give this impression to other people. People can be very cynical due to the large number of bloggers who aren’t for real. (They ruin it for the rest of us)
Aaron at FullTiltBlogging.com
March 13th, 2008 2:50 am
In the past a strategy I’ve used successfully both for building network goodwill as well as getting my sites noticed by other blogs is creating a complete digital product (in my case a sales quality ebook) and then offering to give it to several leaders in my market for them to sell or give away (depending on the ebook.) I don’t make it available to everyone, just to leaders in my market.
Not only have I never been turned down, almost all of them developed a long-term relationship with me and became my affiliates.
Jeff Lyons
March 13th, 2008 2:53 am
Great points all around, Darren. Posting comments on other blogs in your niche and outside (if it makes sense) is key, but make sure you’re being sincere and not just fawning to get yourself noticed. I’ve seen that too many times.
I’ve made a lot of good blog-based relationship from people posting and adding “you should check out my blog too.” I have no problem with that, it only takes a minute or two to look at another site and read a post or two.
Once you find a blog you like, give them a little shout or two in a post (not just your blog roll). Chances are, they check their stats (came from) as often as you do (i might have a problem with that :)) and will appreciate the nod.
Also, subscribe to email updates (as well as the RSS) of sites you like. I use Feedburner for my daily email blasts and check my email list daily to see where people come from.
thanks again, Darren.
Ritu
March 13th, 2008 2:54 am
“a lot of the networking that I see going on between bloggers is fairly much about ‘taking’ rather than ‘giving’.” This is a very true statement.
Most bloggers tend to think that they don’t have anything to offer a popular or an A lister. We all do need to realize that we are all different and we all have different views and opinion. Offering a different way to look at thing or sharing your ideas with someone who might be able to act on it alone is something you can give. Never underestimate yourself. You have much to offer as the blogger you are trying to take from.
Happiest blog
March 13th, 2008 3:50 am
I have been reading so many posts about networking. I have also tried those tips on the popular blogs, however, most of pro bloggers are too busy and they just ignore small bloggers.
I don’t remember where I saw the topic. Some bloggers also mentioned that a great blogger should also networking with non-bloggers.
In most of the case, the readers reading your blog don’t even have a web site. They were just looking for something solving their issues.
Rex
March 13th, 2008 3:53 am
I like that you brought up the elevator pitch. Being able to describe what you and your blog are about in an intelligent and concise manner definitely makes it easier to on the person you’re reaching out to – but it also makes it easier on you, the message typer. Thanks Darren, making bloggers more business savvy is fun.
Jeremy Steele
March 13th, 2008 4:02 am
This is something I don’t do nearly enough. Not really a social guy, so it’s hard, but I am trying to talk to other bloggers a bit more often.
Scott Allen
March 13th, 2008 4:40 am
Twitter links to your posts (how I ended up here):
http://twitter.com/problogger/statuses/770486572
Mandy
March 13th, 2008 4:45 am
I comment on other blogs and I’ve started using StumbleUpon, but I need to try something different that I haven’t tried before.
I think this post has given me the push to give it a go.
executivehacks
March 13th, 2008 4:46 am
Well done. Might I suggest on the giving side, don’t contact someone with the offer “if you do X then I’ll do Y” how about being more sincere? “I love your work and have linked to your post on XXX and I also added you to my blogroll some time ago.”
Leave it at that. Let it sit for a while. Maybe do it again.
Later good things might just happen, or maybe you’ll need to ask. But you will have a far more receptive audience.
Brandon Eley
March 13th, 2008 5:01 am
Great advice. I think building relationships is one of the best ways to grow any kind of business. Networking is really about building relationships with people. It’s a two-way street — if you can find a way to help them they’ll likely return the favor. Maybe not now, but when you need it most.
BTW, great meeting you at SXSW. Seems appropriate that this should be the first post on ProBlogger that I reply to I guess…
moser
March 13th, 2008 5:14 am
Great article. Going to try it out.
http://www.nela.in/
Bob Potter
March 13th, 2008 5:15 am
Those are excellent points.
