3 Ways NOT To Promote Your Blog

3 Ways Not To Promote Your Blog

 

Have you seen great informational posts on how and where to promote your blog?  I have!  They always give great social sharing sites and useful ideas.  What about the ways that people promote themselves that truly comes off desperate and selfish because they seem to want to simply get the word out about their blog without really ever taking the time to grow relationships and share other’s content.  When we all first starting out, not knowing how to promote can definitely come off this way if we aren’t careful.  In most cases, I will say that people aren’t being selfish, they just don’t know.  I’ve come up with a list of ways I’ve seen people promote that is a big no no.  Without further ado, here is the list of 3 ways NOT to promote your blog:

 

1)  Oversharing.  You don’t want to overshare your content and make it completely unbearable to follow you.

a)  How many times do you think it is necessary to share your newest post on Twitter?  Definitely not every hour.  Perhaps a few times in a day will suffice.  To get even more savvy about it, you can use analytics on sites like Master Flitter in order to determine when the best time is to share things on Twitter.

 

b)  It’s funny to think that this is possible but you can do the same thing on Pinterest.  Repining your own pin too many times is a bit over the top.  I have several boards where different posts apply so I put them on there maybe once a day or so.  But not all at once.  It has been said that Sunday night is a great time to pin things on Pinterest since that appears to be the most active time of the week.  You can take that into consideration when you want to share things on there.  :)

 

c)  Sharing posts a million times on Google Plus and it showing up on the posts section of your profile.  It looks even more desperate when you have Google Plus comments and that shows on your posts as well.  I’m not a huge fan of Google Plus comments, but if you are going to use them, you definitely want to be aware of how this looks.  As far as what you are sharing in different communities on Google Plus goes, you can easily, in settings, fix  your activity from displaying on your profile so people don’t see where and what you shared on your profile umpteen times.

 

2)  Not following rules on blog hops so you can link up your giveaways and linky parties.  Some blog hops, depending on the rules, will allow you to link up these types of posts.  If they do, more power to you.  Share away!  But on a blog hop like mine, Countdown in Style, where it is a favorite post linky party that is supposed to be bloggers sharing actual content, these types of posts are not allowed.  I’ll be honest, we outline the rules pretty clearly so it has become an extreme pet peeve of mine to have to go and delete these links from the party because people are too busy trying to promote that they don’t follow the rules.

 

I think another reason why this is a pet peeve of mine for my linky party is because unlike the stereotype that linky parties get that you don’t necessarily get traffic from them especially the big ones, April and I commit to visiting every single linkup so people know they are going to get traffic when they participate.  I think it is also taking advantage when we say, only link up no more than 2 posts because we are taking time to visit ALL and people linkup more than 2 posts.  Another horrible way to promote your blog.  Be considerate and respectful to other bloggers.  It pays to do this in the end.  Trust me.

 

3)  Asking people to follow you back on a comment or on social media.  There is nothing wrong with leaving a comment on someone’s blog that pertains to the content but then letting them know that you are a new follower as well or that you are new to this person’s blog.  It does, however, look desperate when you tell them to please follow you back or that you followed them on each individual social media site they are on.  If you like the post, let them know and comment on what you liked about it.  Share the post on social media.  If you share it on Twitter and mention the blogger’s Twitter handle, they can actually see that you shared it for them and may thank you.  Doing this one time does not guarantee this person will follow you back or that they will go back to your blog and comment.  These things take time.  Be patient.

 

I think all of these things that people do are an attempt to grow their blogs really quickly and to be honest, if you are trying to do that, these ways of promoting yourself and your blog are not the way to go.  Making money on a blog and growing it, along with your followings on social media, take time.  Research the best ways to promote your blog and begin to comment and share posts from bloggers in your niche.  I hope this was useful to someone out there!  I’m just sharing what I learn as I continue on this journey.

