Last Updated on January 10, 2022 by James McAllister

By: James McAllister

11 Comments

Networking with other bloggers in your niche can be extremely powerful. You do not specialize in everything, and there are areas where other bloggers could not only help you grow as an expert in your niche, but provide more value to your readers as well.

Not to mention, networking tends to benefit both parties and allows you to leverage other blogger’s audiences to skyrocket your own growth. There are more blogs than ever competing for your reader’s attention, so you’ll definitely want to make as many friends as you can! For those who are struggling to reach out to other bloggers, here is a step-by-step system that has proven to be very successful. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution for blogger outreach, these tips are solid. 

1. Be Proactive

When I first started blogging, I made the mistake of expecting other people to reach out to me. Needless to say, I sat back and waited months before I ever heard from anybody. Had I been proactive and actively started networking with others myself, I’d have made progress a lot sooner.

It’s very important to realize that unless you’re already a major authority in your niche, most people will not have any real benefit of reaching out to you themselves. The real authorities already have the traffic and connections they need. Unless you are more authoritative and can provide even more value to them, people probably aren’t going to bother reaching out to you from out of nowhere.

That’s not to say that networking with authoritative bloggers is impossible. In fact, it’s not hard – you just have to approach them yourself rather than waiting for them to approach you, because it will probably never happen.

2. Visit Them On Their Blog

To make a connection with somebody, they’ve first got to know that you actually exist. One of the greatest ways to do this is to provide value to them in the form of a blog comment. I don’t know about you, but most people I’ve talked to absolutely love it when readers take the time to leave a comment on one of their articles.

Here’s the thing – you’ve got to leave comments that are memorable. This is especially true if you’re trying to network with a blogger who is already an authority figure, and has lots of commenters already. This means leaving genuinely helpful comments on a consistent basis. Don’t just comment on an article once and then disappear – add their blog to your favorite RSS feed reader and comment on every new article they publish. Few people have that sort of dedication, and if you’re consistent, it’s just about guaranteed the blogger will begin to remember who you are.

3. Escalate Your Conversations To Email And Provide Value To Them In Some Shape Or Form

This step is very important. Do not make the mistake of doing nothing but commenting on their articles for months on end. While you should certainly continue to do this as much as you can, there’s got to be a point where you take things a bit further, and contact them on a more personal platform such as email. Almost every genuine blogger has their email address publicly available, and you should not hesitate to contact them personally if you feel it would be mutually beneficial.

If possible, provide value in someway with your email. If you can’t think of anything, just ask if there’s anything you can do for them.

“I really enjoy the content you’ve shared with me on your blog, is there anything I can personally help you with in return for knowledge you’ve given me?” 

Even if there’s nothing you can help them with, the fact that you were willing to help them is enough to make you stand out in most people’s eyes. Watch out though – there is a difference between being nice and sucking up.

4. Leverage Your Areas Of Expertise

Great partnerships are mutually beneficial for most parties. Again, different people excel in different areas. Chances are, there is something you are better at than the person you’re trying to connect with. Ideally, your strengths will be their weaknesses, and vice-versa. If you are able to help them or provide additional insight in an area where you are truly an expert, you can bet that they’d be willing to do the same should that time ever come.

5. Network With People BEFORE You Need Their Help!

This is also extremely important, which is why I saved it for last. I can not tell you the number of times people have come to me, seeming like they were genuinely interested in becoming friends. A few days later, I get an email from them asking me to do some ridiculous task for them. It really makes you wonder if they ever had any real interest in networking with you in the first place, or if they just wanted to use you for free labor.

Always be willing to give without receiving. You never know when you’ll need somebody’s help, and that time can come up at any moment. You want a group of friends that are willing to help you out when that time comes, but you’ll have a hard time making friends at all when you expect them to do things for you as soon as you meet them!

Conclusion

Having the right people on your side can not only skyrocket the growth of your blog, but boost almost every aspect of your business in unimaginable ways. I want you to start networking with somebody new this week. You’ll never know the opportunities it may bring to you!

About the author 

James McAllister

James is the owner of JamesMcAllisterOnline.com. He started his first blog at the age of 11, and has since gone on to start several successful businesses. In total, these businesses have sold hundreds of thousands of units and have touched millions of lives. Here on JamesMcAllisterOnline.com, he shares his knowledge that brought him to where he is today. If you want to connect with James, follow him on your favorite social networks!

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  1. Hey man!

    Being proactive is important. Well, for starters not everyone is going to say “hello” back to you.