One part of my strategy is interviewing those around me with similar interests. While there are many bloggers out there adding incredible value to the community, I’m also interested in knowing more about that person, what brought them to this point in their professional blogging career and how they want to make an impact. It is a way to connect, but also give back.
Andrea
March 13th, 2008 5:19 am
Scott- that’s a plugin for Wordpress, so I think he knows, as he had to activate it. :)
Anthony
March 13th, 2008 5:53 am
Good info but I will hoping to get some info regard promoting a blog on social media like myspace and facebook.
Bob Potter
March 13th, 2008 6:35 am
Anthony – “…promoting a blog on social media…”
We need to consider whether or not social media is to be used as a promotional tool. Social media is about interacting, communicating, and listening.
Rather than focusing on promoting your blog (why are you promoting: To get more visitors to make more money on ads or other?), focus on building a community that gives back.
Do you think that SM should be used to promote? If so, why and how?
Darren Rowse
March 13th, 2008 6:59 am
Anthony – stay tuned, we’ll cover ’social media’ later in the series.
Anthony
March 13th, 2008 7:23 am
Yes I would love to make some money with my blog but my objective is to create a community of entrepreneurs from all over the world where they would share business ideas and anyone can received answer to business related queston in hours. Myspace and Facebook are the type of people I would like to be involve, so my question is. How can I reach out to those young individuals without spamming or taking any type of disadvantage of the system?
Anthony Lawrence
March 13th, 2008 9:40 am
I think this is the first post on social networking that hasn’t annoyed me. Even the comments (”focus on building a community that gives back”, “If you can find a way to help them”, “give back”) are so refreshing compared to the typical selfish grasping and clawing.. I honestly have been feeling very negative about “networking” and while I still feel somewhat disinclined to participate, this tells me that there may indeed be hope.. thanks!
Jean
March 13th, 2008 10:15 am
Never too young to start networking.
My 6 year old son started his own blog after watching me and began networking by giving out business cards with the website name to his friends in school and neighbors. His goal..making money online:
Check it out:
http://startraveling.blogspot.com
florence real estate
March 13th, 2008 12:33 pm
Great, valid points all of them. You have a great blog and I have happened across it several times. I think one way to make a great blog that I don’t see here is having it be do-follow rather than no-follow. Is there a reason you have kept the no-follow?
Rob
March 13th, 2008 12:42 pm
Commenting on other blogs, give me more traffic..true :)
http://onlinehardware.blogspot.com
Jason Jacobsohn
March 13th, 2008 1:41 pm
Well said. Building relationships is an important aspect of blogging. I have been branding myself and sharing resources for years through my own networking resources site, http://www.jacobsohn.com, and through a newsletter. I started blogging as another way to share my knowledge and to help others. Here are ways that I have generated interest in my blog: 1) I tell people who I meet about my blog, 2) I include my blog link in my email signature, 3) I comment on other blogs, 4) I respond to comments on my blog, 5) I contact people who have visited my site via MyBlogLog and ask them to subscribe, 6) I post articles on eZineArticles and include my blog link, 7) I inlcude my blog link in my LinkedIn and Facebook profiles.
Gerald Neo
March 13th, 2008 1:56 pm
A great post, Darren
But I would also like to share a couple things with you guys.
1) Use LinkedIN Answer.
There are lots of people in LinkedIN with questions which you might have answer to it. So by helping them, you are building your credibility and letting people know where your expertise is. Furthermore, there is a feature in LinkedIN Answer where the person who post the question, can award your answer with a “Best answer” tag if its help them a lot. Therefore if you get quite a few “Best answer”, people will more likely recognise your expertise.
2) Networking event
Networking doesnt stop at the online world. Networking event, trade fair, and in this case, event like SXSW are also great places to network and also learn some new stuffs. And the impression is stronger with face to face meeting.
All the best to all bloggers!
cocorichard
March 13th, 2008 2:27 pm
Thanks for your suggestion!by it’s different in china for personal blogger!we have set up a blogger team so as to service for the company who wish to promote their brands and products through the networking.
Scramblejam
March 13th, 2008 8:16 pm
A great article Darren, as usual.
I really like the idea of improving my networking with other bloggers, but I find that the approach needed is often quite piecemeal… I have lots of little requests and emails flying all over the place, without a coherent strategy or way of tracking requests.
My next planned step is to combine all Darrens ideas and suggestions into a batch-style strategic implementation that I can do twice a week, as a one-hour networking blitz…
My only worry is that by batching up my networking tasks, I am going to be losing some of the immediacy of instant feedback and that I might lose out on certain benefits by not being able to respond within hours.
I’d love to hear about a strategic implementation for blog networking, that doesn’t require always-on attention…
Jeff Makana
March 13th, 2008 8:41 pm
Building a following takes hard work and dedication. I am slowly trying to build my site as a gateway for Independent publishers in Kenya.
But as you maybe aware… ICT is still lagging and hopefully when Kenya connects to The East African Marine System(TEAMS)-project will involve the construction of a 4 887-km submarine telecoms cable linking the Kenyan coast with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which will substantially lower the cost of Internet connectivity and also bring affordable broadband connection which will enable more people to start blogging and hopefully make a money via Adsense and other monetization portals.
Great series Darren, Keep em’ coming.
onshoreman
March 13th, 2008 8:51 pm
hello,
i’m quite interested with your article. i did several of the suggestion before. i does attract people to come to see my blog. but the problems is how to maintain or built their readership? i try to post at least 1 entry per day so that they will have something to read. of course i try to post a quality entry but it seems like i can’t maintain their readership. Any suggestion?
Budi Putra
March 13th, 2008 9:07 pm
Networking is really an important keyword to promote our blog. Yes, we need to do a lot of efforts rather than waiting for the miracle will come :-)
Frank Abagnale
March 14th, 2008 2:49 am
Great tips, thanks darren!
Wong Chendong
March 14th, 2008 4:26 am
Thanks for the information, just started out blogging, I really benefit from it.
Arham
March 14th, 2008 5:25 am
great list, oh ya how about make an interview for success other bloggers in same niche
Sibirskiy Tiger
March 14th, 2008 1:05 pm
Thank you for the useful advice
Jenny
March 14th, 2008 3:38 pm
I join meme’s and comment when I go through stumbleupon but I think my blog just sucks.
Miguel Pineiro
March 14th, 2008 4:45 pm
Excellent tips! sounds simple enough.
Joey
March 14th, 2008 9:57 pm
I really like today tips. The most point that I learn most is “Don’t Expect too much too quick ” — That true from my own experience.
Well, people always feel curiosity about you if you are new in certain niche. But, if you can stick to what you are doing, it’s make they impressed from your determination and generosity of sharing the knowledge.
Pascal
March 15th, 2008 12:40 am
Thanks everyone for all these great points! I have been doing many of them instinctively and now I realize I was on the right track :-)
I love writing all my articles, and I certainly hope to get a bigger and bigger audience for them.
DoctorK
March 15th, 2008 1:37 am
Thanks for the tip! Your blog is incredible!
Steph
March 15th, 2008 5:13 am
Thanks for the excellent post, Darren.
These are juicy and easy to do promoting tips – I love how you stress natural, selfless communicating and relationship building.
To address your last point of synergy, do you mean you look for people who share your perspective? As in, you hook up with people who have a similar view of the world?
Or do you mean more specifically, common core values, morals and ethics?
Mike Wanner
March 15th, 2008 2:11 pm
Darren,
This is just a case in point that giving before you ask for anything is a good strategy. I recently saw this on many top blog sites. You can ALWAYS see the folks who are out for something right away. No real contribution is made to the discussion, leaving hints to visit a website that they own which may not relate to the conversation at all, and pushing their own agenda.
I see this a lot on ducttapemarketing.com blog. Amateur bloggers are what they are: amatuers. There is a reason you are one of the most well-known bloggers. You give a huge amount of time and energy to others who want to learn from what you know.
