All content creators are familiar with the struggle to get their work noticed. That's why we need all the help we can get and are appreciative of even the smallest gesture.
The good news is that it's really easy to support other bloggers, youtubers and anyone else who creates free content for you online, and you don't have to spend any money in the process. Here are some ways - that won't cost you a penny - to support your favourite creators across the most popular platforms.
Blogs
There are so many ways to support a blogger on their own site.
- Start by following their blog so you'll be notified whenever they publish a new post.
- Like and comment on their posts. Write a comment which shows you did actually read the post, rather than leaving a generic "Great post!".
- Share their content on social media. Most blogs have buttons on each post which enable you to share it on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and by email. Many bloggers will also create a pin for you to share on Pinterest.
- Don't just read one post and then leave. Stay for a few minutes and click on a few links around their site. This will help decrease their bounce rate.
- If you're buying a product anyway, use their affiliate links. It doesn't cost you any extra and means a lot to a blogger. We have costs associated with running a blog (hosting fees etc) and anything we can make towards it helps.
- Subscribe to their email list (and actually open the emails when they arrive).
YouTube
You can help youtubers in much the same way as bloggers.
- Subscribe to their channel and click the notification bell to be notified whenever they upload.
- Comment on and like (or 'thumbs up') their videos.
- Share their content across other social media platforms.
- Click on the ads, or at least watch the first 30 seconds. Youtubers only get paid by AdSense if viewers interact with their ads in some way (you don't necessarily have to buy anything).
- Binge watch their videos. The more videos you watch, the more important YouTube will think they are and be more likely to recommend their content to you and other people.
Social Media
Every creator is on at least one social media platform nowadays (and if they aren't, they really should be because they're missing out on a goldmine of potential promotion). Here's how to support them on the most popular sites:
Twitter:
- Interact with their tweets. Like, retweet and reply to their posts.
- Give them a shoutout. You could make a thread of your favourite creators who you think people should follow or just send out a quick #FollowFriday tweet.
Instagram:
- Interact with their posts. Like and comment on their photos - the way the algorithm works is that the more interaction someone's content gets, the more reach it achieves, meaning Instagram will show it to more people. Also, the more you interact with someone, the more posts of theirs you'll see. People you interact with the most will appear at the top of your feed when you log in.
- Watch their stories. And watch the whole story. You can see who has watched your insta story, which means you can tell who has swiped away after one or two slides. Even if you're not interested in that particular story, quickly flicking through it is better than just leaving. You can also reply or react to their story if something in it has interested you or you have something to say.
Pinterest:
- Share their pins on your (relevant) boards.
- Join group boards where you pin each other's content.
As you've probably realised, engagement is key. It's the most effective way to support a creator and help get their work seen by more people. And the more support you show to others, the more support you're going to receive in return...it's just good karma.
Do you have anything to add to this list? How do you support your favourite content creators?
Let's get social!
