How to See Your Traffic Explode: Have a Linky Party Part II

By: | April 11, 2015 | Tags: , , , , |
Linky party thumbnails

Linky parties help bloggers grow traffic and network.

Throw a linky party if you want jaw-dropping traffic.

As explained in How to See Your Traffic Explode: Have a Linky Party Part I, dramatically increased traffic is one of the many advantages to throwing a linky party.

Hosting a linky brings traffic to your site, skyrockets your page views, offers you and other bloggers a chance to network, and many bloggers find it downright fun.

However, Ms. Gramlich, in her Tweet, challenges the idea of hosting a linky party as “more to do”.  Will I counter her concerns?  Will this post be a point-counterpoint?  Will I publicly take her on and debate her?

No.  I will not.  The truth is that I agree with her.  Linky parties do take time to organize, and my attempts at thoughtful comments as I welcome my share of guests to the party take me significant time each week as well.

There has been such an overwhelming response to …Have a Linky Party Part I, due to reader interest, I bring you

Watch Your Traffic Explode: How to Host a Linky Party Part II

Readers’ Questions

Q: I’ve seen and been intrigued by these parties. How do you recruit bloggers?

A: Bloggers to help or guests to come to the party?  If you are interested in recruiting bloggers to help, I learned of my cohostess’s need for assistance on social media.  There are plenty of places to advertise on the Internet if you’re looking for cohosts.

If you are looking to recruit bloggers to come to the party, you initially promote it the way you would any of your blog posts.  For example, many bloggers use social media for promotional purposes as well.  In fact, I advertise my linky party in many Facebook groups, and there is a specific Google + Community just for people looking for linky parties to attend.

Eventually, it takes on a momentum of its own, and your need to promote it diminishes.  Bloggers get in a routine.  They know what day your linky party is, so they remember to go to your site even without any promotion from you.  Bloggers also tell other bloggers about it, so people learn about it through word of mouth.

Q: As a newbie, how many minimum followers do you think one needs to reach before throwing a linky party?

A: If you are throwing the linky party alone, without the benefit of assistance, I say the fewer the better.  My friend Lisa originally threw her linky party, Twinkly Tuesday, alone.  Then, her linky got so big, she brought on help.  This week she reached a high of 94 attendees.

I have seven helpers, and we often get around 300 guests.

Q: Do you have a post, or are you planning one, on how to make the most of linking up to a linky party?

Like the importance of being early to the party or how you should follow the directions and not just link any old post unless any old post is the theme. Just wondering if you have any other advice on the topic.

A: Yes, I do.  Welcome to the post!  This is it!

Linky Party Themes

The difference between a linky party and a blog hop is minimal, and the principle is the same.  The posts appear in a thumbnail.  Guests get to see a collection of the images, along with their titles, to see which post interests them.  Clicking on the images will take them to the author’s blog.

A linky is when you go to a blog and link up your post.  A blog hop is when you go to a blog and link up your blog.  I have seen blog hops that will ask you instead to link up your Facebook page or other social media profile.

InLinkz Screenshot

This screenshot shows where you paste your post’s link.

My friend Lysa Wilds, at Welcome to My Circus, holds many different blog hops each week.  She holds social media blog hops where guests are asked to link up their Facebook page or their Pinterest handle.

Other hosts have linky parties with themes.  For example, my friends Lorelei and Kristen hold a linky party where you must link a post only related to the home.  Many DIY (Do It Yourself) bloggers attend.  Accordingly, they call it the Home Matters Linky Party.

My friend Kathy hosts a weekly linky party as well.  She calls it “a blog hop” since she feels anyone can come read the posts; her guests don’t have to be a blogger with a post to link.  Since the ideas shared there are so clever, her theme is called the Clever Chicks Blog Hop.

My friend Lisa (@MummaScribbles) hosts a Twinkly Tuesday linky party.  Her cohost’s handle is @TwinkleDiaries, so perhaps that is the reason.

