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How to Build your Blogging Community

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How to build your blogging communityAsk any blogger to share their tips for starting growing a blog. Chances are, one of the things you will hear is the word “community.” When I started my blog about 7 months ago, I had no idea that the blogging world was so huge. It took me awhile to realize that I needed to connect with and work with other bloggers in order to grow.

Once I figured that out, my blog took off! I read somewhere that more than half of your page views come from other bloggers. It’s so important to reach out to other bloggers, work together, and share each other’s content.

How did I build my community? I’m sharing a few of my tips that helped me find other bloggers, connect, and build relationships.

Tip #1:  Join a blogging group on Facebook! I am a part of several different groups on Facebook. These groups have daily feeds where we share each other’s posts on social media. But more importantly, they are a place to share information, ask questions, and encourage each other.

Tip #2: Find some bloggers you love and visit their blogs on a regular basis. Leave meaningful comments and share any posts you love on social media. Most bloggers are good about responding to comments and often visit your blog when you comment.

Tip #3: Be present on social media. Choose 2 or 3 platforms to focus on and try to spend at least a little time each day scrolling through your feed and checking out other people’s links, leaving comments, and sharing. Start conversation, too! For example, if someone shares a post on Google+, comment with a question about the post.

Tip #4: Be real! Have a picture of yourself on your blog and as your profile picture on social media. Try to write the way you talk and just be yourself. It makes people feel like they know you, and makes it way easier to build relationship.

Tip #5: Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask other bloggers to help you with something or collaborate with you on a project. Working together is one of the best ways to grow. If I have an idea for a way to work with another blogger on something, I send them an email. Most of the time, they are more than willing to help!

What would a post about community be without hearing from some of my blogging friends? I asked them to share a few of their tips for building community. These ladies are fantastic, so be sure to check out their blogs.

madisonwetherill

Madison Wetherill from The Wetherills Say I Do

“Building community in the blog world can be really scary at first. I remember when I first started blogging and I was terrified of commenting on posts because I didn’t think I had anything of value to say. Now that I have been blogging for a while I know how truly cherished blog comments are and I really encourage people to step out of their comfort zone and comment on blogs. You really never know what kind of relationship you might build with someone who’s blog post you commented on!” 

Anna Whitehead

Anna Whitehead from The Beauty Section

“You hear it all the time… make sure you comment on other blogs, but it’s totally true. Comment on a handful of blogs a few times a week and chances are those bloggers are going to reciprocate and comment on yours too. Leave meaningful comments to show you actually read the whole post, those bloggers will start to see you truly enjoy their blog. 

Building community can be hard work at first, but it is so important to have it because your friends and family that don’t blog have no idea the work and effort it takes to blog, so you need that extra support system filled with people that are doing the same thing as you with the same goals. We all need each other.” 

Megan Walker

 Megan from The Walker Fireside Chats

“A sense of community is the best thing I have received from blogging. Meeting people of all different backgrounds from all over the world is an opportunity you don’t get in many places. In my experience, the Golden Rule of life and building a blogging community are the same: treat others as you would have them treat you. You can’t expect people to comment on your blog and read your posts if you won’t do the same for them. In the end, we all want our voices to be heard, so we need to give other bloggers that opportunity in order to have our words heard.”

What are your tips for building a blogging community? I hope you found something new to try today! Having such a great community of friends is what makes blogging so much fun for me. It takes some time and effort, but it is so worth it! 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Great post! I definitely agree about how important a blogging community is! I haven’t always been the best about being a social blogger, but since school has let out I’ve been working really hard at it, and in turn my page views have nearly doubled! I definitely need to spend more time on social media, though. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful tip, Jenna! I am sure that it is going to help so many new (and old!) bloggers!

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    • It definitely helped my page views, too. Plus, it’s so much fun to get to know other bloggers. There are some really awesome bloggers out there.

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  4. Great article Jenna. I agree that building a community is the best way to go. Food bloggers are so nice and willing to help each other.

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  7. I think establishing something unique like you did with Hump Day Happenings with Megan is a big deal, too. It added to your identity. And I’m sure you met so many bloggers. That’s how I found you, in fact. Ways we include our blogging friends, like with 6 Words, gives us a chance to appreciate each other’s work, and find new blogs to visit.

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  9. This was so helpful! I recently relaunched and am really trying to focus on building my community. It never even occurred to me to check Facebook for blogging groups. I’ve heard your Hump Day Happenings link up is a lot of fun and I hope to participate soon!

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    • Thanks Caroline! Facebook groups has been such a great way for me to connect with other bloggers and find ways to promote my posts.

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  11. Great post! I have found that building a community on one’s blog involves getting to know other bloggers. It is a lot of fun getting to know new people. Thanks for sharing this 🙂

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    • That is why it is so important to be real on your blog! I love reading honest, real life stories on my friend’s blogs and getting to know them more.

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  13. These are such great tips! Just pinned it 🙂 I recently just joined a few FB “blog-related” groups and that makes a HUGE difference! I seriously couldn’t believe it. Found your post through the SITS Girls link-up so I started following and look forward to reading more!

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    • Thank you, Samantha! It really does help so much! It’s a great way to learn, collaborate with others and get your stuff shared.

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  14. I feel kinda stupid for not thinking about #1. I am part of a few smaller groups, but never made the effort to join more. Going to do that NOW. Thank you Jenna. (Stopping by from SITS Girls Sharefest.)

