If you’ve been around social media very long you’ve found a few bloggers you like and probably a few you hate. We live in an age where we are overwhelmed daily by content. It can be hard to sift through it all or to think about the people behind the words.
Most writers are very passionate about the written word, which is why we devote so much time to it, whether we are being paid or not. I love the opportunity to support authors whose work I feel passionate about and bloggers whose words I find inspiring and helpful.
But how do I let them know how much I appreciate them?
How can I use my limited financial resources to help support their great work?
Like Their Posts and Share
Just liking a post on social media and then sharing (pinning or retweeting as the case may be) is very important. Because social media algorithms are constantly changing and there is so much competition out there just to be seen.
For a blogger, traffic equals growth. You can have the best written, most encouraging posts out there, but if no one sees them, you won’t gain readers. This is the unfortunate nature of the internet.
You can also provide additional support by following their pages on Facebook and inviting others you think would be interested to follow as well.
I recently shared the Five Minute Friday Facebook page with our writer’s group and they were happy to begin following it and already mentioned how much they have enjoyed some of the articles. The more you interact with a blogger you like on social media (following, liking and sharing posts, commenting, etc.) the more potential readers will see their posts.
Shop Using Their Affiliate Links
Sometimes there will be extra code embedded in articles or links shared on social media that are called affiliate links. This means that if you click that link, and then make a purchase, the blogger who shared it with you will get a, usually small, percentage as a bonus.
This costs you, the shopper, nothing and for the blogger this usually helps a lot. For big time bloggers, this is a major source of monthly income. For smaller bloggers like me, it provides an essential influx of funding to help us grow and pay for things like website hosting and design work.
When you shop on a website, like Amazon.com (chances are you were going to buy stuff anyway because let’s face it, it’s Amazon) and you click on an affiliate link of a blogger, you are helping to support a small business with no additional cost to you.
Sometimes this payment comes to a blogger through store credit or gift cards, other times it’s cash. In my family, this is how we pay for the extra things like the occasional meal out and sometimes even essential things we just can’t afford otherwise, like medical and therapy bills for our kids.
Buy Their Products
Not all bloggers have products, but some of us do. Books, e-courses, planners, lessons plans, the list goes on. If the product isn’t something you personally need or would use, consider purchasing as a gift. My only official product currently is my Advent devotional, As We Wait. Since it’s seasonal, I don’t push it all year round.
Hopefully in the next year or two, I’ll be launching my second book, at Lenten devotional. When I sell these through my blog, it helps me to be able to devote more time to my writing and blogging.
Your Support Makes a Difference
Supporting a blogger is yet another way to support a small business. These aren’t faceless corporations which, like it or not, most of us in the United States purchase from at least some of the time in our daily lives without thinking twice. These are real people, and real families who have put themselves and their words out there. Most of the time, this isn’t a full time income, though in some lucky cases it is. Many of us are just trying to scrape together a little bit extra to justify all the hours we pour into sharing our words, something we would do whether we were getting paid or not.
SO GOOD!!! I love this! Thank you for writing it.
Misty, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!