Building And Sustaining A Blogging Community
Recently, I got a comment asking me to write a post about building and sustaining a blogging community and I thought that was a really great idea for a blog post. It’s something I haven’t really gotten into much detail about before but it’s also something I think is an important part of blogging. By the way, do check out her amazing site by clicking here!
Personally, I think that community is a huge part of blogging. For me, it’s the best part of blogging. We are so lucky to have the WP community which is honestly one of the best online communities. Compared to social media sites and other platforms, this one is insanely supportive, kind and friendly.
However, building your own community on your blog can be difficult especially at first. It takes a while to grow a community of like-minded people you can interact with. And it’s even harder to sustain this community. Unless, you’re Elon Musk and can just buy the platform… So, without throwing more shade at billionaires, here are some tips on how your can build and sustain a blogging community:
Be Active
A great way to both build and sustain a blogging community is to be active on this platform. Activity is the number one thing the algorithm looks for when it decides whether or not to push your post/posts and that’s why making sure you’re as active as possible is important.
Pretty much, to put it simply, the more active you are on WordPress, the more the WP algorithm is going to push your post both to your current followers and bloggers that don’t follow you. If you’re extremely active you’ll be at the top of everyones “Reader” and if not the opposite will happen and a lot of people will forget you exist. It sounds harsh but I’m just trying to be honest because if you think about it do you really check on every blog you follow? Or just the ones on your Reader?
You will instantly notice an increase in traffic and following when you are active on WordPress. You will also notice that people will come back to your blog and not just like/comment once and disappear.
Now, the real question is- how can I be active on WordPress? There are two major ways you need to be active on this platform. Firstly, you need to be active on your own blog so that it looks like your posts are very active. This will make the algorithm push your posts more because it will think people will your content. Furthermore, if you always reply to comments in a timely manner your readers will like that they can chat with you and you’ll listen/converse and this will make them continue to come back to your blog. And there you’ll have it- a blogging community you have successfully built and sustained.
The second way you need to be active is on other blogs. Try to look at blogs that follow you and support your content and do the same. If someone likes or comments on your blog, like and comment on theirs. Next, look through blogs you don’t follow and support them. Get your blog out there. Don’t wait for readers to come to you, go to them first. This will help grow your blog.
Give A Hoot
A big part of building a positive and interactive blogging community is caring about others. When someone comments on your page make sure you reply in a way that shows that you respect what they have to say and care about their comment. People want to feel heard and making them feel that way will keep them coming back. Always reply to comments and try to do it in a friendly way. I feel like some people can be a bit rude which is called for sometimes but is generally not called for. Even if someone isn’t being great, try to keep it civil or simply delete or ignore their comments- some people are not worth your energy.
I would also recommend caring about other blogs and bloggers. Leave positive comments on the posts you like. If someone has been nominated for something or is celebrating something, try to be supportive and leave a congratulatory comment. The small things go a long way when it comes to blogging.
Be Consistent
Consistency is huge when it comes to blogging and it’s absolutely vital if you are hoping to build a blogging community and even more so if you hope to maintain it. Most people would prefer to follow a blog or blogger that is consistent mostly because it’s just easier to keep up with them.
Think about it- if someone posts randomly, on random days and times, you wouldn’t know when to check out their blog for new posts. However, if you know exactly when someone is going to post you will be much more likely to keep up with their blog and check on that day or time.
It’s okay if you can’t blog every day or even every other day. However, when you do blog make sure it’s at least on some sort of schedule. However, if you are able to blog every single day, that would be a big help since it will keep you in your readers mind. Don’t over post though because that will just spam your followers.
For those of us who have other things going on besides blogging, which I’m assuming is almost everyone, you can always use the “schedule post” feature on WordPress for when you don’t have time to post on schedule. I’ve been doing this for the last few years and it had been quite helpful. If you don’t know how to use this feature feel free to check out my post on how to use it by clicking here.