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

 

XoXo,

 

 

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101 comments

  • Thanks for sharing! I had been thinking about the Google+ community sharing being on my profile posts. I know that can be annoying, but I didn't know there was a way to turn that off. But now I do thanks to you! Really appreciate all the helpful hints :)
    My recent post Raising a Child on a Budget

    • Brittnei Washington

      Hmm, not sure if it is annoying as much as it looks desperate. Many bloggers join different sharing tribes so that they don't have to share their own stuff a million times. But it's nothing wrong with sharing to multiple Google Plus groups that apply to your niche. I'm glad you know you can turn that off now. I hope it works out for you. :)

  • Brittnei, when I first started FTSF, you would be amazed at some of the bogus linkups we would get. The ladies and I would struggle as to who would say something to not offend, but at the same time explain our rules again. Now to be quite honest, if I get a bogus linked post, I just delete them and don't even waste my time and energy on on comment or letting it get to me. You are so right though about this not being right, but try not to let it get to you and just delete it in Inlinkz, I swear you will feel better once you just hit that delete button!! :)
    My recent post My Pandora 2014 Valentine’s Day Favorites

    • Brittnei Washington

      Well, until we grew, April wanted me to either change a link from the homepage or from a linkup or giveaway if the person only linked up once or twice, but if it is a 3rd post they are linking up, I definitely delete it. I guess I feel like why are people doing that when we are actually visiting all of their sites? I could see if they thought we weren't giving them much attention, but we visit every time. Maybe I'm crazy, but I think it just looks really desperate to get page views and really inconsiderate.

  • So basically, it seems like the rules are to be thoughtful and not selfish, right? Sounds like good advice for social media AND beyond:) Have a great day, Brittnei!
    My recent post How to Get Things Done

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea and to follow linky party rules if you are going to participate. :) That definitely sums it up! :) I hope you have a great day too, Seana!

    • That's what I came away with too Seana. Also you don't want to create a bad reputation for yourself by not following the rules or pestering people for follow-backs.

  • I tend to error on the side of undersharing. Thankfully, we have Bloglovin and other feeds because I was sick last night and went to sleep before I could market my new post. However, you and many others still found me. And today, even in my cold-daze, I posted once on every channel. Twitter, I may do a few times a day. Pinterest, twice for a post. Facebook, once. I have to get better on Google+ too!
    My recent post Me Before You.

    • Brittnei Washington

      I definitely need to work on sharing more this year. I think I've started to do it more, but it is very time consuming. I've joined different networks so I don't have to feel so bad when I don't share enough and that seems to be working for me too.

  • I tend to do twitter 2-3 times daily, google plus once, facebook twice, and pinterest not nearly as often as I should—I only pin my own stuff like 3 times I week. Which is AWFUL because pinterest is my 3 largest traffic source!! I need to do better. I agree with the oversharing. But honestly unless I am on all the time, I barely notice. I click on links when I see them, but I am not on the networks enough to ever see a repeat if that makes any sense. great post!
    My recent post The One Where Baby Turns Two In A Snowstorm

    • Brittnei Washington

      I think I might undershare too. I've been trying to do better with it this year, but I also joined other blogger support groups so I don't have to worry too much if I didn't share as much of my own stuff because people help. I'm finding it's the beauty of creating great relationships in the blog world too.

  • Like Tamara, I think I undershare. I always think people will get annoyed if I'm in their face with my posts too often. But you're right with the three no-no's. I always thought the last one (follow me and I'll follow you) was a bit tacky. But to be honest, I will follow back someone if she asks. I've never hosted a linky party, so #2 hasn't applied to me, but I see people taking advantage of the poor link hosts. It's tough to be a linky host!
    My recent post Blessed by association

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea, undersharing has been me. I've joined groups so I can get help with it this year so I think that will help me a little. Yea, being a linky party hosts takes a lot of time. I think it can be very rewarding but if you want to be as engaging as I want to be and yield the results I hope to get from it, you definitely have to set aside time to do a lot more than some are willing to do as hosts.

  • I don't have time to even schedule stuff for every hour but depending on who's advice you read, others will tell you to post to twitter like that because it moves so fast. I feel bad as it is that I have auto post go out 4 times a day on twitter. I think it makes you look like a robot and not a person but I am not a robot therefore I can't be everywhere all the time, so the auto will have to do. I got burned out with linkys for the reason you stated. I don't ever really get much traffic from them so I only do 2 now to be supportive. I do appreciate a hosts that visits the links, but unfortunately, even those linkys I stopped participating in.
    My recent post Run or Dye with Rx Fitness Lady in Macon Middle GA

