After moving from New York City to Chicago and getting married, Rachel Bertsche realized that her new life was missing one crucially important thing: a local best friend. So she decided to go on one friend date every week for a year, and she documented her quest on a WordPress.com blog at MWFseekingBFF.com.
But before Rachel even started the blog, the 27-year-old writer put together a book proposal based on her search for a local BFF, and successfully pitched it to agents, and then editors. She says, “After I sold the proposal, I decided to start a blog so that I could have a place to document my journey and some of the research I was finding. I also wanted to start building a community and to engage with readers.”
It’s now been over two years since Rachel first launched MWFseekingBFF.com. So did she accomplish her blogging goals? “Absolutely!” Rachel says, “When my book, MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend, came out, I had a whole audience for the memoir that wouldn’t have existed without my blog. And I made new friends through blogging — I’ve met some of my readers, and other bloggers, in real life. My book ended up becoming a National Bestseller and hitting the NY Times Extended Bestseller List. I continue to update the blog because I enjoy it, and also I have a lot of loyal and wonderful readers who seem to enjoy it.”
Rachel says that the discussions generated by her blog posts were a great aid to the book writing process. “Blogging also helped me uncover what issues surrounding friendship were most interesting to my readers, and brought me new ideas. Readers said things in the comments that would switch on a light bulb for me, or they often alerted me to new research on friendship. While my book is very different than my blog (it’s not a compilation of blog posts by any means), writing my posts made me feel like I had a platform to bounce book ideas off of.”
We asked Rachel to share her advice on how to grow your blog audience. Here’s what she had to say:
The first thing I did was to read and comment on other blogs that I thought had a similar audience to mine. Leaving thoughtful comments with a link back to your blog is a great strategy. But you need to actually engage, and respond to the post. Readers are smart. Comments that are clearly only self-promotion will be obvious. Don’t write, “Great post! I think you and your readers might also be interested in my blog [link here].” Instead, get into the discussion. Respond to the issue at hand.
When you go to leave a reply, don’t post your blog link in the comment. Readers understand that they can click on your name and I think leaving the link in the post reeks a bit of self-promotion. (To change the link, go Users → Personal Settings in your dashboard and find the Website field under Account Details.) If you regularly comment on someone’s blog, that person will likely eventually stop by and read your blog, too. I’ve found the blogging community to be one of the most inclusive and generous out there.
Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. When I started out, I emailed some of the bloggers I most admired. I told them I loved their blog and asked their advice on how to find success. They were people who had clearly cracked the nut and each had their own tips for what worked for them. Then you can pick and choose.
Finally, give credit where credit is due. When I read a blog post that I love or that spurs an idea for my own blog, I always reference the post and link back. Blogging is about community and sharing, and this sets the tone. Just recently, I wrote a blog post inspired by a post on 1000AwesomeThings.com. I linked back, and hopefully turned a bunch of new readers onto the site. Because there was a decent amount of traffic sent to his blog, or maybe because he received a pingback, Neil Pasricha then came and commented on my blog! This is the author of two #1 International Bestselling books! I was so thrilled. I emailed Neil to thank him, and that began a back and forth, where I was able to ask him his blogging tips.
The bottom of line of all these lessons is to engage. Blogging is about community. It’s most successful not as a solitary endeavor but when you enlist the help of others, and in turn help them, too.
Learn more about Rachel and her book at MWFseekingBFF.com.
WordPress.com News 
love the ideas thank you so much truly
Reblogged this on Veronica The Pajama Thief and commented:
Great advice! I totally agree with Rachel’s comment about self-promotion. The comment space on one of my posts is not the place to do it. It’s almost like spam, and I will give it the same consideration as the comments in my ‘spam box’ (sound of toilet flushing). I love getting comments and ‘likes’, and I strive to respond to every single one. What will get me to come back to your site is the same thing that [hopefully] brought you to mine… a post that piques my interest, not you waving your arms and shouting ‘look at me… look at me…!” 🙂
Great advice! Thank you for sharing, Erica! And congratulations to Rachel on her book!
Thank you so much for these tips! I’ve just gotten back into writing & hope to use my blogging as a springboard–not only for writing, but to help chronicle this journey. I love reading other people living through the same life changes.
I’m writing about terrible things that are happening in my life. Things readers don’t really want to read. I, myself, don’t even want to write about them, but it’s information I feel has to get out. It’s hard to attract readers, or to trust readers, so what do I do to attract more readers?
This is such insightful information. I am a new published writer and blogger. Thank you for this and much continued success in your future endeavors! :0)
Thanks. This is very helpful. Also rather ironic since my friends have been giving me much of the same advice. It’s what brought me to blogging. Nice to see this kind of thing in action.
