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 
Reblogged this on Tracey in Maine.
A fantastic article
I enjoyed reading this, and learned some things. Being just a bit afraid of having anyone besides myself read anything I write, I haven’t even let anyone know I started trying to learn to blog. Maybe now I will. Let people see what I write. I mean.
I have been doing blogs for years, but my “line” has always been a bit haphazard as I could not find a theme I was passionate about enough to stick with for one year. Thanks to your blog, it got me thinking again. Especially how you pitched your book BEFORE the blog. Wow… Thanks for this advice!
Congrats on your book!
Thanks for sharing such an encouraging post.
Thanks for sharing these tips, which are really helpful for a beginner like me.
“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.”
So yeah.. As a “just starting out”-blogger I found these insights very helpful.. I suppose the tables turned 😉 Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the tips- I think another great tool is sharing on social networks, friends sharing with other friends, etc, can multiply quickly!
Love the first comment about following other bloggers. This is my first of many. Dearly need to increase my traffic and the only way is to share.
Thanks for the great tips, i’ll certainly use them to enage with others more effectively.
I haven’t written a blog yet (joined WordPress a few minutes ago), but I think yours is a perfect example of how to do it. Being able to do it is something else, though. Very best wishes, ljclayton.
Reblogged this on Antebellum Rose.
Thanks a lot for the sharing. The power of sharing is always there to engulf those who are generous enough to share with others.
Thank you so much for these insightful tips. I just started blogging and will employ these tips to engross myself in the Blogger Community.
Thanks for the information to the people that have blogs. I myself have been bloging for a year now and find it to be interesting and for those who are starting out don’t give up. I have tried and tested ever plugin some work and some don’t I browse web for information that would help those in the topics there
looking for There have been blogs that I’d visit that had very little on them but still had good ideas. I have been following you’re blog and you have been putting out good information. I do believe that communicating with others is the best teacher. For now I will have to say keep up the good work
“Thanks For All”
Great advice, I couldn’t agree more on over linking things… It turns people off. Thanks for the tips, and congrats on the success with the book.
Thank you, because being new to this blogging gig I am afraid I have made some of the “mistakes” you listed. Of course, since none of us are born knowing this information, I will not get too deep into self-condemnation, but I sure wish I could rewrite a few things. Ouch!
Thanks again for everything and continue to keep your voice pure…we need it.
Be encouraged!
“Blogging is about community and sharing”. It’s inspiring me. Blogging isn’t always about monetize it but also make a connect with the other. I like this post. Thank you so much.
This is both inspirational and educating for beginner bloggers like me! I have moments like: what am I doing? My audience is so small. I’ll never gain a mass audience. Then, I’ll get a message via facebook or twitter from one or two people who say they truly enjoy my posts. Then I come across this story about Rachel and I feel encouraged to the tenth power! Thanks!
It sound good. It gives some insight.
Excellent advice, I’m just starting out blogging, therefore your words of wisdom are really appreciated. Thanks…
Reblogged this on i d l e l o r e and commented:
This is the sort of thing I find absolutely fascinating. Whenever I meet an author, or hear about someone who is outrageously successful, I always perk up my ears and try and see how they did it. These things are really inspiring—since I find myself in a similar situation, it’s encouraging to hear stories of how others have made their way to places I’d like to see myself someday. Thanks for clearing a path, friends.
I find this very encouraging. Someone with a unique approach, a passion for her idea, and a willingness to think outside the box and make her dream come true. Absolutely wonderful.
I like the concept you just taught,a lot of buddies are too desperate.
You make a good point that blogging has to be about interacting with the rest of the community. Just “broadcasting” one’s thoughts overlooks the social part of it. This is a helpful and insightful blog entry.
Really inspiring :=))
I am so new in blogging… What a perfect timing. Thanks so much for sharing this. I’ll keep going…
What a wonderful reason to start a blog and what great tips. I am very new into blogging and someone like you really inspires me to keep at it. I am also a new author. Your book sounds interesting. I’ll check it out 🙂
I am brand new to the blogging world and really appreciate these tips. Thank you.
Excellent tips for generating interest!
What a useful post. Thank you! I’m in the process of trying to get people to visit my blog and I certainly have three readers! Obviously not quite there yet but if I can get a fourth in the next year then I’ll be pretty ecstatic.
Thanks again,
Raul
Most encouraging. Thanks.
Reblogged this on homesalesseattle and commented:
This is a truly excellent article and I got a lot out of it.
Congratulations on your book . It’s awesome to have it go to best seller. I think Erica did a great job in writing about you and your tips on blogging. I found that it inspired my to think of other things to write about. I can’t be your BFF but I can follow your writing. Which I find full of ideas. Thank you for writing.
I sometimes get lost in the plethora of comments, or keeping track of other blogs. Sometimes I’ll follow to be polite, but when I go searching on that person’s blog, I find their content isn’t really “me.” I don’t want to be selfish and just blog hoping to gain followers, but at the same time I can’t commit to a life of following others’ blogs. It’s difficult to read the blogs of the people I have friendships with, much less others. It’s kind of the same thing as joining an outside group. I have a photography group I belong to, and at first, I’m totally overwhelmed with meeting people, and remembering names. So now I just try to talk to one new person, and make one new contact so that I’ll actually remember his/her name and some details about their life… rather than getting lost in a sea of names and faces I’ll never be able to remember.
great advice not to long too.
Thank you very much for the tips. I am very new and haven’t even finished my blog yet….so your tips will help a lot. I am checking out several blogs to get ideas, and yours is ver helpful.
Great info
Thank you for your advice. I new to the blogging scene and have been hopelessly addicted. My blog has had hardly any activity but I think it’s because it’s so new. I will try your methods and even look for blogs to follow. I was hoping that by blogging I could make some new friends who like the same things as me and clearly from your blog and book it is possible.Thank you again and congrats with your book.
Congratulations and thank you for sharing your insights. I have twitted your MWF seeking your BFF blog article and also posted it on my facebook page. Both blogs have contributed to my knowledge about engaging with a community and communicating with other bloggers.
Congratulations on your accomplishments…both with your book and blog! I work in Media Relations and broadcasting and I know how challenging it is to get your work out there. It is no easy task to achieve what you have done ! Thanks for this blog. It gives me and your other readers a lot to think about.
Thank you for this helpful post. This has encouraged me to keep commenting on other blogs–which I had fallen back on. Yes, blogging really is about community.
I usually don’t read my emails but your title caught my eye. Thank you for sharing. I will definitely use your advice and hopefully reach my goal successfully.
Excellent suggestions! I’m a student at Empire State College… my media class assignment requires that I use resources like WordPress . I am using this site to find people interested in helping me make changes to laws preventing child abuse. I’m a beginner so this was inspirational and helpful! Thank you!
Reblogged this on _VintageSOUL93<3 and commented:
Great information for bloggers both inexperienced and respectably experienced alike. Great!
Thank you!
I’ve just started my blog and was at a loss on how to promote my blog when I came across this!
Thank you so much for sharing and for your advice.
excelent ideea… this girl is amazing
Reading this really helps, especially being a budding author who’s brand new to blogging, It’s refreshing to only read three tips instead of fifty, which by the time you’ve read number thirty you can’t actually remember the first.
Reblogged this on BelieveYourTruth.
This is GREAT!! I have started my own blog and need tips in order to become a succesful blogger.
Thank You for posting this.
This is absolutely true! Commenting on other blogs and engaging with authors is easily the most rewarding aspect of blogging. I have met some wonderful people and look forward to reading their posts on a daily basis. FUN!
Thank you for great advice 🙂
This is not only a fantastic success story but it is also really helpful advice.
Thanks. Hugely interesting and extremely informative. Good luck with everything.
Thank you for the helpful blogging info. My background is in sales and I am used to being direct and asking for a chance to do business with someone. It is a difficult transition to make to wait for people to respond to you rather than using a direct approach, but people always like to discover something for themselves rather than to be “sold”. Once a conversation is begun, it is much easier to want to find out more about that person.
Thank you for sharing your tips! Yes, it is not a question of self-promotion.
Great article, thank you for sharing your blogging wisdom.
I wish it was more descriptive…these are just handy tips.
Simple, workable. The trick is to engage readers when you comment. Kudos!
This is wonderful! 🙂 I’m always looking for tips and tricks on blogging! I LOVE THESE!!!! Do you have any suggestions on spam comments? I keep getting them, with awful grammar and scentences that don’t even make sense. But how can I be sure they really are spam? I don’t want to diss readers!
Congratulations on your road to success, and on such a cool and interesting concept for your blog and book. Thanks for the great tips on blogging, to a newby like myself it can feel like a secret world that is hard to break into, but your helpful insights are wonderful, and a great help!
Thank you for this post. It has been very helpful for me.
Stories like Rachel’s are a nice incentive to keep trying.
