Saturday, January 31, 2015

Blogging Tips | Simple Ways to Gain a Genuine Following


Commenting | The blogging community thrives off the give and take attitude. My rule of thumb when leaving a comment is to make sure it's at least two sentences, and I try to say something more than "I like * insert product name* too!" However, I am not saying that length is what matters. Simply put, two sentences usually helps me to say more than just a basic comment. Providing my own suggestions or answering the question at the end of a post is also a great way to interact with the blogger and to show that you are genuinely interested. It is appropriate to leave your link at the end of a comment, but it is extremely inappropriate to say something along the lines of "If you're interested in following each other, let me know!" 

Disqus | Disqus has been the best way for me to connect with my readers. I am much more inclined to follow a blog when they have Disqus as I really love to receive responses when I comment. I appreciate every single person who leaves a genuine comment on my blog, and I love replying to them. When readers reply back to my responses, I feel a real connection, almost like I made a new friend! 

Twitter | I had no interest in joining Twitter until a couple months ago as I thought it was a social media site that people used to tweet celebrities. However, after having it for about two months now, I can say that it is one of the first things I check in the morning. I plan on having a blogging tips post all about Twitter so I won't elaborate much at the moment, but I do want to say that Twitter is the best networking site for growing a blog. There are great bloggers chats (#bbloggers is one of the largest for beauty bloggers) that will help to get your blog out there. 

Guest Posting | I have yet to try this out, but I'm sure it is a great way to introduce yourself to a whole new set of readers. Try contacting bloggers whose blogs you really love reading, and asking if you could guest post on each other's blogs. 

Following Blogs | One of my biggest pet peeves is when bloggers chose to follow a ridiculous number of blogs that they don't even read just for the mere sake of gaining a few extra followers. I'd much rather have a smaller group of devoted followers than thousands of followers who I never get the chance to hear from. I set a goal for myself at the beginning of this year to follow at least one new blog I like per week. Follow the blogs you enjoy reading. It doesn't get much simpler than that!


What are your tips for gaining a genuine following?


-Emily
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37 comments

  1. Agreed with the genuine comments! I don't like it when people leave comments like "I like ______ too!", though sometimes one-sentence responses have some content to them and I wouldn't entirely say it's a comment for the sake of commenting.


    I didn't really "get" twitter at first either. Heck I don't even feel like I use it to its best potential. I use it mostly for stalking my favorite celebrities and brands, hahaha :P


    becky ♡ star violet

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  2. I agree, one sentence comments can mean something as well! Two sentences just guide me to elaborate a bit more and open up on what I really want to say :) Twitter is great for stalking celebrities-haha I just had no idea how much bloggers really use it for networking!

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  3. Yes yes to disqus and comments! I always forget to check back on posts I've commented on for a reply, so disqus is a real lifesaver. I'm not very active on twitter, I feel like I should be though since the community is so tight there!

    Tasha // shiwashiful.

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  4. AGREED WITH TASHA--COMMENTING AND DISQUS. I mean, really, there's no point in responding to a comment if the system doesn't notify the author that there's been a response! Commenting may take a lot of time and effort, but a genuine comment really shows that the person has read the post and thrown in their thoughts.

    Vanessa | Citron and Guavaberry

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  5. Oh Disqus. Yesterday, I accidentally subscribed to a post that I commented on and within an hour I got like 30 emails from other comments!!! So annoying haha. Don't do that! =P Buuuutttt, it was a good decision to install it! I love my little group of followers and appreciate it when they comment. SO true about following blogs that you would only want to read and I don't do the f4f thing either unless I like the blog.

    xx Kat @ Katness

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  6. Yep, I agree with all those points. Disqus is such a life saver and one of the first things I made sure to have when I started blogging. I'm doing my first guest post in February so I guess we'll see how it goes!

    Ling | The Cosmetic Critic

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  7. I agree with all of these, especially the commenting! Great post.

