I am at a point in blogging where I consider myself among the ranks of veteran bloggers. I’ve been at this long enough to say with confidence that I have built a strong following, I know who I am and I know what this blog stands for. I have met tons of other bloggers and social media mavens along the way and have learned and networked at conferences. I’ve shaken the hands of others in the blogosphere at various events and this all equates to the fact that I know how this big bloggity blog world operates.
But, this revelation did not happen overnight and I’d like to add that I’ve paid my dues – and I am still paying them. Maintaining a blog takes endless hours of time and hard work including lots of blood, sweat and tears. This is easily a full-time job and those of you who have been blogging for at least a solid year know exactly what I’m talking about.
Blog success does NOT happen overnight and does not happen without oodles and oodles of endless hard work. There is no free hall pass when it comes to blogging and just when you think you’ve reached some success, you realize there is still a long way to go – but that’s the real beauty of this journey.
This post is not about how to build a following or how to maintain a true readership. I’ve written about those bloggy things before but I wanted to share some thoughts within the kind of post I wish I had read when I was just starting out…
Think of a time when you were the new kid on the block; maybe arriving at a new school or starting your very first day on the job of that brand new position – you had to learn the ropes. You had to understand the internal workings of that environment in order to function well within that organization. Well, the same principles are applied to blogging that can be noted:
1. Earn your rite of passage. We have all been there before and we all started the same way, with one lonely follower {and for the record, I adore Brittany and she is still with me today}. Think of an uber blogger that seems untouchable and think about their following. You have to remember that those uber bloggers were at one time newbie bloggers themselves! They didn’t get book deals and reach unimaginable bloggy status overnight. No. These women wrote their butts off and their amazing talent truly resonated with readers. These women found a niche that needed to be filled and have done so with style and grace. These women deserve every blog reader because they have worked for it. They’ve earned their rite of passage and you have to earn yours as well. You can’t enter the blogosphere expecting a handout. You have to work for it.
2. Don’t get too big for your britches. Once your blog does start to pick up some traction and your following begins to build, don’t forget what it was like to be a newbie. Treat every reader the way you want to be treated. We can all sense bloggy ego from afar. Remember who you are and where you came from. Staying grounded will be appreciated by many and it will set an example for future bloggers in the process. I’ve seen big egos turn some bloggers into different people and others have since lost interest. Stay authentic and true to who you are from the very beginning and your readers will stay the course, too.
And probably the most important five words that newbies need to hear if they want to maintain a long and lasting blog?
3. Don’t be a sell out. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is when I see new bloggers publish anything and everything that comes their way. They are willing to sell their souls for a few followers or a mere gift certificate. They don’t research the company they work with and the product they post about has absolutely nothing to do with their audience or even their blog. Why do they do it? For a few extra followers or to make it appear as though they are striking some uncharted, new bloggy ground? The fact of the matter is that many of us receive the same mass emails but the difference is that we recognize that it’s not the right fit for ourselves and our blogs so we decline. Be sure that with every product you endorse and every company you choose to work with, it’s the right fit for both you and your blog. Blogging about every promotion and press release certainly will not get you where you want to go. It may actually deter readers from returning.
At the end of the day there are no guarantees in this bloggy world, but what must stay at the forefront of every post is maintaining your readers’ trust and respect. If you lose that, you could have tons of followers and it wouldn’t mean a damn thing.
Don’t be a sell out – because we all know the kind of bloggers that do and we can smell them from a mile away.
And it aint pretty.
Wow!! What powerful words to hear for a new blogger! Thanks for letting me know that I am heading in the right direction! Even though my readership is building, it is painfully slow, but building! I have found a pretty loyal following and I do what I can to write about what my readers expect. But I still like to do some new things every now and then to test the waters–we all like a little spice in the chicken every now and then!
Come by and check out my new look….
