Be your best self.

How To Support Your Favourite Blogger

How To Support Your Favourite Blogger
Carly Jacobs

Being an online business content creator type person is really weird. My hourly rate can be anywhere from zero to $1000 on any given day and my currency is eyeballs. It’s like showing up to work everyday and if you’re particularly entertaining you get paid and if you’re not, you don’t. There’s also no way of knowing what will be well received, you just have to try a bunch of stuff and see what works. Like trying to get a high distinction on an assignment that has no criteria. Fun.

Support Your Favorite Blogger

A lot of people are a bit weird about influencers and bloggers earning money. I’ve personally never understood this. When I see a blogger pimping a sponsored post, trying to sell tickets to an event or advertising a course they’ve written, I support the shit out of them. 99% of what most people do online is totally free and if they offer an awesome quality product to support this amazing free content, I can’t whip out my credit card fast enough.

That’s a very ‘industry’ thing to do though. We all support each other so it comes back around.

Sometimes I chat to mates of mine who aren’t in the industry and they don’t realize their comments, shares and likes mean so much. Often they’re horrified because if they had known, they would have tried harder to support their online mates.

If you have a podcast you listen to all the time, a blog you read every day over coffee or an Instagrammer who transports you all over the world when you’re lying in bed in the morning, here are a few ways you can support them to keep them doing what they’re doing.

1.Click, click, click

Every time you see something from your favourite online person – click it! Like it! Go right through to the website and make your time counts towards their traffic. Sign up to email deliveries so you never miss something from them. Even if you think their latest blog post isn’t their best work, give them a click and a like anyway.

2. Comment and engage

Even if you don’t have much to say, just a little hello or a contribution to the conversation goes a long way. Social media algorithms reward engagement so by starting a conversation you’re helping your content creator reach more people. This came up recently when I did a reader survey on Smaggle and so many people commented that they missed Sweet Teen Club, my podcast with Stacey from Veggie Mama that’s on a break at the moment. I had no idea people liked it because no told me! I could obviously see people listening to it but numbers on a screen mean nothing. It’s only when the podcast disappeared that people started to talk about it. You don’t need to send a carrier pigeon with a love letter every day but comments go a really long way so do that often.

Support Your Favorite Blogger

3.Share

If you love something, share it. If it resonated with you or reminded you of a friend, tag them in the post. I understand some people like to be as invisible as possible online but if you’ve enjoyed the content of a particular blogger for years, do them a solid and hit share.

4.Recommend

If you love a particular online person, tell the world. Recommend their posts, buy their books for friends, and click through links to their podcast episodes. You can go one step further and contact magazines or TV stations that you think should cover their work or even nominate them for awards. Being an active supporter is the best. There’s nothing awesome about quietly admiring someone but never telling people about them. What’s the point in that? I’m a hardcore recommender – I want everyone to love the things I love so I don’t really get it when people find a cool thing and just like, never tell anyone about it.

Support Your Favorite Blogger

5.  Buy their shit

Even if it’s not something you particularly need. I’ve bought countless digital menu plans from health bloggers, not because I wanted or needed them but because I’d been using their amazing recipes for free for years and I wanted to give them some love back. It obviously depends on your income as to how often you can do this but most people can afford to swing $20 at a blogger they love who just released an ebook.

6. Review their shit

Especially for podcasts, books and apps. 5 star reviews are GOLD in the online world and if you can get in there with your review on launch day, your online person will love you forever. Never think your positive feedback won’t add anything. It’s way more valuable than you know.

7. Attend their events

So many people complain that ‘no one ever comes to Insert City Name Here’. The solution to this problem is to make the time to support events when they happen in your city. Yes it’s an effort, yes it’s a bit more money than you would have spent this month but if you have the means, go. I’ve pretty much never regretted going to an event ever.

Support Your Favorite Blogger

In the spirit of awesome people, here are some people I love who do great things and this is me supporting them.

Kate from Secret Bloggers Business

Kate has a subscription service that helps bloggers grow their online influence and turn their blogs into a business. She’s a damn genius.

Christina from Hair Romance

Total hair goddess. If you feel like your hair is being super boring grab one of her ebooks – 30 Braids in 30 days beginning point to be that lady who always has the best hair.

Nikki from Styling You

Nikki has a shop where you can buy capsule wardrobe pieces every few seasons and she has a styling course to help people who are a bit lost with what to wear every day.

Support Your Favorite Blogger

Chantelle Ellem

Chantelle (photographer and blogger extraordinaire!) has an amazing photo editing app that I use pretty much every day.

Sonia from Sonia Styling

Sonia has an amazing business called Scribe and Social where she does killer social media content and copywriting.

Woogsworld

My mate Kayte has an awesome book that everyone should read. I actually laughed out loud reading this.

