Why you should be supporting other bloggers

Supporting other bloggers? Surely they’re your competition… Why would you want to help them? Sadly, I think there are people who do actually think this way. For me, this attitude is the complete opposite to the attitude you should have about your fellow bloggers. I’m going to walk you through why you should be supporting other bloggers and exactly how you can show up and offer your support.

 

Most of this comes down to good karma. If you put in the work to help others. You know what? They’ll be more inclined to help you in return. This is called the Law of Reciprocity.

 

Do you remember the person who you tweet and who never responds? Nope, you will be too busy with the people who do respond. The person you retweet and support, yet they never retweet for you? The person that never responds to the comments you leave on their blog; will you keep visiting and commenting? Probably not.. You see this blogging thing is reciprocal, you get out what you put in.

 

Here’s why you should be supporting other bloggers:

 

  • It is a nice thing to do – Regardless of whether you get something in return. If you read something and love it, then share it.  You would tell a friend about a great book you read, so tell the world about a great blog post you read too!
  • You will make friends & build a tribe – Hands down the best thing to come out of blogging for me has been the friendships.  True, long-lasting, genuine friendships, what could be better?
  • They may reciprocate – Help someone promote a post or a tweet and they may share the love back in your direction.
  • May open the door to further larger collaborations – You never know what will come out of these connections.
  • Nice to work in a team – Blogging can seem quite solitary. You tap away and home, then send to post out there, hoping someone will read it. Working with other bloggers, eliminates this loneliness.
  • Makes for a nicer community – Who doesn’t want to live in a nice place, where people help and support each other?

Here are some ways of supporting other bloggers, both financially and emotionally:

 

Offer to help

 

If someone is asking for help on a social network and you can help, then offer your assistance. I’ve been helped by so many bloggers in my blogging life, such a wonderful community. So contribute if and when you can.

 

Share their work

 

You can do this in masses of ways;

  1. Retweet their tweets/posts
  2. Post a round-up post featuring your favourite bloggers or posts
  3. Have a Blogs I Love/Blogroll page
  4. Pin their posts
  5. Share their Facebook posts.
  6. Share on Google Plus or +1 some of their posts
  7. Have a day a week when you shout out your favourite bloggers. You can do this anywhere, even on Instagram Stories.
  8. Create a round up series on your blog to highlight other bloggers who fit that particular niche.
  9. Create a Pinterest board which you can use to highlight your favourite blogger’s posts.

Show them love

 

  1. #FF them!
  2. Add their button to your sidebar
  3. Like their Facebook status’. We all know Facebook aren’t showing any of our stuff to people (unless you pay them!). However, if we like all the posts we can, Facebook think they are popular and show them to more people. Why not pop a little comment on their too?
  4. Like their Instagram pictures – I often just go down my feed and double tap all the pictures that are there.
  5. Set up notifications for your favourite bloggers so you do not miss out on their new content.
  6. Join their email list so you do not miss any posts. Here’s a great freebie if you want to join my list – 16 steps from blog to biz. 
  7. Tweet the brand if they did a great non sponsored post featuring a brand you’ve worked with previously. Send a tweet to the brand’s representative to highlight it.

 

Use their affiliate links

 

Do you need to buy something? Know a blogger who has an affiliate link to that business? Then use their affiliate link, it’s no skin off your nose and gives them some money. It doesn’t cost you any more to shop through the affiliate link, but they will receive commission.

How to bookmark your favourite blogger’s Amazon link

 

This can be really handy when you want to do a spot of retail therapy.

  1. Click on their affiliate link. It will open in a new window the Amazon homepage.
  2. Press Ctrl + D on your keyboard to bookmark the link. Give it a name like “Amazon – XX Blog”
  3. Then any time you go to Amazon for some retail therapy access Amazon through that link. and your favourite blogger will receive a commission on the items you order.

 

Talk to them!

 

Us bloggers all love a comment. So if you like something leave a comment or send a tweet, it takes a couple of seconds, but it does make all the difference when you put your heart and soul into something.  A little bit of recognition goes a long way.

 

Leaving comments on posts.

