6 Thoughts on First 6 Months of Blogging
Six completely authentic no holds barred thoughts on my first 6 months of blogging.
This is a really different kind of adventure!
OMG this is hard!
Wait… This is a LOT more then ‘Just Blogging’
Hey this might actually turn into something!
I kind of love this! It’s also hard…but I kind of love this!
I will never have to justify my coffee habit again (not that I ever did)
Why the First 6 Months of Blogging is the Hardest
You know how something like 80% of start ups don’t make past the first two years? For bloggers in the technology world the statistic is the same but even faster. Most bloggers quit within their first 6 months. The reasons are pretty much what you would expect: They don’t make any money, don’t get traffic, comments, or shares. And the saddest reason…No one is listening to the thing you thought was so wonderful you had to blog about it. It’s a big WET BLANKET. No one likes to be ignored. Thus, 6 months marks the Burnout Phase for Bloggers.
As promised on my first blog post, I decided to document the blogging journey and share the lessons learned. Here I am celebrating 6 months of blogging and I’m here to tell you the concept of the Blog Burnout is real.
Who Knows This Family Blog
I’ve spent 6 months networking and engaging with other bloggers. I’ve met a few in person. I comment on 50-80 blog posts a week. Sometimes they are well thought out and meaningful comments. Sometimes they aren’t. It’s tough to think of something wonderful on a blog I don’t connect with or when I know that person leaves comments on my posts like ‘Great Post!’ or ‘Good ideas’. Conversation is an art and going forward I think need to make more effort in that department.
I’ve done a total of two guest posts. One for Trivago and one for a fellow blogger I have another one lined up but I think I need to up this game. I know a couple blogs have shared a post or two but this is something I know can create a lot of traffic and I should make goals to do more on a regular basis.
Money has been made via the blog but not to the degree I would like to see. When I began I had lofty ideas and I had to seriously reevaluate my monthly goals. I went for big and that just flies in the face of all the formulas and the fact that it just takes time to get traffic and earn a place in search engine ranking. But I have made some money and I’ve begun to make some real relationships with companies that I intend to partner with and create long term relationships.
Traffic is the lifeblood of any successful blog and with Google updates it’s making a tough market even tougher. Everyone has a blog it seems. I HAVE learned a little bit about Google Search Console and Google Analytics. I think the safe bet is to make sure everything is indexed properly, no follow links are done properly, and then let it be. The organic search engine thing just takes time so I’m going to choose to focus on traffic from social media and genuine connections.
The subscribers I have are great! I think they are all genuinely interested in the content I’m putting out. They do engage and I have a very high rate of people who open my emails and actually click on the articles and links. It’s small but it’s a genuine community and if I’m being honest, that excites me most of all! It’s cool people who get something out of what I post, even if it’s just a laugh and I like that.
Oh and Hey! Some of the cool blogs I follow and engage with honored me with a couple of awards!
What I’ve learned about Social Media
Truth be told, this is not my favorite thing. There are algorithms to learn, engagement etiquette, ways to speak and the list goes on. Here I thought I was starting a blog but I spend at least as much if not more of my time building social media followers to drive to the blog. Blah.
Everyone says I need to be on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, You Tube and Twitter. I am but I have learned I need to focus on one or two at a time. SO I’m focusing on Pinterest and Instagram but I do post regularly on Facebook (anywhere from 4-7 times a week) and Youtube (once a month right now) and I linked my IG to twitter so at least Twitter isn’t a vacuum. I thought I could do it all and honestly it freaked me out. Twitter completely stressed me out. What is this language?? But then I decided to just pin a note to the top of twitter that explains I’m not focusing on it right now and a big weight was lifted.
Instagram is taking on an interesting form. It’s full of pretty pictures with little mini history stories or funny things or fun things that happen to us in context of the blog. Facebook I share a lot of interesting and weird history things from other blogs, fun memes and links to my posts. It’s a different engagement but important as about 65% of my blog traffic comes from Facebook. Pinterest likes my pretty pictures and as a result I get a lot of traffic from there too.
