117 You Asked: Thoughts and Tips on Blogging

Since this week I was able to share and celebrate a huge milestone in this blogging venture of mine, we are talking a 10,000 Facebook fan milestone, I thought I would take a moment to write up a quick {hopefully} post about my adventures in blogging.  In fact, I receive a lot of emails asking, "How did you start?" and "How do you make money?" and "What tips do you have for aspiring bloggers?"  So I thought this would be perfect timing to go over a couple of things that I have learned along the way.  My disclosure, "These are only my personal opinions and what I have experienced, everyone's journey and process and ideas on the subject are sure to be different."

I was a stay at home daycare mom and had recently found the blog world.  I had only started reading a couple but quickly realized that it was my happy time and my favorite way to wind down at the end of a busy day.  I was always left feeling inspired and excited to do a project or to work on the house {which I had loved to do anyway}.  Then one day it hit me when a friend had asked me about organizing kid's schoolwork.  I was getting asked all the time by friends and family about things I had done around the house, so why not hop on the ol' bandwagon and start a blog.  The second piece of it was that I had been spending so many hours inside my home, that I was constantly looking for things to organize.  Every project completed left me thirsty for more.  I was always trying to find creative ways to organize, store and conceal all of the kid's belongings, to allow for me to run a daycare by day, and have an adult and kid friendly home by night.  The daycare brought in boatloads of items from all of the attendees personal belongings, gear, toys, artwork, arts and crafts materials, etc... which meant that I was determined to find a way to keep my home streamlined with the incredible amount of "stuff" that was trying to take it over.  I had always considered myself, "House Proud" and I was finding that being organized was a huge contributor to that.  It made me wonder if someday I could be doing it for a living.  That "someday" being when my kids were out of the house and I would be on the lookout for a new career.  I had already done the day to day in the office for hours thing, and realized that as much as I enjoyed my last job, I didn't love the hours, commute and time commitment away from my family.  So why not pair my love for organizing with the need for flexible scheduling and the desire to be passionate about my job?  I was then planning on starting the blog as a way to share my ideas with friends and family, and start getting my name out there to them as an option if looking for organizational help.  The blog was born on September 26th, 2009.


I have to stress, I never started the blog with the intention of taking it to a full time career or to make money  {didn't' even know that was an option when I began}, it was my fun way to be a sharer and to have a hobby away from being a full time wife and mom.  A way to drive me to do another project and to keep my long term career idea in check.

Of course when you blog, you hope that someone is reading.  Anyone.  It's always fun to have readers because it gives meaning to your writing.  I love having a broad following of readers because I have made many friends through this process and you all give me special smiles every day! 

That said, I planted the blog seed in September of 2009 and didn't receive my first blog comment from someone other than a bff or my mom until January 24th of 2010.  That's four months of blogging without anyone outside of my friends and family circle, commenting on what I was writing.  I was averaging 12 page loads per day.  I also was only posting about 10 times per month.

I give credit to a few major things that have helped this blog blossom:

Features!  I started throwing myself out there.  I had blogged about some projects, now it was time to see if I could get them featured.  I started by uploading and featuring my house tour pictures on HGTV's Rate My Space website, which increased my page loads to about 300 per day, at it's max, which was much more than the 12 I had been getting.  Then, I looked at my favorite blogs to see what they were looking for.  What was a consistent theme in the spaces they had featured thus far?  The common answer was detailed how to's/tutorials, good photography and a unique idea.  I then began to try and be better about incorporating those traits into my posts going forward.  My first feature was actually a big one, Young House Love, which brought me 9,621 page loads in one day.  Some of you stayed around and continued to read, however many of the first time visitors took a look and left.  Why did people leave?  Maybe because I hadn't built up much of a post inventory yet.  Maybe my projects and photography were only mediocre?  Maybe my blog didn't grab their attention at first glance?  Whatever the reason, that feature was still crucial in the growth and success in this blog.  That feature along with each and every one after, have brought many of you here throughout the course of the last two years {see all of my features/links here} and have even led me to be contacted by The Nate Berkus Show!  Who knew?