 

Blogging is all about community. When you leave a comment you are supporting that blogger and they will appreciate it. The comments you leave will encourage other people to leave a comment too. Why not set aside sometime once a week to visit your favourite blogs and leave a comment.

Send them an e-mail.

 

It is always so nice to receive an email from someone who reads your blog. So do that for someone else. You never know your email might just get there at the right time; just when they need to hear it.

 

 

Offer to mentor a new blogger

 

This could take many different forms, but imagine what it would have been like to have someone helping you or offering advice when you started. It could be really powerful for the blogger you help.

 

Refer other bloggers for opportunities

 

If you take on an campaign ask if the brand are looking for more bloggers. If so you can recommend some other bloggers. This will help the brands AND the bloggers you recommend. Even if it is a campaign that is not right for you and you decline, you can still ask if they would like recommendations. This will stand you in better stead for future opportunities too, as people want to work with helpful people.

 

 

Share resources

 

Give people recommendations when they’re asking about apps you use or networks you belong to. If they are asking about rates, help them if you can. If they get paid more money this is good for our industry as a whole.

 

 

Buy from them

 

If they have a course, ebook, download, whatever they have poured their heart and soul into (that could help you) buy it. Don’t look to bloggers you haven’t heard of to buy products and services, buy from the ones you do know.

 

Buy the products they blog about

 

Now I’m not saying you have to buy everything they mention. Let’s not go crazy. What I am saying is if you’re looking for a new hoover, why not check out the blogger’s reviews and go with one of them. Buy through their link. This might give them a small commission or it will make the brand think positively of them. This is such a lovely way of supporting other bloggers.

 

 

Show up for them

 

 

Be part of the community and of their community and show up. Read, comment, chat, be involved. This is what makes the blogging community so special; the fact that we all support each other.

 

 

‘Community Over Competition’

 

 

Has this given you some new ideas? Something to think about?  Together we can make our community even more amazing!

Supporting other bloggers, how do you do it?

 

Like it? Pin it!

Why you should be supporting other bloggers and how you can do this.

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  2. Love this! I especially like how one of your main reasons for supporting other bloggers is “just to be nice” — wish more people in general had this attitude 🙂 I’m also loving the new look of the blog– it’s so easy to navigate, which is always a challenge for site design (I liked the old one a lot too, but change is always fun.)

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      Thanks, I am so glad you liked the post. I redesigned the blog myself, so I am really glad you like it x

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  5. Really good advice. Look forwarding to reading blogging series each week. I think supporting other bloggers is so important. As a novice blogger it is hard to know if anyone is listening but a few kind words from fellow blogger makes a huge difference. Thank you for support you have given me.

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  6. Yeah … I must say that I enjoy sharing the blog love in different ways. I agree with you that we’re better together than apart. There’s enough room for us and it’s much better if we all do well; way more enjoyable. Thanks for sharing. #aNoviceMumTwitterFeed through the RT of @MumsBlindLove – sharing the blog love 🙂

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  7. Brilliant. You are one of the kindest and most supportive bloggers I know. And it is so important to share the blogging love. I have made some wonderful friends from blogging (including your wonderful self) and I love showing these people support. Hugs Mrs H xxxx

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      Thank you so much my darling. Blogging friends are the very best and I am so grateful that you are one of mine xxx

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  8. Oh Aby, when I started blogging you were so kind to me. You took the time to email me and answer my questions, you read my blog posts, supported me on social media and so much more. I now count you as one of my very best friends not just in blog life but real life. Thank you for being there, for being you and being such a lovely friend. love you loads x x x x

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      Oh huni, that is so lovely and I consider you to be one of my best friends too. THis strange old blogging world brings us so many things, but the friends is the absolute best thing. Thank you for your support xxx

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  10. Perfect Aby, and I totally agree that is what blogging is all about. I have come to realise in the few short months I have been blogging the sheer importance of each blogger we are the creators and wheel turners of this wonderful community. Of course
    Not forgetting the readers we have but other bloggers are also so very important. So far I have met wonderful people and only ever experienced kindness. Long may it continue! X

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  11. What a great post. I have been so lucky to be welcomed into the blogging community. I couldn’t agree more, we can succeed together! I really like your point about Facebook, it’s a tough network!