Linky Party Strategy

As I indicated in my post How to Increase Traffic By Writing Better Comments, if you want to grow your blog, you should follow a specific strategy.  I can sum up that strategy in two words: Be first.

Thumb Nails of Blog Posts

Linky parties and blog hops help grow your blog.

This screenshot shows this week’s SITSGirls linky party.  Numbers 1, 2, 5, and 8 are circled since they are my posts.  I did it!  I was Number 1 at the SITSGirls linky party this week!

The SITSGirls linky has been called the biggest linky party on the planet.  I read in a magazine that people come from all over the world to post their links at the SITSGirls site.  I read bloggers compete to be Number 1, and that traffic is greatest if your post number is between 1 and 20.

Being first has its advantages.  First, other bloggers will see my thumbnail before any others.  Hopefully, if the graphic and title are interesting, they will click on my post.  In the past weeks, sometimes a third of my Saturday traffic alone comes from the SITSGirls.

Traffic coming from the SITSGirls actually continues, although dwindles, the rest of the week.

There is actually a second strategy to attending a linky party, a blog hop, or any blogging event.  You need to network.   Hosts frown on “link dropping”.

The last question I received that I quoted above asked about “rules”.  One common rule is you can’t “link and run”.  You need to go into the other posts and network.  You should even tell the blogger how you found them.  Sometimes there are mandates like how many you need to visit and whether you need to visit posts above you.

Conclusion

In conclusion, linky parties can be great experiences for the host and the guests.  I’ve read informative articles, made friends, grew my blog readership, and even scored a guest posting opportunity all from either hosting or attending a linky party.  The most dramatic effect, however, is the increased traffic I receive.  It’s not just hype when people say throwing a linky party increases traffic.  It really does work.

Readers, if you think others can benefit from these ideas about linky parties, please share.

What are your experiences with attending or throwing a linky party or a blog hop?  I look forward to your views.

 

 

  1. jehdld

    Glad I clicked on your home page banner to see this post was already up 🙂 I am not new to blogging so much as new to making an effort to actually grow my blog a bit more and really appreciate the information you are sharing. I am curious about the be first strategy which with time changes can be a bit challenging (I was excited to make page 1 of the SITSGirls linky party this morning (for me and by the way, where I found you)). If you want to add a link to a party and there are already say 4 pages of links, is it worth adding your own? I do try and visit as many of the other links as I can reasonably manage.

    • Janice Wald

      Yes! The host always visits the guest, so you are guaranteed at least one page view that way. The other guests may come visit you too. However, they are more likely to come visit you the earlier you are in the link up.
      Thank you for writing. Also, thank you so much for the follow. Welcome to my blog!

    • Janice Wald

      Sorry I didn’t officially welcome you yesterday. I should have. Busy Saturday. Nice to meet you too.
      Janice

  2. Trudy

    Wow this does sound like a lot of work to do. I will have to plan to tackle this after my blogging university classes. How is first place determined in the position list? Is by topic or by popularity of the post on the site? http://www.rendezvousennewyork.com

  3. john doe

    I see you have almost 3800 followers that read what you write. You are such a great writer and provide a wealth of information in every post . What I do not understand is why more people do not comment on you posts. I challenge all you bloggers that read this blog to answer that question!!!!!!!!!

  4. clara

    Surely the point isn’t just to get as many followers views as possible but to actually have meaningful interaction? How many of these hits are actually reading and reflecting on everything you write? How many are just doing the minimum and skimming through just so they can tick the box that they’ve visited another blog in the hope that you’ll visit them? If you have that many thousand followers there is no way you can follow everything everyone writes. I’m just reflecting out loud here as while I agree linking up with other blogs can be a great way to interact, I believe it’s important to understand WHY you’re doing it. I think I’ve said it before on your blog, for me meaningful interaction is more important than numbers.