Theme!  I still struggle with this on some level, but I believe that your blog should have a specific theme or topic to keep your readers coming back.  Something brought them to you, and if you want to keep them coming back, then keeping your blog consistent is key.  I decided to go with integrating my love for organizing with my family, home and life.  That means that just about everything I post is in some way about those key things.  My family drives why I organize.  My organizing keeps me "house proud".  I love a good house project.  Organizing betters my life.  I keep this blog revolving around those things as much as possible, and not as much about where I got my hair done, how badly I ruined the batch of brownies I just baked or the fact that I have a secret side obsession with ridiculous reality television.  Also, pick something that you truly love or have a passion for.  You will enjoy creating and posting and your readers will take notice of that.  Don't do it just to do it, do it because you HEART it.

Pictures!  What is one of the very first things you notice on any blog you go to?  For me it is all about the photography.  And I like BIG pictures, I am getting old you know...  I am still no pro when it comes to taking pictures, everything I do I have learned along the way.  My biggest tip no matter what kind of camera you have is to always shoot your photos in natural daylight without a flash.  You get the truest, cleanest colors that way.  Of course angles and focusing in on the subject are important also, but what works for me is to study photos on blogs I enjoy and within home magazines to see what I can learn from them.  For example, when I first started blogging, my photos looked similar to this:

My first impression?  The size is too small; I took the photo at night, used interior lighting and a flash.  Aside from the fact that the next picture has prettier cabinets, look at the impact the photo has in comparison:

Taken in natural light, no flash and sized to fit the size of my blog, making it the focus of the post.  Photos are typically the deciding factor for me when I visit a blog because I can gain so much information just from the pictures, especially if I don't always have time to read word for word the details of the post.  It grabs me when I load the page.  It lets me know at first glance why I am there.

Frequency!  Once you start having individuals "follow" you, they can be notified when you post.  I always receive more traffic on days I post because of subscriptions and readers.  Beyond that, by posting frequently {I now post at least 5 times per week}, you are building a story, a ton of inspiration to keep your readers looking at and a reliability that you will be posting again in the near future, so people will keep checking back frequently to read that new post.  Over the last two years, I had posted over 500 times!  Crazy to think about!  I do my best not to post just to post, this goes back to having a theme.  I post to inspire myself and others and to keep the creative juices flowing!

Socialize!  You know I love you all!  You may just think that I say that, maybe even too much, but it is true from the bottom of my pitter pattering heart.  And I know there have been times when I just hadn't been able to answer every comment or email, but I do my gosh darn best to try. This blog wouldn't exist without you and I know that.   So to keep your friends coming back to your blog, I would suggest using outlets like Facebook, Twitter and email to connect with them on a daily basis.

Website!  Of course one of the obvious ways to stand out from the crowd is to build a webpage that is professional looking and attention grabbing.  My blog and header and pictures have all evolved over time and I am always continuing to enhance my header and layout and design based on feedback and the desire to stay current.  {You can read about the most recent changes I made here}.  I am fortunate enough to love working on my blog and creating the designs, however, if you didn't get the blog design gene, there are oodles of great businesses out there that will help do that for you, just ask Google.

That equation is now bringing over 35,000+ page loads per day and I am pinching myself every waking moment.

My biggest piece of advice is this.  Don't blog to make money, blog because you ADORE it.  Sure, we see it happen, I am one of those lucky gals that is able to make a little dinero while I blog.  However, it was never my intention.  I never even knew it was an option.  I blogged because it was a growing passion of mine and I loved it, and then one day, the cash suddenly became this really awesome and completely unexpected perk.

So how did the income come?

I started out by placing Google Adsense into my blog sometime within the first year and was making just pennies a day and then it grew to maybe a dollar or two per day and so on.  It grows and increases as my traffic does, the two go hand in hand.  Then, one day, I was approached and asked about a sponsorship spot on my blog.  I hadn't really offered any up to this point and was excited for the opportunity to partner up with another to support their business while they helped support mine.  To me, sponsorships are partnerships.  I then placed "Your Ad Here" spots on my sidebar with a link to my advertising details , and offers came.  I never solicited businesses to become my personal sponsors.  As I grew, again, so did my sponsors and those opportunities.  The same goes with giveaways.  There are times when I will contact a company to see if they will partner up to offer you special friends something incredible, but for the most part, I am fortunate enough to have incredible companies come to me with giveaway opportunities.  There are times when I have to say no because the item does not at all fit with the theme of the blog, this goes with both giveaways and sponsors, since it is important to me to keep the integrity of the blog first and the income second.

