Link Parties for Newbies
You may have noticed a footer on certain posts here (and other blogs you’re reading) linking back to a different blog and wondered what that was about. Most of the time it means that post has been entered into a link party. People who I would call professional bloggers host them and join them ALL THE TIME. I am not such a blogger, but have come to understand and love the excitement that is a link party and wanted to share it with you.
Today we’re talking about link parties for newbies
(PS – you don’t have to be a blogger to keep reading)!
What is a link party?
Think of a link party as an invitation from a host blog to other bloggers to share a post on the host blogger’s site. Parties vary by blog but here are a few things most have in common:
- Most parties happen weekly (i.e. every Monday), ask for a specific type of post contribution (i.e. show me your latest tutorial, recipe, photograph, etc.), and are open for link submissions for a set amount of time (i.e. the party begins on Monday and will end Tuesday night).
- To participate, most host bloggers ask that you include a link in your post to the party (that’s what the hyperlinks and/or graphic buttons you may or may not have noticed are there for), to view and comment on other people’s contributed posts (gotta spread the love!), and to follow their blog (so you remember to come back).
- Most parties are concluded with a special feature post of the host blog’s favorite picks or the party’s most clicked links (which is pretty exciting if you are one of the special features!).
Who can participate in a link party?
Both bloggers and non-bloggers can participate in a link party. Bloggers benefit from the ability to share their work with a larger/different audience and hopefully learn something new from the idea share. Non-bloggers surfing the web are able to enjoy lots of what they love in one place (if you’re a recipe aficionado think of what a great recipe link party could do for your weekly meal plan!?).
How do link parties work?
Most link parties are powered by a web linking service such as inLinkz or Linky Tools.
- Host bloggers sign up for an account (which is usually free or a very minimal monthly charge), create their party at the linking service site, and insert HTML coding into their post to enable the link party to go live on their site.
- When a contributing blogger submits a post to a link party they are generally prompted to provide their name, email, a post name, a post link and in some cases a picture to successfully complete their entry.
- Visitors to the host blog are able to browse all of the links in a party and are re-directed to the contributing blogger’s site where they can read the submitted post.
Where can I go to find link parties that might be of interest to me?
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Lots of bloggers who regularly participate in link parties (and also those professional bloggers I mentioned earlier) have a section on their site that lists where they go to participate in link parties. This is a great resource if you’re just starting out because you already know the type of content that blogger produces on a regular basis.
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I polled a couple of my bloggy friends to find out what parties they link up to and compiled an excel list for you to download and explore. Click for your Link Party List.
If you’re a blogger, you’re probably going to gravitate towards a certain type of link party based on the content you produce. It may take a while to find the parties you feel most comfortable at – but that’s part of the fun – and one of the best ways to make bloggy friends ;).
To all the non-bloggers out there, take advantage of all the creative energy that lies in the linky. It’s fabulous!
I want to extend a special thank you to all the ladies who helped contribute to today’s post. They are fantastic bloggers and friends. Stop by and say hello!
Amy from Sugar and Spice | Hosts Drab 2 Fab on Fridays
Mindy from a {day} with lil mama stuart
Paige from The Creative Paige | Hosts Creative Genius Party on Fridays
Chrissy from Boerman Ramblings | Hosts Tuesday Treasury Link Up and Friday Coffee Date Series
Heather & Chrissy from It’s Our Long Story | Hosts One Little Word Wednesday
Sarah from Fontenot Four | Hosts Thankful Thursdays