Wow. How timely. There have been some really bad pitches lately, and all I can think of is that someone, somewhere is really accepting these terms, no matter how crappy, because they think they have to. They are selling themselves short. There is totally a difference between knowing your worth and paying your dues. For all you new bloggers out there, yes, you need to pay your dues (we all do and continue to in some ways), BUT don’t sell yourself short. When you get an offer, really weigh if the time and compensation are worth it. Don’t be so dazzled by a large brand that you get taken advantage of.
I totally agree Amanda – and the ‘paying your dues’ part that comes to my mind is the commenting, tweeting, social networking – all of this takes time and commitment and if we want our blogs to grow, this is part of the gig and it’s not handed to us, we have to work at it. Thanks so much for your comment – I love to hear when bloggers know what’s right for them!!
Love and thanks for the advise. I’m new to blogging and basically just write about things happing day to day in my life…*boring*…Lol….but I have seen on some the very things you speak about on blogs I have visited and understand what you mean. Again thanks for the sound advise and as always I enjoy coming to your site.
I think this is great advice, especially the part about becoming to big for your britches. I’ve stopped reading and commenting on a few blogs because they stopped responding to comments or interacting with readers in general. And it’s like they forgot the readers who have been with them the longest. I think blogging conferences and can make you a more successful blogger or make you egotistical. I’m glad it encourages you and doesn’t all go to your head.
The bloggers you are referencing are the ones I was describing. I may not be able to keep up with comments or visits, but I *do* interact here and on Twitter – that’s what I LOVE about blogging, the conversations that emerge! We all have different reasons for blogging and different goals, but when we do reach success at various levels, it’s important to remember the very people who got us there!
Thanks for your comment chickie!!
It’s definitely a balance act as you learn all this stuff. But it can be a lot of fun if you take it slow & really just stay true to who you are. In the end if you are honoring who you are & not selling yourself or others short you’ll do great (even if you aren’t a “big” blogger).
I have never followed any blogs who are so big that they ignore “the little guy.” I guess I just don’t get swept into the hype.
I’m not a giveaway fan, so that has never been a “thing” for me, though I’ve seen blogs start off with content, get the giveaway bug, and then you can’t find real content to save your life. It’s always sad when you see that happen to a blog. And that’s why I think it’s key for bloggers who enjoy giveaways, to not let it take over their blog.
Great advice…I especially like the part about not selling out. I’ve seen many a new blogger push any and every product that comes along. I’m still a pretty new blogger (a year next month), and your post was a great reminder that being a “big” blog is not out of reach. I still have a lot to learn!
Thank you for all the great advice! It’s good to have when you’re just starting out and have no idea what your doing or what direction you should go. Having someone around to share their wisdom like you is really something special.
Thank you!!
First follower here hello you established blogger you! I adore you too and think the advice you give is always both wise and inspirational. This takes a lot of time and patience and a heck of a lot of hard work. It is all worth it for the community we can find.
It is so important to remember to keep communicating with you followers ang giving back to the community that supports you. You do a wonderful job of this.
Thanks for the mention. You totally rock!
I just read this and I wanted to thank you for sharing what you’ve learned. I just started blogging 8 weeks ago so I’m obviously new to this. I am intending on writing a book but as that task is so overwhelming, I thought bite sized pieces like blogposts would be better for me. I’m actually really enjoying it although building up readers is truly frustrating. So…thanks for telling me to be patient(I’m not) and not to change(trust me, I’ve tried…it’s not possible). Check out All Fooked Up at http://allfookedup.blogspot.com
Thank you for this advice. I consider myself a veteran blogger. I have been blogging for almos 4 years. But had very few followers the first few because my blog was only to keep family/friends updated. It was not until the beginning of this year that I began working on my new blog concept. I have clear goals for my blog now. That is something I did not have. I also answered the question “what do I want from this blog?” I think it’s very important for bloggers to ask themselves that.
Molly – I just had my blog redesigned as I too worked on a new blog concept. I’ve been blogging for 4 years as well as it was a way to keep my friends and family updated on our adoption process and now it is so much more. I am inspired to keep blogging now that I have a purpose.