Without sharing my exact income from blogging, I was able to make the choice to switch from daycare to blogging when my youngest entered school and my income blogging was at least equal to what I was making doing daycare.  Another important thing for me to mention is that my blogging income doesn't just come from solely blogging, I am able to do this full time because I receive income from many places such as Amazon Associates, Social Spark, Sponsors, Adsense, Etsy Sales and Style Tiles Sales.  I cannot rely on just one to support me, however together, they all allow me to do this full time.  A little more about each:

Google Adsense: These are ads that are placed on my blog through Google that are tailored to your specific interests based off of your browsing history and the content of my blog.  I am able to place up to three of these ad boxes on my blog, and the amount I receive from this program depends on my traffic and the number of clicks the ads receive.

Sponsors:  A partnership between myself and another company.  They pay me a designated rate to have their company showcased on my sidebar and to be a part of a monthly sponsorship appreciation post.  Because of the time I have been investing, this blog probably wouldn't exist without them.  More on the time piece soon.

Amazon Associates:  My Amazon shop showcases my favorite products and wish list items.  I decide on Amazon because they offer the largest variety and allow me to showcase the most of what IHeart personally.  They do have an affiliate program for bloggers that allow you to to take home a small piece of the pie when someone purchases through your shop. 

Social Spark:  This is another program that allows for me to partner up with fantastic companies and share products and details with you, while also earning some income at the same time.  I receive many great opportunities and offers through their program, and am able to be partnered with fantastic companies that I might not otherwise have been introduced to, however again I must stress, I am working to ensure that I only feature companies and products that fit with the integrity of the blog and that I would personally use or recommend.  I am not going to lie when I say it can be a smidge hard as a blogger to see the dollars flash in front of you and to turn them away, but in your heart you know it's the right thing to do.

Etsy:  I LOVE creating organizing tools and templates and decided to offer some of those items on Etsy about a year or so after I started blogging.  At that point, I was only making a very small amount of income from the blog itself so this was another way to start adding to the bucket.  And who totally doesn't adore a freebie?  I do and I can't blame you for loving them also, which is why I am trying to expand those printables, but creating each form takes hours of my time away from family, and the Etsy shop is actually now a crucial part in my ability to provide for my family.

Style Tiles:  Because I was being asked so frequently for style and organizing advice, another way to keep the blog floating was to offer the option to purchase my thoughts in the form of a Style Tile.  This is such a fun process for me and I have been having such a great experience partnering up with individuals to give them a visual of how their room could ultimately look and function.

So that is how I make money and am able to blog full time.  So many sources and avenues.  I am always re-evaluating my time investment and options for each income source, it has changed as the blog has evolved and is always a learning process for me.

Wow.  Blogs take time.  Tons and tons of time.  Those who write one may know what I am talking about.  Many wonder what a blogger does all day or how it can be considered a real "job".  Don't get me wrong, it's unlike any job I have ever heard of!  I would say it's the BEST job.  But I have to get real, it's very time consuming. And as my blog grew, so did the amount of time I put into it.  Here are some of the things that have been keeping this gal a busy busy bee:

• The internet is 24/7.  Comments and emails come in constantly.  I receive an average of 50+ emails per day and try my best to respond to each one.
• Etsy orders also come in at any time.  As long as an item is stocked and available in my shop {which is almost always since I create and customize the printables digitally and upon ordering}, then someone can order.  I receive boatloads of requests to create custom items, those are always the most time consuming.
• Projects need to be thought up, completed, photos taken and posts written.  Depending on the project, the photo editing and post writing portion alone can take me 3-4 hours alone, if not more.  
• Managing sponsorships, giveaways, reader spaces and post topics requires hours of planning and communication.
• Creating Style Tiles requires evaluating the room, browsing for ideas and inspiration, locating recommended products, tying it all together and drafting an explanation with all of the sources.
• Because I created my blog's graphics and design, I am constantly working to streamline things and make navigation easier.  Blog updates are happening frequently and depending on the what is being updated/fixed, depends on the time it takes.

