How to Use Stumble Upon to Promote a Blog

Promote your blog or webpage by using Stumble Upon.

Most people who write blogs hope to earn money from their efforts. Of course, getting loyal readers requires promotion. There are many ways to get your content out to the masses and most work well for generating traffic. One of the best sources for connecting with readers is the Stumble Upon social bookmarking site.

Things You'll Need

• Blog or website
• Internet connection
• Computer

Instructions

Getting Stumble Upon

1. Write your blog post as you normally would. It does not matter what hosting site you use or if you own your own domain name. Anyone who submits content to Stumble Upon can add any site to the service. Whether it's your own blog or a random site you happen to enjoy, promoting it through Stumble Upon will help alert others to its presence on the Web.

2. Visit the Stumble Upon website (see Resources below). You need to register with the site, but the process only takes a few minutes to complete and the service is completely free to use.

3. Download the Stumble Upon Toolbar. The toolbar can be used with Internet Explorer or with Firefox. After downloading, the toolbar will appear at the top of your browser window under the address bar. When downloading the Stumble Upon toolbar you will be asked about your interests. Providing Stumble Upon with a list of things you would like to read about will help the system choose content for you to view.

Use the Stumble Upon Toolbar to Promote

1. Enter your URL into the address bar in your Internet browser. Most people who use Stumble Upon to promote will use the main homepage as their submission choice.

2. Click on the "I like it" button on the Stumble Upon toolbar. This will alert the system that the page being viewed is the page you would like to submit to Stumble Upon. If the page has already been submitted by another user, the "I like it" or "thumbs up" icon will appear. If the page has not been submitted by another user, you will be asked to complete a brief review of the page.

3. 

   Submit your brief review of the website by following the directions in the pop-up that is generated when you click the "I like it" button. You will receive notice that you found a new page and are about to submit it.

4. Include information in your review that will help others determine the quality of the site. If the site name is vague and does not provide a clear understanding of the topic, try to elaborate on the content in your review. When others view your Stumble Upon profile they will see the review that you submitted.

5. Choose the correct topic for the page you're adding. If the page fits into many categories, choose the one that most closely fits. Subject choices include movies, blogs, technology, photos, lifestyle and music.

6. Complete the submission of the page by letting others know if the site includes any adult or graphic content not suitable for children. After completing the information, submit it to Stumble Upon.

Tips & Warnings

• Some people are hesitant about downloading an additional toolbar to their browser. If you install the toolbar and do not enjoy using the service, you can uninstall it in just a few steps.

• If you are promoting your own blog or website through Stumble Upon, consider adding the main page as well as each post. You will generate more traffic this way.

• New users are often confused about how Stumble generates traffic. When a user presses the "Stumble" button on the Stumble Upon Toolbar, they are taken to a random page. The type of page they are taken to is based on the interest selections chosen during setup. Each time the user clicks the button they will be taken to a new page.

• Promote your blog further by adding Stumble Upon buttons in your posts. Encourage those who read to Stumble your content. The more times an article is Stumbled, the more traffic it gets.

• You can still use Stumble Upon even if you do not have a blog or website. Help your friends promote theirs and Stumble it for them.

• It is possible to Stumble Upon a page that contains viruses, so it's important to make sure your virus protection programs are up to date.

Resources

• Stumble Upon