    • Brittnei Washington

      Hey Joi! I think 4x is ok especially if you are in other tribes that share your stuff for you. I can see why someone would suggest posting that much on Twitter because it does move fast, but I think that looks so desperate. On the days where I could spend more time on Twitter, I would notice people doing that and even more often. So I wonder how much of other's post will someone be sharing who has their own post scheduled for every hour or even more. I think you gain klout by sharing great content, not just your own content all the time. I've actually had the most success with getting page views up from bloggers who support me who I've had a relationship with sharing my stuff with me. Linkies can definitely burn you out! I only do my own and occasionally will support others once in a while. My favorites are the ones that I have to create a post for now though like Finish the Sentence Friday and Ten Things of Thankful. But if I can't do it for one week, I can always sit out a week or so here and there. :)

  • I'm one of those who probably under share – I think when I publish a post it goes to my FB and twitter and that is the end of what I do.
    And, i haven't ever participated in a link-up because I'm afraid that I would mess up with the rules – I do like to read a lot of the linked blogs though!

    • Brittnei Washington

      It seems like all of the bloggers that are my favorites or who are frequent readers here, like yourself, have the problem with undersharing haha. I think I fall into this category as well, but I am hoping that someone who overshares will read this and rethink his or her strategy. I think from creating relationships with my frequent readers, I'm finding that this takes up most of our time and we don't have the time to overshare because we're too busy reading each other's blogs. :)

      I honestly think people who break the rules on linkies sometimes are doing it intentionally. Because someone like you who doesn't want to break the rules just won't link up or will most likely ask before continuously breaking the rules.

  • Awesome tips! I didn't know Saturday night was the best time for Pinning. Huh. And I'd never have guessed that!
    I only tweet each post of mine once, and retweet when others have. I always find it annoying when people tweet theirs a whole bunch. Thanks, Brittnei!
    ps – I LOVE the spelling of your name. Every time I come here, seeing your pretty name makes me happy. Thought you should know.

    • Brittnei Washington

      I honestly don't notice a difference with Pinterest in the times I pin personally, but this video of these ladies who were giving a tutorial said that it's true about Saturday or Sunday night. Ha! So glad you like how I spell my name. My mom got it from my Aunt's name. Her name is Cydnei :)

  • These are great suggesions, Brittnei. I tweet out posts 3 times the day it goes live, and maybe once or twice after that. Once on FB, once on Google +, and once on Pinterest. I never even thought about repinning a post a second time! Regarding your third tip – I often get private messages on Twitter when I've followed someone, asking me to follow them everywhere else. That annoys me, although last week one woman asked me to consider following her FB page and she would follow back. I did, and she did. I guess she just caught me at the right time. :)
    My recent post A leap of faith

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea it sounds like my regular supports are way too busy supporting other blogs to be bothered with oversharing! Lucky lady you that she caught you when she did. lol

  • I probably undershare. I only share each post once for each social media outlet, unless I'm tweeting about a link-up.
    My recent post Loft Flash Sale Extra 70% Off Sale Items

  • These are great tips. It's sometimes hard to make a balance between over-sharing and under-sharing. You don't want to look desperate, but you don't want your posts to not be seen, either.
    My recent post Grilled Salmon, Pear and Blue Cheese Salad #glutenfree and #Gortons giveaway

    • Brittnei Washington

      Pam, you make a great point. I've found that cultivating relationships with other bloggers has really made my stuff get shared beyond my own ability to do it.

  • It seems like I just read yesterday a statistic that said we should be sharing about 2/3 other people's content and just 1/3 our own. I'm going to try to remember that!
    My recent post Mott’s Snack & Go Snack Ideas

    • Brittnei Washington

      That sounds like a really great way to go for deciding how much to share of yours versus other bloggers' work. I just feel like my stuff wouldn't get shared nearly as much if I didn't have cultivated relationships with other bloggers who share it for me. Besides, I hate promoting myself. It is a better strategy for me anyway :)

  • #3 is a huge pet peeve of mine and people do it all the time. I almost always follow someone back if they follow me, but I don't like them telling me to do so. Or leaving me a huge long message about why I should share their posts and they will share mine, when I don't even have a blog relationship with the person yet. I try to tweet my new posts 3 times during the day I post, although sometimes I forget. I do repin things every so often because I know that makes a difference, and I only put my best posts on Google + most of the time. I do share everything to Facebook but I should do more there. I get frustrated with Facebook because of their new rules and the fact that they change things all the time. I try to share more than I share my own, although I do the best job of that on twitter. Definitely I could make some improvements and that certainly is my plan. Great post!
    My recent post Meet ‘Em Mondays

    • Brittnei Washington

      You seem to have a decent sharing strategy. But you always write great content and you have so many people in your tribe that your stuff goes around the blogosphere wonderfully. :) That's how I want to be. I honestly hate promoting myself so this is perfect for me. The follow back thing is pretty weird. I think that is the worst out of the desperate moves I've shared. Hopefully people read this post and start to think differently. :)

  • I can't stand it when someone pins the same thing 5 times in 5 minutes.

