A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about why I need people to comment on my blog, and apparently quite a few of you could relate to that.
The blog post was written primarily for my non-blogging friends, because bloggers get it but non-bloggers.. well, bless their hearts 😉
So here’s another post you can share with your non-blogger friends.
5 Simple Ways my non-blogger friends can support my blog.
- Comment.
Covered this one already but to sum it up, I pay for my blog. Blog comments matter to me and they matter to others, which helps my online reputation (which is HUUUUGE in blogging). Plus it lets me know you’ve read it, and in the direct platform in which I’ve presented it to you. Moving on.
- Share it on your Facebook.
Mary-Keith and I discovered awhile back that the blog posts of ours that receive gazillions of views (slight exaggeration) are the ones that we share on our personal pages. Part of it is that it scoots our little blog posts outside of it’s little comfortable blog world AND it appears on LOTS of news feeds – that kind of exposure is invaluable. It takes very little effort on your part, but it means the WORLD to us.
- PIN OUR IMAGES!
Scroll up and hover over the “5 simple ways my non-blogger friends can support my blog” image. See how it says “PIN IT”? Guess what. You should pin it. Pinterest is a HUGE traffic source for bloggers, and the more times our pins are linked from our blogs, the better. Robyn pinned an image from my blog that is a John Mayer quote; it’s been re-pinned over 1,000 times and DAILY drives traffic to my blog. Like I said about Facebook, that kind of exposure is invaluable.
- Ask me about it.
Y’all. I spend a LOT of time thinking about blogging, reading about blogging, reading other blogs, learning about blogging, promoting my blog and even occasionally blogging. Ask me how my blog is doing. Odds are, I’m DYING to tell you about how my favorite blogger featured one of my posts on her blog or about how my blog was featured in a link up or even about how my blog stats are slowwwwlllllly increasing and I’m so excited! I probably will never sit down and immediately share these things with you, but my blog is important to me and I want to tell you.
- Tell me that you read it.
A few years ago I remember talking to my friend Lorrie. I didn’t know her super well at the time. I can’t remember where we were, but she told me she’d recently caught up on my blog and hadn’t even realized I’d been dating someone until she read about us breaking up. Knowing that she read my blog was exciting because it NEVER occurred to me that she was a reader. As I write this blog now, I have NO idea who is going to read it. Maybe a stranger from a link-up, maybe some of my closest friends who are trying to figure out why the heck I care about my little corner of the internet, maybe my ex-boyfriend’s mentor, maybe all of the above.. but definitely not my dad, because he can’t figure out how to turn a computer on. Anyway. When I know you read my blog, it gives me a bit of an inspiration to know who I am writing to.
Okay, bloggers!
Your turn to chime in.
How else can non-blogging friends support your blog?
Linking up with Thoughts for Thursdays, Five things Friday, That Friday Blog Hop,Â
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“Definitely not my dad, because he can’t figure out how to turn a computer on.” Hahaha, love that!
Such a good post! I feel like I need to start pinning my posts because I see most bloggers doing that. I never thought of doing it myself though!
mattie! you DEFINITELY should! i’m basically in love with your blog at this point. 🙂
pinterest isn’t my highest traffic source at all, but it does consistently drive traffic to my blog and i’m hopeful that it’ll keep going if i’m staying diligent with it!
It’s funny because I haven’t told too many of my friends about my blog. I never promote on my personal pages. I don’t know why. I think at first it was because I wasn’t sure if I was really going to stick with this blogging thing but now I just don’t bring it up unless they bring it up. But man, I would love the type of support you describe above. It would be great to have non-blogger friends support you like that.
CYNTHIA!
#THEBLOGGERSTRUGGLE! i RARELY post my blog to my personal FB either, and sometimes it feels SO STUPID because when i DO (and i post about things that matter to me), my friends POUR OUT LOVE and i’m so encouraged. i think it still kind of feels weird.. like hey everyone, come peek into this whole other world i exist in, you know?
maybe you should try by sharing the post with one or two of your close friends and encouraging them to support you in any of those ways in the next few weeks and then checking in with them. just a thought!
i obsessively pin blog posts i love!!! it is the easiest way to share! and yay i’m glad my pin gets you a lot of traffic! that is so neat! 🙂
robyn you are seriously the best.
have you noticed that john mayer quote has over a thousand repins?! it blows my mind!! haha. it shows the power of pinterest and how it can really drive traffic. thanks for being a good friend 🙂 <3
that blows my mind too!!! i hadn’t noticed it was getting re-pinned so much (i suck at looking at notifications) but that is SO awesome!!! 🙂
I found your blog on the link up! Yay for Pacific Northwest Bloggers!!! I’m in Portland 🙂 I love this post. Non-bloggers don’t realize how much it means to us that they read our blogs!
for real! non-bloggers just don’t get #thebloggerstruggle!! haha. also i already told you this on your blog buuuut me + you + coffee = ASAP!