The only thing I would add to this article is donations. I give about $50/mo. to different bloggers. Even is this isn’t a lot of money I send a personal thank you card, handwritten to the blogger letting them know I appreciate their time, energy and input in helping grow other’s readership through their experience.
As always, thanks for what you do.
mike
Borneo Craft
March 15th, 2008 3:13 pm
Thank you for the infos, just right for newbie like me ^_^
Raza Imam
March 18th, 2008 1:54 am
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
Gina
March 18th, 2008 1:00 pm
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.
Cattie
March 19th, 2008 5:40 am
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! :-)
Cattie
March 19th, 2008 5:41 am
Well that was professional, I put in the wrong address for my website….
Darika
March 19th, 2008 9:35 pm
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.
christophe
March 20th, 2008 12:31 am
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.
Kent
March 20th, 2008 3:26 am
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/
Mr.NiceGuy
March 20th, 2008 5:52 am
Good learning again for many bloggers who need more blogging tips to improve their blogs.
Scott
March 23rd, 2008 5:15 pm
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.
Loy
March 25th, 2008 3:59 am
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.
blogger template
March 27th, 2008 4:38 pm
thanks for the tip darren
Yael Ernst
April 19th, 2008 6:11 am
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
Thiago De Carvalho
April 20th, 2008 5:03 am
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.
aj
April 29th, 2008 3:03 pm
yea…i think those tips can really help me getting spread…and luk started right here…thanx
bVisual
May 7th, 2008 7:38 am
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”
Orlando Golf Blogger
May 10th, 2008 5:30 am
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
Stairs
May 24th, 2008 8:58 am
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.
yaguza
May 27th, 2008 11:47 pm
I have a new blog and i don’t know how to promote him
any help?
Ciprian
June 13th, 2008 5:32 pm
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!
Jeremy Winter
June 26th, 2008 11:58 am
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?
Brian
July 11th, 2008 5:02 am
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.
Yasser
July 13th, 2008 12:27 pm
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.
Shirley
July 17th, 2008 7:47 am
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.
Metamorph
July 28th, 2008 11:42 pm
Hi, i’m a new blogger, it’s really interesting. Thanks. I find a lot of tips here, keep up the good work
pudgypencils
August 3rd, 2008 3:31 am
You’ve got some helpful suggestions here – keep ‘em comin :)
Lonnie
August 7th, 2008 5:06 am
Thank you for the information about networking with other bloggers. I will be implementing your suggestions as I continue to blog.
Lonnie
Sean
August 7th, 2008 9:46 pm
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!
Chris Wood
August 11th, 2008 7:00 am
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!
Carlotta Olason
August 17th, 2008 3:47 am
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.
Gerasimos
August 17th, 2008 7:31 am
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 :)
Laurie Hollar
August 21st, 2008 3:38 am
Good advice, thanks. I’m new to blogging. I’m only nine posts in. Check it out if you get a chance.
Nelson Doyle
September 1st, 2008 3:56 am
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
Erica Renea
September 20th, 2008 2:59 am
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.
Venisa
October 15th, 2008 3:51 pm
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!!
Allison
October 17th, 2008 6:54 am
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.
Anshuman
November 4th, 2008 4:22 am
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.
Drey
November 10th, 2008 4:01 pm
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
Yacov
November 12th, 2008 7:56 am
Once again, consistent work from Pro Blogger. A must-have resource for bloggers, both new and experienced. Keep up the good work.
Devon
November 19th, 2008 6:42 am
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!
Marney Lewis
November 28th, 2008 8:27 am
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.
Peter Robert Casey
December 7th, 2008 12:42 pm
I found this to be very helpful. My blog is a month old is growing by the day thanks to your advice.
MaximizingMoney.com
December 21st, 2008 7:32 am
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.
steven
December 31st, 2008 8:12 am
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
randomguru
January 3rd, 2009 5:21 am
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.