Reblogged this on spinningonthewebb and commented:
Very interesting!
I admire your perseverance and strategy. I trust this will indeed be the way in which my work gets into the mainstream. I am encouraged by your efforts and look forward to following your blog.
Cheers,
Michael
Reblogged this on socialmediamack.
Thank you for sharing that. I find the blogging community so generous, too. What a great word for it! It’s not just democratic, it’s open-hearted. At least for now!
Reblogged this on severtone.
I have been tunnel-visioned and now realize I need to connect with others. Thanks for your suggestions, I will give them a try! This is quite a new world for me, but I am passionate about the first Tibetan kindergarten so I will keep blogging. All other suggestions are welcome. Appreciate all words of wisdom!
Thank you for these great tips. I hope to use them for my blog. Blessings!
good advice, I will try some of it out on word press. Anyone know any good blogs about martial arts? I have tried to look for them but there arnt many on WP.
Also such a good idea to have a project like that
atleast you have shared some light of help to some of us,the begginers!
you hit the nail on the head connecting blogging with community. high fives!
Reblogged this on the people square and commented:
Breaking Open Your Blog – How to Grow Your Audience? From one blogger to all others.
It is amazing how things happen in this world of electronics to day. I was sitting here wondering if what I was doing to get myself at my age into the world of blogging was working. I then read this great piece which gave me further insight. As a newbie I still have questions but I think I feel embarassed to ask. I will keep in touch and maybe the answers will be asked by another member or I will get the courage to ask myself. lol
Excellent ! one should not be perturbed by negative comments.These comments enrich and mould you to approach the people you meet physically or otherwise.
collins.
This is a great straightforward post. I like the strategy, because even though we can look at it as narcissism, we do have to promote our work. Tips like these help everyone spread our wings without blowing our horn too much. Thanks.
i am a newbie in blogging, but with your tips and advice i could get some ideas on it, thank you for sharing it, god bless.
Reblogged this on La Petite Cucina and commented:
This piece has completely altered my views on blogging. I think that I originally created La Petite Cucina for selfish reasons – I wanted my own little space to be creative and expressive. I’ve always been inspired by different blogs that I come across, and I’m realising that the community is key – sharing, supporting and exchanging. Thanks so much for the tips, I know they’ll be hugely constructive for me and my blog!
That’s all fabulous advice. I love blogging but promoting it is hard work!!
Then again, I tend to write my blog purely to ease my blood pressure or let off steam so in that sense, it’s incredibly useful anyway! 😀
really inspiring…now i am sure i really want to do this…
I write interesting and provocative blogs. But the audience is not building. I think Erica is right stating that you need to genuinely engage with the audience. I try, but I’m clumsy about it. I am shy socially. It’s hard for me to know what to say at the time I need to say it. Of course, later it looses the sense of good timing. Those who are social butterflies probably excel with this social media, and engaging people you know not. I read various posts on how to produce better blogs, how to build your audience, how to engage, etc. I understand it with my brain, but when it comes to actually doing it, I’m doing something wrong. I’m not saying I will give up. Perhaps over time I will develop what I’m lacking through sheer experience. Or, someone will sit down with me and teach what to say and how to say that. Being good socially is an art. I know I’m not artistic that way, so I will do what I do, for now, observe, notice, and write about things and factors that influence our human behavior and make us tick. This part comes to me easy, naturally. I notice things most people ignore.
Thank you Erica for a well-written article.
Thank you for the tips! Every little bit helps.
Thom
Reblogged this on Sofá Púrpura.
Thanks so much! Being new to the blogging community this has always been a pertinent question in my mind. In a lot of place I have read that frequent posting plus ‘engagement’ as you have said helps a lot. Though I have faith in the latter, I really don’t believe in the former. My objective is to share my passions (travel, food and photographing the first two) with like-minded people. And I’m going slow. Let’s hope that I am successful in doing that. But how are can one be sure that the ‘likes’ are genuine LIKES and the feeling of obligation to reciprocate that comes in with a fellow-blogger ‘liking’ my blog or ‘following’ my blog – does this auger well if I don’t reciprocate? For established bloggers that might not make a difference, but for someone trying to build an audience, how important is that?
My comment is going to be your 196th comment on this post and there are already 863 ‘LIKES’ – do you actually engage with most of them and share a personal rapport? Should I right now concentrate on making my blog spectacular or shall I invest my time on finding out about other bloggers are doing?
BTW, Congratulations on your new book!
Thank you for the tips! I am going to implement them immediately!
Thank you, Rachel and Erica. These are such great tips. I’m just getting into blogging and have been reading everything on WordPress.com about building a blog. Thank you for providing so much support and advice. And Rachel, I love your blog. Your “Hard Facts” posts are especially provocative.