BabyMac

Beth runs in the kitchen workshops. She just had her first one but stay tuned for more to come in the future.

Low Tox Life

Alexx runs courses on how to cut chemicals and toxins out of your life. I’ve learned SO MUCH from her.

Kelly Exeter

As well as being my beautiful Straight & Curly partner in crime, Kelly writes excellent books.

Veggie Mama

Stacey often speaks at events so keep your eyes peeled for her next gig.

Whole Foods Simply 

Bianca has gorgeous books full of recipes using real, proper ingredients.

The Makers Collective

Mikaela runs a whole bunch of courses for creatives including photography.

Lipstick and Cake

Steph has an awesome book called Button Popping Breakfasts for delicious brekkie recipes.

The Merrymakers

Carla and Emma have recipes books and a healthy eating course and community.

84th and 3rd

JJ has an awesome pottery line you can buy here.

Not Quite Nigella

Lorraine has a trip to Peru planned where you can go along and experience one of her amazing trips.

Stilnest

Beauty YouTubers Sharon The Makeup Artist and Karima have their own jewellery line.

Gourmet Girlfriend

Ruth makes gorgeous ceramics.

UberKate Does gorgeous personlized jewellery.

Down That Little Lane

They run gorgeous craft workshops in Sydney.

Little Paper Lane

A gorgeous stationary shop.

Champagne Cartel

Gillian and Carolyn have an awesome blog with a shop full cool stuff.

Also if you blog or have an online business – link to it in the comments! It’s dang hard getting the word out about your stuff so take this as an invitation.

Who is you most favourite blogger or online person? Give them a shout out to let them know you love them! 

P.S Also you should totally sign up for my newsletter. It’s full of cool stuff.
P.P.S Don’t forget Crochet Coach has a free trial offer period at the moment so make sure you sign up!

45 Comments

  1. Kelly 7 years ago

    I agree, bloggers give us so much information for free, the ways you have suggested to support them are great ideas. I know I am guilty of reading and running – I should know better and will try and keep it top of mind. Thanks for your blog, I really do enjoy reading it.

    • carlyjacobs 7 years ago

      I do the same thing to be honest – I even have mates in the industry and I’ll read one of their posts and bugger off! Need to remind myself sometimes too.

  2. Linda 7 years ago

    Love a blog! Thanks for some more links. Spread the love girl! I’ve learnt so much from you and your fellow bloggers. I mean how was life possible without all this information?

  3. Carole 7 years ago

    I think you’re right – I don’t think people in the real world understand how much a comment, like, share or tweet means in our world. I think its awesome the way you shared the work of so many bloggers here.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 7 years ago

      They’re such people – I’ve known most of them for ages and they just consistently do good work!

  4. Reannon 7 years ago

    I have always been a mad blog commentor, try to buy stuff they create. always tried to share the stuff I loved over the socials when i had them & even now I’m always sending friends blog posts or podcasts because bloggers have given me so much over the years. For the tiny time I had a blog nothing made me happier than when someone commented on a post & I love the interaction with people, even now I am always thrilled when a blogger replies to my comments because sadly, lots don’t & its a huge turn off me- I’m there for the chats as much as the great writing/photos/info.

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 7 years ago

      You are a mad blog commenter! I love popping in to my blog every few days and having a chat with you. If you disappear for a few weeks I start to panic a little – I’m like where’s Reannon??? I hope she’s okay! I always reply to messages. It’s so rude not to. Unless I get like 100 messages on a competition post then I don’t. 🙂

  5. Trish 7 years ago

    Maybe I’ll get the ball rolling again…

  6. colleen 7 years ago

    what great insight. thank you or sharng

  7. Camille Abbott 7 years ago

    You’re spot on – 5 star reviews and comments are social gold! ? Thank you for this post ox. ?

  8. So true Carly and you’ve listed some great blogs.

  9. Veggie Mama 7 years ago

    I don’t have anything to sell (yet!) but every person who clicks over to read one of my recipes makes my damn day. As do you, Smagglepot. You’re my maingel ??

    • Veggie Mama 7 years ago

      Hahaha that was not supposed to have question marks!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 7 years ago

      You’re MY maingel!

  10. Mandy 7 years ago

    Great post. One of my faves, though she’s not PC and she’s from the U.K., is Totes Inappropes. She’s awesome! I do ads in my website and sponsored posts on Facebook (as the Fundraising Whisperer) and thankfully have enough of a lovely engaged audience of school and club volunteers that I can make a living out of it. Love it when people leave great feedback though – it really makes your day! I’ll remember to be more liberal with liking other people’s stuff too, plus I’ll sign up to your newsletter. Thanks!

