Bloggers are a weird bunch. Most of us are extremely introverted, we’re kind of awkward, being around large groups of people freaks us out, and being the center of attention is decidedly not our thing. We’re not quick to share intimate details of our lives with those closest to us, or even those we want to be close to us, yet we have no problem talking about pretty much anything to a whole bunch of internet strangers who then eventually become some of our closest friends then it’s bizarre when you meet in person because all the typical getting to know you stuff is out of the way and then you’re really like old friends instead of new ones and you can have all kinds of fun that maybe you wouldn’t have with normal new friends because these new/old friends already know you’re insane and you don’t have to pretend.
At least that’s how it is for me.
We might be weird but bloggers are also fairly easy to please. It really is the small things that make a difference to us and, since I know you’re curious to know what those thing are, I’ve assembled these 8 steps to keep your favorite bloggers happy and in turn, they’ll keep writing stuff you love to read. It’s quite the symbiotic relationship (look at me, using big science words).
- Leave a comment. That little bit of acknowledgement that someone read your post and had something to say in response is a fabulous. Those little conversations between a blogger and a reader establish trust and let us know that you like us. We enjoy that.
- Connect on social media. Bloggers like getting to know their readers, and there’s really no better way to do that than to connect with us on social media. Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or whatever, stop by and say hi.
- Send an email. Not comfortable sharing or connecting on social media? Send your favorite blogger an email saying how much you enjoyed a particular post or that you can relate to a story or even ask a question. Try to refrain from sending hate mail because that’s just not nice and really unnecessary.
- Share a post on social media. Clearly, social media is a big deal to bloggers. But it really means something to us when you take the time to share a post on Facebook or retweet on Twitter, pin a recipe on Pinterest, or something else I’m not thinking of at the moment. It shows us that you really, really like us and it makes us feel popular (especially when we see the referral traffic coming in).
- Buy their stuff. Bloggers work hard not only to put out good, fun content for their readers but a number of them write books, sell t-shirts, jewelry, and other products, have coaching or graphic design services, or have other small businesses and they work even harder to make that stuff great. When you’re considering using a service or buying a gift, think of a blogger and help them out.
- Help them sell their stuff. If you’ve used a blogger for a service or you’ve bought one of their products, tell others about it. Word of mouth is how things get done and hearing testimonies is encouraging. Plus, you’ll put a smile on the blogger’s face that what they’re doing/creating is praiseworthy. That makes us feel all warm and squishy.
- Participate in their challenges/projects/movements. Almost nothing makes a blogger sadder than creating a challenge and having no one participate. We love engaging with other bloggers and non-bloggers, and a fun way for us to do that is to have week or month-long challenges. Not only does it give us a goal or focus but we have now have a way to connect on a different level.
- Keep reading. This is basically the single best thing you can do to keep a blogger happy. Even if you do nothing else on this list, visit the blogs you read daily (or at least on the days you know the blogger posts). While most of us would keep writing even if no one read, having an audience means that we’re not just writing for ourselves. When you leave, it hurts.
Bonus tip for non-bloggers: if you have a friend or relative who does have a blog, ask them about it. We love talking about our sites and we love when someone takes an interest in it (real interest. We can tell when you’re faking it).
Making a blogger happy is easy, mostly painless, and almost entirely free. So we’ve got that going for us.
Which is nice.
What would you guys add to the list?