In elementary school, I believed the more friends you had, the more popular you were. It didn’t matter that your friends might not have been the nicest people, or the most sincere, but if you had a lot of them, you were A-OK.
Then in high school, I came to a few realizations.
- I was not popular.
- I could count my true friends on one hand.
- I was okay with points #1 and 2.
Oddly enough, the same goes for blogging. When I began, I wanted fans. I wanted followers. The bigger my audience – surely- the better I was as a writer.
But it’s not really the case, is it? Because the phrase “quality over quantity” goes a long way for me in the Blogosphere.What types of people were following my blog? Were they the type of people to engage with me? To come back? To tell their friends about me?
I recently caught up with Lolli from Better in Bulk. She’s been blogging for a while, and has a lot of fans. Yet, despite the fact she has so many fans, she keeps it real. In this interview, she talks about fans, how to get followers to come back and the blogs she likes to follow herself.
What do you think of fans/followers?
Fans and followers certainly make a blogger feel good. There’s no question about that! It’s nice to know that people are reading and valuing the effort you are making on your blog. Typically, I view fans and followers as people who have visited a blog and found something worth returning for. I think many people use fanning and following as a way to bookmark a site that they like. Fans and followers, unfortunately, don’t always equal regular returning readers.
How important are your fans/followers?
The numbers used to be more important to me, but as I’ve realized that fans and followers aren’t always the people that become regular readers, I have tried to focus my attention more on those people that are regularly reading and commenting on my posts. Those are the people that make a difference on my blog! When I switched from Blogger to WordPress, I lost nearly 2000 subscribers, and had to start nearly from scratch to build them up again. It was tough to do, but over time the people who were my loyal readers found me and re-followed.
How did you get them?
The majority of my fans and followers have come from readers who have either happened upon my blog or who have been referred to me and chosen to stick around. A bunch have also come from giveaways that I have run. I sometimes add an extra entry for people who subscribe/fan/follow.
Talk to me about the quality vs. quantity of a fan.
Numbers look good. Companies/PR like to see numbers, and honestly readers like to see the numbers, too. I know when I stumble on a new-to-me blog and see that they’ve got hundreds or thousands of followers, my first thought is, “Wow! All these people like this blog. I bet there’s something here I’d like, too.” And I’m more likely to become a follower as well.
How do you engage your fans/followers?
That’s a good question. I try to engage in conversation with my fans/followers through the BlogFrog, Facebook, and Twitter, but I am sure that I could be doing a better job. I think one of the best ways to keep readers coming back to a blog is to “reward” them with good and consistent content.
What blogs do you follow?
A few of my must-read/fan/follow blogs are www.scarymommy.com, www.mamakatslosinit.com, www.sevenclowncircus.com, and www.mayhemandmoxie.com. One of the main reasons I follow them no matter what is that we developed relationships offline as well as online. They are also consistent and lots of fun to read.
What advice do you have for bloggers who may not have many “fans?”
I’ll say it one more time–good and consistent content. You can’t beat it. If you want to build up your fans quickly, run a contest. But the best way to build a valuable readership is to give them something to come back for.
What do you look for in a follower and fan? What blogs do you follow yourself? And, how do you get people to find and follow your blog?
This is sixth in a series of blogging tips. A was for Audience, B was for Building your brand, C was for Creativity, D was for Design and E was for Evolution.
{ 24 comments… read them below or add one }
Good insight. Numbers are good, but engaged readers are what counts. Are they returning to your blog? Do they engage you in conversation. You can have many followers/fans, but if no one is listening and responding, numbers don’t mean a thing.
I do use following as a way to bookmark blogs I like. The ones I read regularly (like yours) are the ones where I feel I know the writer. As for getting them on mine? I stopped worrying about it. And ever since, I seem to be getting more.
amber´s last blog ..Romance at the Mall
@amber, I am with you, Amber. I use “following” as a way to bookmark the blogs I want to come back to. I also kind of do it as a way to show support.
Also like you, I stopped counting the # of followers. I do, however, like to keep track of the # of people who are visiting through my analytics tools.
such good advice and so true about followers
I fan a lot of sites, I like to give the blogger a boost by having one more fan as I know when you are starting out and only have a few followers each and every new follower means so much. I remember how excited I was when I finally had enough followers through google firneds connect to fill the widget box! Becuase of that, my google reader is out of control! I’ve had to pick and chose a handful of blogs that I really follow and those I follow either through facebook, or simply typing the address in explorer.
