I get it. When you are a new blogger, there is SO much to learn and do! But one of the most important things is to get some traffic flowing to your new blog. That’s why I’m sharing the six best Facebook groups for new bloggers to help you get that all-important early traffic.
Make Money with Facebook Groups for the New Blogger
Facebook itself is not all that helpful for building traffic. Maybe your mom or your aunt will be interested, but for the most part, your Facebook friends are not going to be all that interested in reading or sharing your blog posts. But Facebook groups are a whole different story. These are YOUR PEOPLE and you need to get in there on a daily basis and spend some time engaging with them. And if you do this successfully, you can make money by selling your products and services in the group while still following the rules.
I’ve always said that other bloggers are your BEST SOURCE of help, inspiration, and moral support. That’s why I have an entire category devoted to Blog Conferences. But we are right in the middle of the pandemic, so meeting with large groups of people isn’t going to happen any time soon and a lot of the conference organizers have quit the business. It’s very stressful and not terribly profitable. So, what’s the next best thing – Facebook groups.
Whenever I am stuck on anything, the first place I go is to my Facebook groups. I have a BUNCH of them for different questions and different purposes. A couple of them I pay for, but most are totally free. I won’t list all the specific groups, but here are some types of groups I belong to:
- A couple of Pinterest-specific groups since my business is Pinterest-based
- Virtual Assistant groups (I belong to a very good paid one – here’s a link)
- A Facebook-specific group for creating and running FB pages and ads
- An Email/newsletter group for technical questions about sales funnels and automations
- A group for managing business finances/Quickbooks questions
- A group for women business owners for general business questions
- A WordPress/tech support group for technical questions
- I also do organizing on my lifestyle blog, so I have a couple of organizing groups too
- Plus the six groups listed below
- A group for local bloggers *
* The reason I starred local bloggers is because that is one of the BEST resources for networking, support, and fun! Many of the ladies in my local group have become good friends over the years. I’ve gone on trips with them, been roommates with them at conferences, and attended lots of fun sponsored local events with them. I’ve also taken several on as clients and hired assistants out of this group, so you just never know what can come from these relationships.
My advice – immediately go to Facebook and search for blogger Facebook groups in your state.
Check out my post on how to Introduce Yourself in a Facebook Group It’s got a helpful Canva image you can use.
How to Join a Facebook Group Correctly – Will You be a Shark, a Tuna or a Dolphin?
Before I share the groups with you, I want to be sure you are going to use them in the best way possible. I got this analogy from my friend Chellie Campbell, author of the Wealthy Spirit Book. I’ve been reading her books and her materials for probably 20 years for terrific financial advice in my business. She uses it to describe her business associates and clients, but it fits perfectly within Facebook groups. A see a lot of sad tuna floating around in these groups, encounter a few sharks, and once in a while come across a friendly and helpful dolphin. Let me break it down for you.
SHARKS
As you might guess, you DON’T want to be a shark. Sharks are rule-breakers, me-first types who market aggressively and only offer to help someone if they are going to get paid for it. Here’s an example of a typical shark interaction in one of my groups:
ME: I’m struggling with _______ and I’ve tried all sorts of things and nothing is working. What has worked for you?
SHARK: Oh hey, I can help you with that. Let me send you a copy of my free 60-page Ebook that will help you find the answer to that and many other questions. Or maybe you’d like to buy my consulting package – it’s on special right now for one zillion dollars….
ME: Ummmmm. Nevermind.
Sharks also take advantage of the group rules by leaving their links, but never interacting with others. No time for that, they are in it to MAKE MONEY, not waste time making friends or helping others. What did that shark in Finding Nemo say “Fish are friends, not food”. Keep repeating that to yourself if you ever get the urge to act like a shark.
TUNA
Tuna are probably the most plentiful fish in the ocean and they are also the most plentiful folks in these Facebook groups. Tuna aren’t bad people – they follow the rules scrupulously and they don’t cause any trouble. They’re just kind of sad. They actually put a lot of effort into going around to these different groups and posting their links. But they put no imagination or personality into it so they rarely get any shares. Here’s an example of a tuna posting in a group:
SadSally: SadSallyBlog/Latest Post – would love comments or shares
or
SadSally: Could use some Instagram Followers SadSallyIG
It doesn’t show any excitement, doesn’t tell you what niche she is in, doesn’t show any confidence, so most people just pass little Sally by and don’t give her a second thought. What if she did this instead?