It also really helps not to just randomly pick a time and schedule. You should be posting at your optimal time so as to reach as many people as possible. I won’t go into too much detail about how to do since I already have a post explaining it. If you’re interested in learning how to find the optimal time for you to post, please click here.
Keep It Real
The thing about WordPress and blogging in general is that it is nothing like social media. Social media tends to only focus on the ups of your life and is rarely an honest depiction of what someones life is actually like. Blogging on the other hand, tends to go a lot deeper. People like to be able to truly express themselves here and people are looking for genuine connections.
Faking it till you make it works sometimes but this isn’t one of those. Don’t post content you are not passionate about just for the sake of it. Post content that is raw, honest and something you can be proud of at the end of the day. This will draw people in and you will build your blogging community on an honest foundation.
Be Patient
My last piece of advice is simple. Be patient. It takes a while to find the right followers for you. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was anyones blog. All good things take time. It takes a while to figure out your niche/niches, what works for your blog, your writing style, how to even use WP properly (thanks people at WordPress for making it as difficult as possible to use any of the features correctly). Don’t give up and don’t be disheartened. Just keep doing you and before you know it you will have lots of people that love your content. That’s what happened to me and everyday I’m thankful that I didn’t give up. Sure, I didn’t give up out of spite for those that told me blogging was a stupid idea but sometimes doing things out of spite works. Not the point though. The point is, don’t give up and keep going!
Conclusion
I really hope you found this post helpful. Please let me know in the comments if you did because your feedback is always of value to me. I think building a community of likeminded bloggers can be wonderful and rewarding. I’m happy and proud to have built the community I have here and to be able to call many of you friends. I hope you too are able to build such a community and make new friends from all over the world.
For more blogging advice posts click here.
Related Posts
If you feel like you don’t have enough time to take all my advice in but still want to grow your blog, consider hiring a blogging manager that can help you manage all the stuff on your blog so you can just concentrate on the content. I do offer blog management services amongst other things that can help your blog grow almost instantly. If that is something you would be interested in please click here to view all the services I offer.
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Great advice, Pooja! Consistency is as important as responding to comments on your blog. ❤️
I totally agree. Thank you! 🥰❤️
Love your advice!
Thanks so much!
This was good food for thought. I actually had NO idea! I just started blogging to put my ideas out there. Very helpful.
So glad this was helpful! I think a lot of people, including myself, start out like that hoping to just share their content but there is so much more to blogging.
I had never thought of WP as a platform for networking.
Yeah a lot of people don’t and I guess it depends on your goals with blogging but it definitely can be.
🙂 Giving a hoot is also an important factor. One needs to interact regularly with their blogging community in order to sustain it and build it further.
Do enjoy the rest of your day, Pooja G.
Yes, absolutely. I have found that the more we interact the more others also interact which is great.
Enjoy the rest of your day too.
This entire post as always was great and helpful information. The keeping it real portion was just for me. I sometimes think I overshare and think people are not interested in what I have to say but then I have to remind myself, I am doing this for me and not others. 💝
Thanks so much. Yeah sometimes it’s a bit awkward to be so honest and candid but I feel like it’s an important part of blogging. ☺️
This was so useful! I was so afraid to say what I want both in person and online, until I started blogging. This community truly is supportive and makes you feel heard!
Thank you! Yeah I feel the same way. I think blogging can really help us find our voice and make us more confident.
Agree. “For me, it’s the best part of blogging. We are so [blessed] to have the WP community which is honestly one of the best online communities. Compared to social media sites and other platforms, this one is insanely supportive, kind and friendly.”
So glad you agree. I’m really thankful to meet amazing people here including you.
I can write all day about imaginary things but when it comes to leaving comments, I struggle a lot. It’s all overthinking what I’d like to say, but at the same time I don’t want to give canned, standard responses. Something is better than nothing, though. Just gotta do it (like this one 🙂 ). Very useful Pooja, thank you for sharing!