    But if you keep trying constantly, you will find the breakthrough.

    Good job and thanks for sharing man! Shared!

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    1. Hey Reginald! Long time no see huh?

      Yeah, I’ve had that same experience, especially when talking with new people for the first time. When I’m emailing new bloggers or trying to recruit affiliates most people don’t even respond. Then again, they aren’t too active with their websites either. Ultimately it doesn’t matter because those aren’t the type of people we want to network with anyway right?

      I suppose I need to take my own advice – it’s taken me ages to get around to replying to the comments on this post. Sorry about that!

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  2. Hi James,
    I agree with you that networking can be powerful, especially for a beginning blogger. In my experience, networking is often the difference between a successful blog and a doomed ghost-town blog. The reason for this is simple: When an influential blogger recommends you, he/she drives tens of thousands of people to your website. Getting this sort of traffic any other way is extremely hard and expensive.

    What I normally advise people to do is first determine the niche they want to blog on. Then find 10 to 20 influential bloggers in that niche. Blogging communities like DoSplash and BlogEngage can help with this. Then they should spend 20% of their time blogging and the remaining 80% networking with these influential bloggers. And, like you mentioned, one of the best ways to catch an influential blogger’s attention is to drop a memorable comment on their blogs consistently.

    I love the tip about reaching out through email, after consistently commenting. That takes the relationship a step further, especially when you reach out a helping hand instead of asking for a favour (as you pointed out)

    Lovely article James. I do enjoy reading your articles, though this is the first time I am commenting on your blog. I must have been shy all this while ;). Keep up the good work!

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    1. Hi Chioma! Thank you so much for commenting on this article and it’s great to meet you. I feel bad because usually I respond to comments the same day I get them, but I have been so busy I’m just now getting around to it.

      You’re absolutely right. Many newbies do it backwards, and I was one of those people. I spent 80% of my time writing content and 20% marketing and networking, if that. A big mistake for sure, and what use is a ton of content if nobody is reading it right?

      I actually haven’t been on DoSplash or BlogEngage before, I will definitely have to check those out. Thanks for bringing them to my attention!

      It’s great to talk with you Chioma and I hope to talk with you again soon!

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  3. Hi James,

    #5 is HUGE!

    I speak to a few struggling bloggers daily, and they refuse to network because they have no product or service to offer yet. Flawed logic. Build the network FIRST, then when you have the product or service, your buddies will help promote it, will endorse it and will open so many doors for you, it’ll make your head spin in an awesome, awesome way. It’s quite amazing how friends – and influential ones at that – make our lives so much easier.

    Dead on post James!

    Ryan

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    1. Absolutely Ryan!

      Networking is mutually beneficial and both parties win. These relationships tend to improve as time goes on, so why wait until you have something prepared to start? That’s just delaying success in my eyes. I’d rather have lots of friends as I’m developing a product than have a finished product with no sales. Not to say that you need to network to sell your product, but having people to help you out when you need them certainly makes it easier.

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    1. Hey Dennis!

      Oh yeah, failing to email people was a big mistake on my part for a long time so I just had to include it. It goes hand in hand with being proactive – before, I waited for people to email me. These days it’s usually the other way around. There are so many bloggers out there today that if you don’t go out of your way to get someone’s attention, somebody else will. That’s the way I see it anyway.

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  4. Hey James,

    What great advice you’ve shared and I for one definitely know this works well.

    I know that a lot of new bloggers are very intimidated by reaching out to others but when this is done correctly it can really benefit them and trust me, in turn will benefit those you’re reaching out to.

    I actually agree with what Chioma said as well that people who find 10 to 20 blogs in their niche and just do what you shared here. Subscribe to their blog, religiously read their content and promote it and start making those connections with those bloggers. Only time will tell as to how well that will work but we have to start somewhere and none of us can do this alone.

    Great share, thanks for your words of wisdom my friend and hope you’re having a wonderful week.

    ~Adrienne

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    1. Hi Adrienne! Sorry for the slow response, I’ve been busier than ever.

      I was one of those bloggers that was afraid to reach out to others, but ultimately it just ended up hurting myself. Networking only happened when people reached out to me, and that didn’t happen nearly as often as I would have liked it to.

      You and Chioma hit the nail on the head. If you selflessly provide value to someone, they may end up providing value to you in return. It’s mutually beneficial and that’s why everyone should be networking with people when it makes sense for both parties. As you said, we can’t do this alone. Our line of work revolves around working with people so hiding away only makes it more challenging.

      Great to talk to you again Adrienne, have a good one!

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