How to Grow Your Blog: 52 Mantels

Oh my goodness!! This is THE LAST post of my How to Grow Your Blog series! I'm so sad but I'm so glad I did it and I'm super appreciative of all the bloggers who participated. 

Here's a recap of who we had on the series:

One Artsy Mama

 Rae Gun Ramblings
The Crafty Scientist
Creatively Living
A Pumpkin & A Princess

And today for our last installment, we'll hear from Emily at 52 Mantels!
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So, you've started a blog.

You've baked, crafted, painted or glued yourself a lovely post.

You've spent hours photographing, editing, writing your work.

With great excitement, you hit publish.

...and nothing. 

Sound familiar?? Every blogger has been there. And, every blogger has, at some point, wondered if anyone is even kinda interested in their compelling and brilliant tutorials for (insert your own mega-awesome expertise here). The thing is, people ARE interested. But, in the big ol' world wide web, how will they ever find you?? 

Hello, link parties! If you don't know what a link party is, let me start from the beginning..

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Link parties are set up by a host blogger (or several host bloggers!) in order for people to showcase their projects. Many link parties are for particular topics: recipes, crafts, tips, etc and many are open to any and all posts. Some are weekly, some are monthly and some are seasonally. Typically, the host blogger pays a fee to have the link party on their site.

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Essentially, link parties allow you to place a small ad for your blog on someone else's blog. Free advertisement! And, that small ad puts your work in front of an entirely new readership. Imagine you link up one project to a different link party every single day for a week. That's 7 new audiences that get to see your project. It's simple, it's quick...it's free advertisement! The host blog benefits in giving their readers an enormous amount of inspiration in one, single post. Win-win!

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A few things to keep in mind when linking up:

1) Remember...you are a GUEST. Play by the rules of the host, be polite and make sure to visit other party goers. It's tempting to hop on, link up and hop off...but, by doing that, you aren't respecting your fellow linkers OR your host blog. To be a great guest, link up, leave a thank you for hosting comment and then visit a few other links that catch your eye!

2) Pick an image that is eye catching...and shows off your best work! Instead of choosing a photograph that highlights your before, choose an awesome after picture to draw people in! Remember, you only get one shot to make an impression. Rock it with a great picture. If I have a large room reveal or a post with a lot of detailed pictures, I'll choose one eye-catching shot that leaves the viewer wanting to see more!

3) Give your link a catchy title, using popular key words. DIY, Easy, Quick, Tutorial, Before/After: these are words that catch MY attention! Keywords let the viewer know what to expect. I'm more likely to follow a link if I think I'll get an awesome tutorial from it! What catches your eye at a link party? Think about it, maybe jot down some notes and then start trying things out! It's all about trial and error, after all. Find out what works for YOU!

4) In Link Party land, being fashionably late is NOT your best bet. Seriously. The most viewed links at my weekly link party are almost always in the top fourth of the entries. If you can figure out when a link party opens, make the effort to get there early!

For a list of great link parties, check out the list I've gathered here.

And, of course, I'd love for you to hop over to my weekly link party called Thursdays are YOUR Days (which I tend to open up on Wednesday evening).

Happy linking!

You can find Emily at 52 Mantels a blog about all things home, including weekly mantel makeovers, seasonal crafts, easy recipes and simple DIY projects. Come over for a visit!