Hi Friends!
A little over a year ago, I wrote a post called Things Blogging Has Taught Me. I re-read it the other day…and guess what? It’s still true. All of it. But it’s been another 14 months, and guess what? I’m still learning! So I thought I’d share a little bit more with you today.
First, let’s quickly recap the lessons from Part 1:
- Blogging is hard. But I make time and put in the effort because I love it.
- You could easily drown in the sea of social media if you let yourself. So I choose a few of my favorite social media outlets and focus on those.
- You will get jealous of other bloggers. But that doesn’t mean what you’re doing isn’t awesome. In fact, someone out there might just be jealous of you.
- You don’t have to do everything other bloggers are doing or like all the foods everyone else seems to like. And there’s no reason to pretend you do.
- No one can make you feel inferior unless you let them. Stop comparing yourself to others!
- You don’t have to blog multiple times per day, or even every day, to be successful. Just be consistent.
- Numbers don’t have to matter. I blog because I want to and it doesn’t matter if one person or one million people read each post.
- The blogging community is the most inspirational and motivational community I’ve ever been a part of. It can change your life for the better.
- You can make good friends through blogging. Some of my closest friends are ones I’ve never met!
- After all your hard work, you will have something you can call your own…and something you can, and should, be proud of.
To read more details about the lessons above, click here.
Ok, so moving on to Part 2. What else has blogging taught me over the past year?
It’s ok to be excited about giveaways, but don’t do them all the time. Giveaways are fun. People like getting free stuff. But please don’t turn your blog into the giveaway of the week club, or they lose their excitement! Be selective and choose giveaways you think your readers will enjoy most.
Think really hard about how many sponsored posts you’re going to write. I know a lot of people will disagree with me on this one, but to me there’s nothing more annoying than when one of my favorite blogs turns into nothing but a place for sponsored post after sponsored post. Sponsored posts are a way for bloggers to make money. And especially in the beginning, it’s really hard to turn down offers to write a quick post and make a little (or a lot) of money. I’m not saying you should never write them. I occasionally write them. But I turn down WAY more than I accept. And it’s hard. But I know how annoying I find it…and I don’t want to do that to my readers. It’s a personal choice every blogger has to make, but in my opinion, if you do choose to write one, you should THINK about what you’re promoting. Don’t just jump on something for the money. Ask yourself whether it fits into the message you’re trying to promote with your blog, whether it represents you well as a person, whether you’ll still be proud you wrote about it if you look back a year later.
On that note:
- Be honest with your readers. If you’re writing a sponsored post, tell them. Don’t try to hide it. If you get something for free, tell them. Get familiar with the FTC disclosure guidelines for bloggers and follow them.
Make a media kit. It doesn’t have to be fancy. I’ve seen some amazing ones that were made using powerpoint. Just put something together that shows your reach. How many pageviews you get per month, how many followers you have on the various social media sites, what kind of services you provide, etc so that when a company requests it, all you have to do is update to your latest numbers and send! Install google analytics to help track pageviews, unique views etc. On that same note, though, don’t spend hours obsessing over the numbers. See part 1 of this post for more on that.
Be mindful of the comparison trap and don’t let yourself fall into it. One of my favorite quotes, as it relates to blogging, is “Don’t compare your behind the scenes to someone else’s highlight reel.” Remember that even though it may seem like your favorite bloggers live a perfect life, have it all together, eat perfectly and have endless amounts of energy, it’s just not true. What you see on most (not all) blogs is the best of the best. The best recipes, the best workouts, the best days. You don’t always see the mistakes, the failed recipes, the stressful days, the sleepless nights and the anxiety that makes those bloggers normal people, just like you. So don’t ever let someone else make you feel like your best isn’t good enough, or that you’re doing things the wrong way. Live YOUR life the way YOU want to. Do the things that make YOU happy. Be the best YOU.
It’s not all about you. Spread the love. One of my favorite parts about reading blogs is that they introduce me to even more blogs! If you read a good post, share it! Tweet it, share it on facebook, email it to a friend. There are way too many blogs out there for one person to read them all. But by sharing posts you enjoy, you’re helping other people find the good posts and you’re giving pageviews to the blogger who wrote the good post. Win-win! The most boring people to follow on Twitter are the ones who do nothing but tweet links to their own posts 87 times a day. There are tools out there (like Buffer and Hootsuite) that can help you schedule tweets filled with posts/news articles/ etc that you’ve enjoyed if you can’t be on twitter all day.