Erica, Please keep it up. You are such an inspiration to me as a blogger and as an author. I always find your advice and bloggings timely and informative. Like Linda Apple, I am copying parts of this particular post to encourage me as I write.
Lovely story and thank-you for the useful tips. Congratulations on your success.
Thank you for your words of wisdom! It certainly is a challenge to meet new people in new places! And blogging is the same way, you have to share yourself to have others find you and vice versa! Thank you again! Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
i agree! i was surprised at how experienced bloggers in this community would take time to comment and check out newer blog posts (and bloggers for that matter). makes one feel welcome and encouraged.
I am extremely happy to see those tips.Thank you very much for your help
I came across your blog quiet by accident and really love it! I have used different article links to send to some of my BFF including a lovely gay friend ( the on on Gay BFF ) and have have had the same response all round that I first felt when I started reading your blog. Couldn t stop and had to keep going back and read older and older posts. It touches on so many emotions and memories! Just ordered two copies of your book from Amazon! One for me and one for my BFF! Whow you have so inspired me!
Very insightful advice! Thank you!
Wonderful idea on the pingback, it is very good form to give credit where it is due. People really appreciate that and will almost always give it back to you. All are great ideas though!
Brilliant Post! I am new to this site and so these are some great tips for newcomers like me!! 🙂 X
Great info.! 🙂 Thank you for sharing, Rachel. 🙂
Reblogged this on Iris Pinson.
Reblogged this on Billy Moses and commented:
A good read.
Thanks for your advice,including the one about the blog adress. I am a new blogger and I think this post will help me a lot in building audience.
It’s wonderful that you found success, and I love your tips and ideas. Perfect for the newbie just starting and for those who just want to branch out. Thanks for sharing! And congrats!
congratulations! Very interesting Greetings from Ecuador
Good pointers. Thank you for sharing this
Thank you I am learning more everyday great information
Great advice, thank you. I’ve been blogging on WordPress now for about a month and I’ve been amazed at how welcoming the blogging community has been. I looked at a few different platforms but in the end I think what WordPress offers that differs from Blogger and others is the built in community. There are a lot of really bright and creative people sharing their thoughts and opinions through blogging so beyond writing it is a real joy to spend time reading, commenting and connecting with others.
Have just bookmarked you. Useful info that is to the point and stresses the important factors. Great job!
GREAT IDEAS. It’s always nice to find successful bloggers, and ideas to make your own better. 🙂
Now, I guess, as a new blogger, I would just have to do the tips you wrote there. Thank you.
Erica,
Thanks for sharing these tips. I’m sure we’ve heard these things before, but it never hurts to have a reminder.
Have a Victorious Day!
Marianne Clements
I’m a new blogger and I’m just going to apply these tips you wrote. I’ve also had reposted. Thank you.
I entered the world of blogging last month. One thing I have done that helped get the word out was to contact everyone in my contact list and all my friends on Facebook. I linked my favourite post about my daughter turning 16 and my rules about dating. Then I asked them to take a look, give me feedback and pass it on to friends if they liked it. The largest amount of views I had up until that point was 114 but average was about 20. Since then I have hit 256, 314 and 356 and average about 100 a day. I know it will even out as time goes by but it certainly helped with exposing my blog to new viewers.
Really helpful tips, thank you. Promoting your writing without alienating everyone can be so difficult, especially if you’re shy to begin with!
A very good read! I have a new blog and although I write for a living I am still learning more and more about blogging each day. I think that another good tip is joining different groups/online communities. I recently joined one that is related to the subject I’m blogging about, and I’m still amazed at how friendly and nice everyone is! 🙂 I totally agree with the writer and so far, for me, blogging is very much about community, sharing, and including.
Good input. I now know why was I not getting any response since more than a year. I was not doing anything that Erica has suggested.
Reblogged this on Stuart Otway-Smith and commented:
Thanks for your wonderful insight, as a new blogger I did not even consider my audience, it was not something that I was concerned about, however as other bloggers began visiting my site I realised that what I write matters not only to me but like minded bloggers, if what I write helps a single or helps them to heal, it is worth every second I spent on it, thanks great article Reblogged, Namaste.
I’ve been hearing a lot about Rachel’s blog lately so she must be doing something right! Thanks for the opportunity to get some great advice from a successful blogger, as I am new to the blogging community and eager to learn. I must admit, when I read a blog I often skip over the comments and almost never leave on myself – especially if there are a lot already. Now I know the importance of engaging with the blogging community and I think this will make a big difference for me. Again, many thanks!
