How to Be Tumblr Famous

Last Updated: June 3, 2021

Tumblr is a great way to become popular on the Internet, especially if you know how to get and keep followers. But how does one achieve the elusive "Tumblr fame" that is coveted by so many? See step 1 to get some insight on ways you can become Tumblr famous.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Tumblr Basics

1
Pick a catchy username. You want to pick a username that people remember, so try to avoid using a bunch of numbers (like rockergurl555666.tumblr.com) because people won't remember it, or be intrigued by it.
- If you can, pick a clever or odd username that people will want to ask you about, or that link to the theme you want for your tumblr (if it's a fandom blog about Teen Wolf, use something that refers to your part in the fandom [like if Allison is your favorite character, have something that links to her]) or if you interested in mythology choose a mythology type username (especially something that is lesser known, because there is less likelihood that someone has already taken that username).
2
Pick a theme for your Tumblr. This is a many-pronged step, because you'll need to pick a specific theme for your Tumblr (i.e. how the blog looks) as well as what you want your Tumblr to specifically focus on.
- You can build your own custom Tumblr theme, if you want to be really unique, but you have to know how to write html. Try to make one that corresponds to the overall content theme of your Tumblr. If it's good enough, or interesting enough, people might want to use it themselves. You can make it possible for people to use your theme, if you want.
- For the theme of your blog think back to your username. Are you most interested in a fandom blog, an art blog, a fashion blog, a social justice blog? Having a personal blog is fine, but you won't collect as many followers as you will with a theme-specific Tumblr.
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3
Understand the difference between reblogging and reposting. Reposting is basically considered to be stealing, since you're uploading the original content of someone else, while reblogging shows where the original post came from, usually linking back to the artist, .gif maker, or text post.
- Reposting is very bad form, so if you're uploading content make sure that it's content that's original to you. Especially if you get to be Tumblr famous, the repost will probably get back to the original creator.
- Don't repost stuff from weheartit, because most of their content has been stolen from the original creators and that sort of behavior won't make you terribly popular.
4
Learn about tagging. Tagging your posts properly is a great way to get likes and reblogs and have people take notice of the things that you're posting on your Tumblr. If you tag your posts, people who follow those particular tags will see the post. If they're interested they might like it or reblog it and if your blog has similar content they may even start following you.
- You can use multiple tags and they work in the following ways: if you have a lot of similar content on your Tumblr, you can make specific tags for it and reuse those each post (for example, if you post a lot of Star Trek: The Original Series, you could have a specific tag you use for that). If there's a holiday coming up a lot of people tag for that (for example, Halloween).
- Remember to be careful while tagging. If you are interested in a particular ship (relationship between two characters, typically romantic) and there's a rival ship (a pairing that puts one of the characters from your ship with a different character), don't start writing posts about how much you hate that pairing and then tag it with that tag. You will not make friends and gain followers with that method.
5
Learning about following. Following basically means that you follow a Tumblr. You can be in a mutual follow with someone, meaning that they follow you and you follow them, or you can follow someone and they don't follow you, or someone follows you and you don't follow them. (Some popular blogs- brohaydo.tumblr.com , stupid-galaxies.tumblr.com)
- People who tend to have lots of followers, don't typically follow you back the second you follow them. That's okay. If you get to know them, interact and talk with them, they'll be more likely to follow you.
- Follow people whose content is similar to yours, or who are part of the niche area you've chosen. You'll be more likely to get into the niche and start recognising the big names in it.
6
Pay attention to statistics. Take a look at posts of yours that get more likes than other ones and lean towards posts that are in a similar fashion to those that are more popular than some of your others.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Getting Famous