I feel the same way. I find commenting to be one of the difficult parts since I want to chat more but I also tend to overthink things too much sometimes. Thanks for the comment- it’s a great start haha!
Haha for real! Awesome! You’re welcome 🙂
Nice tips. Indeed, blogging community is really good and supportive.
Thanks and I definitely agree.
Very helpful tips. Indeed, blogging community is really good and supportive.
Thanks for sharing. As always, great information. This platform is the place to be. It does take time to grow your blog and make new friends. Have a wonderful day.
Thanks so much. It does take time to grow but it’s very worth it since the majority of people here are great. Have a wonderful day too.
Very helpful advice, as always, Pooja… There is still so much I am not managing to get around to!
Thanks so much. It really does take forever to do everything right lol!
I’m still struggling to get some things right!
Yeah I definitely understand the struggle but it will be so worth it when you do! It was so hard for me to make my site SEO friendly, algorithm friendly etc and work on everything else too. But it got me hundreds if not thousands more views.
I will endeavour to do my best, Pooja, we could always do with more views…
Good luck!
Thank you for this post, I think we all need reminding about some of these points, I’m sure I do 😊🙏💕
Thank you and I think so too- I need reminding too and this is a great way to do it haha! ☺️😄
This is great advice Pooja, I don’t know much about the algorithms of WP, this helps.
Thank you and so glad this was helpful. I have a post that’s specifically about the WP algorithm so feel free to check that out for more Information about it.
Another brilliant post, Pooja. Your posts are really helpful for the beginners like me, thanks! You really know what you do, which is admirable.
Thank you so much. I’ve been doing it for a long time and I’m happy to help new bloggers who may not have as much experience.
Educative😇
Thank you 😌
Thanks again! I’m learning so much from you! 😃❤️
Thank you for this post. Having a blogging community is so important and I’m glad that WP has such a positive community to offer.
I’ve been finding it so hard to keep up with the blogging community these past few months but engagement definitely is key. I’m going to try harder to engage with other bloggers.
Keeping it real – is so important to be relatable. I like engaging with bloggers who are more real than glossy.
Great post!
Thanks!
Yeah I think we’re really lucky with WP since there are rarely platforms that are as positive as this one.
It’s a lot more work keeping up with everything and everyone than people expect but it’s definitely necessary to grow. And keeping it real definitely helps a lot too. I personally prefer more honest and real bloggers than the ones that seem a bit fake.
I’m so happy to hear that! ☺️❤️
Thanks for the tips. I have enjoyed reading your posts.
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it.
I love this! Thank you! One thing I find helpful is find out when the most popular day and hour are for views on my site and try to publish a post right before that. I admit, I do have a problem with consistency. Some weeks I don’t post and sometimes I do more than one post. I generally aim for 1-2 weeks though, which is okay, but I know it should be better
Thank you! Yeah that has helped me so much too. I always find I get the best traffic when I post a little before my optimum time.
It takes a while to get used to consistently posting. It took me like 3 years lol. Good luck!
All your points are right on! Consistency is difficult for me on blogging I admit. I do like keeping in touch with the bloggers I follow, including you of course!
Thank you! Even if you don’t post consistently it’s great you keep in touch with other bloggers. I know I always appreciate it!
Interesting!
Thanks!
Excellent post Pooja! You’re absolutely right that the WP blogging community is amazing!
Thank you! Yes, this community is so wonderful!
Thanks for this:) It’s an especially good reminder to be patient!
Thanks and yes patience is key!
Awesome advice!
Thank you!
A very timely post for me indeed! And you called me out!
Posting with a schedule is very helpful. It serves your readers well and serves you well too as you would have to be accountable for it!
I love your blogging advice! They are not abstract. They are easy to understand and follow.
Haha thank you so much! I try to keep it as simple and to the point as possible because those are the kind of posts I prefer myself.
Yeah having a schedule is really great for both you and your reader. It’s a good way to make sure you keep posting regularly and it helps keep readers coming back.
Great advice. Being consistent is very challenging though.
Thanks and that’s very true. It can be quite difficult to be consistent and it takes a long time to get a schedule that works best for you.
Great post, the tips are useful. Blogging sure isn’t as easy as some people think it is.
Thanks. Yeah blogging is a lot more difficult than most people think/assume.
Thanks for all your helpful tips. Consistency is definitely my biggest flaw when it comes to blogging. Working on that now and your post has been the kick up the backside that I needed! Thanks Pooja! 🙏🏾
Happy to share them! Yeah I feel like consistency is the one most people struggle most with. But I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it soon!
Must read everyone
Thanks.
Thanks for your advice, i will try to follow these rules, as i’m a total newbie in the WP community.
Happy to share it and good luck!
Always love your posts Pooja with such great information!
” If you’re extremely active you’ll be at the top of everyones “Reader” and if not the opposite will happen and a lot of people will forget you exist. It sounds harsh but I’m just trying to be honest”
😂💖
I’m just praying my reader works tomorrow.. 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you so much!
I everything is going to be okay for your blog!! 💕🥰
Great post, and I love all the advice! Consistency is the key, still working on it.
Thank you! Yes consistently is difficult but so vital for growth.
This is all great advice and I like how it encourages people to go out and give it a go.
Also, I’m finding this is what makes blogging most fun – at least for me: The interaction with other creative people.
And I absolutely agree that the WordPress community is wonderful.
Thanks so much. Yeah I find the interaction the best part too mostly because it’s a great community where you can actually connect with people. I haven’t been able to do that on other platforms the way I have here.
Great advice sis
I’m looking at all the points and im thinking how am I going to manage all this when im alwyss busy and I still find it hard to manage everything in my life. Also create time for my blog. It’s not easy but willing to givey all in order to seey blog grow
Thanks so much. It’s definitely not easy since blogging takes so much more time than people realise. However, it’s definitely worth it since it really helps grow your blog.
I appreciate
Thank you.
I never thought WP as a platform for network. Wow!! Thank you for liking my latest post – it brought me here.
My pleasure and thanks for stopping by as well!
This is such great advice thank you so much. I’m not very good at blogging yet but I will try to follow your advice.
Thank you and I hope this helps.
Great post packed with many useful tips and advice which I will most certainly be applying to help grow my blog page. Thanks very much!!!!
Thanks so much and hope it helps!
I agree with all the things that you have mentioned here. I really love this blog.
My personal idea is to find bloggers who love their blogs. I mean, if people show passion and love towards their blogs and if they actually care for the readers. Then they will also become good and loyal readers. I have many people who read my blogs no matter what. Some people have immediately dropped reading my work, although they are active on other sites. But, I’m still adding and reading other blogs.
.
Also, I wanted to ask you, do you suggest that I should post on a specific day. I am around on WP. But, writing, editing and image making takes time. Should I publish blog on specific days every week??
Thanks a lot. Yeah that’s a good strategy. People who care about their own blog are much more likely to care about other blogs they follow too. They are also more likely to be more active.
Yes, having a specific day and if possible a specific time each week would help a lot especially with the WP algorithm.
Blogging on specific day will make people expect a blog from me on that day. What will happen if I miss that day due to some reason?
I will try posting on specific day and time in coming months
In my opinion, it’s better to sometimes not post than to post sporadically because then at least the readers know there is no post that week. If you post randomly a lot of readers won’t know you even have a post published. Just my opinion though
Ok, I will follow it then.
I will try to ready my blog before that specific day and than at that day, I will publish it.
I think weekends suits me.
I generally post within the gap of 6 days. I will try it and will let you know the results. 🙂
Sure, let me know if it helps grow your blog.
Definitely. I think if this works for a small blogger like me, it will help others as well. I’ve tried many of your tips and got big help with them. 🙏🏼
That’s awesome and hope it works for you.