Friend Friday is back! This week we’re discussing the ‘rules of engagement’ when promoting your blog. If you’re not a blogger I think this can provide an inside look into some of the ways the blogging community operates. If you are a blogger, I’m curious what your experiences have been. Bloggers and non-bloggers alike, I’d love to hear your comments.
1. Guest posts are a good way to gain new exposure. What do you think is the appropriate way to go about securing a guest spot?
I’ve never thought about having guests on the Fashionista Lab, but I did a guest post on a friend’s blog a while back. She knew she was going to be busy for a while, so she sent out tweets inviting others to guest blog for her. Honestly I can’t imagine asking someone to write on their blog, but if you want to be a guest blogger it seems that the best way to start is to ask people to guest blog for you.
2. Leaving comments is essential to growing your blog. But how can you leave a comment without coming across as ‘Follow Me. Follow Me!’?
Be genuine. I won’t comment if I don’t actually have something to say about the post. I’ve started leaving my URL on the comments I make in the blogosphere so people can look me up if they choose, but commenting should always be about the other person – not you.
3. We’ve all gotten a mass email at one time or another asking for blog exposure, a link exchange, etc… But the mass emails don’t work. How do you make your email stand out from the crowd?
Again, be genuine. I’m much more likely to pay attention if someone a) mentions my name or b) mentions something specific about my blog. Also, I don’t really understand requests for link exchanges. There’s nothing that prevents anyone else from putting a link to my blog on their page. It seems disingenuous to me to claim to appreciate my content, say you want to include it in your blogroll, but then demand that I link to your blog as well. I link to blogs that don’t link to me, and that’s fine. I include them because I enjoy them, not to bring some benefit back to myself.
4. In interacting with other bloggers where do you draw the line between seeking support and begging for exposure?
That line isn’t in my field of vision, so to speak.
5. What’s one rule of engagement error you made and how have you remedied that?
As you can tell by my previous answers I’m pretty laissez-faire about pushing my blog. In fact – I’m not concerned with pushing it. I just want to create interesting content and support other bloggers doing the same thing.
It will be interesting to see what other bloggers think about this topic. Click here to see everyone else that answered this question.
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What's your opinion?