Recent findings of a mad (WordPress) research scientist (aka, Newbie Blogger) reveal true confessions from a blogger who had gone rogue as a Prompt Queen.
It is a helluva revolutionary story, let me tell you…
It all started on January 2, 2018, in a small lab office in rural Wisconsin. A lovely young mature newbie blogger research scientist was gathering data for a scientific discovery mission about the ebb and flow of blog followers and if there is any correlation to prompt usage.
Yeah…Right! I know!… You’re dying to know the answer to the mystery every newbie blogger wants to know, RIGHT?
Us newbies want the quick answer on how to grow followers!
This research scientist gal tracked it all, in a daily word document. Every post, every follower, every prompt she used to see what happened or if there was a clear path to growing followers. Researchers love data!
1/7/2018 blog following # = 37 Followers
Every morning, she painstakingly took a screen capture of the followers she had that were added, and yes, she even made note of those who left.
Her research found that followers have one of three patterns.
- They click to follow you to get you to follow them and then they unfollow you.
- They click to follow you because they want you to follow them and they stay followers.
- They click to follow you because they like you and want to follow you, no ulterior motives.
That month she stumbled upon the WordPress daily prompts, photography prompts, other famous bloggers with writing prompt linked to their websites, and she started sharing her posts on Facebook for her friends there to read.
She gave it her all, loaded every morning routine with caffeine – she was going to discover the answer, become famous, all while being the boss of her blog followers, one way or another.
Gotta love her determination, right?
All those activities did help grow followers. She was even nominated for a Liebster Award. Accepted it that day, and then the next day discovered Awards were not her thing. Then she posted her confession to using click bait to get followers. On that post alone, she used 4 different links to WordPress daily word prompts. For those of you newbies, it was a thing back then and then they took it away.
Before it went away, she took a dip into what was called the WordPress Community Pool, with little success. Talk about a huge abyss…way too many bloggers vying for attention and it sucked up a lot of time for very little return. She does recall the weekly photography challenge as valuable for meeting other photography bloggers, though. But that is gone too.
Blogging prompts do come and go…that is a fact!
But she continued on with using word prompts from some of her favorite blogs she follows. And she ventured off into Facebook by submitting posts to the local chamber and she posted to a Facebook group that she joined in February.
1/31/2018 blog following # = 74 Followers
February 2, 2018, she decided to try out her own blog prompt. Why the heck not, it seems to work for others? It was a dismal failure for getting participants. She had fun, but she wasn’t big enough or popular enough to make it to the Queen of Prompt sharing status.
But she had more fun that month because she was writing about what she was interested in, and she received more comments on those posts, and she enjoyed the camaraderie of blogging.
And her followers grew.
She confesses to pulling some crappy moves of desperation, like being a #2 type of follower, to get followers – you know, just to test the theory out. She only once stopped the following of someone, because, YES, she paid that close of attention to followers.
She saw it happen right before her eyes, aka, The Dance of the Phantom Follower. He clicked follow on her blog, she clicked follow on his, and he clicked unfollow hers all in one day. So she unfollowed the dude the next day. Now she doesn’t even pay attention to those type, it’s not worth the effort to worry about it. It happens.
Her obnoxiousness (desperation) began to take over her thinking. Here’s a data entry from early February.
A few days later, she shared a post with the local chamber that increased followers again, so she thought, “Why not give it your all and try every posting spot possible (except for Twitter, SnapChat, Instagram, etc.).”
The very next day, she became Queen of her blog for a day. She had only used 2 word prompts that day, but she shared a post that resonated with people on Facebook, not on WordPress.
She discovered that pingbacks to the blogging prompt on a fellow blogger website does help grow WordPress followers, but that doesn’t measure other potential or actual followers who read the post.
After feeling exhausted from all the ‘throw every trick in the book’ at her blog growth, she lost steam…it was a mad scientist crazy a** journey off into randomness. She felt she had lost control of her blog.
But her followers did continue to grow. Dammit…now what?
2/26/2018 blog following # = 100 Followers
After the discovery that she didn’t enjoy all the random acts of ‘follow me please’, her blogging journey changed. All the different attempts at prompts started to drive her mad.
