I have been blogging on and off since the end of 2010Ā and cannot believe that it has been almost 6 years now.
I still remember the first blog that made me want to start my own. That was Sugarlaws. I loved how she blogged about both food and fashion while living in New York City.
There are so many other bloggers who started at the same time as me or shortly after who are still blogging today and are quite successful. Take Neely from It Starts With Coffee, she is a perfect example.
I could be in their position, I could be a full time blogger by now. But I am not, and I know the reasons why. I am not surprised.
So today I want to share with you how to fail at blogging. Today it is even harder to become a full time. Here areĀ all the lessons I learned from the past 6 years so you donāt make the same mistakes.
1. Keep changing your blog name and URL.
I am notorious for changing my mind. So many ideas and so many interests.
.My first blog was Surprisingly Sweet. I was so excited until my little sister, Cydnee, mentioned that it sounded like a porn star name. Thanks, Cyd for calling it like it is!
So even though I already started and had begun connecting with other bloggers, I ended up changing my mind and just closing it. I will admit the content was not fantastic so on that front it wasnāt necessarily a loss.
The next blog I started was Lindseys and Wildflowers. I had bought stock photography for the header and was getting the layout all ready when one night the name Peace Love Sequins popped into my head.
To be honest, I am not sure where the inspiration came from, but as soon as the name popped into my head I knew that was it. That was going to be the name of my blog. That was about 4 years ago.
A little over a year into Peace Love Sequins, Shea from Cheyenne Meets Chanel changed her blog name to Peace Love Shea. She was (and still is) a very successful fashion and lifestyle blogger. Because of that, I thought people would assume I modeled my blog after hers (even though I had the name a year or so beforehand).
So I wrestled with name after name. I went from Peace Love Sequins to The Fashion Fox to Vogue by Design to possibly one more. As you can see I was planning on a fashion and lifestyle blog.
None of the names seemed to fit and I had lost most of my readers from the constant switching and indecisiveness.
After a Disneyland day with my best friend (who is an amazing wedding photographer), I decided to relaunch Peace Love Sequins at the beginning of 2014.
I continued to blog at Peace Love Sequins for a while when the idea for this blog came up. I had posted some blogging and digital media posts on Peace Love Sequins but decided I really wanted to niche down both blogs.
Today, Peace Love Sequins is still up but it is on hold while I focus on Blog Me Lovely. I plan on continuing Peace Love Sequins one day but focusing purely on fashion and lifestyle content.
Luckily, I handled the transition to a new blog more smoothly this time around. I did not lose readership, in fa,ct I have higher traffic and more engaged traffic.
When you keep changing your blog name and URL, you confuse your readers and followers if you do not do it carefully.
[bctt tweet=”Consistently changing your blog name and URL loses your brand identity.” username=”blogmelovely”]
Changing your blog name and URL is a very important decision and should not be taken lightly. However, it can be done smoothly though with proper preparation.
2. Donāt post consistently.
Not only do I change my mind often, I get distracted easily. This is something I am working on, and admit that I have gotten much better.
I would get uber focused on blogging and blog almost every day then I would get burned out and not post for months. This is not okay.
Readers learned to not expect consistency from me, and therefore they would forget my blog even existed.
You do not need to post every single day to stay consistent. Create a schedule and stick to it.
Your schedule could be three posts a week or it could be once a month. But be consistent. Your readers will then expect to see posts on that schedule.
My current schedule for Blog Me Lovely is to post at least once a week. I need to be more specific to be honest. I need to post once a week every Tuesday for example. Something along those lines.
You will then expect to see a new post from me every Tuesday. You will start to look for it.
Now that is not my actual posting schedule, but I wanted to give an example.
3. Donāt plan posts in advance.
Do you ever get in a rut? Do you ever get writerās block?
By creating an editorial calendar or even just a list of post ideas, it will help you create consistent content because the hardest part (figuring out what to write about) is already done.
With an editorial calendar, you donāt need to come up with an amazing post idea, you just need to write it.
I use Asana to keep a running list of blog post ideas. That way if I am ever feeling writerās block, I can just visit the list.
It also helps me stay on topic. With a running list of on topic post ideas, you will consistently create content related to your niche.
[bctt tweet=”Creating (and sticking to) an editorial calendar can make a HUGE difference for your blog.” username=”blogmelovely”]
If you can batch writing posts and schedule them in advance, that it is even better. That way you are not scrambling to write a post the night before it is planned to go out. You are less likely to miss a post this way.
