Blogging is very hard work.  For starters, you have to play every single role behind the scenes.  You’re not just a blogger, you’re also an editor, a photographer, a social media manager, a graphic designer, a PR consultant, a customer service liaison and a market researcher.  And most of the time, you do all this work for free.  While I adore blogging, it’s that “working for free” part that makes it a little bit sticky for me.  It’s all good and well to think that if you love something, the work is it’s own reward.  And while that might be true you it is also a fact that you can’t use a feeling of accomplishment to pay the rent.

As I’ve come to understand, a lot of the time people want to show their support for bloggers, but they aren’t certain how to do that.  Or sometimes people simply don’t have the funds to support the creators that they adore.  So today I thought I’d make a guide to show you precisely what you can do to show your support for my work.  These suggestions also apply to other bloggers, artists and creators that make work you love.

Showing support without spending a cent

• Subscribe to my blog.  Signing up to get email notifications of new posts is as simple as clicking the little button at the top of my sidebar. Not only does this show me that you’re reading, but it’s very helpful for me to be able to tell potential sponsors that I have a growing readership.
• Follow me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.  Once again, these numbers are a huge help when I’m reaching out to sponsors.
• Leave comments on blog posts that you’ve enjoyed.  This is a very tangible way of showing sponsors that my readers are engaged and interested in what they’re reading.  It also gives me a little boost whenever someone leaves a comment or a question.
• Share posts on social media.  This bumps up my readership and helps me to reach readers that haven’t heard of me before.  It’s especially helpful when you share a post on a platform that I don’t use, like Reddit. Again, it expands my audience and gives my blog further reach.
• Leave comments on social media posts.  Facebook is especially finicky about what posts get pushed to the top of news feeds, and comments and likes that show reader engagement help highlight posts.  If you see something I’ve posted, give it a like or even a retweet.
• Write to me and tell me that you enjoyed something I’ve written.
• Visit my sponsors and have a look at what they’ve got to offer.  Even if you don’t buy anything, if they’re getting traffic from my website that is a big tick.

Ways to show support that will cost some (but not a lot) of money

• Become a Patron on Patreon.  You can pledge as little as $1 per month and Patrons get access to special content and perks.
• Use one of my affiliate links.  If you’re planning on buying sex toys, lube, safe sex barriers or porn, might I suggest purchasing through one of my sponsors?  I have affiliate accounts set up with a range of reputable stores, and when you buy from those stores using a link I’ve provided I get a percentage of the sale.  You don’t have to pay anything extra, only the amount you would have spent on your purchase.  You can click on any of my sponsor’s advertisements in the sidebar, or visit my Where to Shop page to access affiliate links.
• Pay me to write for you!  If you run a sex positive blog or publication, invite me to contribute and pay me for my work.  If you’re asking me to review a toy or product, offer to pay for my time as well as sending me the product for testing.  So many stores think that the toy should be payment enough, but that doesn’t take into account the hours of testing, researching, writing and photography that go into creating a review post.  While I do sometimes write reviews without payment for small, independently run retailers, it really galls me when a large retailer refuses to pay for my time and work.  I can’t pay my rent or electricity bills with sex toys.
• Donate directly via Paypal.  If you’ve written to me to ask for personal advice and I’ve helped you out, why not throw a few dollars in my Paypal account? It’s a nice way to say “thanks” and show your appreciation for the help I’ve given you.
• Advertise on my blog.  I offer sponsored posts and sidebar advertising for very reasonable rates.

I’ve been blogging for nine years, and with every year that passes I enjoy it more and more.  I love providing adult sex education and helping you all to learn more about your bodies and drop some of the shame that’s baked into our culture.  It makes me so happy to be able to assist you with personal problems when you email me for advice.  Blogging can be very lonely sometimes because you have to do everything for yourself and some days you feel as though your’e just screaming into the void.  But by doing any of the things listed above, you give me a little boost and a leg-up to be able to continue writing and helping out. And that would mean the world to me.