How to Host a Linky Party Part 2

Welcome back! So far we have talked about why linky parties are important to participate in to grow your blog traffic and things to think about before starting your own linky party. Today we are going to talk about actually hosting your linky.

How to Host a Linky Party

Set Up Your Linky

Choose your linky provider. I use LinkyTools and I have for several years. It costs me $24 a year and the customer service is wonderful!
If your linky is for people to share their posts make sure you choose a linky type that allows users to include a photo ie thumbnail.
Make sure the title entry is at least 50 characters long! Lately several linky hosts have been setting it at 20 and it is virtually impossible to get your post title done in that few characters.
Make sure the image size is at least 120px. Anything smaller makes it difficult for readers to see the images.
Make sure links open in a new window.
Please don’t use the scrolling window feature. I feel like this hides linky entries to casual blog viewers and isn’t fair to the entries below the scroll box.
Choose how you want to sort your links. Some people like “oldest first” to reward their loyal people who link up immediately when the linky is posted. Personally, I like “random” so that posts move around on the linky each time it is loaded as this seem more fair to all of the players.
Get the code to put in your party post.

Writing Your Party Post

Keep the title simple ie the name of the party and the date or edition number so the party post is easily recognizable on your blog.
Make sure the opening paragraph or two are different every week so that Google doesn’t see your parties as duplicate content and ding you for it.
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Add in information about your co-hosts, if you have any. make sure there is at least a link to their blog’s home page.
Display your Features, if you have any.
If you have a lot of features you may want to include a page break here, especially for those who read your posts via email.
Include your Rules and a Disclaimer that states you have the right to use the graphics in a feature post etc.
Add the linky itself.
Search engine optimisation optimize the post and schedule it for the appropriate day and time.

Co-hosts

Make sure co-hosts understand what is expected of them before they agree to co-host. When do you need their features? When will you send the post code? When does the post go live? How many posts do they need to comment on? How much social media amplification do you expect of them?
Get the code to your co-hosts 48 hours in advance of the time the post goes live.
Support you co-hosts by answering any email questions in a timely manner, and sharing about them on social media.

Once the Party is Live

Share the link across social media, several times a day for the duration of the party.
Visit party links and comment on their posts with meaningful comments, not just “thanks for linking up”.
DO NOT leave spammy comments on posts inviting people from other linkys to come link up with you.
Make sure your linky is in every linky directory you can find.

Linky parties can be a lot of fun and a lot of work. They can also bring you a lot of traffic. Please be considerate of your co-hosts and make things easy for the visitors who link up with you. If you have any questions please leave me a comment, I am here to help.