@suzi, I am like that too… i love to shoe my support!
Thanks for letting me chime in on fans and followers! I love the added insight from the comments above. It’s so true about followers coming after you stop caring. I think that happens when you keep it real!
Lolli´s last blog ..The Truth About Amusement Parks
@Lolli, Thank you for letting me “interview” you!
oh i love lolli! if people met her in person they’d follow her just because she’s so sweet irl. when i first started blogging, i was all about the numbers. but now i realize that no matter how many followers i have, it’s always the same people who come back and read and comment. and i love having those people around.
a lot of my biggest fans are people who don’t even follow my blog on anything visible; they subscribe via email. so really, it’s about building relationships. of course, this meant nothing to me when i first started; i just wanted the validation of the numbers. but things have changed for me a little bit, and i think i’m in a better place as a blogger now.
alexis´s last blog ..101
@alexis, Lolli is sweet IRL!
I wish I had more subscribers through e-mail…
Thanks for this. Really great insights.
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I struggle with just writing my blog for me (which was my initial purpose), but it’s hard not to get caught up in the numbers game since it seems like a barometer on how well you’re doing. Followers/fans keep me motivated. Knowing that someone else is reading besides myself helps justify the large chunk of my time that I spend doing it.
The redhead´s last blog ..A tough pill to swallow
@The redhead, I agree… I think the most important thing re: numbers is trending. Are you steady? Are you trending down? Do you spike on certain days? And then adjusting your content to reflect that.
Thanks for this post! I am a teeny little blogger – only 6 months old. I would love to grow enough to make some extra spending cash from ads one day, but that may be just a dream. If it’s a dream that bever becomes reality, then fine. I don’t want to lose my focus. I started my blog for myself. I’m not a trained or professional writer. I just like to do it. If any big-time bloggers wanted to adopt me and help me along, I certainly wouldn’t complain. But for now, it’s just me (+ BlogFrog, Twitter, & Facebook). And that is OK.
@Balancing Mama (Julie), It sounds like you are already on the right path!
Do it for you… strive to evolve and be better, and the content (and followers) will come. Promise.
No matter what people say, I think that the best way to get people to come to your blog and stay around is not only good content but also engaging them in conversation and visiting their blogs in return.
Comments are the key, at least in my book.
I have followed a few blogs in my year of authoring my own blog who I rarely read. I’ve read that it’s bad bloggy etiquette to unfollow a blog. I have a heaping handful of blogs I read and comment on every day. Comments are fun but not when they’re unrelated to what you have written. Those comments really bother me. This is a great post!
I love to “follow” blogs vs. signing up to receive posts via email because I love to go to my blogger homepage and instantly see who has a new post up! Convenience is bliss.
Pamela´s last blog ..Wordless Wordful Wednesday – - Beer of the Week
Great post Erica!
Sadly, I tend to obsess over the number of followers I have. But, I would rather have comments than followers…so, I best get to adding my own comments on the blogs I follow religiously. Right?
What a fantastic post! I totally agree with everything- and not just because my blog was mentioned.
High numbers are great, but at the end of the day it’s really the quality that counts. I would so much rather have a few thoughtful comments over 100 “nice posts.”
What a great feature! Love me some Lolli!
angie´s last blog ..Wordful Wednesday-The Best Pet
Good read. I’m new to blogging, and I’m learning so much every day. This is the kind of post that I find very valuable. It keeps “me” real. I’m loving the blogging community, and I agree that it’s the online friends, not followers who make this experience worthwhile.
Great article! I know it can be easy to get hung up on “numbers” but as I dig deeper into this whole blogging world I find it more rewarding to have consistent followers with thoughtful comments.
I think all bloggers go through this.. wanting the numbers, but then most realize at some point that the numbers don’t really matter. Since I had my baby, my priorities and time have shifted. I used to spend lots of time reading lots of blogs and while I do miss it, at the same time the freedom is nice. Now I just always try and concentrate on those true fans who leave comments, I for sure make sure I visit their blogs.
Emmy´s last blog ..Thanks For Nothing Thursday
I know there are some blogs in my reader or that I am following through Google Friend Connect that a year and a half ago I read on a regular basis and now I don’t read them often if at all. I try not to worry too much about fans and followers because tastes change and just because you have hundreds of followers doesn’t meant that you have hundreds of readers.
Catherine´s last blog ..Cornmeal Pancake