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  18. I have written a post about this before too. I think it’s so important to the blogging community that we all support each other and do what we can to help each other out. I always try to retweet posts that I have enjoyed and I pin the ones that I think will be helpful to other people too. Everyone is always so concerned with their own blog that they forget to share other people’s hard work too!

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      It is hard to balance it sometimes and we all need more time to do everything. Even a few shares here and there helps xx

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  19. I really try to tweet posts I absolutely love, chat to people online and RT etc. The comments thing is a pain because my blog doesn’t always tell me I’ve had comments and I’ve only recently been able to reply directly to a comment on my form so that’s a work in progress! I know I’m very low on the blogging stakes but I figure every little helps and I appreciate it so much if anyone shares or comments on my posts xxx PS I hope you’re having an amazing holiday!xxx

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  22. This is a great post especially for someone like me trying to navigate the whole thing. But can I ask? I have been thinking about this since I read this yesterday, I don’t have many twitter followers and I think people will laugh if I start retweeting posts from people with thousands of followers. What is the etiquette? Thanks Aby x

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      Thanks hun, Glad you like it. You know I am flattered that someone liked a post enough to share it whether it is to 10k people or 100, that’s what matters, not the potential benefit of the rt x x

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  23. I can be really bad at not sharing the blogging love. I have really been trying to work on that though and it’s true it shows when you put the effort in people follow you more and talk to you more.
    It’s amazing my only issues is that there’s just not enough hours in the day to send the blogging love to everyone.

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      Oh huni, it is impossible to share everything, it just is just here and there to help others. No one expects you to share everything xx

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  25. It’s a crazy thing that some bloggers still try and make it a competition. I always try and share the love with all my bloggy friends

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  26. I love this and I agree. I always remember the bloggers who supported and I really enjoy sharing the love. X

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  27. Brilliant post, and all good advice.
    As a new blogger, I remember when an established blogger Tweeted me and said she liked one of my posts. It really made my day and I will never forget that feeling that it wasn’t all in vain!
    Debbie 🙂

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  28. Lovely post Aby – definitely agree with this – helping out fellow bloggers is the best way of building the blogging community and making friends 🙂

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  29. Aby, you are so spot on! Especially with the Affiliate links and ads, I know that we are not supposed to ask people to click on them, but it helps so much. I need to be more adventurous when I am on a blog, I read and comment and leave. I will make a point of checking things out! Thanks!

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  30. Some fantastic ideas for helping one another. I really do believe you get back what you give. I’m going to do my best to help other bloggers. It’s more fun that way.

    Angela

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  31. Completely agree with you on this Aby – blogging can be such a supportive community, one of the reasons I love it so, and that is down to us helping each other. Wonderful tips for how to help too x #TheList

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  34. What a lovely post! I think the blogging community is a lovely place! I have been amazed at how much the North West Blogger Group has helped me with everything from competition advice to tech help. I owe at least a dozen people a round of drinks! You also have some fab blog posts. I really appreciate you sharing what you’ve learned! #TheList

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  36. I share my blogging love! Well I try to. If I make regular comments on a blog and I don’t receive a reply I just won’t bother with them anymore. I’ve already seen it and I’ve only been blogging for about a month. Manners cost nothing and it’s common courtesy to reply to your readers. you always thank me for retweets and comment on my blog and this is why you stand out from alot of other people xx

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      Ah thank you. I do try, I think a few slip through the net when my tl goes mad, but I try to respond to everything x

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  38. Love this Aby, we should strive to support each other as a community – that helps make us stronger as individuals xx #TheList

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  40. great post. I’ve found that by sharing other people’s posts on my FB page on the days I don’t have something new it keeps my readers in the habit of stopping by for a few minutes

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      It is a shame you have found that, with the exception of one person, every blogger I have met has been lovely x

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  42. Spot on hun! 🙂 Great unselfish piece as always Aby.

    I think the key thing I’ve found is how friendly other bloggers are, not only have a learnt so much from things such as blogging tips 😉 through to obviously parenting advice.