On that note:
- Interact with your readers/followers/fans: Twitter and FB get boring really fast if all you do is tweet post after post (whether they are yours or other peoples). Take some time each day/week to interact with people. Have a conversation on twitter, post a question on your FB page, respond to the comments people leave on your blog, give someone some motivation or encouragement on instagram. You get the idea.
- Make it easy for people to share your posts: Please, please, please do this! There are widgets and plugin’s galore that you can set up to make it SO easy for someone to share your post. Do it, and it’s 1,000 times more likely that someone will share your post. If they have to hunt for your twitter handle, they’ll most likely consider it too much work and won’t share, even if they really like the post. Set it up so all they have to do is click a button and the title of the post, plus your twitter handle, will populate on its own…and all they have to do is customize the tweet if they want to. Use a Pinterest widget to make it easy for people to pin the images in your posts as well!
- Thank the people that spread the love for you: If someone shares your post/RTs it/posts it to FB and tags you, say thank you! If someone links to one of your posts or recipes in one of their posts, go read their post and thank them! I realize that for some bloggers that this happens to hundreds of times a day, that it’s not feasible to thank everyone…but do the best you can. People appreciate it when you notice that they’re helping you out by sharing.
Finally, and probably the most important lessons I’ve learned this year:
Find a blogging mentor. There are so many bloggers out there, that you can almost always find one that’s been doing it longer than you, one that does it better than you, one who knows more than you. Find them. Connect with them. Ask them questions!!! Find someone who will give you honest answers to your questions, because believe me you’ll have them. And you’ll have questions about things that are considered almost “taboo” to talk about in the blog world, like how much to charge for articles and ads, how many pageviews you’re getting, etc. Find someone you trust that you can ask these questions. Their advice will be invaluable.
DO NOT undervalue yourself! I’m still struggling with this one myself…but it’s so, so important. You have to think highly enough of yourself to realize that your time is important. If a company is asking you to promote their product, you should be getting something out of it as well. It shouldn’t just be free advertising for them. The type/amount of value is something you’ll have to decide for yourself. Sometimes I do promote things for free, if it’s a company I truly believe in and support. Sometimes I consider free product to be worth enough for me to dedicate my time. Other times, monetary compensation is necessary for the amount of time and effort I will need to put into a post/social media campaign to give the company what they’re asking for. Do your research, set your rates, and don’t let anyone tell you that your time isn’t valuable or isn’t worth something!
Let’s chat! If you’re a blogger, what’s a lesson you’ve learned lately?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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I haven’t been blogging very long and I’m still getting to grips with how it all works so this list is really useful – it’s given me loads to think about so a big thanks! 🙂
This post was at perfect timing for me! I just started my blog a few weeks ago. I always read your blog every morning. Thanks for this post:)
This is my FAVORITE blog post I’ve read in a long time 🙂
Wonderful post! Lots of great lessons and I don’t think we ever really stop learning as we go (or at least we shouldn’t!)
I love these tips. They are so spot on. Blogging is an ongoing lesson, in my opinion. There is always something new to learn!
This is great. I can relate to almost everything. Something I’ve noticed a lot lately are the sponsored posts. When there is a sponsored post, chances are the company has reached out to several people.
Also agreed about the most boring people to follow. If all your tweets are links to your blog that I’m subscribed too…why follow on twitter.
Love! Especially your tips on sharing other’s posts & being ‘real’ on fb/twitter – you are so good at both! Really, I don’t think some bloggers understand the value of playing nice with other bloggers and NOT using their fb/twitter as just an advertising venue for themselves!
I absolutely love this post! All of it is so true. Especially how inspirational and amazing the blogging community is. I’ve met so many great people through it! <3
This is great linz! And i couldn’t agree more. Over the years we learn from our mistakes and we learn from our growth opportunities. It makes us WHO we are in the blogging world. Being real, being US, being purposeful with our words, Way to climb high and soar!
Great, great post! I agree with all of it too. I feel like I have already learned so much and keep learning more. I really care about the spreading the love thing and community more than before becuase I don’t let numbers and comparison get me like they used to. It’s way more fun that way. I have taken time to experiment and find what works for me with what I write about and feel more fulfilled. I ask questions when needed and have great support from friends like you. Also with the sponsored stuff. YES to not doing too much. It is a great option for revenue and something that helps contribute to my family income but I still turn down wayyyyyy more pitches than I accept and make a point to limit sponsored content to 2 times MAX per week but usually it averages to once per week maybe (although this month seems to be hitting closer to the 2x/week mark for some reason) and 10% or less of all my content. It’s a big thing I’m picky about too.
I just love the community — so supportive and inspiring. Personally, I’ve been inspired/motivated to try new recipes and have expanded my list of yummy healthy dishes that I will make again and again.
I just posted today about how I’m learning to make decisions for myself. It’s hard when you’re a blogger – I would get caught up in the hype and do things because others were!
Great post!
I agree with all of those! One of the biggest lessons I have learned with blogging is balance! It is so easy to get immersed in blogging and all the social media that comes with it but blogging isn’t life and life isn’t blogging so balance is very important!
Love this post! It really hits the nail on the head with the comment from one f your follows, she reads your blog every morning. There’s something to say about someone knowing you post in the morning! (“Be Consistent”)
I love this post, Lindsay! I’ve learned so many of the same lessons, and you summarized it all so well. I love that you emphasized sharing- and you are such a great example of how to spread the love! 🙂
Fabulous reminders and observations!!! Blogging is HARD! It’s important to not let it consume you while still being interactive and appreciative. I’ve cut way back one the sponsored posts and giveaways too – it cuts into the time I’m about to spend getting to know readers and talk to my blends!
great post!! it took me awhile to learn what it really means to “share the love.” now i love sharing posts that i really and truly love with my readers because i’ve found some of my favorite blog posts through other bloggers doing the same!
THANK YOU thank you thank you!! I’ve been in the process of launching my own blog for awhile now, and I feel like this post is going to give me the push I need. It addressed a lot of the fears I’ve been having and is really helpful!
All I kept on saying throughout this post is YES, YES and YES! Great post. Loved it. Really.
I heart you. That is all. Thankful that blogging made us friends 🙂
LOVE this post! I definitely think blogging has helped me in my personal journey to lead a healthier life. When I write a post about feeling down or even feeling good about something, just getting comments from others that they have been there or they are going through the same stuff makes me realize I’m not alone.
Love this post! All of it is soo true! Plus, this gives me some ideas of a few things to work on to improve my blog!
what do you do with your media page once you make it? Do you have it on your blog somewhere? Do you just send it out when companies ask for it? I’m down for making one I just don’t know what to do next with it.
These are such helpful tips!! I know I need to be better on twitter and Facebook…it’s just so time consuming. That will be a new goal of mine! 😉
Such an excellent post with such good information! I’m bookmarking this for future reference.
I love this post! I have been blogging for 2+ years but I still don’t consider myself an “experienced” blogger. All your tips are great reminders on how to improve and be a better resource to your readers. I need to be better at interacting with bloggers and readers and sharing great reads that I find. When I busy I publish a post but I fall off in the interaction category.
I wholeheartedly agree with everything in this post! Way to express exactly how I feel about blogging and what I’ve learning over the past 10 months. 🙂
Love this post! I can relate with every point you talked about since starting my blog last year. I love that your all about being “real” and being YOU – some people get wrapped up in the hype and want to be like everyone else. I enjoy reading your posts everyday and always learn something new from you – thank you for all the wonderful information you’ve shared with the blog world 🙂
This really is a great post.. Being a newer blogger, I can easily allow it to take over… I need to learn to balance blogging with life 🙂 Thank you for sharing this information!
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
you’re welcome, girl! set boundaries, rules and time limits for yourself and stick to them!
Such great lessons Lindsay. Couldn’t have said it better. Blogging and my relationship with blogging continues to evolve and change. I think that the biggest lesson for me is to just be you – which lots of people have echoed. When you’re genuine, it shows and that makes you relatable. And I love sharing good things that I find online. 🙂
i couldn’t agree more!
Lindsay…wow what a wonderful post today.
One thing that we’ve quickly learned is that most of the blogging community is WONDERFUL! So many inspirational and compassionate women (& men!) out there, with great blogs and advice. We’ve received so much support, and it just makes you want to keep going and providing the best content for your readers and your fellow bloggers.
Thanks for beings so awesome and inspirational for us!
isn’t the community wonderful?! glad you’re getting such great support!
I still remember the part one of this ‘series’ (if you want to call it that) and everything you wrote then still rings SO true. These are also all great pieces of advice, especially for bloggers who are working towards monetizing their site…something I have no clue about or am actively trying to do, but that just goes with what you said about keeping your blog true to YOU! 🙂
thanks sarah!
Thank you so much for this post. Ice been blogging for about 4 months now so I can really use these tips !
you’re welcome, girl! glad to help!
I loved this post!! (and the one you wrote last year – I had to go back and read it after this one!)
Thank you so much for sharing in such an open, honest manner. To know that even someone like you who has an awesome blog and has been blogging for a quite a long time occasionally struggles makes me feel better.
you’re welcome! don’t ever feel like your’e the only one struggling!
Great post- I just hit the two year mark and the best advice I think you mention is to NOT compare what you know behind the scenes to a super successful blogger. One of my Healthfully Ever After Rules is to stop comparitis!
love that rule!!
You have learned so much and come so far since those first few posts that you did and you have inspired many people as your blog has grown and changed. I hope you continue to love it as much as when you started. Proud of you!
thanks mom 🙂
What a great post! I love blogging and have learned so much from it. I think people don’t always realize how much work goes into blogging. I think you need to have people in your life that support you. There’s been nights where a post has taken me hours and hours and if Josh wasnt okay with that it would be really hard.
yes! support from those around you is so important!!!
Great post Bean… tough to get into the comparison game and spot on with being envious of other bloggers. I’m with you on things that blogging has taught me… funny how something that didn’t exist not too long ago is now a major part of who we are.
And thank you for all the shares and comments.
isn’t it strange to think about?!
Great post Lindsay! I think that one of my main problems is the comparison issue. I’ve been blogging for a couple years now and it’s not as “popular” as other bloggers who have been blogging for a year or so. I learned that sometimes, people do read your blog but don’t comment or anything. I also learned that it’s better to just be yourself and to interact with your readers.
exactly!!! just know people are out there reading even if they don’t comment!
This is great, Lindsay! I think the hardest one for me right now is focusing on not comparing myself to others. It is easy to get caught in the trap of thinking that other bloggers I follow lead perfect lives when in reality, we are all just trying to portray our best selves online.
yes!!! so important to remember that!
I loved that post then and still love it now 😉 Same with these points! So true. share the love is a good one, and think about the message you want to get out there. And…just be you. I think that one is the biggest one of all. be yourself!
yes! that’s definitely the most important!
Wonderful post and I agree with all, of course 🙂 You are the best at blogger friendliness and giving back. So appreciated and no doubt a contributor to your success as a wonderful blogger! You can tell you work hard on your posts, and it pays off. Thanks for all your insight, love it!
awww, thanks so much Ericka!
Thanks for this! Wonderful perspective and reality check. Its so easy to get caught up in the outside world that we forget how good our own little world is too 🙂
exactly! everyone needs a reality check every once and a while!
You have taught me a lot today and I am ever so grateful!
There are times I do look at my numbers and wonder if its worth it…then I remember why I began in the first place. I do something to rekindle that spark, that passion and continue on..one post at a time 🙂
yes! don’t get caught up in the numbers. I know it’s hard…but they don’t mean everything!
Great post. I always enjoy getting tips from fellow bloggers.
And the social media thing is right on point! (I should def use it more) Had it not been for instagram I never would have found you or started meal prepping!
awww yay! love social media! so glad you found me!
Great thoughts, Lindsay! I think my biggest thing is just blog because you enjoy it. Don’t blog for any other reason. If 1 person or 100,000 people view your blog, it doesn’t matter as long as you love writing it!
exactly!!!
I love it, Lindsay!! I agree with everything that you have learned, and I have learned those same things. You are awesome at sharing the love and saying thank you when appropriate 🙂 Keep up the awesome blogging!!
awww thanks girl! i do my best!
“Don’t compare your behind the scenes to someone else’s highlight reel.” Love this!
Simply – GREAT post! I am bad at some of this & slow at techy stuff so I always seem behind & don’t do the Twitter stuff enough & engage.. as for the share – yes, I need to change my blog but I have restrictions with the one I use so I have to see if I even have the time & more to change over to WordPress or something like that. Being bad at tech, I don’t see myself being able to manage it..
What an inspirational post! The making friends through blogging was so unexpected for me and so fun 🙂
isn’t that the best?!
Such good information, so well laid out! A must read for all boogers, I mean bloggers. You have helped me grow as a blogger in so many ways! I adore your website it’s as close to coming over to your house as I can get. I feel at home, comfortable, like I could kick my feet up on the coffee table, you have welcomed me, shared, answered my questions, given me belly laughs, and made me feel like what I’m doing has meaning… that kind of hospitality is contagious. What you’re doing is bad ass! Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge! xoxo
thanks lisa 🙂 love you!
Thanks for sharing and spreading your knowledge!
any time!!
These are such great points! Thanks for sharing!!! I honestly don’t know why, but when I’m linked to someone’s blog, it doesn’t notify me. I have to fix this cause it’s SO important!!
i know i get notified when people link to specific posts…like pingbacks in wordpress but i don’t think it notifies me if they just link to my homepage. i’ll have to look into that
I love this!! Ohh and I shared because you have an easy to use tweet button. 🙂 These are great tips and very true. I hate when blogs do a ton of sponsored posts for things like debt consolidation. Anyone that has ever used it knows it is a bad idea and if you haven’t experienced it, you shouldn’t be promoting it. I have a tendency to fall into posting all giveaways sometimes and I hate that. I try to get back to my roots with freebies, thrifty articles, etc, here and there, but it is hard. Thanks for reminding me to stay focused. : )
These are awesome tips. Thank you so much for sharing!
you’re welcome!!
Thank you for this and I am checking out your other for some help on my blog. I really want to do a blog that helps others. Anyone that wants to help me with navigating blogger I would love that. LOL!
glad you’re finding it helpful!
Thanks for this Lindsay. Very useful information here – especially for someone like me who’s just getting started with blogging, websites and getting traffic!. Gracias!
you’re welcome!
Okay I’ve seen this post shared a bunch so I’m glad I got around to reading it! I can relate to pretty much EVERYTHING here!
Thanks for sharing this and thank you for being so honest…blogging IS a challenge, but it pays off if you like doing it.
PS You know you set yourself up when you said “find a mentor right??” Be mine! 🙂
glad you found it helpful 🙂 and like i said, i’m always happy to answer questions!
Lindsay, (I know I’m a little behind on reading–catching up after vacation! but…) I wanted you to know that I absolutely love this post and learned so much from it!! Thank you! You’re definitely one of those “big bloggers” that I admire and learn from every day.
aww girl! thanks so much 🙂 you make me blush…def don’t consider myself a big blogger 🙂 but always happy to answer questions!
Inspiring. I love to write but when it starts feeling like a job I get discouraged. Glad to see I’m not the only one with struggles.
It’s nice to be reminded of loving the little things! I manage social media for work in my office which also includes a blog… I’ve been feeling like I’m losing myself because of time devoted to the work social media instead of my own! But finding a mentor is a GREAT idea, I have them at work, why not for my blog which I do out of love!? Thanks Lindsay!
Thank you for this post. I go through so many ups and downs with my blog. It’s so helpful to read a list like this and identify some things to work on. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Great tips! I know I fall into some of these traps and it’s hurting my blog. I might have to keep this post to keep referring back!
Thanks for these tips! As a fairly new blogger (and RD student!) I look to your blog for inspiration, so thanks for this post!
Glad you found them helpful!
I recently started blogging again and am deciding to take my blog to the next level. A friend of mine told me about you blog so I’ve been reading a bunch of you various articles on blogging. Do you have a round-up of all your blogging tips? I just did a search for “blogging” and found a few. But if there’s a collection of them that I can’t seem to locate, please let me know. From what I’ve ready so far, you have some amazing tips and I find them super helpful. Thanks for sharing the knowledge! I am glad to say you’ve earned yourself another follower 🙂 Congrats on all the success and I wish you the best with your growing family.
i don’t, but here’s another you might like: https://www.theleangreenbean.com/when-blogging-gets-hard/