    • Brittnei Washington

      LOL! I'm not sure but I guess they don't think people that follow them will see it. Not sure why this might be the case but it's just funny.

  • These are very useful and practical tips. I agree 100% about the follow me things.
    My recent post TENACIOUS TOYS Cool Giveaway

    • Brittnei Washington

      A lot of people feel that way about that one. I hope the right people will see this post so they know that is very annoying and desperate looking and it sounds like a turn off. :(

  • Thank you for sharing your input. I'm very new as I just started my blog in November. Only a couple of months into this, I'm constantly scouring the internet for information to become more educated about posting, hosting, etc. I am follower to a great number of bloggers, not just because I admire their work, but because they are fun. I just discovered linky parties a couple of weeks ago and found them to be a so helpful to hook up with others similar to me. This circle of connections not only allows me to see what others are sharing, but what to do and not to do. I was appalled to get a message from a blogger today after attending a linky Tweet party who "Tweeted" me that if I didn't "follow back, I'd be unfollowed by some unfollow app". I nearly dropped off my seat laughing! I ended up clicking and following back as I usually do, but I came so close NOT to, just because of the brassy and less classy request. I may undershare, but I would never beg for a follow.
    My recent post Little Three Drawer Chest Redo

    • Brittnei Washington

      That is pretty funny. I'm starting to think that the people who do these types of things with the follow me and follow you stuff are more concerned with building a following as opposed to relationships. You really have to balance both in the blog world.

  • I am fairly new to Pinterest, but I never pin the same one. Never thought about it.

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea I wouldn't have thought to either, but some of my boards are followed by some followers and not by others. And when it applies, you can definitely repin your own pin, you might just want to spread out when you do it so your followers do see you pinning the same thing back to back. :)

  • I actually think I undershare. I don't do Twitter as much as I used to and I really don't do Pinterest. I also only share my post once on Google+. As for linky's I don't them much either. I think I need to change that a little but for now I'm kinda happy with the way things are.
    My recent post My Sensory Box Fall Edition #Review

    • Brittnei Washington

      You have a nice tribe of people that you belong to so I can see why you don't do things like this much :) It looks like many that already have their tribe established, don't have time to overshare. :) I think it's typically people trying to grow a tribe or who are just starting out that tend to do these sort of things.

  • GREAT post and totally agree with oversharing and the OH please follow me back comment… Thanks for sharing ..that being said.. will you follow me back…hahah JK :-)
    My recent post Get ready for the big day with 10 delicious Super Bowl #recipe Ideas

  • I HATE it when bloggers post the same 4 things on rotation all day on Facebook. They make it sound like it so just so hot, when ti really is old news!

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea, I'm hoping that people are reading my post and the comments from other bloggers. There is a consensus here that bloggers think it looks tacky when you ask for a follow back, leave comments that don't relate to the post and overshare on different social networks.

  • I have been a blogger for a very long time. I think that there really are no rules in blogs. Those that love your writing wont mind it and those that dont wont follow to be annoyed. :)
    My recent post DIY Sparkle Mason Jar (Easy 2 step version)

    • Brittnei Washington

      Well said by a veteran. Hopefully people are reading this post and the comments that follow It would be nice not have to lose a follower because you were doing some of these things that bloggers dislike. :)

  • I agree with all of these tips and thanks for the info on Manageflitter. I had not heard of that before.

    • Brittnei Washington

      It's actually new to me as well! I guess I figured if people want to share a billion times a day on Twitter, perhaps they should have a tool that can help them share at peak times as opposed to them just oversharing their own content.

  • I'm with you about people not follow link party rules and doing too much sharing on Pinterest or Twitter. Drives me crazy.

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea, when you become a host, depending on what type of linky you are running, you tend to get burned by that one often. I'm hoping if I link this post up to mine next week, people will read it and think twice and maybe be more considerate going forward. :)

  • Love this! I know a few bloggers who send out self promoting tips hourly. Never any tweets except to promote themselves.

