Blogger linkup tips

As you can see from my list of blogger linkups on my left sidebar, I do a lot of linkups - chances are pretty good that you originally found my blog from a linkup at another blog. (If you did, please leave a comment and let me know how you found me!) So I thought I'd take a moment away from the frugal tips and deals to share some of my experience about doing blogger linkups.

What's a blogger linkup? Some bloggers invite other bloggers to come to their blog and enter a link to one of their own posts on a particular subject. This helps the linking bloggers get readers to learn more about their blog, and it helps the linkup blog get more traffic as well. The more, the merrier!

Here's how to get more out of the blogger linkups:

If you're a reader:

Visit as many links as you can that interest you. Enjoy!
Leave a comment to the blogs you visit. We love comments!
Come back each week to your favorite linkups and check out your blogs you've read before, as well as some new ones.
If you like a blogger you've discovered, consider bookmarking the blog to check again.
Check out other posts on the blog, and consider checking out any of the advertisements or special offers that the blogger displays.

If you're a blogger linking up to another blogger's linkup:

Make sure you link up using the permalink to your blog post, not to your blog's home page.
Make sure you follow the category of the linkup. If it's a recipe linkup, please don't link to a contest; if it's a contest linkup, please don't post a recipe.
Follow any specific rules that the blogger has set up. For instance, some bloggers only want you to post one link per week. Abide by their requests - after all, it's like you're visiting their home, so play by their rules.
If there's a specific theme to that week's linkup, follow it, or don't post at all. For instance, if a recipe linkup wants you to only post soup recipes, then do that. If you don't have a soup recipe to link up, skip the linkup that week. Feel free to use older posts to link up, if necessary.
Think about what you want to write for the title of your link - you want readers to be intrigued enough to click on your link. Simply putting your blog name or your name may not get readers to want to click.
For linkups that use photos, make sure you've added a good, interesting photo to your post that will make readers want to click on your link.
Be sure to put a link back to the blogger's linkup in your post or on your home page. Many bloggers provide buttons that you can add. Or, you can use a text link. I link up to the linkup category, if available, so that when I click on the link, I get the latest linkup post.
Don't just hit and run! Check out some of the other posts on the blog. Leave a comment, or check out any of the advertisements or special offers.

If you're running a blog linkup (like Wednesday Weekly Shopping or Frugal Food Thursday):

Post a linkup every week, or however often your linkup occurs. Even if you don't have the time to write your own post, at least put a post up with the link code, so that your readers will be able to check out the links, and so other bloggers can participate.
Create a category for your linkups, so that readers and bloggers can find the linkup quickly.
When you make a new linkup, please put it in the category you've set up. This is a pet peeve of mine - sometimes I've refreshed a page many times over a day, waiting for the blogger to post the next linkup - only to find that the blogger did it earlier in the day, but didn't label it with the linkup category.
Create a blog button for your linkup, so that other bloggers can post a linkback more easily. I have to admit that I haven't done that. It is definitely on my to-do list.
Visit each of the bloggers who link up, and leave a comment thanking them. Another area where I need to do better, I must admit.
Consider adding advertisements or special offers to your blog, so that visiting readers and bloggers can thank you by checking out your offers. Make sure these are easy for them to find.

Hope these tips help you enjoy blogger linkups more! Now I gotta go do some more linkups...