  11. Jess Carey 7 years ago

    What a gorgeous post!! This is why you’re so popular – you’re all about sharing the love and supporting others instead of competing with them!! So much respect for that 🙂

    I just started a side blog – https://ordinarypeopleextraordinarystoriesblog.wordpress.com – a space for “ordinary” people to share their stories!

    Some of my other favourites are
    https://chezmoiblog.com (Delicious food)
    http://lisaeatsworld.com (Food & travel)
    http://smalltowngirlsmidnighttrains.com (Travel & truth)
    https://travelwithnanob.com (More travel – especially Japan)

    Keep the blogs coming, can’t wait to read some new ones!

  12. Michaela 7 years ago

    What a fantastic post, Carly. And timely, too. I just finished a blog post about what it actually is bloggers do (as few people, aside from fellow bloggers) have any insight into just how much time, effort and work is involved). I have scheduled it for next week, so look out for it as it ties in nicely with this. You have articulated how to support bloggers and online creators SO well here. Nothing more to add aside from YOU ROCK! And so do all the awesome bloggers in your list. Well done! Michaela x

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 7 years ago

      Oh make sure you link to it here or tag me in it next week would love to read it!

  13. raisingchalkandcheese 7 years ago

    This is my blog. I haven’t written much this year, but I’m working on a new series for it, and I don’t want to release it until they are all done 🙂 But I do have a lot of posts from last year – some I’m even a bit proud of. It really is so hard getting new readers when your posts aren’t liked or shared, although I know that I have several regular readers who love it… so I always at least ‘like’ posts I see on FB from other bloggers
    https://raisingchalkandcheese.wordpress.com/2016/08/30/first-blog-post/

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 7 years ago

      I just clicked through and tried to comment but it didn’t go through – there may be an issue with your commenting system! 🙂

  14. Jan Wild 7 years ago

    Carly, thank you for such a great and honest post. I found my way here through Mrs Woog. I have now signed up for your newsletter and I’m going to share this post.

  15. Imogen 7 years ago

    So true Carly – I wrote a post about this a while back as they say – Sharing is Caring in a blogger’s world – https://insideoutstyleblog.com/2016/07/why-i-need-you-to-share-this-and-every-blog-post.html

  16. Johanna 7 years ago

    Fabulous post Carly. We should all have this very post on our About Pages, so that readers who don’t quite yet understand our blogging currency, know that it only takes a like to make us really really happy 🙂 Well said!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs-Smaggle 7 years ago

      I posted my first free crochet pattern on Ravelry yesterday and got 2 comments about how it’s ‘disappointing’ to have to sign up to my newsletter to get the free pattern. It’s so weird how entitled some people are. 🙂

  17. Ruth 7 years ago

    you are a deadset legend.
    Love everything you say.
    And beyond chuffed that you included me. you are the bees knees lady.
    xxxxx

  18. Jo 7 years ago

    Amazing. What do they think? Really!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 7 years ago

      I can understand people who aren’t in the industry not realising – a lot of people don’t until they’re in the industry themselves.

  19. raisingchalkandcheese 7 years ago

    Oh, thanks, I’ll take a look! I’m still trying to work out Word Press. I have been meaning to look up some tutorial videos or something – but it’s more fun writing than doing technical stuff. Once I decide on domain hosting and things, I’ll buckle down and fix it all up 🙂
    Thanks for letting me know!

    • Author
      Carly Jacobs 7 years ago

      Oh totally! I hate all the tech stuff. Tip – make friends with tech savvy people!

  20. Missy D 7 years ago

    Thanks for the blog recommendations! I’m always adding new blogs to my Feedly then do a clean out after a couple of months if I feel like we’re not geling.

    Smaggle’s one of the few I read nearly daily. 🙂

  21. Michaela 7 years ago

    Hi again,
    Here’s the blog post I wrote and published today – “What does a blogger do?” So many people have no idea what goes into managing a successful blog. I hope my piece, along with yours, helps share some insight. https://www.notanotherslipperydip.com/2017/07/03/what-does-a-blogger-do/

  22. I’m a little late to the party but thanks for this, Carly! Most of my non-writing friends have no idea how grateful we are for little comments, shares and likes etc. I’ll share this as a subtle reminder 🙂

Pingbacks

  1. […] wrote a post recently about how to support your favourite bloggers and content creators. It’s for the family and friends, for the acquaintances or low-key fans who just don’t […]

  2. […] I’ve written before about how important it is support your friend’s businesses online by liking, sharing and commenting on their stuff but if your friend started a wedding cake business two years ago, took a break from it and hasn’t done much online since it’s totally okay to unlike their page. If you keep seeing updates from a page you’ve never heard of before, unlike it. Give your Facebook a big old clean out so you’re only seeing the stuff you really want to see. […]

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