This week marks my 2 year blog birthday! I can’t believe it! I still feel like I’m so new to this blogging thing & half the time don’t even feel like a blogger! ha! I’ve got some fun things planned for this week so I hope you’ll follow along! Tonight we are going to have a huge {wow me} wednesday party with over 40 other bloggers co-hosting!! It’s going to be ah-mazing! #biggestlinkpartyever. (See it even has it’s own hashtag! ha!) So make sure you stop by tonight to link up your latest & greatest.
On Thursday I’ll have two huge feature post from last week’s party & this week’s party. My co-host will also be featuring some of their favorites on facebook, twitter, pinterest &/or on their own blogs. So you’ll want to check that out. Annnd on Friday I’ll have an awesome giveaway that I’m sure all you crafty ladies will want to enter! ;)
I absolutely love blogging, and I feel so blessed with all the amazing bloggers I’ve met, opportunities that have come my way & how much my blog has grown over the past 2 years. I love sharing my own projects on my blog, and I love featuring all of YOU just as much or even more. When I look back over the past two years I feel that my link party has been one of the biggest things that has helped my blog grow, introduced me to many of you & allowed me to feature YOU. Sometimes I think link parties get a bad rap around blogland…some say that there are too many, too much work & too time consuming. Buuut I’m here to tell you that you can hold a stress-free, fun & successful link party! Here’s how! :)
1. Stick to a schedule.
You know I LOVE a schedule! ;) With link parties it so helpful to have a set time & place! Almost from the beginning my party has always started at 7 pm central time on Tuesday nights. When you are consistent bloggers will know when to link up & come back regularly.
Schedule your post in advance. If you noticed my link party pretty much says the same thing each week. I have a link party outline saved as a draft & simply copy & paste most of my post each week & then add a new link party code. You can even preschedule a whole month at once if you wanted. My link party post usually takes under 30 minutes to get written & scheduled. Not much time at all compared to a tutorial or sponsored post!
2. Have reasonable expectations.
I’ve heard some bloggers say they gave up their link parties because visiting each link was just too time consuming. Ummmm…yes, that would be! Even at my first party I didn’t visit each link, and now with 500+ link ups each week that would be impossible! Just remember bloggers are coming to be seen by other bloggers & for the opportunity to be featured on your blog. They are not linking up to get a comment from you! It’s OK if you can’t visit everyone! I do visit around 15-25 links each week, & I always leave a comment on those that I feature. Hopefully eventually I’ll get around to everyone just not all in the same week! :)
Also have reasonable expectations about the number of links. Sometimes it’s takes a while to get the momentum going but if you enjoy your party & stick with it it will grow! :)
3. Let your party work for you!
Let your party work for you not the other way around! My party actually gives me a whole day off from blogging! Don’t get me wrong I love blogging (almost too much). ha! Buuut sometimes I need a break. Once my party goes live on Tuesday night I can pretty much take all of Wednesday off. If you notice I hardly ever have a post go live on Wednesdays. I don’t even have to turn on my computer on that day if I don’t want to! Wahoo!
4. Team up!
If you don’t feel you have the time or energy to go in alone or if your party needs a little boost consider teaming up with a few other bloggers & hosting a joint link party. You can share responsibilities & your readers get even more exposure! So it’s a win-win! :)
5. Enjoy yourself!
I LOVE my link party! It’s truly a highlight of my week. I enjoy seeing what you are up to each week, & I love your sweet comments & support. On the other hand if you are holding a link party & not enjoying it don’t feel like you have to keep it up. Your readers will understand. You do not have to hold a link party to be successful & grow. Do what is best for you! Blogging should be fun & as stress free as possible! :)
Now just for fun here are the links from my first link party!! I’m happy to say that some of the ladies are still linking up today & have become great friends! I’ll even get to meet a few of them at Snap in a few weeks! Eek! :)
Here’s a few more of my blogging tip posts you can check out! :)
Featuring Others & Being Featured
10 Things I Learned at Bloggy Boot Camp
Hope to see you back here TONIGHT!
Thank you so much stopping by my blog!
If this is your first time visiting I’d love to keep in touch.
Don’t miss a post! Subscribe by email or bloglovin’.
This post were created for Ginger Snap Crafts by Ginger Bowie.