It’s so hard to not take every opportunity that comes your way at first. I know that I did. Soon I realized that the time and effort were not worth it for most products. I’m much more selective now about what I endorse, and I feel better about it.
That is great advice. Especially the sell out part. I personally don’t read blogs that constantly publish something from company after company. It irritates me.
Maybe one day I’ll be a big time blogger!
I originally started this particular blog with the hopes of it becoming hugely successful. Now I just write what I want when I want and enjoy the people who read and follow way too many blogs myself. I absolutely love blogging but I came to realize that I don’t have the TIME for a full time job, lol. I don’t know how some of these amazing women manage a full-time blogging “career” while raising their kids. Maybe the secret is having them all in school?
I love this article! I am a newbie blogger and this advice really resonated with me! Thank you!
Another awesome post about blogging! I’ve been blogging for about 1 year now consistently and I still only have about 15-30 people visit my page every day. And I’m okay with that because I write what I want to write. For a short time I started to worry that I didn’t have more followers, but reminded myself that this is my creative outlet. And it’s been awesome “meeting” other women bloggers and learning so much from them!
Oh, that was refreshing to hear. Thanks!
(And I love your WordPress Thesis theme! I’m swtiching to it very, very soon. I can’t wait!)
Bravo! It takes so much work to develop a following. No one gets it overnight. And every single one of us has bloggers we look up to.
You would laugh at some of the pitches I got this week. Politely declined them all.
Awesome advice! Thank you so much for sharing your Words of Wisdom. I am far from having a clue when it comes to the blogging world. I just use it as a forum to diary my life in progress through pictures. It will be nice after a year has passed to see if the Journey I had planned actually came to fruition. I’m all about K.I.R~Cheers to Keepin It Real!~XO
MJ
It is very hard, ThetaMom, for me, to keep up with visitors.
That has been where the source of my guilt stems from. I cannot keep up with visiting, and I hate that.
I hate that someone may be thinking that I think I’m all that. I don’t.
I just have 3 boys, and a husband who travels, and I work during the day PT, and in the evenings and weekends, with a caterer.
And, I have to clean, cook, do laundry, spend time with my children, exercise, and get at least 5 hours of sleep a night.
When do I get the chance to comment and visit? I can only do it pieces at at a time, which makes me fall further behind.
Thanks to twitter, I can now RT posts of others that I like, and that lends them support, when I’m not able to visit and comment.
But, it feels like a wheel in a hamster cage sometimes. Round and round every day..and getting nowhere.
I love posting, I love reading others posts, and I LOVE the friendships I”ve made, and I love comments, oh..and visits? Make my heart soar…but, at what point does it start to take over a healthy lifestyle where sleep and exercise and time with family is affected?
That’s the dangerous line that cannot be crossed. But,I can see how it happens, as we struggle to visit back, comment back, and maintain connections.
I totally get this, Alexandra. It’s not easy to get everything done, and it can bring on a lot of guilt. The last thing I want anyone who reads my blog to think is that I don’t want to read their blog. That would make me so sad if people thought that about me. It’s always a matter of 1) time or 2) forgetfulness.
Good advice!
You are so wise Theta Mom!
Thanks for this tip.
I am tweeting this one out.
I love you for all your wise experienced tips on blogging.
Wow! This is invaluable advice! Thank you so much ThetaMom! I really needed some advice like this as I am finding my way in this bloggy blog world!
I haven’t found such good advice in one place or one post.
Thanks!
CM
Words to live by! I was actually thinking about something similar last night. Blogging is a really hard job… but it can also be very rewarding if you blog about what you love and build friendships (like ours)!
Good advice! Blogging really does take a lot of work & it can be frustrating at times but i love it! Social media aspect of blogging is bigger then i had thought & takes up a lot of my time but the staying true to who you are and what your blog is about is really key. Wise words mama
I am a brand-new blogger, I have been playing at it for over a year BUT I lost my motivation so I decided to start all over. I get frustrated at times but reading what you put out there has made me feel a lot less frustrated and a lot more motivated to do better! Thanks so much for all you do.