I made a chart for myself with monthly goals for followers on each platform. Sometimes I make it, sometimes not so much. The OCD in me hates it but I’m more focused on content and building a brand at the moment. And I finally am OK with that. The truth is I have a decent number of actual blog followers and that is ultimately what I want so I’m not going to stress about the social media. I’ll still do it all, just not freak out about it. My people are finding me…not as fast as I’d like but they are coming.
6 Things I Wish I Had Done the Past 6 Months of Blogging
Really Truly Learn SEO
Understood how to optimize each blog post for search engines but ALSO my target audience
Had a better sense of my brand and blog direction early on
Knew more about blog promotion
Understood each Social Media platform and how to optimize use for results
Chose a different theme that had support. Seriously. (Update…this is me, at the two year mark interjecting… check this company out)
Restored 316Read: Exact Steps to Setting Up a Blog Like Me
Goals for the Next 6 Months
Get 10K+ followers on IG, 1000K on FB, 1000 on Pinterest, 1000 on Twitter (are you following This Family on these platforms yet?)
Publish 6 Guest Posts
Keep the Post Schedule I have mapped out
Implement at least ONE income stream other than AFFILIATE MARKETING
Build my Blog traffic numbers and subscribers
Earn in accordance with my Income Goal Schedule
Double engagement on each blog post
Build my Domain Authority
Whittle away at the massive three page ‘Blog To Do’ List I’ve created
What’s Impressive
You have to consider that I still need help downloading photos off my phone to my drive and that I don’t have my email set up properly on my phone. I’m a technical disaster. Ask anyone.
*6 Months ago I didn’t even know what Domain Authority was, let alone how to build a website and analyze it to see how it ranked
*I didn’t know how important Social Media was to blogging or how to use it in a business sense
*I have an action plan and goals for both creative AND technical. What once would have made me cry I have thwarted and put in checklist form.
So all in all, my 6 month check in is a vastly different voice that who started this adventure. My creative is still there and she’s SUPER excited to write and share all the content she has planned but there is a techno geek emerging. She has a lot to learn but has also learned a fair bit. I’m hoping to learn to balance these two going forward and as my brand shapes itself, figuring out what that means for business and for life.
Read More About My Blogging Journey
Read My Very First Blog Post
This is a lovely post i would say…
In a few days time my blog will be 6 month old, i knew it won’t be a easy journey before i started, but when i started my Motivational blog at cravingbiz.com about 6 month ago till this moment it looks like hell, more harder than what i was expecting at the initial stage. Though, the good news is, i am getting some traffic now from google and my site was approved by google adsense 3month after i started.
I encourage every new and existing blogger to keep working hard. I observe hard work and consistency is key and also a unique content, are keys to successful blogging. I look forward to see a better result after my first 6 months as i will work tirelessly to become a successful blogger. I wish you all good luck.
Wow – you’re doing so well! My six months are coming up soon and today I was telling my sister I am frustrated with it – and I think it’s the first time I’ve admitted that. I love the writing, the picking photos, the ideas… but the technical side is very challenging for me. Like you say, there are so many platforms and just so much ‘stuff’ to learn and understand. I haven’t attempted Twitter yet for much the same reasons you talk about, but maybe I’ll follow your lead and attach it to my IG account (I didn’t know you could even do that).
Thanks for this article. It came at the right time for me (or rather, the tab’s been open in my overloaded tab screen and I finally got round to reading it at the right time for me ? I wish you a happy and fulfilling next 6 months (or would there only be four of those six left?)!
This is a fantastic post! It outlines everything I have been feeling. LOL. This is hard! It is harder than I expected, with a huge learning curve. I work a full time job on top of my blogging, train for multiple races and have two kids. I was beating myself up because I was not getting it all done. I have had to step back, scale back the amount of posts I do and make a schedule. Social media is crazy and always changing. It is hard to keep up. However, I am determined to stick with it and hang with some other supportive bloggers 🙂 Good luck with your goals. You will get there!!
You can’t see it but right now I’m singing ‘We’re all in this together!’ from High School Musical.
