how does one become popular on tumblr?
This is an interesting question for many, many reasons.
The first and most important thing to establish is this: popularity and success are relative.
I have 332 followers as of this very second. There are plenty of tumblr users out there who would not consider this, as you said, “popular.” On the other hand, there are tumblr users out there who would consider this very popular. I try not to look at things either way. My follower count, to me, is not an indication of my worth or my quality as a human being or a blogger. My worth is inherent — as is yours. That’s important. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in numbers, and while its fine to be aware of numbers, it’s unhealthy to rely on them too heavily.
That said, there are ways to maximize your experience as a tumblogger. Tumblr relies upon the creation of communities. This should be the goal — to establish a community. That starts by interacting with other users and your followers. Talk to people. Shoot people you like messages. If they don’t respond, oh well, but it’s important to put yourself out there.
Don’t try to be something you’re not. Your blog is ultimately for you. So do what you want with it. Don’t feel like you’re confined by the limits of what’s popular. Do something new. Do something you’re good at and proud of. Talk about your life. Make your blog reflect you in the best way possible. I started out primarily using this blog for writing purposes. Then I began posting my photo manipulations and reviews of films and analyses of television programs. I didn’t do this because I thought it would get me more followers. I did it because I’m interested in those things. I created them and I’m proud of them — regardless of how many notes they received.
That’s another thing: Do not, under any circumstances, be afraid to create. Put what you make out there. Sure, you might come back to it in a few years and go “oh GOD why did I MAKE THAT?” but you’ll learn and grow from the experience. Don’t worry about making a fool of yourself. Sometimes the best thing you can be is silly.
So, are you a musician? Post your music. A writer? Post your poetry or your meta. A weirdo? Slap those weird thoughts into a text post and set them free into the world! Reblogging is fine. Reblogging is wonderful, even. Don’t stop reblogging. But know that people respond to original content. It reveals much more about the person who created it than a reblog does.
Now, if it’s a question of how to get your posts seen by the widest possible audience? That’s another ballgame. Let’s talk about tags. Tagging is important. When you tag a reblog it’s for your own organizational purposes as those don’t show up in the tags. But, original posts do. So tag them well. Additionally, an original post will only show up in the first five tags it’s labeled with. So remember that.
I will leave you to ponder what I’ve said here, but I think the best piece of advice I can give you is trite and cliche and universally relevant: Be who you are. I guarantee you, people will respond to the genuine you. It’s hard to let go of your inhibitions and exist without the fear of judgment nipping at your heels. So expect that judgment. Embrace that judgment. Know that judgment can’t hurt you and pretty soon it won’t be able to anymore.
One of the best things I ever did for myself was to stop self-deprecating. Whenever I get the urge to call myself a freak or a loser or pathetic — I twist it around. I flip my hair like Beyonce and proclaim that I am too fabulous for this world. Is it a lie? Maybe. Do I really believe it? Maybe not. But after a while, the positivity rubs off on you. You start to realize that maybe you’re not infallible, but you’re certainly worth loving.
So love yourself. Let others love you.
And they will.
Also, really honestly, don’t sweat numbers. Get to a place where you can validate your own actions. Relying upon the validation of others never pans out well in the end. (Trust me.) Be proud because you should be, not because someone tells you to be.
Good luck with the blog. I believe in you.
-Tori