7 Networking Tips for Bloggers
How do you get paid for blogging? Many factors come into play when it comes to making an income from your blog, and networking is an important piece of the puzzle.
Networking is essential for almost all self-employed entrepreneurs. When you network with other bloggers, you’re building relationships with other bloggers. Maintaining and growing these relationships will certainly help grow your blogging career.
A popular blogger you introduced yourself to at a networking event might remember you later, when he or she is thinking of featuring a blogger on his or her site. That’s just one example of a growth opportunity that stemmed from attending a networking event. Those who promote your blog (and thus drive traffic to it and help it grow) will often be people you met at a networking event.
Not all networking happens at events, though. Plenty of networking can be done online, and if you’re wondering, How do you get paid for blogging? it’s often bloggers with a large online network who grow the fastest and get paid the most. Bloggers who regularly network and collaborate online with other bloggers will grow their blog more quickly.
Networking, whether virtually or in person, facilitates the exchange of contact information between like-minded bloggers who feel a collaboration would make sense. Below are 7 networking tips for bloggers who want to grow their blog:
1. Feature Other Bloggers in Your Posts
If there’s a particular blogger you’d like to connect with, feature them in one of your blog posts. You could include a quote from one of their posts in your blog post, link to their blog within your blog post, or embed a video of theirs in one of your posts.
Once you publish the blog post that features them, you can send them a message on social media or shoot them an email, and let them know you’ve featured them. From there, you could suggest other ways the two of you could collaborate, such as exchanging guest posts.
2. Exchange Guest Posts
Many bloggers are open to the idea of exchanging guest posts to increase their exposure to a wider audience. They would be given the opportunity to publish a guest post on your blog, with a link to their blog at the bottom of the article. As part of the agreement, you’d also get a guest post published on their blog, with a link to your blog. Since both of you likely have different audiences, by exchanging guest posts, you’re exposing your blog to a new audience and extending its reach. This can help you grow your blog if you consistently organize guest post exchanges quite regularly. All you have to do is email blog owners and request a guest post exchange. Most bloggers are quite open to this.
- Show Other Bloggers Some Love
By sharing content from other blogs, promoting other blogs, tagging them in your Instagram stories, and mentioning them on Twitter, you’re networking with other bloggers and forming relationships.
Similarly, you can build relationships with other bloggers by showing their posts some love in the form of likes and comments. You could leave a thoughtful comment, commending the blogger’s work. If you comment something meaningful (something more than just a fire emoji) your comment will stand out to that blogger. Consistently showing love and support to a blogger you want to form a relationship with is a great way to stand out and be well-received when you reach out.
In general, when you show other bloggers some love by sharing their posts or commenting, you’ll often find that they return the favor. Networking is great because you end up helping each other grow.
- Ask Successful Bloggers for Mentorship or Advice
Imagine there’s a particularly successful blogger who you’ve already formed some form of connection with. Perhaps you’ve been networking with them online, exchanging comments and promoting their posts. Maybe you’ve even done a guest post exchange with them.
At this point, it’s appropriate to reach out to them almost as if they’re a potential mentor, and ask them for advice.
If you want to make money blogging, you’ll often need advice from successful bloggers.
Voicing your needs is the easiest way to connect with other bloggers. Ask successful bloggers for help. Enquire about the various challenges that you have encountered and so on. Many successful bloggers are eager to help upcoming bloggers.
If you find yourself wondering, how do you get paid for blogging? advice from successful bloggers is a gamechanger. Their guidance will help the success of your blogging career. The key is that if a popular blogger remembers you from your months of support in sharing and promoting their posts, they’re much more likely to want to help you out. Networking is all about forming connections and building relationships. That’s why networking with other bloggers should be the first step, before asking them for advice.
- Network With Your Audience, Too
As a blogger, you should never forget that more engaged, loyal and bigger audiences are going to help you earn more money. You can charge more for ads or sponsored posts when you have a bigger audience; especially an engaged audience. Your audience reads your blog’s content, and their feedback will help you figure out what changes need to be made. If you want a successful career in blogging, you need to know what your audience wants to read, and you could network with them to find out.
One way to interact with your audience is to do an Instagram Live and answer questions and comments live. You can also use the question stickers on Instagram, where you invite your audience to ask questions. Many people who read your blog will also be following your blog’s Instagram account. You could even ask your audience questions such as, “What would you like my next blog post to be about?”
In general, connecting with your audience, interacting with them and acknowledging them is important for the growth of any blog.
- Join a Bloggers’ Network
When you join an online network for bloggers, you’ll sign up and create your profile. Your profile includes information about you, your blog, some photos, and a bio about what’s unique about your blog. Many of these online networks allow brands to find your profile and reach out to you for potential sponsorships. Bloggers can also find your profile and reach out about potential collaborations.
The blogging network ‘Bloglovin’, for example, has options for those who want to sign up and be part of the community. The professionals you meet on an online bloggers’ network could certainly further your career.
- Interact with Brands
You should consistently interact with the brands you hope will one day sponsor your blog. This can be as simple as liking and commenting on their social media posts, or buying one of their products and tagging them when you wear it. This type of networking involves showing loyalty to a brand that you hope you’ll one day work with.
In general, networking and forming relationships with brands is wise for any blogger looking to earn a decent income from their blog. Join a networking platform that connects bloggers with brands, such as Scalefluence.
Networking is vital for a blogger’s career. The relationships established via networking are often long-lasting and can lead to many new opportunities. Networking also helps build your reputation, and this will open new doors for you. The people you meet while networking are an excellent support system who often promote your blog. These relationships are stepping-stones for you to achieve a successful career in blogging.