Mike D
January 9th, 2009 8:41 am
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
Laura Noonan
January 13th, 2009 10:32 am
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 :)
Hariesh Manaadiar
January 21st, 2009 5:57 am
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..??
Teresa Cuervo
January 21st, 2009 3:47 pm
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 ?
Teresa Cuervo
January 21st, 2009 3:47 pm
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 ?
Daniel John
January 25th, 2009 11:29 pm
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/
Joe
January 26th, 2009 11:22 am
Thank you for sharing these tips. Although I wish there were some hard step by step tips telling us what to do… Ah well.
http://www.rhinothecat.com
Anthony M
January 27th, 2009 3:23 am
Great ways to increase exposure. I have used these along with pinging my blog on BlogBuzzer.com and have had great results.
charisma
February 1st, 2009 8:09 am
thnx for the info!!!
my blog is: http://underground-charisma.blogspot.com/
it’s more about the urban music (not the commercial bullish)
hope someone check it out & leaves a message or a comment.
take care
http://underground-charisma.blogspot.com/
R. Craig
February 14th, 2009 7:40 am
Daren,
This is a good post. It’s well organized, easy to read, makes sense and doesn’t provide much to argue with.
When we think about blogging it is so focused on people that it makes sense that the lifeblood would also be focused on people who reach out to other people and provide the opportunity to form a community.
Blogging is not magic, as we know. A blogger cannot just sit in his/her seat and cast a spell through a magic wand to make people come to their site and give them respect and money. That is the attitude I hear many writing against regarding income blogging. Maybe it’s a straw man and maybe not.
Surely you want to have links to your work and traffic flowing from others’ sites, you want faithful readers who promote your work for you, and you want visitors who click through ads and convert those click to cash through purchases. As my grandpa used to tell us when we wanted something unreasonable, “Wish in one hand, $h!t in the other and see which one fills up faster.” I loved my grandpa! He was such a practical Scandinavian American.
Thanks Daren for such good work here on a rarely covered topic.
Rana Sinha
February 16th, 2009 11:53 pm
Excellent post. I liked the don’t expect too much too quick advice. Networking and commenting to make friends are great tools but nothing takes away the importance of quality content.
If a person has nothing worthwhile to say, why would people bother to return or read!
Heather B
February 26th, 2009 1:06 pm
This was the inspiration I have been looking for to take my blog http://www.disneydreaming.com to the next level. We are getting some good traffic but it would be great to reach out to some new bloggers.
Robert Bravery
February 26th, 2009 4:13 pm
I know this is a relatively old post. But finding it was a real blessing to me.Last year I lost my Job. Decided to go out on my own. Started my own website developing, design and hosting business. My biggest problem was getting noticed. I had read that blogging really helps build your credentials, but never took that seriously.
But two months ago I really took this seriously. It has made a remarkable improvement in the traffic to my site. It is continuely growing day by day. But not at a rate that I had hoped. There is still that idea of recognition and getting more readership. Coming across this post about networking is a real confidence booster.
I have always been weary of things like Facebook, though it was for kids, but soon realised that it can be a valuable tool. You offer some good points in networking, I’m sure that I will enjoy the rest of the articles in this series
Seth
March 5th, 2009 7:38 am
I think the most important part of networking is being realistic!
Remember, you want something out of the relationship and so does the other person, so be straight forward about how you and them can benefit from your networking.
This always helps me see my potential and theirs far better and makes the opportunities more promising.
Interview gal
March 18th, 2009 3:28 pm
Good article, but getting guests posts are not that easy. You want posts to be aligned with the main theme of your blog and provide value to your readers, not just add junk advertising content.
I was approached multiple times about guest articles for http://www.interviewpattern.com blog and in many cases the article I got was not even close to the content of the site (Interview and job search related topics)
BTW, if you have something to share in this area, I welcome hight quality interview related posts, just shoot me an email on contact@interviewpattern.com
Cole
April 3rd, 2009 1:09 pm
This is what I have been looking for. I have been concerned about being too forward with other bloggers, but what’s the worst that can happen? They say no.
