Sep 5, 2013 / News

Find Your Fans and Grow Your Readership: Introducing Blog Event Listings!

Lack of interaction has caused many a new blogger’s hopes to run aground on the rocks of demotivation, no matter how gung-ho their blogging start. Many of us quickly realize that publishing is actually the easy part — finding readers and encouraging comments is tougher.

What if there were a way to jump-start your entry into the blogging community (or breathe new life into an existing blog)? There’s no Bring Me 100 New Readers button in the dashboard (YET), but participating in blogging events can help fast track you from the margins to the center. To make it easier for you to find and participate in events and challenges that interest you, we’re launching a page just for blog event listings.

Most blog events and challenges work a lot like the ones we run here at The Daily Post — the event organizer will post a theme, prompt, or some instructions, and you publish an entry on your blog and leave a link back on the original challenge post. The organizer — and other participants — can and do visit and comment on each others’ entries, boosting views, likes, and comments on participating blogs; most events have robust and welcoming communities. Often, organizers also highlight entries in posts on their own blogs for a little extra link love, and sometimes there are prizes (yay!).

Blog events run the gamut from single-post flash fiction events to month-long “post every day” marathons to genre-specific events like recipe contests and DIY/crafting challenges. No matter what your blogging interest or how much time you have to spend, there’s bound to be an event that works for your blog and schedule.

  • If you run an event, please submit a listing! The more events listed, the more useful this page becomes — and that means we need you to participate. Fill out the submission form, and our editors will add your listing to the page. Along with the page, we’ll highlight events via Twitter and the Daily Post Digest — a great opportunity to expand your event.

Please feel free to share these links far and wide — share the listings with your communities, and the submission form with any bloggers you know who run events. This isn’t limited to WordPress.com bloggers; anyone can submit a listing. The more blogging, the merrier!

We love seeing your writing and photo challenge entries every week, and we can see you visiting and commenting on one another’s sites, which is fantastic. If you want to take it a step further, try another event or challenge — it will grow your audience and your blogging prowess.

*I know, there are none listed in this category yet. Maybe yours could be the first! We’ve got our first one! Fashion bloggers, rejoice.

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  4. I was just on the page to submit a blogging event after reviewing some of the events already posted. There was one blog I came across with a Start Date and an End Date, but on the form there is only an Event Deadline. How do I go about getting a Start and End Date to show?

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    1. Note them in the open field for the instructions/description, and I’ll be sure to add it. If you have a logo/badge, note that there as well, and I’ll be in touch to get it from you.

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  5. There’s a tried and true formula that I discovered over my years in the art world, attracting buyers, fans, followers (etc.); it has never failed, and I discovered it by doing what I do anyway, which is supporting my fellow artists and leaving in-depth feedback on their work.

    Formula:

    Take time for others, always. Never leave “drive-by comments”. Give a damn. Make sure they know you give a damn. Never leave a comment for reciprocal comments- this cuts the heart out of the message and your intentions become self-serving, and your comments, shallow. Support others.This formula is the key to success,and gaining followers or readers and it does not fail.

    This has been a catalyst for my own personal successes. My own blog is nothing more than a diary, and I try to not mix audiences. It’s a place I go to hide, really, and get away from the mad scramblings of the art world (every artist/writer, etc. needs their down time and special places away from the world.) So, that said, do not let the small audience of my “blog diary” take away from my meaning and words here- my small blog following is quite intentional, as every successful person knows that it is loads of work maintaining a following/audience, etc.!

    Gaining followers is easy- entertaining them a “job”, and keeping them is always a dance that one must do on a daily stage, without stopping.

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    3. I am a baby a baby to the blogging world. What you have written here is so absolutely true. Rather than calling it a “formula”, I’d say this should be a belief. This is something I firmly believe in. Show interest and interest shall be shown.
      🙂

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      1. Absolutely. I spent 5 years at a music site, critiquing and reviewing other musicians and their songs/work, followed by an additional 7 years at an art site (Australia’s largest) critiquing and reviewing painters, writers, and other (fellow) artists. No matter where I went, I had people following me- and lots of them. People would ask me why I had hundreds of comments on my work (photos/art) and they wanted to know how they too could have hundreds of comments and views. (They didn’t factor in that I had been doing this for years.) But what set me apart from others was that I put others before myself. That’s it! I took time every day to appreciate their work, commenting- not only that- but really connecting with them “about their work”. There’s no “magic button”- it’s HARD WORK. And really, you get back what you put in- always.