    It is difficult as you become so transfixed at putting out content but I also try and explore new blogs / social media accounts each week (sorry for anyone who feels they get some stalker love from me) 🙂

    Jim x

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      Thanks my love. There are enough readers and ops for everyone. P.s I would love stalker love from you! 😉 x

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  44. I love how the blogging community seem to all be so eager to help each other out. I always try and help where I can (not that my help is needed by many).

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  45. Love this post – it really resonates with me! I love supporting other NE bloggers and have even set up our own network – I think as a group we are far more likely to grow rather than just an individual #thelist

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  46. Wonderful sentiments and advice Abby, I couldn’t agree more. i’ve been on the receiving end of help and it means so much. I’m not techie but we’ve all got something to give – mine is encouragement and sharing great posts 🙂 I must say that I’ve never really noticed the rough side of blogging or the back-biting. I live in blissful ignorance most of the time!

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  47. Once again you have wrote such a great post that all us bloggers can relate too. I think that hands down you are the most helpful lovely blogger that i have talked too and i hope i get the chance to say hello to you at britmums , although i probably be a little bit startstruck haha xx

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  50. Sound advice. It’s always lovely when someone leaves a comment or shares a post or offers some helpful advice – the sense of community is one of the things I like most about blogging.

    Conversely, I never understand it when people link-dump or leave comments that make it obvious they haven’t actually bothered reading more than the first line of your post. I often suspect these are the people who complain that no one ever responds to them!

    Even so, I have to say the parent blogging community is so much more supportive than others I have been part of over the years.

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  52. Great post. I always try to share someone’s post on at least one social network if I liked it and it’s so easy to like a post or picture isn’t it. I feel like people don’t really think about sharing a post they have liked on social media as much as people used to, I feel like people don’t do it as much. I do need to try and get better at replying to the comments on my blog though; I need to set aside a bit of time each week to do it I think xx

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  54. Oh I really do love your blog club and all that you teach. This is great tips. Thank you so much for linking up to Share With Me #sharewithme

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  56. You do this so well. Totally agree with you about how important it is. A few lovely bloggers like yourself really gave me a real boost and kept me going when I first started the blog nearly 6 months ago (OMG time flies!). I try to remind myself of that when it’s late, I want to go to bed and am thinking don’t have the time to do any more comments/retweeting. If you see/read something you like, tell them! Know it makes my day when someone tells me they like my stuff. Great post. #TheList Over from http://www.cookwithtoddlers.com/community

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  58. Great post. I totally agree that helping other bloggers and sharing the love is the way forward – it is a reciprocal thing and one that feels pretty good to be honest. A comment and a like here and there goes a long way to making me feel pretty great! #TheList xx

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  59. Amazing tips as always lovely and this is what makes blogging totally enjoyable. Thank you for some great advice 🙂 x x #sharewithme

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  60. Another brilliant and useful post.
    I’ve realised that a lot of my traffic comes from RT’s so am putting reading and commenting ahead of new posts on some days. For too long I’ve been reading and tweeting but not commenting.

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  61. This all makes so much sense. If you work with one person, it will more than likely lead to more.
    There are millions of blogs, and more and more start everyday.

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  66. Brilliant brilliant post. I love your thoughts on helping fellow bloggers is the only way we all can reach out to a larger audience. I follow the same, whenever and howsoever I can. But good to hear that many feel the same. God Bless!

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  68. I’m a new blogger, and I’m loving being part of a gorgeous community. Yes I would like to grow and be shared but it’s hard just to come out and ask people to help 🙁 loved the tips here! I wish I knew how to grow readership lol – I just love writing content. I’m happy to. Guest post anywhere but then again how do you just ask!? Are there blogging manners? I find myself working so hard trying to make my blog look great I struggle to get time to network, and that’s the best bit I’ve found about writing again – meeting lovely people x

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  69. I like how you mentioned bookmarking your favorite blogger and use their links. My new year’s resolution is to support more bloggers that talk about society and video editing. I’ll be sure to follow these tips to support more bloggers for the scene.

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