Again, not everyone will be doing all of those things as a blogger {Etsy, Style Tiles, etc...}, however, it's how I am able to do it full time, so they all fit into the ball of time I consider work.  As you can imagine, it was nearly impossible for me to manage all of those items along with a daycare.  I was daycare mom by day, blogger by night and not much else in-between.  I loved both pieces, but it came to a point where something had to give.  The time investment to blog and run my shop and services were becoming too much to manage in the evenings and weekends.  I was falling behind on emails and never sleeping.  My husband was feeling the brunt of the evening parenting tasks and it all began to become a stressful situation.  So when it came down to it, I followed my heart and passion and made the switch to blogging full time and I still find it hard to keep up, wondering how I ever managed to do both?  

I read a lot of stories from other bloggers as well, working through blogging and time management and having friends and family understand the time investment that blogging requires.  Because it's a 24/7 job, it's hard to ever just "leave the office and go home".  It definitely takes some getting used to.  If I had to put a number on it, I would say I am easily investing 50-60 hours per week on all of the tasks I outlined above.  And I am still trying to find a schedule that works best for both myself and my family.

However, I also believe that the time you invest shows through in your blog.  I know in my heart that my blog was able to grow because I was investing time daily, posting often, taking time to edit pictures and post interesting topics and keep communication with my blog friends {YOU} going.  It all goes hand in hand.  If I were to stop caring as much, so would you. 

Blogging definitely comes with its highs and lows, and because I always love ending on a high, let's start with some of the harder parts of running a full time blog:

• Criticism.   When you put yourself out there every day, and your readership grows, so does the opportunity for individuals to criticize your writing, projects, decisions and style.  I posted my feelings on this here, and as much as you will never get used to it, it does get easier to manage through.  I know almost every blogger out there has faced this in some form, and that I am not alone, but it's how you decide to let it affect you that matters.  When I let the negativity ruin my day, then that is a whole day I will never get back.  For every negative comment, I have boatloads of positive ones.  We allow ourselves to focus on the negatives, and that is not fair to anyone.  So as you blog, ignore the "haters", because as you have all taught me, they are not worth your time and are probably just taking their bad day out on you.  
• Time.  Learning how to unplug and shut it off.  That is a little easier to do when you go into the office and then leave it to go back home.  As I mentioned, blogging is time consuming and it's hard to turn it off and live your life at the same time.  Especially with smart phones and iPads and laptops oh my.
• It's not an overnight success.  It took me two years to get where I am and I essentially did most of it for free for the first year or more.  Everyone will have a different success rate when running a blog, however, always remember that it takes time and "if you build it, they will come"  Oh yeah, I just went there.
• Computers.  I wish I could say that I spend most of my day doing hands on projects.  Fact of the matter is that most of the time working on the blog, is me sitting in front of the computer instead.  I would guestimate my time is about 10% projects, 90% computer. That makes my eyes, hands and bottom hurt just thinking about it!

Now, the positives.  I don't think there is an end to this list, I can seriously think of 100,000 reasons why I love to blog, but here are the tops:

• How many people can honestly say they do what they love?  I can and there are no words for how amazing that is!
• Blogging is an exciting way to share ideas and projects.  If just one of my projects can inspire just one person or give one person an idea, then it was worth it!
• You make great friends.  I have met so many other creative individuals through this blog, most of whom share many of the same interests as me, which makes it beyond rewarding!
• Blogging allows me to organize {win} and then write about it {win again!}.  
• I get to be creative!  I have always loved creating spreadsheets, taking pictures and crafting.  I get to combine all of those hobbies with the blog.  
• I get to help people.  Whether through a blog post or an email, any time I can offer up any advice that makes another's life easier, then it's rewarding on both ends!
• I can be home with my kids and contribute to our family's income.  This is probably one of the biggest benefits.  
• You.  I have said it before and I will never stop saying it.  You make me smile every day.  Your visits and comments and emails are why I blog and what keeps it rolling.  I am grateful for you.  I adore you.

So there you have it!  Four hours later my post isn't as short as I was hoping and I could probably spew 3,951 more words on the subject, so if I missed anything at all just leave a comment and I will share more.

Anyone learn anything they didn't know or wouldn't have thought of, in regards to the blogging world?  Any surprises?  What do you want to add on the great subject of blogging?

 

Check out updated details on this topic here: The Bread & Butter of the Blog
And here: 10 Things I Have Learned Along the Way