10 places to share your blog posts

If you are aiming to try and increase the number of eyes on your blog posts, this article is for you.

Facebook Page

Most blogs have their own facebook page these days and this is an obvious place to start. Link dropping is the worst thing you could do though so make sure you write a short introdustion to the post that will make the reader want to click more. I will often add my own photo that I feel is the best to showcase my post rather than the one facebook chooses for me (you can click 'remove link' and then add a photo instead). You can work out the best time to post for you but for me it is usually around 2pm or in the evening. Make sure you tag any businesses/people that have been mentioned in your post too for maximum exposure (Find North East Family Fun on facebook here). 

Facebook Blogging Groups

Bloggers love reading other blogs! I generally share my posts in three groups:- 

*The North East Network of Brilliant Bloggers (daily sharing thread pinned at the top of the page). If you share here, they will also tweet your links for you

*North East Bloggers (share on wall)

*UK Bloggers  (make sure you read the rules - this is a comment swapping group)

Local Facebook Groups

There are a few local facebook groups I share my posts in  - you need to be careful with non-blogging groups as if you are constantly dropping links and not contributing to the group it can be annoying so make sure you only post relevant links in groups you are active in. The main ones I use are:-

*The Inspire Network - The Network for NE Ladies in Business. They have a blog sharing post on a Friday.
*Family Explorers North East - This group is used to recommend and review days out in the North East. I generally only post a link if I have featured a fantastic value day out or featured one of their 'brilliant places'
*Keep the Kids Occupied and Mums in Durham are also sometimes relevant.

Twitter

Twitter is a wonderful place to share blogposts. First of all, make sure you shorten your links using bit.ly so you have more room to tweet! I tweet a few times per post - a couple will tag the people involved in your post (anything more than this and it can get annoying), a couple will use hashtags - I like #NEbloggers and #NEFollowers and a couple will include images from the post which always seem to get the best response. Don't tweet all of your tweets all at once - make sure you space them out. You can either remember to tweet or use a scheduler such as twuffer.

Twitter networking hours

I have written a whole post featuring how to get the most out of networking hours (check it out here) but for an hours work I will often manage over 1000 new blog views and will increase my twitter followers. It is certainly worth taking part in a few networking hours every week if you can squeeze them in.

Join in Linkys

Linkys are a fantastic way to get your blog noticed in the blogging community. My favourites are:-

- #LoveNorthEast (first week of every month)

- #TriedTested (every Tuesday)

- #TastyTuesdays (every Tuesday)

- #TheList (every Friday)

- #CountryKids (every Saturday)

Not sure where to start with Linky's? This guide from You Baby Me Mummy will tell you all you need to know.

Instagram

Blogging is usually very visual (although I am aware this post contains minimal images - haha). Sharing a few snaps from your post with a comment mentioning you can read more on your blog today will send more traffic your way. Instagram doesn't allow clickable links so make sure you have a direct link to your blog homepage in your instagram profile.

Google+

My blog posts auto publish to google+ which does increase a little bit of traffic however I have found sharing posts in relevant communities and using hashtags works much better. If I post a recipe, I will share in google+ food communities and if I post about travel I will post in travel communities - you get the picture! This method generally always increases the amount of +1's, comments or shares I receive. It works even better if you are active in the communities which is something I need to work on!

Linkedin

Linkedin is a network for professional people so only share your best content that will get you noticed here. If you are short of time you can easily add a blog post to you 'professional gallery' by clicking on the small square next to 'add position' and pasting the URL of your post where required.

If you have a little more time you can create a post on linkedin. You are able to do this by clicking on the pencil symbol at the top of your home page. I usually add a few of my best images and write a couple of paragraphs summarising my post with a clickable link back to my blog to 'read more' at the end. This method usually increases engagement when compared to the above method and Linkedin will send you weekly stats detailing how many people have viewed, liked and commented on these types of posts.

Pinterest and Stumbleupon

I have to say I don't get a HUGE amount of traffic from Pinterest (I do get a little - which is why I keep posting here) but I know other bloggers do. I have an app on my Mac toolbar that allows me to add posts to pinterest in a few clicks so it it pretty easy to do. I have also recently started adding posts to StumbleUpon and one day received over 100 hits from here. (StumbleUpon is also a great site to play with if you are bored).

I hope I have provided some food for thought - I would love to hear where you share your blog posts too.

Follow North East Family Fun on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin