How many blog followers do you want?
Do you have a goal? A number in mind?
A reader recently wrote, “I would love more blog followers.”
This sentiment is echoed so often that I have written many posts about how to get more blog followers.
Bloggers have expressed concern, disappointment, frustration, even threats to abandon their blogs.
Did it ever occur to you that getting blog followers as soon as you want them may not necessarily be a good thing?
According to Ronovan Writes,
We don’t get the views each day, the follows, the likes. We begin to think no one likes us. We visit blogs and we think how much better our posts are than those. We wonder why no one likes us.
Ronovan’s advice is valuable. “You’re new. Be patient.“
Unfortunately, although valuable, patience when it comes to growing your blog can be difficult to achieve.
For this reason, I invited my friend Hilda Solares to write an article explaining how to achieve that elusive but important quality successful bloggers need, patience.
Why Being Patient When Growing Your Blog Is A Must
Ever heard the saying, “Don’t pray for patience or God will send you a test to help you gain some”? Well, when it comes to growing your blog you can’t ask for growth without expecting some growing pains.
This means it will take time for your blog readership to increase. Most likely it will take longer than you anticipated. However, don’t rush the process.
[bctt tweet=”It’s actually a good thing your blog is not blowing up with followers by week two.”]We live in a world where our culture is accustomed to getting everything fast. We get all our messages, pictures, notifications instantly. We drive-up to a window and get our food in minutes, and God forbid it takes longer than that, because we can also lose our tempers quickly.
Why Having Instant Followers is Not Desirable
- When blogging for the first time we can easily lose our perspective and think that instant growth is a sign we are on the right track. The truth is that it would do your blog more harm than good if it grew before it was ready to be seen by many readers.
I still cringe at some of my first posts and wonder how I even managed to get any followers. Today, I am grateful it was only a handful who read them at the time.
I know we have all heard it over and over, but it is true your writing only gets better as you purpose yourself to write often.
Let me be clear. I have only been blogging for a little over a year. Although I have seen some level of success, I am a just an itty, bitty fish in a huge ocean of blogs. I still have so much to learn and I know that it will take some time and real patience to see sustainable growth.
- There are a lot of technical aspects to blogging that can get to be overwhelming, if you don’t take the time to learn them ahead of time. Writing a good post is only one aspect. You need to learn how to showcase it properly and then how to share it to as many media channels as possible and consistently.
I must admit that much of what I have learned has been through trial and error. I also follow and read many blogs gleaning what I can from them. I quickly learn what I don’t want, and then I try to figure out how to imitate what I like. Reading articles on blogging has to become almost a past-time.
- Did I mention that you must be willing to invest many hours if you want to blog successfully? It can be tedious work. However, if you are committed to the process it will be also be very rewarding.
One of the biggest lessons learned was that blogging was just not about putting your content out. A large part of blogging is developing relationships with other bloggers, this means reading and commenting on their blogs.
If you want people to follow your blog, you must be willing to follow others too. I am not suggesting you follow just anyone, but I do believe they should not all be part of your niche. When you are willing to engage with those that might not share the same interests, it will expand your thinking. This helps in stretching the way you see things, and this will enhance your writing.
I have to admit that it took me by surprise that genuine friendships can be developed among the blogging community. Today it is this community and their encouragement that keeps me in the game when stressors come.
Conclusion
The biggest advice I can give you is to be patient and make learning a way of life. I make an effort to learn something new about the blogging world at least once a week and then try to implement it in some way.
Be willing to fail. Don’t expect instant success. I have had a few articles go viral and that’s fun, but I am grateful that they did not go so viral that it shut down my blog. Frankly, I am not ready for that type of growth yet.
In the meantime I keep moving forward and wait patiently as I stay the course and keep learning.
If you are trying to grow your blog readership be encouraged. If you continue to write and are consistent, eventually your blog will gain the readership you desire. Patience
truly is a virtue, especially when it comes to blogging.
Hilda Solares is the founder and owner of Fittoservegroup, a community that encourages people to be whole in spirit, mind and body. From debilitating diseases to health and wellness.
Her journey has impacted many to take a closer look at their diet and take control of their health. Interviewed at 90.9 Life FM and featured at The River Cities Gazette. Find her blogging at www.fittoservegroup.com or volunteering at her church Word of Faith Global with her husband Randy.
Me again: It is human nature to want more than we have. However, when it comes to having blog followers, more is not always desirable. Hopefully, with Hilda’s advice, we can achieve what is desirable, patience.
Readers, please share Hilda’s guest post. Perhaps if they could read her article, it would give bloggers a different mindset when it comes to having followers too soon and enable them to be patient.
If you would like to guest post for Mostly Blogging, click here for the instructions for submission.
Do you have any questions for Hilda? Any comments about her article? Do you think patience is elusive, or do you think it can be achieved? Do you think it is possible to change the perspective of new bloggers in order for them to hone their craft before trying to rapidly grow their following? I look forward to your views.
