How to Appear on the Tumblr Radar
By James Wright
While the exact algorithms Tumblr uses to decide what posts show up on Tumblr Radar are unknown, maintaining an active follower base and getting large numbers of notes on your posts increases the likelihood of being featured. It also helps if your blog has a theme and if you have established credentials in the subject matter you post about. In addition, attaching tags to your posts helps other users find your content, which in turn can help alert the Tumblrbot to potential Radar-worthy posts.
Large Follower Base
Posts that make it to Tumblr Radar are often from popular blogs, because those bloggers have enough followers to quickly gain a lot of notes on whatever they post. To gain new followers, be active on your blog: engage in different fandoms, use the queue to maintain a steady posting schedule and interact with others.
Appropriate Credentials
Fill out your information on your blog, such as your experience, expertise and other credentials that establish you as someone who's knowledgeable on what your blog is about. This can help to separate you from other bloggers and make your posts look more reliable. It can help if your blog has a theme -- for example, instead of posting or reblogging content about anything you see, make your blog clearly identifiable as a source for certain specific subjects, such as a hobby or social issue.
Popular Posts
If a post is being shared and liked quickly, and many people are seeing it, the Tumblrbot may pick it up as something that people clearly want to see. This is where having a lot of followers comes in handy, but you can also reach a wider audience by using popular tags so that your post shows up in search results -- just ensure the tags are relevant so you don't risk being accused of spamming.
Post Tags
Tagging your posts can help people who aren't your followers see your posts, and you can add as many tags as you'd like. Add one-word tags or phrases in the tags text box, separating them with commas. Along with tags that describe your post's content, you can also attempt to notify the Tumblrbot of a post by using the tag "#RadarPlz." Use this tag if you are sure that your post is Radar material, but use it sparingly.
References
Writer Bio
Based in California, James Wright has been writing since 1998. Wright's articles have been published on various websites with a focus on technical fields such as computers and the Internet, and were also featured in a now-retired publication for an online artistic community. Wright studied English, journalism, politics and psychology at Riverside Community College.