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Linky Party 101 - Behind the Scenes for the hosts
I love link parties and have participated in quite a few. A few months ago, I wrote a post on Linky Party Basics – For Hosts & Guests on the basics of link parties. Today, “Link Party 101: Behind the Scenes” will let you take a peek behind the scenes of running a link party and unveiling some of its mysteries. Please keep in mind that not all link parties are run the same, but do have some similar elements.
 

What are link parties?

If you’re new to blogging and not sure what a link party is, take a look at Linky Party Basics – For Hosts & Guests. For a blogger,  a link party is basically a blog party where you can link-up your post(s) and share it with the readers of the host’s and co-host’s blogs. It is also a great way to get more exposure for your blog and network with fellow bloggers. If you’re a blog reader, link parties can be a great way for you to find a lot of interesting posts in one place and find new blogs to read.
Merry-Monday-Link-Party-Hosts

My shameless plug – here is the link party I currently host with a bunch of wonderful bloggers . It starts every Sunday at 6pm PST and runs until Thursday 12pm PST. Link up here and be seen on 10 blogs! In addition, we will often share your post on our social media or pin it our Merry Monday Link Party Pinterest Board so you get even more exposure! Update 5/23/2022 – This party has been retired. 

What is the role of the host?

Is there a difference between a host and co-host? Yes. Even though you see a lot of “hosts” on a party, there is usually one or two main hosts. These are the people that run the party and create the main party HTML code for the other party hosts each week. The host is also responsible for dividing all of the “behind the scenes” work between all the party hosts and coordinating other aspects of the party.

The party host will usually create:

  • Link Party Button
  • Link Party Feature Button
  • Tweet Links
  • Most party collages, although sometimes each co-host will create their own using PicMonkey.
  • Visit/comment/share the link-ups. Keep in mind that this can take several hours and it’s appreciated when others share and promote the party.
HTML Coding

Depending on the experience level of the co-hosts with HTML coding, sometimes the host will have to change out the party buttons, tweets, and inlinkz codes for their co-hosts or guest hosts. If you plan on helping to host a blog hop or link party, get yourself familiar with HTML or text mode so you can edit or troubleshoot any issues with the party coding.

Party Codes

What is the role of a co-host?

  • A co-host(s) is the support for the party host and are especially helpful for larger link parties (I am so grateful for my party co-hosts and all the work they do). They help promote the party by sharing it on their social media and with their blog readers.
  • They will also help the party host visit, comment, and share the link ups.* This helps ensure that every blog gets visited and promoted as a “thank you” for taking the time to link-up.
  • Depending on how the link party is run, they will often choose their own feature picks and add this into the party HTML code.

*Not all link parties hosts/co-hosts will visit the link-ups. It depends on how big the party is, so don’t be surprised if you never get a visit from a host from the big parties- we’re talking 200+ link-ups. Although it would be nice to get a visit, just know that you are getting exposure to their blog following. Again, this is because it takes a lot of time to visit, comment, and share each post.*

What is a guest host?

Many link parties have guest host spots. These are temporary co-hosting spots and can last for one week up to a month. Depending on the party, many times guest hosts will have the same responsibilities as a permanent co-host or may only have to host the party on their blog. It really depends on the blog host.

If you are thinking of becoming a blog co-host or guest host, here are some questions to ask:

  1. When is the party and does it fit into my blog schedule?
  2. Can I and will I promote the party?
  3. Can I fulfill all the duties that are being asked of me?

What does the host see on the link-up dashboard? A peek behind the scenes!

I use inlinkz to host my party and have access to the link-up dashboard. This will show how many link ups are on the party, the date the link was entered, the number of times the link was clicked on, the blog URL, link title, email, and the date/order the link was added.

Bigger blogs will always have more link ups through their blog. However, the number of link ups through a co-host’s blog can be a good indication of how well that host is promoting the party. So if you’re a host, co-host, or guest host…get out there and promote the party 🙂

  • Tweet about it several times a day if needed. You can use Hootsuite to schedule tweets and it’s free.
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on any other social media platform

*Create a hashtag for a quick and easy way to look up the party to promote it. For the Merry Monday Link Party, we used #merrymonday or #merrymondaylinkparty*

Inlinkz Behind the Scenes

How are features picked?

There are many factors that determine if your post will be featured. One of the main factors is to follow the link party rules. You can have the best post, but if you don’t follow the party rules, you won’t be featured. So, if the party asks that you link back to the party, display their button (some ask you to display it in a specific place), or follow the party hosts on one social media platform and you care about being featured…you should do it. Building a relationship with the party host can help too, but isn’t a requirement. Using a good link-up picture also helps, so choose one that highlights your post.

Other ways features are picked:

  • Most clicked – Many parties will choose a feature based on the number of clicks a link-up has on it, which shows its popularity (this is how I choose our features).
  • Host picks – These are links that are personally chosen by the party hosts to be featured on their blogs.
  • Theme picks – Some parties will choose a theme and feature a few link-ups for that theme. For example, the hosts can decided to feature the top “summer themed”  or “food” link-ups.
  • Votes – I have personally never used this feature of inlinkz, but features can be chosen by votes too.

Hope you enjoyed “Link Party 101: Behind the scenes”. If there’s anything I’ve missed or you have a question about link parties, post it in the comments below and I’ll try my best to answer them.

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24 Comments

  1. So helpful! I’m new to blogging and had to figure most of this out on my own! Wish I would’ve seen this sooner! Thanks for sharing at the NEW #PinFest!

  2. Thank you so much for linking up to Teach Me Tuesday last week. You are very much appreciated. Hope to see you again this week!!

    Great post!!

    Have a great week!!!

  3. Thanks so much for joining the Say G’Day Saturday linky party. I just pinned your post. This is FULL of fabulous info-thank you!

    Have a great weekend!

    Best wishes,
    Natasha in Oz

  4. Erlene, When do you suggest co-hosting a link party? We are new bloggers and feel that we need to build our following before participating in hosting party’s. What’s your opinion? Stopping by from Creativity Unleashed Link Party. I am loving these helpful posts btw.

    1. You can co-host anytime. Co-hosting is a great way to get your feet wet with link parties. The main thing is to really help promote the party by visiting other bloggers and inviting them to the party.I started by co-hosting on several parties before starting my own and it really helped me understand how different link parties are run. You could also do a guest hosting, which is usually just a temporary spot and will also give you an idea of how a link party is run.

  5. Hi Erlene – this is great! It’s great to see the behind the scene views! I love link parties – so much to look at and so much exposure for bloggers. I always try to follow the rules and to say hello to the hosts and co-hosts because, although I’m a bit of a techno-phobe, I understand that a lot of work goes into the parties! I’m certainly very grateful for all that you do! 🙂 Julia

  6. Fascinating! I’ve often wondered at the amount of work that must go into hosting a party! I appreciate all the hard work, and marvel when it seems like a host visits every link that is entered into their party. Considering the work involved, as a linker it’s a small thing to say “thank you” and to share the party through social media.
    Thank you for sharing what really goes on behind the scenes and for all the hard work you do to put together your parties!

  7. Very good information! Thanks for breaking it down in an easy to understand manner! Linky parties are where I find a LOT of great ideas to Pin.
    Some of the Linky parties with untold #’s of host and co-host can take an untold amount of time to follow all of them on some form of social media. I have spent so much time doing that, I almost forgot to even link up!
    Thank you for sharing.

  8. I cohost a party, Motivational Mondays, but I don’t have to do any coding. I’m not sure I could figure that out! The behind the scenes board was interesting. I’ve never seen that before! #katherinescorner