I am going to find the relevant sites, be a contributor in their comments and then move into link swaps.
Any suggestions on getting good reciprocal links when my site has such few visitors?
Amy
April 7th, 2009 10:25 pm
Bloggers looking to network: First Fridays at Scribble Ink Cafe will post a link to your funniest post. Submit by the end of each month. Details here: http://writer4rent.blogspot.com/2009/04/first-fridays.html
Denise
April 13th, 2009 2:59 am
Certainly words for thought. Here I thought that if my thoughts were good and relevant enough, they would mean something to someone out ‘there’ but you’re right – with all the noise – who’s listening if you don’t persuade them to :)
Thanks again! As we Singaporeans like to say, I’ve “waken up my idea”,
Cheers!
PATRICK
April 15th, 2009 5:06 am
Thanks for these great ideas. I will try them with my blog about debt and see if I can get more traffic. What do you think about Message boards? Are they a valid place for links to a blog?
http://debtfreedomclass.wordpress.com
Ellen Bergstom
April 19th, 2009 2:31 pm
Thanks for some great ideas. I just started my blog to promote my books and ideas regarding holistic weight and life management. This is based on my experience with loosing over 40 pounds using holistic methods and a variety of other methods. I am also writing a diary. I am more than willing to answer questions and give free advice, though I also offer more involved personal consultations/coachings. Though I am realist and do discuss self-discipline, II always give encouragement as i believe in having a positive approach.
Thank you so much.
Lim Boon Chuan
April 26th, 2009 6:07 pm
Just created a blog and had spend tons of time in it putting in unique content but just no visitor. Thank goodness I did a search on how to promote my blog and the first page is this. Really need to start learning from this post.
Makarand
April 27th, 2009 7:04 pm
Pretty useful stuff here. Commenting on other peoples blog is indeed very effective to get yourself noticed and drive traffic to your site.
Also, recently Google launched Google Profile. Just register your details (including your blog/website link) so that when people search Google with your name as the keyword, your Google profile is displayed on the first page of the result.
http://jpmak.blogspot.com
Friendster Beauties
April 28th, 2009 5:36 pm
I also comment on other blogs and also promote my site on social networkign sites.
Signature Image Consultants
April 28th, 2009 11:03 pm
Concise, carefully planned, and well-practiced post about blog promotion.
A tip I’d share for any Blogger is to try and define your market. Talk to your target audience in your own voice if like me you’d like to become a “Go-To Person and a Connector”
Pirate Ninja Studios
May 7th, 2009 6:43 am
Thanks for the tips, I’ll keep these in mind. I just started a new blog for a company that’s about a year old..we’re focusing on promoting at the moment so this is the kind of thing we need to work on.
pirateninjastudios.wordpress.com
Masug
May 7th, 2009 9:12 pm
Good and usable advice (and it is free too, which is a rarity!). Thanks.
http://masug.blogspot.com
Laura Like
May 14th, 2009 3:43 am
Thankyou for the concise recommendations on blogging for first-timers. I am one of these plus in the dinosaur generation so all of this seems like a different language. The etiquette of blogging and social networking is a mystery until I realize that it’s all about building relationships using an out-dated set of rules called good manners.
nicholas
May 18th, 2009 12:43 am
Can’t agree more on everything you said. Social networks really does a lot of things, more than the publicity it brings to your blogs, it also gives you the sense of being legit and prove that you really do exist. Seem like a small thing, but to us bloggers, those two things mean a lot, especially if the idea is to get broader traffic as much as you can.
Mohanish Sewnath
June 2nd, 2009 3:48 pm
thanks a lot mate for your great article. i just started my blog yesterday and well i am so happy to have got such an article. now i can promote mine really well
Dave Steffensmeier
June 13th, 2009 4:24 am
Great article, this helps as I continue to improve my skill set. Networking should be a sharing a relationship building business.
Have a great day!
Dave
Raymond Simmons
June 18th, 2009 9:43 pm
This is some great advice.You really hit the nail with the hammer with this one.
http://www.dahomegrownspot.com
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