How to Build Friendships with Other Bloggers

When you first started blogging, you probably read other blogs, but you probably didn’t know any other bloggers. As you start to grow your blog, you start hearing about how to blog webinars and Facebook groups.  You start to wonder about how can you build relationships with other bloggers.

Blogging is mostly work is mostly done alone.  Bloggers don’t usually go to work at an office, we don’t usually have staff or staff meetings. We work at home, write at home and sometimes feel like our writing gets lost in the dark hole of the internet. Taking time to build friendships with other bloggers will give you a sense of community and help you grow as a blogger.

Photo credit: suzi at start a mom blog

My first advice – Don’t blog alone! It’s easy to get out and meet other bloggers and most bloggers are willing to help you and share knowledge from their experiences blogging too.  Just a few of the benefits of building friendships with other bloggers include:

• Learning from their experience (and mistakes)
• Sharing ideas and getting a new perspective (I recently updated my logo and my blog tribe helped me improve it before I made the final updates)
• Partners to share content
• Great new friends

10 Ways to Build Relationships With Other Bloggers

1. Join a Blog Tribe

A blog tribe is my favorite way to build relationships with other bloggers.  If you have not heard of a blog tribe, it’s is a small group (about 4-8 other bloggers) that meet on a regular basis and share ideas, cross-promote each other and work together.

For about a year, I had wanted to join a blog tribe and recently I was invited by 4 other bloggers to join their tribe. Being a part of a small group of other bloggers has been so helpful to me.  We share ideas, come up with new ideas to promote our blogs, and we are working on a blog course together.

If you are not already in a blog tribe, I encourage you to talk with other bloggers or ask a few other bloggers to create a blog tribe with you.

2. Guest Post on Another Blog

One of the easiest ways to work with and meet other bloggers is to guest post on their blog.  Many bloggers accept guest posts.

To find blogs that allow guest posting, do a Google search like this: {your niche} guest posting or {your niche} submissions.  For me, I might try mom blogs guest posting or mom blog submissions.  You can also do searches on Pinterest (how I found my first guest posting) or on Facebook, too.

Beyond Your Blog is also a great resource to find websites that accept posts from guest contributors (some even pay).

3. Join Facebook Groups that Share and Discuss Blogging Ideas

Facebook groups are a great place to meet other bloggers and learn “how to blog”.  You can find tips on all sorts of topics from creating your e-newsletters, what type of opt-in’s work to mastering Pinterest. Here are a few Facebook groups you might enjoy and will help you learn how to blog:

• Simple Pin Media
• Women Winning Online
• Learn to Blog
• Bloggertunities
• Inspired Bloggers Network

4. Create a Pinterest Repin Group/Pinterest Group Board

As a blogger, you probably know that Pinterest will usually be a significant source of traffic for your blog. One way to work with and collaborate with other bloggers is through Repin Groups and Group boards.

You can create a repin group several ways.  First, you could create a secret board on Pinterest and invite others to share on this board.  Usually, if you share to this type the group board, you have to share everyone else’s content too.

Second, you could use a scheduler like Tailwind or Board Booster.  I am currently part of a parenting group on Board Booster.  We have a “secret” feeder board that we all add our content to, then we have a campaign scheduled in Board Booster that automatically schedules our content.  I have also heard of Tailwind tribes that add content by a set day every month and then everyone repins the content that was added for the month.

You can also join Pinterest group boards.  The best place to find Pinterest group boards is Pin Groupie.  At Pin Groupie, you can search for group boards by various categories and filters.

5. Become an Affiliate for Another Bloggers Products

Many bloggers sell products they have created on their websites, they also allow you to become an affiliate for these products.  The great part of being an affiliate is that you get to learn about new products and share them with your audience.  You also get to work with the blogger who created the product.

When you become an affiliate for the product, look for ways you can collaborate with the blogger.  Could you write a review of the product?  How could you write a post that integrates with the product to build sales?  There are many opportunities for affiliates to build relationships with other bloggers.

6. Do a Round-up Post and Share Content From Bloggers in Your Niche

Sharing the posts of other bloggers is a great way to collaborate and build relationships with other bloggers. Round-up posts on popular topics can draw traffic and get the attention of other bloggers.

When starting a round-up post, choose your topic carefully.  Consider a round-up topic that would interest your audience. You can ask other bloggers in Facebook groups to share posts on your chosen topic for a round-up post or you can email each blogger individually and ask permission to share their post.  After you complete the post, be sure to email each blogger and let them know about the round-up post.

7. Work Together on a Webinar, E-Book or E-Course

Are you an expert on a specific topic?  Do you know one or two other bloggers who are also experts on this topic?  Reach out to these bloggers and ask if they would like to work together on a book or an E-course.

You could also do a collaborative book getting ideas from many bloggers.  You could ask each blogger to write a short chapter for the book.  In exchange for their contribution, they could become an affiliate for the book.

8. Interview Other Expert Bloggers on a Topic That Interests Your Audience

Another way to build relationships and get to know other bloggers is to interview expert bloggers and share your interviews.  You could set-up a series of interviews with different bloggers on a topic you frequently write about.

For example, if you write about home organization.  You could interview 5 home organization bloggers and ask them their best home organization tips.  You could also have them focus on one area of home organization.  A parenting blogger could interview other parenting bloggers and focus on different ages in each interview.  Be creative and unique with your blog interview series.

9. Join a Launch Team

A launch team is different than being an affiliate (although sometimes you are an affiliate when you are part of a launch team).  Launch teams announce and promote a new book, product, course or service to their audience.  You usually share the launch product several times on your blog and over your social media channels to create a buzz.

Being a part of a launch team usually includes a private Facebook group or another similar type group. You will be able to share ideas and talk with other bloggers about the product.  You will also learn new marketing ideas.

Launch teams are great fun and allow you the chance to meet many new bloggers.

10. Have a Blog Party

A blog party is when you invite other bloggers to share a guest post on your blog. Usually, a blog party is scheduled for a set number of days.  So you might invite 30 bloggers to post on your blog and share a new post every day for 30 days.

Don’t be mistaken.  A blog party is a lot of work. You have to create the schedule. You have to review and edit all the posts, and you might have to make the photos depending on how picky you are about consistent photos on your blog.

A blog party is a great opportunity to invite new bloggers over to your blog and meet new bloggers.  As you work together on the blog party, you might find other ways you can work together too.

As a blogger, you have many ways you can build relationships with other bloggers.  Join a few blogger Facebook groups, have a blog party, find a few niche blogs where you can guest post and more.

To your blogging success.

Your turn…

How do you build relationships with other bloggers?