Reblogged this on Leandrine.
This is the first post I read after writing my first post. Very pumped to engage with the blogging community 🙂
thanks for these very useful tips!!!
Thank you. Started Blogging since yesterday and was looking for a helping hand. It was really good of you to put down, simple and correct mannerism of blogging. It should help many, as it hopefuly help me.
very inspiring indeed specially for new bloggers like me who are still finding their ways in blogging community..
Thanks, but that I had been doing…
thank yau for your advise but my book still waiting to launc and now i just need a little support.
Reblogged this on titanmamut.
Very inspiring, that’s definitely what it’s all about.
(People are already taking your advice, note there are no links added to bottom of comments 😉 )
xx
Thanks for sharing these great tips.
I am new but the tips explained by you are of great use and inspiration.It will certainly build a community.I am really hopeful about success on this platform. Thanks.
thank you 4 ur advice…
What great ideas you have given me. I am blogging with the intention of turning it into a book. You have inspired me to read and acknowledge other blogs that may be connected to my topic. I need all the help i can get as i am a novice at this type of thing. Thanks again.
*Well said”.. congratulation on your accomplishments
Very interesting reading, thank you 🙂
Very nice post, I hope you will come back with more tips in the future if you have some…:-))
Thanks for the 3 tips. I’m going to follow them.
Thank you for the tips. You said it right, ‘Blogging is not a solitary endeavour’ … If I want traffic on my blog, I’ve got to stop being a ‘loner’ 🙂
Thank you for the advice. I’m always looking for help in how to do this. People think it’s so easy, or they don’t understand why we do this. It’s part of my journey now, and I am grateful to you for the good advice, to the Interviewer for their time, and to everyone’s imput along the way. (yes, I actually read it)
Have a great day EVERYONE!
and Safe Journey.
Reblogged this on Gould Design Inc's Blog and commented:
Reblog of: Bestselling Author Shares 3 Tips for Building Your Blog Audience
awesome post!
Rachel, this is exactly what I needed to learn how to manage my new blog. Thank you for taking the time to write. It is direct and to the point which is great for my mommy brain!
Great insights. Thank you. How much time do you put into your blogging efforts, considering both the research, connecting and the postings?
Great idea for a book! I love the insight, I think it is the biggest question most new bloggers have, “how do I get people to read what I’m writing?”
I have been blogging on another site and wanted to introduce my book that I am completing on its own page. I was hesitant until I came across this post. I thank you very much for posting this for “newbies” like learning to navigate my way through the publishing process. Congrats on your success!!
As someone who is also working on her first book, this is invaluable advice. While I instinctively knew most of what you said here, I think that with limited time and the like I just hadn’t got around to reading other blogs and commenting on them. I knew I should be doing that, I just hadn’t. Thanks for giving me the metaphorical kick up the rear end to make me go in search of similar blogs to mine that I can follow and comment on. 🙂
What a cool idea for a blog! These are really great tips. I hadn’t considered actually reaching out to my favorite bloggers to ask for suggestions and help. What a great way to make connections and share ideas. Thanks for posting this and congratulations on your success!
Great advice and encouragement! Congratulations on hitting the NY Times Best Sellers list! This encourages me to continue to blog and build my audience as I am working on my first book.
Reblogged this on Life Full Circle and commented:
Great tips!
Thanks for those very useful tips. For me, the word ‘engage’ worked the best. How true. A blogger has to engage with other blogs and comment in context. Thanks once again.
thought provoking blog and showing the real way of getting more readers. thank you so much. i got more strength and inspiration by reading it.
Great story! It’s amazing what people can do with blogs.
Thanks for the tips. I too plan on publishing a book by the end of the year.
helpes so much to here from other bloggers about blogging, i started half hour ago just wanting to put my own thoughts down but after reading this i want to explore other peoples and see different sides to life, thankyou (:
Even though I blog just to keep a mental map of where I am and what I am thinking, rather than looking for an audience, your suggestions are very sound and sincere. Thanks!
Sometimes the simplest and easiest way of doing things is what we miss in life. I sincerely appreciate the writer as she stress the simplest things that produce great results. I shall definitely practice her advice. Thanks.
This entry has been exceptionally helpful to me. Thanks a lot for sharing your insite. I recently published a book and am new to blogging. Thanks Again!
exactly what i needed,thanks for sharing
Thank you for sharing these tips. I am new to blogging, but I am quickly learning that there is a very engaging and helpful community just waiting for me to explore. There’s so much to learn! I’m having great fun sharing my thoughts and learning from others and my own mistakes. Best of luck with your writing.
wow! what and how she wrote the book is/was a great idea. i didnt read the whole story but sounds like a great book!