This is a guest post by Annie Chopra, an author and entrepreneur. She specializes in the fields of content creation and marketing and is currently running digital media brand She TheQueen to empower women across the globe. Annie loves to travel, read, and write.
The blogging industry is growing by the day and it is becoming increasingly common to know bloggers in your personal and professional life. If you’re reading this, you’re probably either a blogger or know some! If you’re like us and love the people in your online life and the blogging community, you may have wondered if you could be doing more to support the bloggers you interact with regularly.
While there are obviously direct ways to show your support, such as buying their products and those of their affiliate partners, you may also be looking for more budget-friendly options. The good news is that are several totally free ways you can support a blogger that you might not have even thought about before. Furthermore, there are some great options if you’re also a blogger, especially if you’re looking for a way to grow your community.
So here are 7 totally free ways you can support a blogger.
Currently reading: 7 Totally Free Ways You Can Support A Blogger Share on X1. Read their blogs and spend more time on their website
This might seem extremely basic, and truth be told, it is. However, many times what we don’t realize is that we are skimming rather than actually reading an article. For those of you who don’t run a website or blog, the following might be new information: spending more time on a blog can positively influence a blogger. How? Well, firstly, the time you spend on a particular article is recorded on the web and it is one of many factors search engines such as Google use to define the usefulness and relevancy of an article. If someone is spending more time on an article it usually means that it has the information the reader was looking for.
Additionally, you can browse through other articles on the blog. Spending more time on the overall website will decrease what is known as the “bounce rate.” The lower the bounce rate, the happier a blogger is, because people are spending time on their website. If you’re scrolling down to the bottom of each page, this also means more ad impressions are being counted for blogs with ads. If the blog’s advertising works on cost per impression (rather than cost per click), making this a regular habit can make a real difference to the blogger’s income. If they don’t use an ad network, it will still help be contributing to their page views and, over time, user sessions.
2. Click on their ads
Another great free way to support a blogger, especially if you are running short on time and can’t spend several minutes on an article, is to click on the ads on their website. Many bloggers use advertisements as a form of website revenue. Usually, the ads shown on the blog will be related to the blog as well as to your preferences on the website. If you are not seeing ads it is most probably because of an installed ad blocker. But don’t worry – if you have an ad blocker installed, you don’t have to give it up completely; you can just stop it being displayed for your favorite blogs, and then go a step further and click on ads that interest you. Usually, the ads lead to websites like Amazon or to other blogs.
3. Engage with their social media and comment on their blog posts
All bloggers today have social media, many even run their blogs on social media. The social media platforms they use tend to be one of their main sources of income. Brands select bloggers to collaborate with according to their number of followers and their engagement rate. If you see a social post, remember to leave a reaction and a comment, save it, and maybe go a step further and share it if it’s relevant to your friends/followers.
Other things you can do include subscribing to their email list, following their blog, or leaving a comment on an article. These are usually more beneficial than most social media engagements. Again, you can go a step further and share their articles on your personal social channels (don’t forget to tag them and say something positive). Always choose the articles that are relevant to your community as it comes across as more genuine, will increase the chance of getting click-throughs, and won’t make the blogs look like spam.
4. Follow the brands they collaborate with
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous point especially in regard to social media. Following the brands that bloggers collaborate can count as indirect engagement. Many brands check several “ROIs” (return on investments) when they collaborate with a blogger. While how many people are actually purchasing their products through the blogger is a factor, they usually stay updated on how many followers they gain through a collaboration. Thus, by following the brand you are increasing the blogger’s chances to gain future collaborations and partnerships. Nonetheless, we still recommend only following brands that actually interest you, because brands look for a targeted audience. Moreover, if you actually like the brand you are more likely to make a purchase in the future.
5. Recommend their blog
We have all been asked for recommendations at some point in our lives. Many daily conversations can lead to word of mouth promotion without us even realizing it. We recommend restaurants, books, coaches, and more to the people in our life. So, why not recommend a blog? Word of mouth has always been and continues to be the most common way for a business to grow. If you think about any big business, you will realize you know of it because of someone else. Statistics actually prove that people are still more likely to use things recommended by friends and family than anything they see online. So, who is to say that is not a great way for blogs to grow? Next time a friend asks you what show to watch send them a link to a blogger’s article on the best shows to watch. Just like that, you can use everyday conversation to support bloggers.
Free ways to support a blogger – If you are a blogger
Clearly, you can use all the points mentioned above even if you are a blogger. However, the next two points are specifically for those of you who are part of the blogging community. There are several totally free ways you can support a blogger in your community and most times they are mutually beneficial.
Here’s how.
6. Collaborate with them
If you know other bloggers in your niche, collaborate with each other to grow your followers, shares, and backlinks. There are several ways to collaborate with a fellow blogger. You can choose to write a guest post for each other’s blogs and mention it to your email subscribers. Additionally, you can also collaborate in a video post which is very common for YouTubers. You can also simply share the blogger’s posts on your personal social media. You could create a bundle together or host a joint giveaway. The options are many, and you’re free to select the options that suit you best.
7. Contribute to their network
Finally, the most important part of any profession is to increase your network. Networking leads to increased opportunities for all. As a blogger, you can choose to share your contacts in your network. For example, you can recommend a blogger to a brand, or you can go to an event and add another blogger as your plus one. When you expand each other’s network you won’t only be supporting the blogger but also yourself. Through proper networking, you would be creating a possibility to increase your reach and influence completely free of charge.
There are so many totally free ways to support bloggers and we have only mentioned a few of them here. Take your time and analyze the ways that suit you best and don’t let your financial commitments bind you from supporting the people in your life. By showing support you will also invite the support, thus together you can grow and excel in life.
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Kim
I can’t wait to share this with friends who ask how they can help! Great tips. Thank you.