10 ways blog readers help bloggers succeed

I have been blogging for a while now. Almost 10 years. I have seen the rise of social media and how it has affected blogs both good and bad. It can drive loads of traffic (I love you Pinterest) and it can replace some peoples need for the blog post (damn you Instagram!). Still I personally prefer blogs because they can dive into a topic and HELP people. But even the most popular bloggers aren’t doing it alone. They have help from their readers. Comments, shares, likes, follows all these things help bloggers get found and succeed. These are my top 10 ways blog readers help bloggers succeed. 

Outfit details – Long textured knit sweater coat Cos (for the life of me I can’t find it online), stripe tee Old Navy, jeans JCREW, Boots Madewell (on sale until Aug 6th), bag Boden, sunglasses Celine

10 Ways Blog Readers help Bloggers Succeed

1. 1. Read the actual blog posts – It can be really easy to like a bloggers photo on Instagram or Facebook and move on with our day. But in behind every photo is a blog post. Social media is more like a teaser. A little bait to get you to come all the way to the actual blog. The blog post is where the real meat of the information we are sharing can be found. Whether it is links to what I am wearing or the details about a place I have visited. Most bloggers spend hours on their blog posts (especially the 1000 word and up ones) so every one who clicks through to read the post is encouragement to do it again and write some more.
   2. Comment on the blog post – After you have read the blog post why not leave a comment? I know it is easier to just read and pop off to the next blog. Or maybe you clicked a link. Comments are a great way to tell a blogger you like what they are doing. It also tells Google the same thing. Potential sponsors also look for comments as an indicator of engagement. So before you move onto the next blog remember to leave a blog comment.
   3. Comment on Social – Most bloggers will tell you that social commenting has replaced most of what we used to get directly on our blogs. If I had to choose one place for people to comment it would be on my blog. That being said I want comments on social too! I’m greedy. Different types of engagement mean more than others. Likes are lowest on the poll, then reactions (where you choose love or angry or sad on Facebook), then Comments and shares. The higher the engagement the more a social post will be shared to others. So by commenting on social you are helping a blogger beat the Facebook or Instagram algorithm that we all hate on so much and get their teaser posts to more of their audience.
   4. Like on social – At the very least give your bloggers a like. Whether it be on their instagram post or whatever. The more you like their posts the more likely you will see future posts that you might be so inclined to like AND comment. Likes might be low on the engagement poll but they are easy and they add up fast.
   5. Like on Bloglovin – This is one you might not have thought of doing but it can have a big impact for a blogger. For those of you who follow blogs on Bloglovin you know there are a bunch of different tabs at the top where you can find different blogs. Your feed is where you find blogs that you have chosen to follow. The other tabs that you see are the popular posts from other categories. And how did they get there? Loads of likes and saves. So help a blogger get in front of a wider audience by liking their post on bloglovin before you click through to read!
   6. Share Blog posts– Sharing is right up there with commenting. It is something every blogger wants! Just share my posts for my birthday and Christmas! Seriously though sharing is fantastic for bloggers because it gets their content out in front of new eyes, potential followers and new traffic sources. The two easiest places to share are Pinterest and twitter. They are relatively anonymous too. I mean yes your profile is attached to your pins and tweets but I find that they aren’t as analysed as say something coming from your personal Facebook. But hey ANY SHARE IS A GOOD SHARE. Even sharing your favourite blogger offline is great. Mention to a friend who is looking for outfit inspiration or details on a trip their are planning. Email a post that might resonate with your friends an family. Sharing is caring because not only are you showing interest in your friends for sharing relevant content but you are helping that blogger succeed. Generally bloggers make it really easy to share their posts with pin buttons on images and sharing links at the bottom of the posts.
   7. Click Affiliate links – Bloggers making money seems to make people mad. In some respects I get it. There are blogs that have too many advertisements that make it hard to read the actual content. There are some sponsored campaigns that make bloggers and influences look like shills (I am looking at you Olay Whip). But when done right sponsored posts and affiliate marketing is seamless with the content. Bloggers have bills. Most of us are buying our own clothes and paying for the travel we blog about. There is this false idea that all bloggers are getting everything for free. And not even that there is blog hosting and other services and courses we pay for. The easiest way to support bloggers doesn’t cost the readers a thing. Affiliate links pay bloggers a referral commission. Whatever you buy via that link costs the same whether you click on a bloggers link or not. However the blogger gets a commission based on the rates the retailer offers and the entire cart attached to the link.
   8. Follow on social – I wish it weren’t true but numbers rule blogging. You could be the best blogger in the world with awesome content but someone with higher traffic and more followers will always get more sponsorships and attention. Make sure to follow bloggers you love on all the platforms they are active on. Instagram, pinterest, facebook, twitter. Even better you can make sure to sign up to see all of our posts. Facebook allows you to like and follow. When you choose follow you are more likely to see posts than if you just like a page. Instagram allows you to get notifications when your favourite influencer posts something new.
   9. Sign up for newsletter – email is not dead. I mean I have 100s of emails that need my attention! I love signing up for newsletters to get discounts and sales notifications. Bloggers will send you their content to make all this interaction even easier if you sign up for their emails. It is a great way to be aware of new posts and giveaways. I send a newsletter weekly of posts that you might have missed.  You can sign up right now over on the sidebar, at the bottom of this post or on the homepage. Other bloggers even create special content just for newsletter subscribers.
   10. Recommend – I touched on this when I was talking about sharing but recommend your blog favourites. Sharing is one way to do it but you might be asked to vote for a blogger for a contest. Or maybe blogging comes up in conversations with your friends. Or maybe you are participating in a reddit thread and you know a blogger everyone should follow or a post that would help. Recommend it. Maybe you are also a blogger and are putting together a post and know of another blogger that people should check out because they too are really knowledgeable. Recommend them.

So there it is the 10 things you can do to help your favourite bloggers succeed.

Of course I want to mention that we should all make sure to keep it positive. I don’t really understand hate following or feeling the need to tear people down. Remember that there is a real person behind every blog post and even the best intentions behind even constructive criticism can still hurt. Recommendations and requests are always welcome. Trolls are not.

This post is as much for me as it is for you. I need to be a more active blog reader. More comments and shares and not just for the best of the best. I need to make a comment every day policy.

Are you an active blog follower? Comment below to get the conversation going.