One of my biggest pet peeves is when a favorite blog turns into a giveaway blog. I end up searching through giveaway after giveaway to find actual content, and get frustrated. I’ve been blogging for 2 years, and I’m currently doing my second giveaway. My blog is about my family and I’m sticking with it! I don’t mind a giveaway every so often, but when you do so many that you veer away from the original purpose of your blog, I don’t really see the point.
Agreed! I’ve done a couple sponsored posts, but they were always related to something that was happening in my personal life. It’s a bummer when someone’s awesome content gets obscured by other stuff!
Great advice, friend. I would have never believed someone if they would have told me – even six months ago – how much work a blog was. It’s an incredible investment of time…and if you are not in it for the long haul – you shouldnt waste your time. XOXO
I still consider myself a newbie, so I welcome your advise. It is hard to balance expanding your blog and appealing to readers with “selling out.” It seems like the successful blogs do offer alot of giveaways, but are they worth it, and are you getting followers that come back for you, or for your giveaways…that is the question.
Thanks for your comment Jules. I think it all depends on how you define a successful blog – not every “big” blog runs giveaways and I believe there is a “right” way to do them. I offer them on this blog and I enjoy doing them, but I don’t do them to the point that it takes over my content. I guess THAT was really the point I was driving home about “selling out.”
Thank you for the advice. You just motivated me in a big way -I can’t believe how big this blogging world is!!!
Heather…thank you so much for your words of wisdom and I will truly take them to heart. This blog world seems so big at times; I feel like I am just spinning my wheels and you have helped me to see the much bigger picture. Thanks again!
This was one of the best ‘new blogger tips’ posts I have read. I learned something and I have been doing this for 4 years.
Such good advice! I am coming up on my one year anniversary soon…. Seems crazy! I still consider myself a newbie– and going back to work just when I felt positive blog momentum has been hard. But, baby step by baby step we keep on going,
Wonderful advice for rookies and vets alike. Thank you!
Blogging is such a wild ride. There are so many areas to be connected in, so many sites to be a part of, and so many conversations to have that it can take the steam out of a blogger- I know I have felt that at various times. It’s hard to keep up with it all and it can be tough not to let it interfere with your day to day life- that is the most important thing to maintain.
The connections in blogging can be real and great and rewarding- but it takes time and effort. It took me months to even figure out what and how to post! I still consider myself a newbie, but I’m grateful for bloggers like you, who take the time to help and guide others. I think it strengthens the blogging community as a whole and will help build a better online presence in the long run. Thanks for sharing, as always!
Awesome post girl. Yup blogging takes lots and lots of work and patients! But it is so rewarding!
BEST line you wrote and BEST line I have ever read in any “new blogger tips” post: “Treat every reader the way you want to be treated.” Love this! Love you!
Love the post! I agree about the ‘not selling out’ part. I signed up for a lot of the ads and products to sell where you get the mass email. I would then notice suddenly 100 tweets about that particular product on twitter or on blogs…and honestly, that was enough for me never to really do them. There are a few I will do from time to time, but for the most part I figure if 100’s of bloggers are doing them, I really don’t want to do the same thing!!
Anyway, I love your post, and I’m glad that most bloggers I have met take time for the newbies!
I am only 7 months in and can’t believe how much work it is! And I have less than a quarter of the number of followers you have! I think that I’ve really tried to stay true to everything you are saying, it’s challenging. It’s especially hard to find “the balance” everybody is always talking about…I still haven’t found it!
Gigi (Kludgy Mom) is talking about this exact same subject for Back to School, Back to Blogging this week! I did a guest post over there about maintaining relationships with readers. I think it’s hard to keep those relationships going as you get more followers.
As for the giveaways, early on, I did exactly what you said not to do…I took everything that came my way. I’m much more selective now and probably won’t be doing many anymore. I don’t want them to consume my blog!
Excellent points Heather. I’ve been blogging for about 6 months now and I had a really nice thing happen recently – I was able to share knowledge with a new blogger. She asked how to make a blog button and it was such a nice feeling being able to help someone just starting out. Because as you wrote, I certainly remember what it was like in the beginning when I was the one trying to figure all this stuff out.
