Why Bloggers need Bloggers
I had been reading HelloRigby for months before I decided to take blogging seriously. Jenn had become such an inspiration to me; her cool sense of stye, the way she was able to write about her pup and the cool companies she got to collaborate with. I knew the most logical step was to buy a domain, learn about wordpress.org and get on a self-hosted site, but what then? How did I start getting readers, getting comments, raise my page views, connect with brands?
I was completely dumbfounded that all of the answers to those questions would be answered with the same answer: bloggers! I has no idea I realized that I would rely on other bloggers to help me grow my blog as I have; no idea about a “blogging community” that existed, and was completely blind to the fact that I would be able to build real relationships through my corner of the internet.
Bloggers need bloggers. It’s that simple. This is the number one piece of advice I would give to anyone who is just starting a blog, or those who have been blogging for months but don’t have a clear idea of what to do. I realize that over time and hard work, other readers will come who don’t blog; but when you’re just starting out, you need other bloggers. Here’s why:
1. Bloggers are readers: As a blogger, I love reading other blogs! Blogs encourage us to try things we may not have known about and educate us on new experiences. Some of my favorite blogs have introduced me to apps I would have never known about for my phone or subscription services I have never heard about that has made shopping for clothes easier. I love reading beauty blogs and getting suggestions on what products to place my money in (or what ones to avoid), I love food blogs for new recipes and ways to keep my husband’s belly happy, and I love faith blogs for an emotional pick me up! Most of my readership is made up of other bloggers who want to hear what I have to say, who want information on new things to try and who need a daily dose of Rosie cuteness!
2. Bloggers are future collaborators: By creating friendships with other bloggers, you are opening the door up to future collaborations! I would have never been able to pull of the Summer Reads Book Swap without Ashley’s help! I
3. Bloggers are influencers: Bloggers share good content and help influence others on what to read. When I read a really good post that I think others could benefit from, I immediately schedule it into my buffer account to share with my followers. Having a blogging community helps get my content out there!
4. Bloggers are troubleshooters: Well, most of them are in one way or another. I love that when I have a question about a plug-in on my site, I can post a question about it in one of the communities and immediately have someone answer it. And though I may not know how to code everything, I can help others create media kits or host an Instagram loop giveaway! Bloggers share information so that others aren’t stuck trying to figure it out!
The blogging community is one of the biggest discoveries I have made about blogging, and definitely my favorite. There are so many blogging community facebook groups out there that have been instrumental in me making friendships, starting new collaborations and tackling new projects. I’ve been struggling lately, however, to find a real sense of community in some of the facebook groups I’m a member of. Some have gotten so big that other bloggers don’t even participate because of requirements in daily threads and it’s hard to find member
So, today I’m announcing that I have joined up with 5 other incredible bloggers and that we are launching our own Facebook blogging community called the Blog Passion Project!
#passionproject has been worked on for over a month, as we discussed what things we were missing in a blogging community and what we could do to differently in our own. Recently, I’ve read a lot about other blogs being “competition” and the blogging community has suffered from that mind set; instead of making connections and lasting friendships, many are turning away because they see others as their rivals. #passionproject’s mission is to defeat that idea, because bloggers need bloggers!
Passion Project is about building each other up, supporting dreams, collaborating and making friendships. At #passionproject, we will offer monthly guides to help others work on bettering their blog (like writing a mission statement), daily threads to share recent posts, tweets and pins and the ability to take over our Instagram account for a day to reach new followers. And because we are truly committed to creating a community, we are going to cap our members at a smaller number so that there is more participation and less overwhelm. So, if #passionproject sounds like an ideal place for you, be sure to join up today!
The Blog Passion Project is just the first of many big things I’ve been working on. With my six-month blog anniversary coming up, you can bet there will be some big celebrations happening! Be sure to subscribe to my email to be the first ones to get the updates on the party!