Another super great post. I have a few friends who understand how important the blog is to me and they ask regularly, “How your blog thing going?” I know that when I launch into the intricate details of it they probably have no idea what I’m talking about, but at least they’re making that effort! It makes me feel SO good to be able to talk about it to someone other than poor Justin. He’s GOT to be tired of hearing about it! haha
Oh, and touching on that last point – I was, at the time, connected to my Facebook through the blog so each new post was posted on my Facebook for everyone to see. My BOSS actually walked up to me at Moose’s Tooth and said, “Allie, I read your latest blog post-” (it was about struggling to exit your comfort zone and break out of the box I was put in as a child) “and can I just give you a hug? It was amazing.” She even went on to say she teared up at how powerful it was. I couldn’t believe it!! I was floored, and I will never forget that, even though it was like a year ago.
thanks!! <3 <3 <3 && that's so amazing about your boss commenting on your blog! so long as we're real, genuine, authentic and accountable… letting people have a glimpse into our inner workings can really help open up friendships, i think. it's like.. hey i might not walk up to you and tell you this when i see you, but here's what life is like for me. and sometimes people totally relate and that's the best.
This is great! It always makes my day (week/month/year) when I talk to someone who admits to me that they read my blog. It’s amazing how much of a difference it makes in traffic when people share my stuff too – it’s the little things. Sharing this – so good! 🙂
thanks kelsey! i think there’s something about genuine shares and traffic that really makes all the difference, you know? like people are actually interested in what someone else is ACTUALLY interested in. it seems so simple that it’s stupid, but i think we sometimes lose sight of that. the exposure of non-bloggers sharing our stuff is SO invaluable.
Thank you! I sometimes am afraid to share my posts on my personal FB page because I feel people might think I’m bombarding them, but I spend a lot of time writing those posts as well.
yes! i decided to finally make a little editorial calendar so that i could make sure i’m being consistent and spread out with posts that mean a LOT to me (not that they don’t all matter – but some i definitely want to share with people in my life) and that way i can spread them out when i post them on my personal FB. 🙂 i hope you overcome your fear of that! people want to hear what you have to say!
Yes, to ALL OF THIS. Except now I’m self-conscious about disqus making it hard for my non-blogger friends to comment, ever since that peony project thread where everyone bashed it…definitely sharing this tho 🙂
EXCEPT i’m pretty sure i have non-blogger friends who comment with disqus. what do you use? i feel like disqus is a pretty safe one… i’d never known anyone to have a problem with it until that peony thread!
I use disqus and LOOOVE it…so I’m glad you can confirm nonblogger friends use it 😉
yeah; i’ll definitely ask my friends that use disqus, i know of at least one, but they definitely comment on it. the one downfall i guess is that it’s kind of hard to use on mobile, but i don’t really expect mobile viewers to comment, regardless.
I love this!
I have a lot of non-blogger friends who read my blog but then I’m caught off guard when they mention they like/enjoy my posts because I had no idea they were reading in the first place. I wish I could write something like this. Maybe a share of this post would be a subtle hint?!
Wonderful, helpful post!
Thanks for sharing!
xoxo
jennifer;
right!? i don’t think non-blogger friends really get how much it means that they support our blogs. the thing that’s so special about it is that they’re UNIQUE to our readership; they’re not a person who subscribes to 150 different blogs, they usually just read ours. that’s so precious.
you should write something like this! (or okay… definitely share it haha)
<3
Hi Stephanie, this is so true. I am always excited when I hear some friends read but would be a lot more encouraging if they leave more comments so I would know they visited.