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea and it turns out some people are telling others to share this often. I can't believe that! It just looks very desperate to me. Once you get more into blogging, you learn it's about community and supporting others in blogosphere. I guess even if they blog awhile, some people still won't get it. :(

  • jennyatdapperhouse

    Great ideas! I follow people back on Twitter all the time just because they weer nice enough to tweet to me. Like you said – building relationships works!

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea, I try to follow back mostly as well. The only ones I don't follow back are those accounts I read that are just set up for giveaways. Or if a person is just way to explicit in their tweets, it would be unbearable to follow back in that case for me too. I don't have those people follow me too often though :)

  • Thanks for these great tips!
    My recent post Infinite Cross White Leather Knit Rope Bracelet Only $1.78 Shipped!

  • These are great tips! I get people all the time asking me to follow back. Kinda annoying.
    My recent post Monster Jam Coming to Chicago Feb. 7th | Save 30% Here!

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea, I've learned that people will follow you back if they want to, and if you don't like that they aren't, you can just unfollow them :)

  • roadrunnerfloristbasketexpress

    I would like some more information about google+. I have a page there (for my business) and I try to put something there every day. I find that helps in my google rankings. Are you saying you think this is Not a good idea?

    • Brittnei Washington

      Hi there! Sharing to Google Plus is very crucial. I'm not saying that you shouldn't share there. What I am saying is there is a way to do it. For example, let's say you want to join a few communities that pertain to your business, perhaps you want to share your content in those communities, that's ok too. If you don't uncheck the box in settings, what you shared and how many times will show on your posts tab on your business's page. If you shared something 10 times, that looks a little tacky. There is nothing wrong with sharing to a lot of communities when you follow their rules, but we don't all need to know where you shared to. If you go to the settings field, under profile, you can uncheck the box that says to show under your posts tab everything that you share in your communities. Here is a Google Plus basics post that I've recently come across here: http://www.justusfourblog.com/2014/01/basics-of-g…

      • roadrunnerfloristbasketexpress

        WOW! Thanks so much for this information. I am going to check it out FOR SURE this evening when I get home from work.:)TinaFrom: [email protected]: [email protected]: Brittnei Washington replied to your comment on 3 Ways NOT To Promote Your Blog

        • Brittnei Washington

          I'm so glad I was able to help. You can connect with me on social media or even email with a question anytime. If I know the answer, I will definitely share. :)

  • I am fairly new to the whole sharing thing, and going by some of these comments, I am definitely an undersharer! But I`m totally okay with that. I write when I feel impulsed, and if it`s a post I really like, I share it once to Twitter, FB, and G+. Only once did I try a link up, and I really didn`t enjoy it all that much…
    My recent post Feng Shui Inspired Style for the Bedroom

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea this post doesn't apply to a lot of bloggers. But I had to write it so that people who do these things can see what the blogosphere thinks about it so they can change up their strategy. :)

  • Great tips. I think we all get super eager to build a following and share too much. We need to slow down and realize it all takes time. Thanks for th info.

    • Brittnei Washington

      I agree. I don't think people intend to do this mostly. They just want to grow very fast. You grow quickly but overall, it all takes time.

  • I love this post. So true!!

  • Gracielle from http://www.mommya-z.com

    I totally agree on #3 in terms of the commenting and asking for comments. I would never do that, but I do love blogs with "comment luv" because it does give the blogger the option to click through and comment back if they want to. In terms of following – if it's a Twitter or a Facebook party, I typically leave a private message and introduce myself, tell them which party I'm visiting from and I might ask them to follow me back. But only for those specific "grow your audience" type of parties – that's what they are there for, right? :)
    My recent post That one time I forgot to wear pants to work…

    • Brittnei Washington

      Hey Gracielle! I think there is definitely a way to go about letting someone know you are following on those Twitter and Facebook parties that won't look desperate. A simple tweet to let someone know where you found them and that you are following isn't bad…but I don't think you should ask them to follow you back though. For Facebook hops, I will send a message saying hi and where I'm liking from and I will say something like this "if you would want to like me back using your personal account, here's my page:" I had to think of a way to reword that without telling people to follow back because asking for them to just sounds so tacky. LOL When I leave a message like that, it's letting them know everything you would want them to know without asking them to follow back. :)

  • You gave some good tips here that will help bloggers to a better job. I am sure the bloggers among your readers appreciate the tips.

  • This is such good information and sooo true! We all want traffic but we have to be savvy about it! I am going to check out MasterFlitter too! Thank you!
    My recent post Save Money with CampusBookRentals and Help Operation Smile!