4. Always second guess yourself.
I am a very self conscious person and worry way too much what other people think. My boyfriend says my mind is my worst enemy, and I have to agree with him.
I let this get in the way of blogging.
While I never lied about who I was or what I liked, I never fully put myself out there. I was too nervous to take outfit posts, or even just share less than perfect pictures of myself.
Readers can tell when you are not being authentic and it isnāt attractive or interesting, so they will choose to spend their time elsewhere. With someone else who they feel they know and get. Someone who is being authentic.
The blogs I enjoy the most, are the ones where I feel like I know the blogger. Where the blogger feels like a close friend.
5. Accepting any and all sponsorships.
It is very exciting when you start to get noticed as a blogger. You feel important, like what you say matters. Like what you say impacts others.
On Peace Love Sequins, when I first started getting sponsorship inquires I said yes to every one of them.
That was a major mistake. Some of the content was not necessarily me, wasnāt relevant to my blog or really didnāt offer my readers value.
The only sponsored posts you will see on Blog Me Lovely, if any, will be products that I would be supporting and writing about regardless if I was being paid.
However, I am not really open to sponsored posts as I would rather create my own products, services and courses to promote.
When I start posting on Peace Love Sequins again, I will only partner with companies and brands that align with me, my blog and my readersā values and interests.
You wonāt see me posting about frozen food, even though it is a lifestyle blog, because that is not what I typically discuss on the blog. It would make no sense for me or for my readers.
[bctt tweet=”You do not have to accept every sponsored post or ad request that comes your way.” username=”blogmelovely”]
I would actually discourage it and tell you to be highly selective.
6. Donāt make your blog a priority.
While blogging is fun and can be your creative outlet, to be successful you must treat your blog like a job.
It is a job that most of us do completely for free because we are creators and we love sharing our content and point of view with the world.
In the past, I put my blog after every other responsibility. I did not put in the work needed to stay consistent.
Now, I work on my blog 5 – 6 days a week even if it is just for an hour a day. I am highly focused and work on tasks that are most likely to grow my audience and email list.
[bctt tweet=”Are you treating your blog like a hobby or a priority? ” username=”blogmelovely”]
I would rather put out one quality post a week than five bad posts just so I have content. If blogging is just your hobby, then the quality of posts donāt really matter. If you want to turn your blog into a career, quality content is a non-negotiable.
7. Spend all your time learning new skills but not applying them.
I have a confession, I am a book, online content, and online course hoarder. There isĀ more content saved then I could ever get through.
I am a person who just enjoys learning new things, especially if they are to help make me and my business better.
The problem is I keep buying and buying and buying and they keep piling up and I never get to them. What is the point of that?
I end up with all of this information to get through that I get stressed out and feel guilty that I spent all of this money and nothing is coming of it.
So then I start to binge watch or binge read to consume all that information. When I do that, not all of it sticks. When I keep consuming content and not applying it, it is eventually useless for me and I would have to relearn it anyways.
It is a vicious cycle.
Applying what you learn is one of the most important things when you consume content.
Reading how to make your blog better or how to create a successful business is totally useless if you do not actually do the work and apply what you learned.
If you want to write better, then read a blog post or listen to a podcast and then APPLY what you learned before moving on to something else.
Get shit done! You will be amazed at your progress and the results when you actually take action!
8. Surround yourself with unsupportive people.
This one is HUGE for me. When I first started blogging, I was married and felt like I could not tell him about my blog. I was afraid of being judged not only by him but by his family.
He eventually found out, since he shared my computer, and when he did he sort of laughed at the idea of a blog. I donāt think he got it. Something about blogging was just funny to him and like a waste of time.
I have a super supportive boyfriend now. One who believes that I can achieve anything. So much so that he believes I will be more successful than I even think I will be. He believes in me even when I donāt.
It is amazing to have a partner who is supportive and who provides constructive criticism.
Surrounding yourself with supportive people who get what you are doing is key. A great place to find like-minded creatives is online, like in Facebook blogging groups.
Final Thoughts
These past six years have been an incredible learning experience. I made so many mistakes but that is totally fine since I learned from them.