    Hannie at // Chapters Like This //

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  8. Really great tips! I've been thinking about switching to Disqus for a while, but it's not too common between Dutch bloggers, and I wouldn't want to force the tiny amount of readers I've got to create an account. However, I do really like the system, so I might switch to it sometime c: Thanks for the great post, your blogging tips always help me out ^^

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  9. I agree with all of these! I think Disqus is a great commenting system, and it looks great on blogs but I think I might just be sticking with my google commenting system :)! I try to comment on the blogs which I enjoy reading most, but it is something I need to get better at! Great post! x

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  10. YES to all of these. I'm pretty much the same as you. I really value the genuine connection between me and my blogging friends. I'd rather have a small numbers of supportive people following me because they truly like me + my blog than thousands of 'ghost' followers. And for commenting, I always try to leave a meaningful comment since I myself do not like those type of comments that only seek an exposure. So, if I don't have anything than 'great' or 'I love it', I choose not to comment instead. Oh I love Twitter! Such a great medium to connect with others. But, I'm a bit picky, so I always carefully 'curate' who I follow on Twitter. I don't like random tweets or retweets on my timeline. Haha. Anyway, this is a great post! And I think it's my first time here! :D

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  11. That's a really good point about Disqus! I have been thinking about using it for my blog and you have now convinced me that I need it.
    In my experience, Twitter is the best. I would love to do a guest post sometime - it's probably a great way to reach a new audience. I use instagram a lot but I don't know if it's that good for getting people to click through to your blog, though.

    City Cookie www.citycookie.co.uk

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  12. Great post - although I personally don't like disqus :(

    www.ofbeautyandnothingness.co.uk

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  13. Yah a helpful post, I think Twitter is a really great way of getting your posts out to a new audience!!

    Katherine | erinandkatherine.blogspot.ca

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  14. I so agree with all of this! Your Blogging Tips posts are always so helpful Emily! I am looking forward to that Twitter tips post as I'm definitely not so good at the whole Twitter thing... :P


    thesarcasticwasian.blogspot.com

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  15. I agree, no one has the memory (or time) to check back on comments! Twitter is also a great community for blogging, so I would highly recommend using it. I love seeing what my blogger friends are up to on a daily basis (in the least creepiest way as possible LOL)

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  16. Thanks for sharing some great tips, i too, wasnt into twitter but now... complete opposite.

    lisa | lisaxbeauty

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  17. I'm definitely inclined on switching to Disqus after reading this...I've just been scared because I had it up in my blog a long time ago and I had some readers having trouble leaving comments. I might give it another go though! :) & I agree with your pet peeve. I like thinking of the blog community as a great place to meet new people who you genuinely connect with, and not just search for new followers.

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  18. I abhor people that follow a gazillion blogs just to get a large following, I mean their bloglovin feed must be so full every single day! I love discovering new blogs that I genuinely enjoy reading and getting to know the blogger!

    Yet Another Makeup Blog.

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  19. Seriously right! I love hearing responses to my comments, but no one has the time (or memory) to remember to check back. I agree, commenting does take quite a bit of time, but there is no better feeling than to have a real connection with the blogger/reader :)

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  20. I tried subscribing to the standard bloggers comments once and the same thing happened to me. It's horrible! Disqus is such a joy, and I really feel a genuine connection when I reply to readers because I know that they will actually see my response (and hopefully know that I really do care about what they all have to say!) Recently, I have only been following blogs with Disqus because to me, blogging is about making a real connection, and the response is what matters to me. I'm glad you feel the same way about following blogs that you actually want to read as it's much better to get a small but consistent following then a large but distant one.

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  21. Great tips, Emily. I especially liked what you wrote about commenting! I can't but agree with Disqus, what an awesome commenting system; it's so much smoother and feels more like having a conversation with someone. I haven't done anything to "promote" my blog other than leaving genuine comments people have found me through and connected with them, which as you say, is much more valuable than having follow for follows... :)

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  22. I agree with this, as a new blogger, I was concern of gaining followers as soon as possible but I realized that some people just follow a blog in order for them to be followed back. I encountered many new bloggers like me and some of them have now more than 300 followers on bloglovin but if you look at their account, they follow more than 1K blogs! I personally would only follow blogs that I know I would read and genuinely like.

