Blog Talk - How I Promote My Blog Posts

Last night I had a great time meeting fellow blogger, the lovely Eleni from Bijuleni over some lattes and blog talk.  One of the best things about being a blogger is getting to meet so many amazing people in the same community and talk about our different styles and techniques when it comes to blogging.  A topic that comes up consistently is the different ways bloggers promote their own blog posts.  Everyone has different strategies and platforms that they promote their blog posts to, and I always come away from these conversations having learned something new!  So let's pretend that we're sitting in a cute café with some tea or coffee - Here are the ways that I promote my blog posts after I push 'publish'.

1. Use Social Media Wisely.

Promoting your blog and it's contents on social media seems like a no-brainer, but I've learned that it's all about timing.  For example, my Twitter links generate the most traffic in the morning so I will tweet the link to my new post as soon as it's published - and always include a photo.  Facebook seems to have the most activity in the afternoon, so I'll hold back on posting the link on my page until about 2pm.  Pinterest is most active at night - especially on a Friday night - so I stay mindful of that when Pinning my own posts. Instagram is tricky since it does not allow for clickable links anywhere except your profile page.  If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll update the link in my profile to direct my following to a specific blog post instead of just my blog.  In all cases, don't forget to shorten your link - I alway use Bitly to make the links to specific blog posts short and clean.

2. Find a Forum of Similar Bloggers

If you're a lifestyle/fashion blogger, then there's a ton of great communities to post your blog's content to and get inspiration from other amazing bloggers!  Stylegawker is a great resource to share your fashion content to.  Reddit can have it's positives for sharing blog content as well - I like the subreddit 'Today I Wore.' Chictopia is another great website to post your outfit photos to and then link them back to your original blog posts - bonus points for easily being able to find fashionistas in your area!  There are so many platforms and resources out there to share your content with like-minded bloggers, and to get inspired along the way.

3. Comment On Other Blogs

Commenting on other blogs is a no-brainer, but definitely takes some discipline.  When I'm at my most organized, I'll carve out a solid hour and devote it to browsing similar blogs and leaving thoughtful comments that link back to my own blog, or a specific posts that I think they might enjoy.   I love reading personalized comments and always click on the link the blogger provided to check out their own site, and sometimes I'll even find myself browsing through the comment sections of my favourite bloggers and clicking on all of the links that people have left - it's a great way to discover other blogs!

Those are the methods that I use consistently to promote my own blog posts.  Do you find yourself using the same methods to promote?  What do you do after you hit 'publish' on a post?  Let me know!

xo Joëlle