    • Brittnei Washington

      You're welcome! It's true. You do have to be savvy. It doesn't look favorable of someone to do any of these things. I think it's the beauty of blogging and social media. It always looks better when people are attracted to you and they want to follow you as opposed to you soliciting follows and demanding interaction.

  • mamatomanyblessings

    great tips, I would have never thought of these. Makes complete sense!

  • Great tips! I definitely get annoyed by #2 and #3. I visit anyone that leaves me a comment and will follow them back if I am interested. Asking me to is pretty much a great way to turn me {and other bloggers/readers} off.
    My recent post Valentine’s Day Button Art

    • Brittnei Washington

      I think it's funny when some ask but it's more hilarious when someone begs or tells you to do it. LOL. That's just weird. Could it be that people get into blogging and they think they are going to make money immediately? I'm not really sure. It's nice to have been around for a little while to have learned a thing or two about that. It's definitely about patience and strategy. You want people to be drawn to you. You don't want to beg them to follow along :)

  • SUCH great advice! Agree completely!

  • I share on Google+ once, on Twitter once but not for every post, never on FB because I'm quite shy. Hehe. I think I'm not ready yet to broadcast my posts on FB for everyone I know personally to see/read. I remember I won Air Supply concert tickets for writing about their song then I gave the tickets to my mom and sister then my mom asked where I wrote my winning piece and I did not tell her about my blog. Hehehe. I enjoy having a different set of audience for my blog, is that bad? Hehe. I only started joining linky parties last year, I did not even know before that they actually exist. To be honest, I get annoyed with comments that just ask to follow each other without making an effort to read the post. Gahh, that's just me. LOL, love your tips!
    My recent post Money Matters

    • Brittnei Washington

      I can definitely see where you are coming from with not sharing your blog stuff on FB. It's honestly up to you who you would prefer to read it. Yea, it's hard to get a comment that is measly and could have been posted on any post when you put time and effort into what you wrote. I guess people don't really feel like reading what we write sometimes so they put things like "great info!" I think that is the worst! :(

  • Great points. I try to make sure I am not over sharing and I have unfollowed people who bombarded me with too many of the same posts.

  • Great tips. I agree with the oversharing.

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea, I've seen it done, but it's funny because the bloggers who are in my tribe who are always stopping by my blog to comment, they seem to not have time to overshare. We're all too busy visiting each other's blogs. :)

  • I try to balance out how much I share my posts on social media. It can be quite time consuming trying to share on social media, visit everyone's blog and then run your own. I'm really not sure how people find the time to do it all all the time to be honest. My blogging promo pet peeve has got to be people that break link up rules. That's primarily the reason I do not participate in link ups as much as I did in the beginning. I noticed that the hosts themselves weren't even visiting the links and it becomes unfair and one sided. If I don't have the time to visit links then I don't play.

    • Brittnei Washington

      Yea, you can understand why I get bothered by the linky one then since I'm actually a host that visits all of them. I've found that creating blog relationships and cultivating them really gets my stuff shared even more than I can do it all alone. Someone mentioned a 1/3 and 2/3 rule. 1/3 of the time I'm sharing something it is my post and 2/3 of the time it is someone else's. Having the relationships with other bloggers has truly been a game changer for me. I don't have time to devote too much to my blogging because I always say it but I'm a wife and mom first. So the relationships with bloggers and people sharing for me helps me to work smarter not harder. :)

  • These are great tips — if anything I probably don't promote my stuff enough, because I haven't figured out how to automate it and I just don't have the time when I'm home (and I try not to mess around with blog stuff *too* much while I'm at work!) I am definitely going to check out your link-up… I don't really understand the point of the huge ones where it doesn't seem like anyone reads anyone else's posts. Basically I'm trying to get the biggest impact for my very limited time and still trying to figure out that balance.
    My recent post What we’re reading these days, January 2014

    • Brittnei Washington

      You and me both on getting the maximum in for the time spent. I'm a stay at home wife and mom so I really try not to let blogging take over my entire day to the point where I"m neglecting my family. Family is always first! I feel like in blogging if that is the case for you…it's definitely best to work smarter, not harder. You will learn so much along the way and see what works for you. I've changed up things about what I do and don't do as I've learned more. :)

  • Excellent Post. Thanks for sharing your wonderful tips.
    Angel

    PS: Love the Logo

  • Ugh, I agree with the asking people to follow back thing. Honestly, I do follow quite a few people back, but I prefer to check out their stuff first. A 100% mom-blogger going on and on about their kids really isn't of any interest to me – a mom blogger who talks about plenty of other stuff along with their kids – no problem. The same with lots of other categories. But something about asking for follow backs just seems smarmy.
    My recent post From Student Activities to Graduate Admissions Advisor

  • This was a super helpful post! You're always so good with the online know-how…the rest of us old folks need that! :)
    My recent post Social Media Saturday!