God Bless Stephanie.
yes! i wish my friends knew this… ESPECIALLY if i’m telling them a story/thought and they go “oh i read that on your blog.” i kind of get defensive and go “well you didn’t tell me you did, so you’re going to have to listen to it again!” haha 🙂
Hi Stephanie, I love that you thought to do an actual blog post about this. Would you mind if I shared it on my blog’s facebook page? It’s something I’m always telling people, but you basically summed it all up right here 🙂
hey olivia!! i’d actually LOVE it if you shared it!! the more people that see this (especially non-blogger) the better!!
I 100% agree on the “commenting” and “sharing/pinning” points! I have one friend that I know reads my blog (well, she read my old blog, I hope she’s reading my new one). But she never commented on anything or shared it. So, yea, it’s great that she reads it. But I wish she’d have helped grow it too.
word!! especially because (and i’m truly truly truly starting to believe this) as bloggers our most valuable readers are actually NON-BLOGGERS. because there’s a bit more of a real feeling when they share something – as bloggers, when we promote things to other bloggers, it gets kind of over saturated. our aim should be to get the non-bloggers! ;D
LOVE! Although I do find it a bit strange when non-blogger people whom I would only consider acquaintances talk to me about reading my blog. I always do a quick, “holy crap, what embarassing thing did they read about me this time” haha
oh gosh! yes! or how about when i started dating someone and he showed all of his (GIRL) friends my blog and i was like OMG NO YOU CAN’T DO THAT WHAT IF THEY READ MY BLOG. hahahaha. i’m pretty open about blogging in my real life, but something about people who are kind of connected knowing about me… that’s definitely the weird area.
I actually wrote an entire post on this topic just last week. 5 things non-bloggers can do to support their favorite bloggers. 🙂
checking it out RIGHT NOW.. so stoked about it!! it’s something i really wish all of my friends who support my blogging venture would understand. i feel like i could have some serious manpower if they just GOT IT. haha.
This was great to read! Thanks for sharing. I always forget about my non-blogging readers, but they do offer a lot of support 🙂 Stopping over from Hump Day Happenings!
thanks alexis! i actually think non-bloggers are some of our most important/powerful resources because they aren’t as “you scratch my back i’ll scratch yours” as bloggers can sometimes be, you know? they follow and stuff just because they like your blog! that’s who i want to somehow reel in!
This great. Another way our friends and loved-one can support us is by giving us space to write and recognizing that blogging is not just being on the computer. Blogging is writing and expressing ourselves. I get so many comments: she is on that blog again. Why do you spend so much time on the computer. Blogging is writing, self-expression, and sharing ourselves with others.
oh yes! that’s so true… and lately i’ve been feeling really bad about being on my phone a lot, but i’m always checking twitter or instagram and interacting with people… so i should probably be like ‘hey friends, this is just one of those weird blogging things…’ haha.
YES to all of these! I love the encouragement I get from blogging friends, but there is something special about encouragement from my real-life friends. It means so much when they take the time to share one of my posts, comment or talk about it in real life.
yeah! i think because they KNOW you, you know? they are already invested in you, and you’re invested in your blog so it’s kind of extra great for them to also take your blog under their wings and support it, even if they don’t really “get” it. 🙂
Enjoyed this, shared it, now commenting. I’m learning more about blogging all the time. I’ve only been writing not everything else, until recently. Any tips and tricks I can find are appreciated.
hey angela! i’m so glad this post was helpful to you! blogging is like this HUUUGE ocean of information if you’re really passionate about sharing your words with other people. there’s SO MUCH to learn. i’ve only recently decided to start sharing what i’ve learned about blogging, so i hope the information encourages and inspires you to keep on keeping on 🙂
This is good and I am going to share it to my page so my non-blogger friends can see it 🙂
miranda! thank you SO MUCH for sharing! i hope ALL of your friends read it and are able to start supporting your blog even more 🙂
You’re right, non-bloggers just don’t get it! I catch myself rambling to my friends about my blog “accomplishments” (like being featured) and I’m sure they’re happy for me, but really don’t care as much. Pinned and tweeted so all my non-bloggy friends can read! I host a link party on my blog every Sunday night and I’d love it if you’d come share this awesome post!
hahaha #thebloggerstruggle for sure! i’m sure my friends are totally over hearing about my blog but unfortunately for them i’m just now starting to really get fired up about blogging sooooo they’re gonna have to get used to it ;D what’s your link party!? i definitely will!! i might forget but if you remind me.. then there’s less chance of me forgetting haha. thank you so much for sharing this and taking the time to drop me a comment! i appreciate it so much!