How To Make Blog Friends And Network

The blogging community has grown like crazy over the past few years. I remember back when I started blogging at Flip And Style in 2008, it was so minimal. There were a small selection of top bloggers like Fashion Toast, Style Scrapbook, Fashion Squad and Sea Of Shoes, and then there were a handful of others who were verging on being well known. I’ve found that a big part of blogging success comes from the connections you have (much like the fashion industry!). The more connected you are with others in the blogging world, the more well known you’ll be.

I’ve been asked a lot about how I originally got my blog out there and known, and I think it purely came down to getting involved in the blogging community and wanting to be friends with all these girls that I looked up to. To make blogging friends, my starting place was commenting on other blogger’s posts. If you have your own blog and have found regulars who comment on almost every post, you’ll know how good it feels to see familiar faces returning to your blog over and over. It reminds you that you’re not just writing away to yourself!

There are a number of ways, beyond just commenting on blog posts, that you can make blog friends, that at the end of the day become valuable connections.

INSTAGRAM

Instagram has been my favourite way to make new blogging friends. It’s all about sharing the love, and the more you support others the more support will come back your way. You can search through hashtags like #bbloggers, #beautybloggers, #fashionblogger (any hashtag that relates to your type of blog) and find some new accounts to follow. Don’t just like photos, comment as well! To be interesting you have to be interested, so show interest in what other bloggers are doing, like and leave comments and you’ll find the effort doesn’t go unnoticed.

BLOGLOVIN

In the past year, Bloglovin has become so much more of an interactive website. More than simply following the blogs you love, you can now have a personal profile, “love” posts to show your appreciation or save your favourite posts to folders to refer back to later. If you have your blog on Bloglovin you can see when people follow you, you can also see when people like or save your posts and also what other bloggers are liking and saving. If you love a particular blog, support it!

TWITTER

Twitter conversations are one of the best ways for people to discover you and your blog. Just like Instagram, there are particular hashtags you can use to not only get yourself out there but to search for other bloggers to follow. I highly recommend #BloggingGals which is a popular one. Also tags like #bbloggers, #fbloggers and #blogging. If you like what another blogger is saying or you enjoy a post they’ve shared, like and retweet it! Twitter is quite personal as well as fast and direct so you can really capture someone’s attention almost immediately on this platform.

FACEBOOK GROUPS

Joining a facebook group for bloggers is a great way to find other bloggers you can connect with on a personal level. It’s a way of sharing tips and tricks, spreading awareness of what’s happening in the blogging world and bringing up any troubles you’re having that others might have the solutions to. There’s a lot of shady stuff that bloggers go through so it’s always helpful to discuss it with others and make sure everyone’s aware of any issues. Just search “Blogging” in the search bar and see if there are any groups that catch your eye.

EMAIL

If you love a blog, email the blogger! Try connecting personally through email, let them know what you like about their blog, let them know you’re following and that they have your support. You never know how valuable an email like that could be to someone, and the likely outcome is you will make a blogging friend out of it 🙂