      • clara

        Errrr – no idea as I only actually have 154 followers on WordPress! I do have more than 1,000 on twitter (which is one of the reasons I say what I say as there is no way I keep up with all those tweets!) and another 80 or so on FB (plus my personal FB page but I don’t think that can count and that’s not more than another 200 or so) but as to where the others come from……

        • Janice Wald

          I find some of my blog followers (and others on my Email list) follow me on social media. That’s the rationale behind having it on your contact page. In other words, there’s overlap between the “followers” lists. Do you find that too? Is there overlap for you?
          Janice

          • clara

            Yes some of my blog followers also interact on twitter and Facebook.

      • Janice Wald

        Dear Kris,
        Hi,
        Welcome to Reflections! Thank you so much for following my blog! I received the notice yesterday.
        Although my archives date back to November, I didn’t start blogging about blogging in earnest until this past January–three months ago.
        Please peruse my archives and see the different methods I recommend for increasing your following. I have many social media articles for example. I use the methods I recommend to others in my blog posts.
        Also, the more followers you get, the quicker the number multiplies due to your followers giving you exposure through reblogs, etc.
        Once again, welcome to my blog.
        Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Clara,
      The timing of your point is interesting because recently my daughter told me she thought I was “killing time” by blogging while she was away at college.
      Killing time?! I certainly am not doing that, so I questioned my motivation, as you do in your comment.
      I genuinely believe I have a voice, that I am helping people by sharing the information I read about blogging. People write me and tell me I am helping them.
      How can I share my voice or help anyone if no one comes to my site? So, to bring people to my site (traffic), I help with a linky party. I wrote the first post since someone wanted to know if it was a lot of work, so I thought others might be interested. There were questions, so I wrote the second one. At the end of …Linky Part II, I mentioned that I have made friends–that is the meaningful interaction you speak of. In Linky …II, one of the bloggers I linked to considers me such a close friend she calls me “family”.
      Does your comment imply that it is either…or? Either the traffic or the meaningful interactions? Can’t we have both? I feel I have both.
      Janice

      • clara

        Hi Janice agreed you can have both but certainly not with 3,800 followers which is when the numbers stop really meaning anything! I think you’re doing a great job (I read you!) But my comments were really meant for everyone “out there”…

        • Chris White

          Out there … is a big and often lonely place. Just HOW do you get in?

          • clara

            Just knock and smile 🙂 Or better advice find some like minded people.

        • Janice Wald

          Thank you for the praise. As a fellow blogger, I’m sure you know that means so much.
          Janice

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  7. Lysa

    Thank you Janice for the mention in this post as it really means a lot to me! I kept tossing and turning and couldn’t get to sleep so I grabbed my phone to check my email and saw a few notifying me that you published a few new posts. As always I read one of your posts and can’t stop reading them. You offer such great tips, advice, and suggestions. Even though I’m not a newbie I ALWAYS learn something new when I pop over here.

    We need to catch up soon as I miss chatting with you! Hope all is going well for you! I’m so happy to see how well your blog is doing and how much you continue to grow your traffic and following.

    Wishing you a fantabulous Thursday!

    Much love,
    Lysa xx

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  9. kristiinacraven

    Thanks for all the great information–I’ve always wondered about the behind the scenes of a linky party. I’m starting a new series soon on blogging better and I think I’m going to add a link party into it! (I found you through the #SITSgirls link up…no surprise there 😉

    • Janice Wald

      LOL thank you for clicking my link and writing me. Also, thank you for letting me know how you found me. I always wonder. Nice to meet you.
      Janice

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Kristiina,
      Nice to meet you. Thank you so much for clicking my link over at SITS Girls and for the kind words about my post.
      You said you were starting a new series soon. Are you an author?
      Nice to meet you.
      Janice

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  14. Richard Monssen

    Hi Janice,

    I hadn’t even heard of link parties like this before – lol – Interesting traffic strategy I’ll implement it on one of my sites and see how it goes 😉 I’ve seen interesting results from various strategies so it’ll be interesting to gage the results from link parties. I’ll likely be back to reference this in the near future – thank you 🙂

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