[bctt tweet=”Learn from six years of blogging mistakes so you can succeed as a blogger.” username=”blogmelovely”]
Now I knowĀ that I am going to succeed in one way or another. I want you to succeed as well, that is why sharing my mistakes is so important to me so you won’t fail at blogging.
Have you had a similar experience? Share with me in the comments below.
These are great tips, I also change my name all the time and I like the schedule doing, I have not thought to do this now I will look into it, thanks for sharing.
So many ideas right?!? I still get ideas now and then, I have a few domain names reserved just in case lol
Amazing article! I love that you shared your experience.
Thank you.
The support thing is crucial. I have like zero support. I don’t think I’ ll get any until my blog becomes a reliable source of income.
Well I am sure you can find plenty of support online through Facebook blogging groups! š You will find some pretty amazing communities that inspire and support each other. But I totally get people outside of the blogging world not supporting you. I feel they just do not understand it.
This is such a great post with tips I need to apply. Even though I create an editorial calendar, sometimes it will become time to create the post and I just don’t have the gumption to get it done.
Me too. I have been keeping a list of different posts on hand that way if I am not necessarily feeling inspired I can pick another one. I think writing and planning in advance is when the editorial calendar will really help. It is something I am still working on.
I am horrible with #7! I love learning new things, but will sometimes get bogged down in the tutorials and research that I push off things that I know already work, like being consistent and social media promotions. It’s hard to balance learning and doing sometimes!
Yes! This is probably the one that I am still working on. I am trying to get a services page up, working through my Be Booked Out coursework, and I am taking two Skillcrush Blueprints in addition to the stuff we read everyday. I am slowly finding a balance though!
Great post! Thank you for sharing what you’ve learned! I appreciate your honesty and am implementing these tips STAT! <3
Thank you so much!!
Great post! Sharing!
Thank you so much!
This is a great post, especially for me as I’ve only been blogging for 10 months. You shared a lot of things I can work on!
Welcome to the blogging world!! š I am glad this was helpful.
I can relate to most of these. I know I have lots of room to improve, but I have to take baby steps. Otherwise, I’ll get overwhelmed and stop.
I have done that too. Sometimes you just get so into it that you totally burn yourself out.
This is a great post and really helpful to me as a relatively new blogger just finding my feet. Much appreciated! x
I am so happy to hear that! Welcome to the world of blogging! š
Yeah, I think I’ve made about every one of those… lol!!! I started blogging almost 10 years ago. My first blog went live in October or November of 2006. I don’t even know how many blogs I have been through. *sigh* I need to get more consistent and I am trying to do better with this new blog. It’s brand new. Yep, because I changed again. But I have more of a long term plan and goal this time. My last blog was kinda all over the place. It was good for me while I was going through a tough time, but now, I want to get serious about blogging again. I just need to stop reading so much and get to doing. lol!!! Thank you for sharing your experiences. I am glad I not alone in this.
Lynn
We sound so similar!! When I relaunched Blog Me Lovely in June I finally had more of a long term plan. I am more focused and don’t just blog about whatever comes to my mind which I technically could on my old blog since it was a lifestyle blog. If I can do it, I know you can too! Something just clicks and it feels different this time around.
Thank you for posting this. It was like I wrote it! We’d probably get along famously š
I struggle constantly with being out of focus. Too many ideas and afraid a choosing the wrong one.
Keep up the pep talks!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it!! I am totally with you, I am constantly going back and forth with different ideas. I have gotten a bit better by just forcing myself into action, but it is still hard.
This is a terrific post. I love your approach of sharing what NOT to do. Oftentimes, it’s even more important than the to-do’s that go along with blogging. I know of one blogger in particular that my wife and I have followed during the past year and despite great content, wonderful branding and growing engagement from her readers, she changed her url and style, twice! Planning in advance to tackle the 8 situations you’ve shared here can go a long way to building a great blog and enjoying the process. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you so much!! Seriously, changing you name and URL can be the death of some blogs if not done properly! It is something many people don’t actually consider. It is a much bigger process than they think and most people don’t understand the tech enough to do it themselves. I know I did not do it correctly back then!
Thank you for this. I felt like I was reading about my own self with blogging. I am striving to learn how to do it right and yes, I have been working hard to ‘get shit done’. So again, thank you!
Hi Erica!
I am so happy that you could relate to this! And I am with you, I am back in the “get shit done” mode since I fell off of it again. lol