Good to keep in mind – we ALL had to start somewhere.
SaucyB’s latest post:
In Search of the Great Pumpkin
http://bit.ly/butAkZ
Thank you for writing this! Every single word needed to be said and by someone people respect like you Theta Mom!
I will get lots of new bloggers email me and say, “how did you get ____ to review and how do I get there?” I wrote a similar post where I said “it takes lots of hard work!” And it does.
And yes, I too have seen blogs with no direction, no sense of who they are. They think they have to take every single promotion that comes their way to grow readers. If you have direction, integrity and a sense of who you are you will get there!
I have been blogging for a year now and went through a small period of time where I took every free thing I could. That was a very bad time for me. I got burned out and felt disconnected from my readers. I will never do that again.
I don’t know that I agree with the term “sell out” in blogging.
I believe there are various quality levels in blogging.As you know, I’ve been a vocal advocate about raising the bar on blogging generally. I think whatever you do, you should do well.
But one of the things I’ve taken to the most heart during the weeks of the blog challenge I’ve been doing is that not everybody has the same goals or dreams for their blogs and that’s okay.
I would never fault anyone who is trying to make money off their blog, even if they don’t do it at a high level of quality. We all know how much work blogging truly is, and if someone can make a few dollars to buy themselves a coffee once a week – more power to them.
Do I personally read blogs where it’s advertisement after advertisment or sponsored posts? Probably not, especially if it’s not done in a professional way. Do I consider them outstanding? No.. Do I think they’ll reach the pinnacle of bloggydom? Not for a second. But I don’t begrudge them for trying to help their families by earning some money.
I think you get into a slippery slope when the term “sell out” is used. To some people, putting ANY sort of sponsored post or giveaway on a site is considering “selling out” and not wholly pursuing the art of writing. Where do you draw the line?
Okay, I’ve written enough!
The definition of “sell out” that I was referencing is to publish ANY review, giveaway, sponsored post or ad that does *not* make sense to the blogger or the blog – I indeed run reviews/giveaways and have sponsored ad space on my blog but EACH and EVERY brand I choose to work with and that is published in this space has been researched and is relevant to this audience – bloggers that “sell out” are often times just starting out and they do not take the time it requires to do their homework – Most of the time, these decisions are made in the hopes of gaining some exposure or to add a few followers but they don’t realize what it is they are really selling….
Hope that makes sense…
All are great points! I’ve been blogging for years but my current blog is the first one that I’ve taken seriously and it really is a lot of work to build your following but at the same time that is part of the fun! I love meeting new people and making friends. I feel like I have a lot of friends that I’ve never even met!
Another excellent post with some great advice. I’ve been blogging for years now and it has been to keep my friends and family updated on our life but also to connect with other moms out there. I recently added a few new followers and I can’t tell you how excited I am. It is so much fun to meet new people and to be able to build a blog friendship.
Holy Moly Heather, that is some sage advice. Don’t be a sell-out, amen! I agree with every word of your post and the trust we earn from our readers needs to be preserved at all costs.
I started to comment about 12 hours ago, got distracted and now here I am! I don’t have much to add that hasn’t already been said.
This is such good advice. Everyone blogs for their own reasons, and has their own goals. But everyone, no matter what their goals, can benefit from this post.
Love it and oh so true…
More wisdom from Theta Mom! You are fantastic!
Thank you. Especially for the part about having tons of followers and it not meaning anything. I was actually feeling bad recently about my follower count, but it’s really good to know that I have made a true connection with each of them at one point or another.
Seriously, Thank You!!!
Thanks for this post. As a fairly new blogger, it was helpful to read!
I think it is easy to justify a review or giveaway to fit your niche. I believe I have done that in the past. It takes awhile to find your feet and decide what you want from blogging.
Most people don’t seem to develop a plan before they start blogging. It seems to evolve as they have blogged for awhile.