SadSally: Hi, I’m Sad Sally and I post about amazing strategies to make your life happier. Here’s my latest helpful post – I’d be so happy if you’d take a minute and share it (LINK). Then I’ll reciprocate.
Do you think that would get better results. Here’s the secret: WIIFM – What’s In It For ME?? In the first example, Sally is sharing what SHE wants – more shares or Followers. But if you don’t know Sally, why should you care? In the second example, she is telling them what’s in it for THEM – They might learn something and they get to share something interesting with their Followers and they get a share back in return. Now you’re talking and Sally gets the help she is looking for!
DOLPHINS
We should all try to be dolphins. Why? Dolphins are fun, playful, and energetic. They help others and they always look like they have a smile on their face. Dolphins can definitely be business-like and absolutely can sell their products and services, but they don’t do it aggressively like our shark friends. They are more about community than competition and they understand that there are plenty of clients and plenty of business opportunities to go around.
To me, presenting my products or services is like having a plate of delicious chocolate chip cookies. Of course, I’m going to offer them to people, but if someone is on a diet, or simply doesn’t want one right now, I’m not going to get all offended. I’ll simply offer them to the next person in line.
Dolphins will answer questions in a helpful way, share their expertise, and post links or mention products only when it is appropriate. And the business will start trickling in from these groups as word gets around that you are a source of genuine help. I made several sales this weekend to people from various groups.
6 Best Facebook Groups for Beginners
Here are the 6 groups I promised you. I chose these groups because they are large, active, and have a variety of daily share threads. If you work them right (as dolphins), these threads are great for getting your blog posts shared out and finding new Followers for your social media sites. Many of them have thousands of members, so it gives you a big audience to see your stuff. My favorite threads are the Wildcard threads and the Win threads. Those give you legit ways to promote your products and services without being pushy or salesy.
A Self Guru – Business Blog by Amira Law
Becoming a Blogger by Cate Rosales
Blogging For New Bloggers by TinyLoveBug
Bloggers Supporting Bloggers by Miss Millennia Magazine
Newbie and Expert Bloggers by Cheers to Life Blogging
Women’s Side Hustle Network by the Supplemental Mom
Here is a matrix I put together to show you how the share threads look in the different groups. Keep in mind that these can change pretty frequently, but it’s a start. I set reminders on my phone for the threads I like to participate in.
General Tips for How to Join Facebook Groups without Going Crazy
Here are some general tips to manage these groups without being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of messages. Some of these groups can generate a hundreds of messages every day. These tips are really important to manage these groups.
Change Notification Settings – you can change the Notification settings for each group to only important messages. It’s at the top of each group.
Shut off notifications Every time you comment on a thread, it automatically subscribes you to that thread and you’ll get EVERY subsequent message on it. SO ANNOYING! But on every thread, you have the option to shut off notifications. There are 3 little dots at the top right corner of every post. Sometimes you have to turn them on first and then turn them off again. I use that one A LOT or I’d be overwhelmed in even one day’s worth of posts. You will still receive any notifications for people replying to you directly.
Be careful about PM’s – A lot of times, people will PM (Private message) you. Some of them are sharks, so be cautious, but sometimes they are just people looking to connect. But if you respond to them in the Facebook Messenger, they will have access to some of your information. Don’t feel bad about ignoring or blocking their messages. And ask before you PM someone. It’s usually against group rules and can get you kicked out of the group if someone complains.
Here are some other posts you may enjoy:
How to Get Noticed on Facebook
5 Ways to Repurpose Your Blog Content for More Traffic
Protect Yourself and Your Blog With these Legal Templates
Loved this post! I just wrote and published a similar post to this a little while ago with some amazing facebook groups I have the privilege of being a part of!
Very cool. I think Facebook groups are a terrific resource for new bloggers.
Hm. Never heard about all those bloggers categories. I am more like a jelly fish! Ha! Ha! Just hanging there 😂😂😂
You do you boo! But seriously, FB groups can be such a big help to bloggers, but it’s all about using them in a way that gets more traffic back to your site, so hopefully this will help you.
So happy to have found your site and I love how comprehensive your advice is on this page. I’m just starting out blogging and may possibly be a tuna with dolphin aspirations! Thanks for this incredibly useful post!
Thank you Tammi – I’m so glad you found it helpful.