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  23. Glad you enjoyed it! The comments are one of my favorite things about blogging :)

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  24. I really love Disqus because it notifies the person who comments, but that's just my take on it :) Commenting is always something I can improve on as well because at times, I get so caught up with my blog that I forget to check my Bloglovin' feed and catch up on other posts! Your blog is one that I always read first, and sometimes when I'm in a mad dash for time, I just look if you've had any new posts, haha :) So glad you enjoyed this post!

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  25. I find blogging to be such a unique hobby. I honestly love the interaction in the comments, on Twitter, etc with my blogger friends as I feel a genuine connection! It is so nice to find people with the same interests as me :) I definitely agree that 'ghost' followers are the absolute worse. A meaningful comment can really make someone's day (or morning in my case because when I see comments in the morning, it's the only thing that can make waking up super early a somewhat happy experience, haha) Commenting something meaningful instead of what I like to call a fluff comment is definitely the way to go, and I'm so happy we can relate with that. I'm so glad you enjoyed this post, and welcome! I really hope I'll hear from you soon as you sound like such a lovely person, Yuni :)

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  26. Hmm, I'm almost positive you don't need to have a Disqus account to comment with Disqus since you can also sign in with Gmail or Facebook, but I totally understand where you're coming from. I was a bit worried when I switched to Disqus this year that I might not have as many comments, but the opposite actually happened! I am so happy about the interaction Disqus has provided, so I would definitely recommend switching over if you feel comfortable. I am so glad that my blogging tips help you out, and that comment means the absolute world to me :) I will definitely be continuing this series as it is both fun for me to write, and by the comments, it seems like you guys are enjoying it as well!

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  27. Disqus is definitely a blogging essential in my opinion! I blog because I can meet new people who share the same interests as me, and Disqus makes real conversations a reality :) Hope your guest post goes well!

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  28. Yessss I hate that too! I doubt that they use their bloglovin feed for blog reading purposes.

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  29. I can't believe I wasn't following you Emme! Well I am now :D Commenting is one of my fave parts of blogging and tbh, I don't follow many blogs that don't reply to their comments. I love Disqus and Twitter! So easy to interact with fellow bloggers :)

    Sheri | Behind The Frames

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  30. Aw thank you! I always love your posts too! x

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  31. Thank you! Disqus is one of my favorite things about blogging as I do in fact feel like I'm having a conversation with my readers, and I love finding people who share the same interests as me. A lot of the time the best followers are the ones who come from no promotion, and that's something truly special :)

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  32. Aww, this comment made my day, Sheri! So happy you joined the family :) Commenting is my favorite part about blogging as well, and I am glad I found someone who feels the same way. I agree, when a blogger doesn't respond to comments, I rarely follow them as the interaction is what I love about blogging :)

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  33. Yes, I definitely agree! Those people who follow more than 1000 blogs must not be able to keep up with all of them, and that really does irk me. Glad I found someone who thinks the same way :)

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  34. Haha sorry I thought I was following you already *side ways glance*

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  35. Thanks Heather! Blogging is all about doing what you think works, so if you don't like it, don't do it :)

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  36. Yes, Disqus is the very best thing for comments, and I am so happy I could convince you, haha! The interaction is what I love about blogging and Disqus makes it possible. Twitter is definitely great for promoting your blog, and I just like knowing what my favorite bloggers are up to on a daily basis (the inner creep in me, haha)

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  37. Switching to Disqus would be great! The comments have been one of my favorite parts about blogging, and Disqus makes the actual interaction possible. I haven't heard of anyone having problems leaving comments with Disqus, so it should be fine :)


    So happy you feel the same way about following! It just bugs me that some people are taking it so mechanically like it's their job or something when in reality, the majority of us are doing it being we actually enjoy it. Why follow blogs you never read? :/

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