1
Find your niche. While some personal Tumblrs do end up getting famous, they're usually the ones of people who are already famous like authors, actors, or comic artists. Even some popular fanfiction writers can become popular based on their fanfiction writing and still maintain a heavily followed personal blog (although they do tend to reblog and post things about specific fandoms).
- Think about your interests: you can blog about things like dance, photography, art, writing, social justice, various fandoms (books, movies, t.v. shows). These are all very different parts of Tumblr, so you'll need to choose which you're going to go for, if you want to be famous on the website.
- Some examples of Tumblrs that have gotten incredibly popular: medievalpoc.tumblr.com, venushowell.tumblr.com, omgthatdress.tumblr.com, oldloves.tumblr.com, compendiously.tumblr.com, twitterthecomic.tumblr.com, clipart.tumblr.com You'll notice that Tumblrs like these have one specific theme and tend to generate their own content (so that other people reblog them).
2
Pay attention to who is getting Tumblr famous. Look around at the people in your niche and see who has lots of followers and who gets reblogged all the time. Check out what their Tumblr theme is like? How do they interact with followers?
- Check out the posts they make. Are there lots of text posts (with things like social justice rants, or meta on a t.v. show, or poetry)? Do they share personal things? Are they funny (humor is something that can elevate you to popularity)? If they are writing text posts, are they long and rambling or short and to the point? It really depends on your niche, what kinds of posts are most sought after.
- Do they make or post lots of .gifs? What is the quality of the .gifs? Do they link t.v. scenes with popular quotes?
- See if they mix things up with pictures. Check out the quality of the images, and how the aesthetic matches their Tumblr. Do they post many pictures of themselves, or not at all?
- Pay attention to your own posts that your followers are interested in, which posts are liked and reblogged the most. You can generate more content like those and will probably start accumulating more followers.
3
Talk to Tumblr famous people. You especially want to find the people who are famous in your niche. Don't just ask them to promote you to their followers, ask them questions and engage with them on a more personal level. A lot of times Tumblr famous people will post the little surveys that go around Tumblr asking about things like favorite fictional character, first kiss, food they eat most often. This is a good way of getting to know them and allowing them to get to know you.
- Check their FAQ's page first (this is their frequently asked questions) to see what sort of behavior is appropriate. They may not like having people ask for promos (and never make someone feel like that's the only reason you're contacting them) and what sort of questions they're tired of getting asked.
- Once you've gotten on a friendly basis with them, maybe drop a line asking if they would check out some aspect of your blog and promote it to their followers. It's especially good if you have a specific thing in mind (like you're writing a fanfiction, or poetry, or you've just started trying out a new fashion look). If you're polite and specific about it, they probably won't mind helping you out.
4
Do promos. Now these are hard to do well, but they can help you gain more followers and more recognition, but they can also irritate people, so they are to be used carefully. Basically, getting a promo means having someone promote your Tumblr on their Tumblr, and you can do a mutual promoting, etc. What you really want is to have someone who has a lot of followers in your niche do the promoting.
- A promo for promo (p4p) is basically where you promote someone on your blog and they promote you on their blog. The nice thing about this way is that your followers and their followers only are seeing one blog and not having to look through a list of promotions. Of course, if the person you're promoting with doesn't have that many followers, you're not going to get much success out of it.
- A double promo is basically a regular promo, only with two people running the show. If you're following both of them, then you have the chance to get promoted by both of them, which can be good because it reaches a greater number of potential followers.
- Solo promo is where you're the only one getting promoted. This can come when you're friends with one of the more Tumblr famous people, who talks about you on their blog, or recommends you to their followers.
5
Make original posts. One of the keys to getting to be a Tumblr famous person is to have a blog that is original. It sounds clichéd, but it's actually true. The posts that spread around Tumblr like wildfire are the ones that are original, therefore everyone wants to reblog what they said, or the art they made, etc. You'll need to come up with your own original posts, and they can be anything that has to do with your niche subject.
- You can make original text posts. This means writing meta about t.v. shows or books, if that's your niche, or dissecting bad literature. It means putting your opinions and your ideas out there for people to see. That may seem scary, but, even if people don't agree with your ideas, they'll still be engaging you and then other people will see and be intrigued. (This is not to say that you should go around making racists or sexist, etc. comments and then say "but that's just my opinion;" be polite.)
- Learn to make your own .gifs, especially if you're in fandom. Then people will be interested in reblogging your work, rather than you only reblogging the work of other people. In fact, people might even ask you to make .gifs, if you're good enough.
- Post your own artwork, whatever it is: drawing, photography, creative writing (fanfiction counts). It will get your artwork out there and make sure that your Tumblr has lots of original content.
6
Be consistent about blogging. Consistency is another key to being Tumblr famous. Even when the famous folks aren't around to blog, they usually have set up a queue, which means that the blog continues publishing content even when the blogger isn't there.
- Make sure that you respond to people, particularly since the more people you talk to on Tumblr the more likely you'll get steadily more popular and have more followers.
7
Be patient. There really is no way to get Tumblr famous overnight, except by accident (people have had a rather insignificant text post take off like wildfire around the site, but that's as likely as getting struck by lightning). Forge relationships with people and you'll find that you'll start getting more and more followers.
- Remember that a lot of people who are Tumblr famous now have been on Tumblr for several years and have taken time to accumulate followers and get accustomed to how things work.

Community Q&A

Question

Can someone be Tumblr famous without re-blogging things?

Community Answer

Yes. There are many users who generate their own original content and have many followers. Most of them are comedic blogs, however. That said, it is better to reblog things, as it encourages the OPs of your reblogged posts to check out your blog.
Question

Can I earn money if I become famous on Tumblr?

Community Answer

The people at Tumblr are currently working on using advertising to ensure that famous Tumblr bloggers can earn money from it, so it should be available soon.
Question

How to repost something?

Community Answer

Reposting is unacceptable. As said in the article, it is copying. If you meant reblogging, then there are two arrows in a loop motion which you can click and it should be published.

Warnings

As you get more famous you'll definitely get trolls in your inbox and hate mail (doesn't matter how nice and non-confrontational you are). The best way to deal with them is with humor. Publish their comment publicly with a humorous .gif or snarky comment. If they get really abusive, report them.

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Sometimes what you have to do to be famous eats into your time, principles and resources––always ask yourself if it's truly worth the effort.

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