I’m so glad someone feels the way I do. I started I think a month before you and I have the lists and the worry and the goals. But, I look back and see how far I’ve come and it’s amazing. You are amazing!!!
It’s true. I keep the lists if for no other reason then to look back at it to see what has been accomplished.
Congrats on six months! I agree. Its definitely harder than I thought! I think my big things to work on are SEO and social media. Really interacting and engaging my audience!
I think you deserve to celebrate this milestone! You are doing well. It all takes time. And there’s always more to learn. May your journey bring you much joy as you continue onward and upward.
I’m right about where you are time-wise so thanks for this. It’s goo to see we’re similar, though I’ve not done any guest posts yet. It’s hard to work, spend time with family and still learn all that needs to be learned, and put it in action. Whew!
Side note: I noticed a typo or two in this post. If you’re interested in knowing of then, shoot me an email.
I can relate Jen since I just started blogging 3 months ago. It’s overwhelming on my part since I have a full time and demanding job. Like you, I’m hoping to gain more engagement. I’ve learned that you don’t get much traffic on Instagram but from Pinterest and people like you who I engaged with in the blogging tribe community.
Cheers to success! We can do this!
Cheers sister!
I love that you penned your first six months and have goals for the next. You’re right – those first six months are tough, building and networking and really trying to prove this something you can do (even if just to yourself!!!). Keep up the good work and here’s wishing you the best when it comes to tackling those goals!
Thank you!!! Right back at cha !!
I can totally relate. I’m in my fourth month of blogging, and I am totally feeling the burnout. I’m hoping that I can get my spark back soon, and continue on this journey! Thanks for sharing, keep up the great work!
I have faith in you! It’s OK to take a break… sometimes you need those.
There is definitely a learning curve – and I have the same “blog post list” you speak of. One of these days it will be caught up!
hahahaha YES! My people! I think it’s one of those things that will never be caught up on completely. It’s the learning that it’s OK and to just do what I can and roll on part that’s tough. I like a neat and tidy and completely checked off list.
Looks like a good plan! I too thought the first six months were the hardest. It was like waking up every morning and going to work, but everything was in a foreign language that I did not understand. Thankfully, it has gotten easier from there, although it is a lot of work!
How long have you been blogging? What was the turning point for you?
I get it! There is a lot more to this than you know when you start out! But you seem to be doing all the right things in working through it!
Thank you Michele! It’s a daily schooling…but I enjoy it (mostly)
Sounds like you’re on the right track. 6 guest posts is a lot, but whatever you can fit into your schedule. I took a course and it does stress posting on other high domain authority sites once or twice a quarter and also building up your own content. Keep it up!
Thank you for the insights. Yes, I’ve never been accused of ‘taking it slow’. I’m more of a jump in feet first now what kind of girl. 😉
Great job on sticking it out! My blog has been officially launched for one month now and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but yes it is HARD sometimes. I’m not very tech savvy either and that has been a little frustrating at times. But I figured if I could learn how to set up a website then I can do anything. ? I like your idea of having a list of goals too. I think I should start doing that for myself.
Exactly! It’s all about being organized and patient and tenacious. I’m still working on the patience part of things..
Great insight and information. I’m right there with you. It is maddening and exhilarating all at once!
hahahaha a lot like raising a child, isn’t it?
This is great. The first six months definitely were the hardest and most frustrating. I still haven’t done much with social media. I should take your advice to heart and get going! I’m not convinced yet that anyone really cares to read it or if people are just being nice. ?
ha! I get that! I wonder about that sometimes as well
I am only in 3 months longer than you! I think you are doing a fantastic job! Keep up the great work!
Oh that means something coming from you!!! Thank yoU!!
Go get ‘em. You got this!
Thank you Sandi!
You are so right. The first 6 months were so tough. I was shocked by how much social media influences/brings in readers. That has been a weekly challenge for me to build.
It’s my least favorite part.
Right there with you, Jen! Who knew it would be so difficult to “just blog”? I find social media, especially growing Instagram, to be the most difficult. You are now one more follower in that realm (IG) toward your 10,000 follower goal 🙂