11 Ways To Support Your Blogger Friends
There has been an influx of bloggers within the past couple of years and odds are you know someone who has made blogging their job or hobby. Blogs are a great way to express yourselves and in turn, to help others. Although it is also TONS of work, it is also a labor of love. Besides "writing", bloggers are constantly working to ensure that all visual and technical aspects of their site are intact.
Since the release of my blog, I have been receiving a lot of positive feedback and encouragement from those who have read it; and I am extremely grateful. Within the midst of this positive energy, I have also had a lot of people inquire about the ways in which they can support. It has become obvious to me, in recent conversations with friends, that many people really don't know how to help support bloggers or creatives. So I felt compelled to write this post to show how some very simple engagements can help your blogger friends thrive!
1. Read & Engage With Their Content
Bloggers dedicate a lot of time and energy in creating their posts. With all that effort, your friends will appreciate you taking the time to read their posts and engage with their content. Bloggers need traffic, as it helps to determine what content is being read more than others and in turn, It helps us figure out what type of content our readers are searching for. So visit their website and participate in those polls that you forward through on social media. Try to Interact when you can.
2. Click The "Like" Button
One of the easiest and most common ways to support your blogger friends is to like their content! It only takes a quick second and is a huge indicator of who is truly enjoying their topics.
3. Sharing Is Caring
If you like the posts, why not share it with your friends and family? Every single share on your page helps the blogger gain exposure and connect with a wider audience which, in return, help blogs grow! Sharing does not always mean reposting it on your social media pages, although a tweet never hurt anybody ;). It could also be tagging a friend who you think might enjoy the content in the comments section OR sending the link via text! Whichever way, this can be a great help spread your friend's content to the masses.
Look, even if your friends' blog may not be your cup of tea, what may not be of interest to you can be to someone else! Even if this is the case, spread the word and share to those who you think may be interested in their content.
4. Leave A Comment
Not only are comments perfect for encouraging your friends to continue making content, but dropping words of affirmation on your friend's posts also creates exposure! Comments open discussion and encourage engagement with other readers. This is also a great way for your blogger friends to know if readers are consistently reading their content because those who frequently comment will get noticed! Bonus points are given to those who actually engage with the blogger’s post on their website—we love seeing comments.
I know nobody likes to be the first to comment on a post, but if you like the content, take a moment to tell the writer--they'll appreciate it, I promise!
5. Follow On Social Media
If you enjoy reading the content of your blogger friends, follow them on social media to keep up with their content! This is the best way to be proactive in helping them spread their posts when the time comes. It also helps to increase readership.
6. Subscribe To Their Newsletter
A blogger’s most important tool is their email list because it is another way, besides social media, to keep up with our readers. One of the greatest ways to show support is to subscribe to their newsletters! Aside from keeping up with new posts, some bloggers will usually give away some freebies to show appreciation. Having people that are excited about reading our work encourages us to continue making the content that our readers want. it also helps us to obtain more views on our posts right off the bat!
7. Use Affiliate Links
Most bloggers will have some type of advertising on their website to monetize their work, but the best part is that it is no extra cost for the reader! So if you like their content and support their work, help your blogger friends make money by using their affiliate links. Although the range of commission is often a very tiny percentage, every little bit helps to compensate the blogger for their time and work. Blogging can get expensive so helping in this capacity can be super beneficial. Next time you want to purchase something, ask your blogger friend if they might have a referral link for you to use.
Side note: *With Amazon, no matter what you end up purchasing after having to click the affiliate link, the blogger will still get a commission! So you could still help by buying another product!
8. Offer Feedback & Suggestions
Let your blogger friends know when they are doing something right or in the areas where they need to improve! If you find something that you love, tell them. I am always so excited when someone shoots me a message telling me that they enjoyed reading content that I took the time to curate. If you find something wrong with the functioning of their site, tell them! Regardless, offering your suggestions or feedback—in a respectful way— can help bloggers not only create content that truly interests their readers but improve their work.
I want you all to give suggestions, so please visit the Work With Me Page to enlist your feedback!! Thank you, in advance!
9. Give Them Compliments
When your blogger friends feel appreciated, they work harder and more confidently! If you don't like commenting on blogs, send them a DM, email or text to let them know how much you liked their new post or admire their work ethic! I swear, it really does make a blogger’s day to receive positive reactions to their work.
10. Be Understanding
So those who do have blogger friends probably already know the number of times your friend has pulled out their camera to take photos of everything from; food and fashion to the little puppy on the street. I know, sometimes it’s annoying, but for some people, blogging is not a hobby, but a JOB. So just be mindful of that. Also, sometimes things catch our eye and we need to capture it! Be understanding of your friends who are trying out here!!!
11. Just Ask
If you want to help, but unsure how you can, reach out to your blogger friend and ask. Asking never hurts and it is just another compliment to us to know that our friends or readers actually care. There are probably a ton of ways to help out that are not even on this list.
I hope this gave you a little idea of how to be supportive to your blogger friends & bloggers in general.
How do you support bloggers?