Blog parties are not just for newbies. All bloggers benefit from them. Some busy bloggers have dropped out from “partying” for lack of time but let me tell you that I have seen a recent upsurge of the most popular mom blogs who are now regularly attending my Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.

They may be stopping by themselves or, more likely, they are paying a virtual assistant to do it for them — but, think of it, the VALUE in attending blog hops is big enough for them to pay someone to do it.  Hmmm. Stop one moment and let that sink in. Blog parties should be part of your plan.

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Now, here are 3 ways that participating in blog hops / link parties increase your traffic:

1. Sharing your posts is like placing a free advertisement on someone else’s blog. You are guaranteed numerous opportunities for the guests to click on your post at no charge at all. Some parties have multiple hosts, increasing the possibilities of views by that number of participating blogs. The two parties I host have 10 blogs each. Ten times the exposure!

2. Be an active visitor. Actively participating in the parties at VERY LEAST gets you seen by the hosts! “Actively” means that you do not just “post and run.” You interact with others. When you leave a comment on the blog party every week, thanking her for hosting, she gets to know you. I surely remember the ones who comment regularly on mine. Being specific in your comments could get a click from that host, as well. How about saying something like:  “Thanks so much for the great party. Today I shared my recipe for yummy mini pecan pie!”

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Guess what I do as the host? I answer your comment and scan the entries to find “yummy mini pecan pie.” Often, I pin it. If it is a recipe, I yum it, too. If I have extra time, I may even leave a reciprocal comment on your blog post.

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Hosting can be a lonely business. As party hosts, we appreciate YOU appreciating OUR hard work – it takes time to put these parties together every week – and many hosts will show you some extra TLC in return!

Not every party is the same but for Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop the party features are often determined by what posts received the most clicks. In this case, the “tender loving care” click you just got from me gave you a better chance of leading the pack and gaining a feature. Yippee!

As a side note, actively participating by commenting on the blogs of other guests gains notice, as well. “What goes around comes around.” Tell them you just LOVED that cute craft and had to pin it 2 TIMES – or some other encouraging words. They are not obligated but it could get you some “thank you” pins or tweets on your own work as well. 

3.Attending blog parties gives you LOTS of material to share. Social media thrives on people sharing each other’s work. Check out the most popular mom-blogger X pages. They retweet constantly. Often, they will post NEW tweets featuring other people’s work, as well.

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You want X to blossom for you? Do not depend on auto shares from Facebook or Instagram to do it. It is OK to use that tool but when people see pages that are exclusively shares from other sources, and nothing else, that says that the blogger doesn’t visit her own Twitter page.

The same principal applies to all social media. Share and, even though that blogger may not reciprocate, you will get to be known as one whose pages are ALIVE with great things happening.

Pinterest is a huge traffic generator but does not work well if the only thing you share is your own work. Look through the blog hops you attend and pick out a few with fabulous images and titles. Visit them and pin them. They will be blessed and so will you. No harm in leaving a comment to let them know what you just did, either. Want MORE exposure at that very same time? Maximize your efforts by setting your pins to post to Twitter and/or Facebook, too!

Do you know that some people will get ♥heart-flutters♥ when they see that YOU, of all people, are now following them? I remember when a couple of super-bloggers started following me – I was soaring with excitement all day long. I couldn’t believe it. What a boost to my confidence!

Do you have any tips on how blog parties help boost traffic flow to your blog? Please share them with us!

This post is the first of a series. 
Here is part 2:

What is a Blog Hop and Why Do I Care?

BTW… my two ongoing blog hops are Happiness Is Homemade (opens at 8pm ET Saturday evenings) and Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop (starts 7pm ET Tuesday evenings.) If you would like to receive a reminder when each party starts and other occasional updates, sign up for my email list!

Enjoy!