She took off the Mad Scientist hat. She had discovered enough proof to relinquished the title of Rogue Prompt Queen, and now only makes guest appearances if the prompt fits what she’s writing about that day. And some days (like today) there is only one…the one she chose to use.
Is she happier since giving up the Rogue Prompt Queen status?
Yes! –
But…don’t take that Yes! of hers wrong. The WordPress community of bloggers is special to her, so she hasn’t given up using word prompts. She simply wants her blog to be something more than WP word prompts alone. She joins prompts when they fit, not to increase her readership. She enjoys any and all opportunities that increase camaraderie with fellow bloggers.
What is her confession advice to any newbie blogger?
“Don’t waste your energy on rogue word prompt pursuits, just be yourself. Your readership will slowly grow if you take that route, sorry, it’s just simple math. Be nice to those who comment and remember to comment back on their blogs. Play fair, don’t be a Phantom Follower. And most of all, your followers will grow through your efforts of talking with other people you meet here in the blogosphere.”
Post Inspiration – #MyBlogMyWritingStyle – 30 Day Blogging Challenge (rules here) word prompt – Prompts and the question of the day – “What prompts you to keep blogging?”
PS – Have you ever been a mad scientist for a day? What is your best advice to newbie bloggers?
Wow, Shelley! No, I don’t and probably never will put as much effort into trying to increase my following as that dedicated, diligent Mad Scientist did. Hell, I don’t even put much thought into how to do so. I just blog because I enjoy it; in fact, very quickly came to love it once I started doing it regularly.
As for advice, yours is great. The only thing I would add is: if you have followed a Blogger for a period of time, and you’re increasingly realizing that you consistently do not like that Blogger’s posts and especially if you find yourself wanting to respond to them with unsympathetic or unsupportive comments, don’t be afraid to stop following them.
One of my mostly strongly held beliefs/guiding principles is, “Life is too short for (or to)…” For example, books. I have precious little free time and LOVE to read. If I start a book and am having trouble getting into it or find myself thinking, after every few pages, maybe it’ll get better soon, it’s time to drop it like a hot potato. Same thing with blogs.
I appreciate you sharing your thoughts, advice, and wisdom like this periodically. But I gotta admit, I most love your beautiful photo-filled posts.
Take care, be well, and keep up the great work!
Denny
Thank you, Denny – Sometimes being alone in the lab isn’t a good thing for inquiring minds like the Mad Scientist! LOL! Not only do I appreciate you for sharing your advice, but I also appreciate your words of encouragement and feedback on what posts you enjoy the most! You’re right…life is too short for (or to)…! Ditto to you, take care, be well, and keep up the great work!
I’m always a bit of a mad scientist, although I’m more of a lazy programmer, i.e. will spend an hour writing and testing a program that might save 30 seconds a day.
Advice to new bloggers? Write what you like and like what you write. If you don’t like what you write, few others will.
LOL – once a programmer, always a programmer! That’s excellent advice, thank you for sharing John!!
Such a cute post – way to much work to try to grow. I am just pulling in with like minded people and not really worried about growing. Although I am really getting in with all of the photo bloggers. Amazing pictures. Love you sky.
Thanks, Anita! Yes, photography bloggers share such gorgeous photos…they always inspire me to keep trying with my photography! Thanks on the morning sky photo…the colors that morning made everything glow, it was awe-inspiring in person, I wish the photo could do it as much justice as being in person looking at it did.
Gorgeous photo at the top! I enjoyed the story of the mad scientist as well. Very cute.
Thank you, glad to read you enjoyed both :-)!
Hello Shelley, sorry it’s been awhile! This is great! I’ve really found the best way to get and keep a lot of your followers is, read other blogs and genuinely post comments. Be active! It sucks when life takes over and we can’t as much but be sure to check back in😉.
Aw, no worries, I completely understand! Sorry for delay in responding, too. Yes, moments in life can certainly can and do take over. I appreciate you stopping by to say hi and share your feedback. I hope all is well with you! I’m going to start planning my spring garden now, so we can enjoy herbs next year.