  • I didn't even know that people pinned their stuff to their boards multiple times. I don't seem to have a problem getting traffic there, Not sure I need to "repin". These are great tips. Plan on posting another related on this week!
    My recent post #AskAwayFriday with Heather

  • I always enjoy your posts Brittnei. You are full of common sense and common courtesy! Love it!
    My recent post Elegant Wooden Frame Art

  • jugglingrealfoodandreallife

    The world of blogging is all so interesting to me. You make some excellent points Brittnei. Blog hops……..for mine folks can link up as many posts as they want. I tryi to visit one from each person. If you are someone I follow on a regular basis, I will probably get to more than one. I do think it is so important that you follow the rules though. We all set things up the way we want them………we are inviting you to our party…….common courtesy is so important to me. I am very turned off by bad manners. I'm embarrassed to think how I probably messed up when I first started blogging. Social media. I don't think I overshare. I like to keep my social media "social". I do it all rather than scheduling things. I don't have time to overshare, but I might get on and blast things out all at once………..because that's when I'm on. You always get me thinking Brittnei.
    My recent post The Real Food Experience ~ Cutting Out Artificial Colors – Juggling Real Food and Real Life

    • Brittnei Washington

      Thanks for sharing, Christina. Because we try to visit all, it's the main reason we have the rule of only linking up 2 posts. I honestly try not to link up to linky parties if I can't follow the rules. You're right. It is just common courtesy. It seems the most engaging bloggers I meet, like yourself, typically don't overshare. They're too busy trying to read other blogs and connect with others which is wonderful. I stopped scheduling things as well. I forget why. But I like doing it the way I've been doing it. I share about 1/3 of my own stuff, and 2/3 of the rest is someone else's stuff. Building relationships with other bloggers has helped me get my stuff out there more than I've ever imagined. :)

  • You had me at your blog title! Ha! I actually just discovered here that I'm not sharing ENOUGH. I am so scared about annoying people, but I was sharing maybe a few times a week, much less a few times a day. Thanks for the great tips!
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  • Great advice. I still feel really new and when I read this and the comments I wonder if I know anything at all. I had no idea people didn't follow link party rules, I am stupidly obsessive about making sure I'm doing it right! (if anyone sees me doing something wrong it will have been a mistake!)
    I had google comments off, then I tried them on then turned it off again, it seemed to be a bit much for me. I've also had loads of follow me back messages especially on facebook, because I don;t like then I've never sent them but when you are new you do watch what others do and start to think maybe this is just how it's done!
    I really appreciate your sensible advice and am thinking I'll pop back for your link party if that's ok!

    • Brittnei Washington

      Hi Julie! It's almost been a year of blogging for me and I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing so you are not alone. I learn something new about blogging at least once a week it seems. You just have to learn what you can and take one day at a time. You will make mistakes along the way, but as you learn, you just correct things :) . I definitely wouldn't have thought you were linking and running :) I do visit every post so after a while I've noticed that people do come back over to my posts and comment which is nice. That's one thing I know I always want to be as a blogger and that is engaging. If someone comes over to comment on a post of mine, I try my hardest (when they are in my niche) to go back and read a post of theirs and leave a good comment too. I hope you'll join us this week and every Sunday. We'd be delighted to have you! xo

  • These are great tips. I used to do a Pinterest Linkup, and I really hated it when people linked their link and then never went anywhere else. I don't know why people think that everyone should go see their post if they aren't willing to visit anyone else? But one thing that REALLY bugs me about linkups is when there are 50 rules. Must post a button, must follow each host on several platforms, must visit and pin at least ten posts… really, who has time for that? sorry, little vent there! :-)
    My recent post “New”

  • Very good tips. I typically share my posts once via all social media. Twitter then auto posts every so often but not the same posts in a row.
    My recent post Tie Dyed Snow Castles: What to Do on a Snow Day?

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