Photo by Jess Watters on Unsplash
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Where are all my new blogger friends at?????
Anybody?
I know you’re out there.
I’ve been blogging for a little while now. While I certainly wouldn’t call myself an expert and I have a long, LONG way to go before I get to Pioneer Woman status (ain’t that the dream?), I have learned a few things here and there.
So here’s to all of you who are where I was a little less than a year ago. Maybe you’ve just started your blog or maybe you’re just THINKING about starting a blog. Or maybe you had no previous interest in blogging but you’re a little intrigued now that you’re hearing me talk about it.
This is for you.
Don’t expect blogging to give you instant results
You’re going to wind up reading lots and lots of posts by bloggers who claim that they went from 0 to making a full-time income in a year or less. Or that they went from 0 to 10,000 pageviews in a month.
Maybe they did. But I promise you that if your situation is anything like mine, that is NOT going to be you.
Those bloggers might really have accomplished those results, but you don’t know what the circumstances are that led them to being able to get there. They might have already had skills that gave them a little boost in the blogging world. Maybe they have an ungodly amount of free time. Maybe they’re really good at creating Facebook ads and got lots of viewers that way.
Or maybe they just got lucky.
But me? I’ve never done any of this before. When I started this venture,I didn’t have a clue what SEO stood for or what Tailwind was. And wait, Pinterest actually isn’t social media? All the things.
Of course the progress is going to be slow for me (and likely for you) because I’m starting 100% from square one and learning EVERYTHING as I go.
Not to mention I have two kids to chase around morning, noon, and night. Which brings me to my next point:
Don’t let starting a new blog take over your life
If you’re like me, you might tend to get a new idea and go all-in. I spent every possible waking moment on the blog when I first started. I was writing, researching and learning all that I could. And while that’s not necessarily bad, it meant I was neglecting other areas of my life.
The laundry was piling up in my closet. I was staring at my phone all the time when I should’ve been paying attention to my kids. I was losing sleep and not working out like I should have been.
The reality is that blogging has to come second. Actually, it’s probably quite a bit farther down the list than that behind my faith, my marriage, my kids, staying physically fit, etc.
Yes, it gives me a creative outlet that I can do while the kids are napping. It gives me a way to connect with other like-minded people. And, hopefully, one day I’ll be able to earn a decent income from it.
But in the grand scheme of things, it’s just not that important. I need to treat it as such, and so should you. Don’t let your excitement over this new idea let things get out of hand.
I don’t want my kids memories of me to be nothing but me staring at my phone all day while I ignored them, and you probably don’t either!
Don’t spend money on your new blog
Just don’t. The vast majority of bloggers never make squat, so it’s dumb to spend hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on courses, fancy themes, scheduling tools, and other blogging “accessories.”
It can be tempting, I know. Especially when that Genius Blogger’s Toolkit goes on sale.
“OMG only $99 for all the blogging resources I could ever want!!!!”
But once you start spending the money, it’s a slippery slope that goes downhill fast. $15 on Tailwind here. A $30 Pinterest course there. That beautiful, lovely Divi theme that you just had to have. And wait, now I need a PO box and Convertkit for the email list and on and on and omg now you’ve just spent a bunch of money on something that was supposed to make an income for you, not cost money.
Wait until the cash starts rolling in before you start spending it.
The only reasonable exception to this is probably getting hosting and a domain name. Because that really gives you the freedom to do whatever you want on your blog and gives you the capability to monetize.
Although, honestly if I could do it over again I would probably just start out with a free wordpress.com site. I would work on my writing skills, developing my voice, and building a good social media following. Hey, if you get a good enough following on social media you can just create sponsored content on that platform and never even use your blog to make money!
HOWEVER, if you are at a point where you feel like you want to invest some $$$$ into your blog, feel free to help a sister out and use my links when you sign up ;). The following are affiliate links, which means I get a small commission when you sign up through them at no extra cost to you. Just promise me you won’t spend money you don’t have <3.
Tailwind is a scheduling tool that allows you to pin your pins to Pinterest around the clock without you actually physically doing it yourself in real time! Practically every blogger I know swears by Tailwind for increasing their traffic coming from Pinterest!
Click here to try Tailwind!
I use HostGator for my hosting! Tbh, I have nothing to compare it with, but I haven’t had a bad experience with them!! Siteground is supposed to be good also. If you decide to try HostGator, use the code UNFRAZZLED for 25% off a new hosting package!
Click here to get hosting through HostGator!
So anyway, those are some lessons that I’ve learned in my brief foray into blogging thus far. Got questions or need help starting your own blog? Send me an email at unfrazzledmama@gmail.com or fill out the form below. I’d love to hear from you!!<3
Melinda worked with children for years in a professional setting before becoming a full-time stay at home mom. She currently has three young children, and enjoys sharing tips and ideas about parenting and how to manage a home with excellence. She’s been featured on Heathline and Her View From Home.
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