Erica,
Thank you for this spotlight on Rachel and her blogging tips. I have two blogs of my own, and the content here has been very helpful to build an audience. It has also been helpful in getting connected with other bloggers and their platforms. I’m bookmarking this for future reference!
Thank you for such helpful information!
I am just getting started on blogging – with a view to winning some freelance contracts. I am lucky to have fallen onto your blog. Seems you will be able to assure that I am on the right track, if nothing else. Thanx CBB
I am entirly new to this world, having posted only a few blogs to date, I cannot therefore heap praise on how wonderful these tips are. What is nice is to read a blog that does try to give you really useful tips that have been helpful. I will be taking on this advice and trying things out. Thank you for taking the time to do this.
It is nice to have a place to learn from. I search and sometimes get info that makes no sense. Thank you
Your suggestions are sound. Thank you for sharing your experiences. My interests in other bloggers’ work includes photography, humor, poetry, animals, movies, thoughtful reflections and crime. This often keeps me very busy following others, but it also offers a fresh perspective on a topic that interests me. Wishing you continued success on your book.
That is super-fantatic congratulations on your book! This is a great approach to blogging … and thank you for the checklist.
Insightful and informative — many thanks for this well-written piece!
I’ve just recently looked into blogging, and enjoyed this post! Thank you for sharing. This is a whole new world! 🙂
Sounds like excellent advice and I am encouraged by it. Thank you
Thanks Rachel for these interesting tips on community sharing.
I agree with you, its not a personal endeavour that makes it, its the ability to share with people and exchange brilliant ideas towards progress.
I must admit I am an IT illiterate and I am only struggling to cope with the IT world.
I will use your tips and get closer to many other bloggers.
This way, I can learn more and offer my own little experience with you from Cameroon.
great tips.
Hi Rachel,
congratulations on becoming a successful blogger. I’m hoping to write too and blogging with people who are interested in your topic sounds good.
Congrats what a great story.
Thankyou for sharing a great story and wonderful advice, as a creative writer it sometimes is so frustrating to understand the mechanics of what should be happening with every article and press release that you’ve lovingly prepared! Congratulations on the book and every success for the future..
Very good advice. I’m brand new to blogging, in fact, I’m not even sure what I’m going blog about yet. But I will certainly use this advice when I decide. Thank you.
I only started my blog after I launched a freelance journalism career in Thailand. I didn’t care much about followers on the blog–it was more for my own amusement, to write with more freedom (stylistically), and to practice, practice, practice. But then I fell in love with my blog. I fell in love with the whole blogging community, which I didn’t really know existed. It does make me want to expand my following, just as I plan to continue scrolling through other blogs and following them. It’s just fun to connect with as many people as possible. It helps you to pick-up ideas and skills and inspiration and whatever else…All great stuff. (That’s kind of the meaning behind my blog: I guess the unquenchable thirst for knowledge and diverse experiences.) So Erica, I will use these tips of yours. I’ve got blog-fever.
Erica, Thank you for sharing Rachel’s story and blogging tips. By the large response to your article, it appears that you have helped not only new bloggers, but veterans as well. As I move forward with blogging, I will utilize many of Rachel’s tips. Thank you for sharing this article.
I found your post very helpful. I am new to blogging and am trying to figure it all out… after reading your post I feel as though I have a good foundation for being a good blogger.
From all us blogger wanna-be’s, great post! Lots of excellent tips. Keep them coming.
Thank you for the information, also, it takes time. As frustrating as it is to look at the stats and not see much improvement, you have to keep at it if you want to eventually achieve your goals for the blog.
What a wonderful story! I found this article as I was just setting up my own account, i too am going to be reaching out to the blogging world for ideas, thoughts and inspiration on many levels. You article here has already given me hope to be successful and to push onward and upward inthis quest! bravo to for this article and for your success. Best wishes and kindest regards!
Stan
That is really inspiring, a friendly way to communicate. am printing this one out thank you,
Good solid suggestions, your points are well taken. All good ideas can be adapted and perhaps that is one of the important criteria of good ideas! Also, writing that post took thought and time, two precious commodities that you shared with us/me! Thank you!
Bravo, your blog is so interesting and well written that I wanted to know more.
Great Article. Enjoyed it!
very inspiring, Thank you!
So happy I stopped to read your tips. Thank you for sharing and WHAT A FOOL I HAVE BEEN! I am so new and have clearly made so many mistakes.
Loved your idea, good job.
Just favorited your share because I appreciate your experience and hands-on education in an area I hope to one day succeed. Congrats!