Find Your BEST Blogging Community
Over the time that I have been blogging here at Surviving Toddlerhood I have read, taken classes, and studied blogging. While I am by not at all an expert in blogging the one thing that I have found to be most important in the hours that I put into this site is not the writing, nor the brainstorming of ideas to turn into series, or editing pictures; rather it is finding and investing in the blogging community.
You will not find this topic of community limited to blogging, you find it everywhere- mommas looking for their village, sports enthusiasts finding their team supporters, people of faith gathering those of the same convictions around them, etc, community is everywhere yet still longed for.
We were created to find community. We were created to support each other in goals and dreams, build each other up in words and through deeds, and care for each other deeply enough that we treat others better than ourselves.
We are created to long for a place to call home, somewhere out of this world, an eternal home; while we are still living on this earth we fill our longings for community by reaching out to others and seeing if we can walk alongside one another in common purpose.
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If you have recently entered the blogging world, finding community can be overwhelming. There are SO many other bloggers, those who have been at it for years and who have loyal followings, those who have just started and have discovered true overnight success, those who don’t care who reads what they write, and those who are disappointed when their site only receives 150 views per day.
So how do you find your blogging community?
The first thing that you need to do is to decide who your target audience is. While this may not seem like a step in finding community it will help you find the best place that you can be. While you can still find community with other bloggers who don’t have the same topics or niche as you, you will find better, more complete support with others who share your same target audience.
When you are thinking of your target audience be specific. The more specific you are the better. For example the target audience here at Surviving Toddlerhood is young mothers who have young children ages 0-8 {the ages may change as my own children grow, but for now that is the target}. These mothers may have children who have allergies or food sensitivities, are interested in learning more about natural living and having healthy pregnancy and postpartum periods, may homeschool, cloth diaper, baby wear, anything crunchy you can think of. These mothers may or may not be seeking encouragement in their faith in Jesus Christ, but that is also something that I will share with them.
Why do you want to be so concise and specific when thinking of your target audience? Because it will help you as you look for your best community.
Are you having trouble building your blogging community? Here are simple steps you can take to connect with others in your niche. #community #blogging Click To TweetAfter you have decided your target audience it is time to look for other blogs in your niche.
Google other blogs with similar topics and connect with the authors. Subscribe to their newsletter, follow their blog on different forms of social media, comment on their posts.
Use the search bar to find blogs similar to yours. Follow those pages. Comment on their posts. When you can tactfully leave a link to a post of yours, perhaps in response to a posted question, go ahead and leave a link. Don’t just link drop and leave though, that is just rude and annoying, continue the interactions even if you don’t see a response right away.
Look for groups that are for those in your niche. Join the groups and start connecting with others.
On Instagram use hashtags that will pull in your target audience. Forgo any of hashtags that are too broad ie if your picture is a picture of your toddlers breakfast of toast, apples, and a fried egg, don’t only use the tags #toast #breakfast #toddler #apple #eggs #yummy #foodporn, instead get more specific with your hashtags using #glutenfree #toast #toddlerapproved #healthykids #healthychoices #boymom #foodsensitivites etc. The more specific your tags are the easier your target audience will be able to find you. Interact with your audience on IG. Reply to their comments, follow your own hashtags and see where they lead you, connect with those in your audience.
Use the search bar to find Pinners with similar interests and topics as you. Pin their pins, clickthrough the links, comment on their posts, etc.
It really all comes down to interacting with those in your niche. Comment, Pin, Like, Clickthrough, etc. But what if you want something more? What if you can’t find a Facebook support group for your specific niche? What if there isn’t a group specific enough for you? What do you do then?
CREATE A SUPPORT GROUP FOR YOUR NICHE
All those other bloggers that you have been following and interacting with, forming friendships and relationships with, go contact them. Give them a little bit of your dream for community and support, ask them to come along on a journey with you. Form a Facebook group, or an IG thread, a Pinterest group board, and then nurture it. Spread the word about your group in other groups, contact other bloggers specifically and ask them to join your group. Spend time loving on your group, creating your own community.
This now brings me to this announcement: A friend {Hannah from Through the Lens} and I are building a group of momma bloggers with these things in common: blogging and writing about motherhood, faith, natural or crunchy living, mommas who have littles ones, toddlers and preschoolers at home, and those who consider themselves conservative Christians. If you are interested in joining this group follow the link here and request to join. As long as you meet the above criteria we would be glad to have you in our little group.
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You are so right. Finding a community is important. You have some fantastic tips on finding the right blogging groups.
You did a really good job with this post Rebekah! Community is so vital to our happiness and really a huge part of what God intended for us. I have a question; I don’t currently blog but have been meaning/wanting to, can I still join the group? Or should I wait until I get to starting my blog?
Thanks Ashley!! You can definitely join the group!! We would love to have you!! We have a fun Pinterest challenge coming up in a couple of days that you might like to follow along with that and learn about dhow to use Pinterest to grow your blog. And if you have any questions about starting stuff you can ask them too!
I love Facebook and Instagram for finding blogs similar to mine!
They are great for it!! Thanks for coming by Jennifer.
This is great!! It took me so long to find the right folks!!!! Facebook, even though I usually hate the platform really was the thing to help me with this!
FB doesn’t hardly drive any traffic for me, but I do find it the best for support groups too. 🙂 You have a super strong IG community which is a place I need to work on.
This is such a great post! A blogging community is so important!
Thanks, Madison!
This is spot on! I’m a frugal living blogger and had a terrible time finding bloggers in my niche who were also experiencing the same problems I had as a new blogger. I created a link party, Facebook group and Pinterest board with two girls in my niche and now we have an amazing community (Share the Wealth on Facebook). It’s a small group and I love working with every single one of those bloggers.
This is awesome, Hannah! I love the link party idea too!
This made my day as I am reminding moms in my current blog post that it takes a tribe to mom😍
It does!!! Glad you found it helpful!
Thank you for sharing this.
Yes! I was working so hard on my blog and didn’t seem to be getting any views or interactions, until I joined up with some groups on social media! It still takes a lot of work to interact and find that tribe, but it’s so worth it!
It does! I have to be really careful about how many different groups I try to participate in, otherwise I find myself stretched to thin. Thanks for coming by Suzanne!
Facebook has been a great tool for finding blogs similar to mine. I love the “real” connection I get there!
Me too!! So many awesome groups!
Great ideas! It’s so important to reach out to others when blogging. Something I need to do more often!
It can be hard some times, and we have to protect our time with our families as well.
YES! I agree wholeheartedly! Finding a community of individuals that believe in you and your growth is so important!
Definitely!
Thank you for sharing your insight! I agree that community is number one!
I have made some wonderful friends in the blogging community and I’m so grateful for them!
It was so wonderful when you can find those you connect with!
Thanks for these great tips ! Having a great community in our niche is always a good idea !
Thank you for sharing! I have been struggling with the community side of blogging and really needed these pointers.
I’m glad that you found these tips helpful Joni!
Thank you for this! I am learning how important community is, being fairly new to mamahood (1 1/2 in now) without a huge support system…we live as missionaries in Budapest, Hungary so I don’t have any family here to help me with new mamahood…the community I had that I was ministering with in the school I taught at is still here but we are in two different realms now, they are teaching and I am “mama”ing…so I’m still navigating this whole finding my community thing…but I am excited to get linked in with some more like minded bloggers!!
You’re welcome!! Are you part of the Christian Moms of Littles group? You might find that encouraging in your motherhood journey!!
Thanks for serving the Lord in another country!!