        People get greedy though- it’s our nature as human beings. But you have to work for that! Everything has its price and for me, it all comes down to weighing out things in the balance: what do I want more- notoriety, or a little peace of mind? A decade ago the answer was definitely notoriety. These days, a quiet place to watch the clouds. :0)

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      2. Wow.
        That is impressive, to say the least. Here in India, it is difficult to pursue a career like yours. I am perusing through your blog and it is beautiful.
        So glad i scrolled down and found your comment!

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      3. Likewise, Shreyapunj. :0)

        It’s a pleasure to meet you (and the others here) and I hope that you have, above all, happiness- blogging or not. You’re a great writer though; I enjoyed your post about “finding focus” and left some feedback there.

        I hope to someday come to India, but if it’s not in the cards, perhaps I can live there from time to time (vicariously) through your blog. Thanks for that. :0)

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    4. This is great! Thank you! I think your formula is spot on. I am new to the blogging world and seem to have trouble setting aside time for interacting with other people’s blogs. Your “Gaining followers is easy- entertaining them a “job”,…” is a better way for me to understand the way blogging actually works. I look forward to reading your work!

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      1. Hey, SandC, glad you could glean something helpful from it. Again, don’t use my blog as a reference (I don’t promote it at all and few of my art friends know about it) but here is an example of how to gain an audience- it’s one of the pics I uploaded- again, I’m not doing this to promote my work- God forbid. That takes a lot of work! (I’m a full-time student carrying 5 classes at the moment- no time for self-promos!) If it doesn’t link, you can copy and paste this:

        http://www.redbubble.com/people/birgittalindsey/works/8396564-the-longest-dream

        There are 176 comments there, and very few of them are my own. Why did I receive 176 comments? Because I’m really talented? Because people love me? (Hardly!) I do know my friends love me- of course they do. :0) But a person doesn’t have people “pouring in and commenting” as if by magic. To the average person, it looks like I can upload a pic and receive loads of attention- just on its own. But this is not the way things are.

        I’ve spent a good many years building up an audience- a repoire- it’s what any person must do if he or she wants to gain a following of any kind.

        It sure does take the sparkle out of things and I’m being a bit of a whistle-blower here, but there’s no magic here, again. It takes a lot of work and especially, time. If you want a following or audience, for even a blog- then you’re going to absolutely HAVE to take the time out for others, commenting, connecting, building up your network. Otherwise, there will be crickets chirping.

        The more you put others before yourself- the bigger your audience will be. Always remember that. (Very simple.) :0)

        Hope this helps!
        xo

        -Birgitta

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      2. Yes. This helps! Thank you so much. I look forward to reading more of your work and seeing some of your art! I have multiple part time jobs and am apying to a few graduate school programs. My day job is a bit taxing, but I have enough time after work to chill and read before the evening job. Thanks for being a blog-inspiration!

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  6. Fantastic idea. I have a potential event which I will attempt (technology being my Achilles Heel!) to hoick up on to the page! Watch this space – but don’t hold your breath!!! Alienora

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  12. Great idea. I’m reposting? this on my own blog and hopefully one of these days I can come up with some kind of event myself. THEN will have to figure out the details of HOW to do it. I am still trying to figure out how to get my calendar widget to work right. Love your helpful hints 😉

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  19. This sounds like a fantastic way for people to boost their blog readership. 🙂 I’m not sure I’ll have the time to take part in any of these events as I have more ideas for blog posts than time to write them but I know a few people who’d love this. 🙂

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  20. This site was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Thank you!

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  22. Thank you for this. My readership seems to be drying up a bit lately – I’m posting daily, but going by stats, people just hit like without reading. I didn’t even know you could do events and the like, so I’m off to check out the fiction section! Thanks again 🙂

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  24. Thank you for this information. I did not even think about looking for blogging events. Also, this my first comment on wp.com, so don’t know if it will work.

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  27. Now, you’ve complicated things. I suppose I could rummage through the list of “wonder what I can post” guidelines, and follow yet ANOTHER set of rules that people like me hate following to begin with. Just when you learn the rungs of a red-tape system, they change. On purpose. To get the floor wet underneath you. That’s okay. I’ll see what I can come up with. In the meantime, fuck you.

    But thanks for the inspiration.

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  28. There are two factors that stop people posting on your blog.
    1/They are lazy, they may read part or all of your blog and just cannot be arsed leaving a comment. Don’t be lazy, because you will miss out out on the rewards it can bring. You comment the blog owner will visit you. Yes folk its that easy so don’t be lazy.

    2/Make sure you are not lazy, visit blogs, read comments in the community pool, be humble, there will ALWAYS be a better writer, poet, photographer, story teller then you, you are not the best thing since sliced bread. So get off your high horse and share share share that is the only way this is all going to work.

    btw always answer a comment with comment even if its just a ‘thank you for visiting’

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