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  15. Awesome tips Jenna! I’m just getting back into blogging so these tips are perfect timing!!
    Popping over from #SITSSharefest! Have a great weekend!

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    • Thank you! Building a community is one thing I wish I would have learned sooner. My stats more than doubled the month I started reaching out and connecting with other bloggers.

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  20. I did this as well and am thankful every day that I did. There is nothing like having a group of bloggers to get you through the good and the bad of it 🙂
    Thank you for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest board.

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  21. Great post. You give some really great tips. Hard to know what to spend the majority of your time doing for the blog. I probably spend more time working on the design than I probably should

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  22. This post is super helpful! I have been blogging for 5+ years, but I just recently started a brand new blog so it’s like starting all over. Not all of my readers followed me to the new blog, etc. so I’m having to figure this thing out all over again! Growing your blog is WAY different now than it was back in 2009 😉
    I keep reading that finding a facebook group is really helpful, but how do you find one? I would love to join one for networking and getting to know people with similar blogs but have no idea where to start to find a good fit for me!

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  23. This is such a good post! I started my blog back in May, and I’ve been trying to grow my blog and gain some traffic and audience! I am constantly on Pinterest, so I connected my Pinterest to my blog and made a twitter too! I’m definitely going to follow your advice! Thanks so much!

    http://www.sweetlysally.com

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  24. Great article with wonderful suggestions. I love the different perspectives I am able to gain from reading other blogs. If I can strike up a conversation with the blogger or readers via comments, it gets even better.

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  25. This is truly a good post for someone who is interested in blogging. Although I don’t have a blog yet, I really love to read what goes into a having a blog. It’s definitely not a do it yourself thing. At least not entirely. Thank-you for this piece of info.

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  26. This post really opened my eyes. I am trying to get more involved with the blogging community, I am just so shy! I chose Twitter and Facebook as my Social media ground. Thank you for all the great tips!

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  27. Where do you find Facebook blogging groups to join? I’m a part of #sitsblogging but thats it! I recently changed my blog URL and blog name, so I feel like I’m starting all over again! I even lost all my old comments from my posts before the switch. So sad!

    Amanda – Life With Grace

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  28. Thanks for this post! Just learned a great collaborating at a blogger meetup yesterday. You can post trade with other bloggers! Using an old post, each blogger can post each others old post as a tease with a link back to the original blog. Great way to build traffic without having to create completely new material 🙂

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  30. I wholeheartedly agree with your comment about working together. As a food blogger, one of the best things a did to build community was to join a group that was baking their way though a cake cookbook and posting a cake a week. It’s been five years and I’m still in touch with many today.

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  31. Hi, visiting you via the SITS girls. Thank you for this post. I love my audience, and it is very rewarding when they “discover” me in other places and readily follow me because they love me too. I had one member of my audience tell me that she followed me in so many place she could be considered almost a stalker. The loyalty and the love from people that really dig your stuff is just wonderful in blogging!

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  32. I just found your post via pinterest. I am new to blogging. I get views but very few comments. Most are my mom. Lol I am going to work at getting connected!! lilpapercrumbs.blogpost.com

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  33. Thanks for these tips! They make so much sense that one could slap one’s forehead and go “Duh! Of course!” 🙂

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  36. I also found your post via pinterest & thesitsgirls.com and I am glad that I happened upon it because it helped give me a push to get back on track with engaging with the blogging community. Keep up the great work!

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  37. I love your tips. They are so true especially when it comes to comment love. I love getting comments on my blog and I love leaving comments. so add me to you blogs to drop by and say hello to…I Blog at DownshiftingPRO.COM 🙂

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  39. Thank you for these excellent tips! How did you find and choose facebook blogging groups? I am tired of feeling like a blogging island.

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    • Being a blogging island sounds like no fun! Most of my groups were recommended to me by other blogging friends. You can also just do a search and see what groups look good to you.

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  40. I totally agree about joining blogging groups. I get so much engagement from my groups and have found some great blogs this way. They also help you to focus on others instead of your own blog all the time.

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    • I love collaborations with other bloggers! I am always thinking of ways to help each other grow. If you have an idea, reach out to other bloggers and see if they want to get on board.

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  44. What a great post! These tips are so true. I wish I had know all of this when I was only months into my blogging journey. Thank you so much for sharing.

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    • Social media is one of the best ways to connect! I didn’t start my Instagram until a couple months ago and now I don’t know why I waited! It’s such a great way to show some behind the scenes pictures to get people excited for your posts.

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  49. This is really good info! I like how you featured girls from different kinds of blogs to show that these tips work for all sorts of blogs, not just culinary ones.

    Thanks Jenna!

    xo, Rochana | thatsaskgirl.ca

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  51. I’m new to the Blogging world and would love to join some of these groups! Thanks for this post and the advice! Would love for you to check out my blog and give me some tips!!

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    • I hope that these tips are helpful to you! You should search for blogging groups on Facebook and see if you can find some in your niche. I’m going to check out your blog right now 🙂

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  57. Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Building a community of supportive blogging friends has made the biggest difference for me. Try to look for some Facebook blogging groups or check out The SITS Girls website.

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  60. This post is really helpful! I am just trying to get my feet wet in this whole blogging thing. I can use all the help that I can get!

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    • That’s awesome, Katherine! Community is one of my favorite things about blogging, and I’ve made some great friends because of it. I hope this tips help you build a community that will help you grow your blog.

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