Now, are you ready for THIS jelly? We have gone to the top. The Curvy Fashionista is a resource for plus size women on the internet and it all started with a blog. This blog turned brand and one of THE places to turn on the interwebs for all things plus size news, reviews and more. Join me as we take a look at the website and social media for clues on its massive success.
And as always, there will be takeaways to apply to your own blog.
The video this week has a bit of a revised format to the previous videos featuring Nicolette Mason and Kellie Brown. I wanted to talk to the camera more and add a bit more action. Expect to dive further into pages of the website, social media and other content. I think it works. Let me know what you think in the comments.
And now, how to blog like The Curvy Fashionista.
The major takeaways here can be summed up with these three points (I condensed it from the video summary). As I do. Haha. Some of the points have been made on the previous episodes. These are the ones that are specific to Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista. Ready? Let’s go.
One. Pivot!
When things aren’t working with a platform where you’ve already built a community, don’t be afraid to pivot. Facebook is a giant pain in the butt, I know. But it’s not over, not by a long shot. When things need to change, look for ways to engage, utilise things like Facebook Live and Ads to maximise the community you’ve already built.
Two. Get some help.
You can’t do all this work yourself and by bringing on guest bloggers or recruiting writers, you can build on the content you can produce yourself. When blogs are crossed over to brands, they always look to add more voices. More voices mean more content, and more content means more opportunities for your readers to visit the site or participate in social media.
Three. Keep it real as you go.
It can be hard as your blog grows to continue being candid or personal. There’s so much more opportunity for criticism and for people to weigh in on your life. But there are advantages too. The community support and interaction mean so much. But it is hard to live your life somewhat publicly, and Marie is a great example on how to juggle both.
There you go, team!
Another ‘How to Blog Like…’ in the bag. I enjoyed taking a look at a little less personal blog. I hope you enjoyed this look around. I’m such a fan, keep that in mind, this is in no way meant to be a critic. Let me know, what did you take out of this? For me, I learned a lot about staying open with my blog, from Marie, and how to incorporate different content into my YouTube channel. I can’t wait to roll it out.
When it comes to blogging there is only ever three questions I get asked. The one that this post centres around is how do you make money on your blog? Especially since at various stages throughout my career it’s been my full-time job. I don’t blame anyone for asking that. I love to talk about money and business, so let’s do that.
In this video, I take you piece by piece through anything that I’ve used now, or in the past to generate money. Even if it wasn’t much! I did this to not only answer that question but so that you can start to create a business plan for your blog. As far as I’m concerned, the more transparent I can be, the shorter the learning curve will be for you.
How to make money on your blog!
Let’s break that video down a little, shall we?
My income streams include the following;
Paid Content
There are two main ways I generate income with paid content; on my blog and off of my blog. There are the opportunities to do editorial style content in the form of blog posts, photographs or crafting shares for other social media platforms. Then there are the times when brands are looking for me to create content for their blog or social media. Whatever the end location of the post, I always stand for being compensated for my time.
Ad Revenue
Ad revenue is one of those things that used to make up a larger portion of my income but has basically been replaced. From using Ad Networks such as AdSense to delivering my own banner ads using third parties or Paypal. Ad revenue isn’t something to be sneezed at, but no longer makes up a part of my income strategy. I’m just not that into it.
Affiliate
For me, this is the fastest-growing income stream on my blog. Long neglected I have been working with Skimlinks (so easy!) to increase my revenue by over 500% (from not much to more than a little, haha). For a fashion and lifestyle blog, there isn’t a more effective, but less intrusive, way to generate income from the activities you were doing anyway. By taking a percentage of sales referred from your blog, everyone wins.
eBooks and Courses
Creating my own eBooks {and courses, one day} is one of those long-term strategies for the blog. Over the years I’ve built up a bit of a library of books and workbooks that I’m proud of. As I move forward I hope to continue to add to that range and increase the offering. If you’ve never checked them out, pop over and take a look. Let’s just say, I didn’t really pick one subject and stick to it. Haha.
Something I forgot to mention in the video was that you can also be an affiliate for other bloggers eBooks and courses. If you’re interested in a certain subject or already do a lot of talking about a product, you should reach out and ask for an affiliate program or link. I did this early on with Sarah Wilson ‘I Quit Sugar’ books and they were excellent because I was already talking about it.
Workshops and Consulting
Last, but not least, absolutely not least, is the work I do behind the scenes. As a builder of websites, social media consultant and workshop-type person. Which, is a pretty long description but it’s got a lot of stuff to cover. I love doing workshops and consulting because blogging and social media is something I could talk about for days. There’s really no better way that I know of to make a living than doing something you love. I’m a lucky girl indeed.
And that, my friend, is how I make money on my blog. I’ve covered off on everything that I’ve given a shot over the years and tried to detail why I still use them or not. I hope you find it helpful, or at least interesting. Let me know if you have any questions {I tried to cover off on the ones you asked on Facebook or Instagram within the video}.
How to get people to read your blog? Interesting question. Certainly not one I’m a total expert in. There are still times when I ask myself how the heck I encourage more people to read MY blog. Who doesn’t right? Bloggers dream of a large engaged community of people who appreciate the work they’re doing. Fair call, right? There’s a lot of time and effort that goes into producing the content for a blog, it makes sense to want people to care about what you’re doing.
So, what do you do if you’re new or there’s no one reading?
Good news, I have some ideas. And a video {as is becoming my usual}. But outlined below are my top strategies and habits to encourage more people to read your blog AND get them to keep coming back to it. Breaking it down this way reminded me of the bad habits I’ve picked up over the past eight years of blogging. The things I know I should be doing and don’t. And the things I do that I shouldn’t be.
If you’re not into blogging, sorry about this, maybe try this post with a video tour of my house instead? Way more fun. But if you’re into blogging, then, I’m ready when you are, let’s get started. If you’re not watching the video, I’ve also briefly outlined the points below for you to refer to later.
Watch the video: how to get more people to read your blog
Be part of the community
Get out there and participate in the blogging community. Especially on those blogs that share similar readers as yours. It doesn’t have to be another plus size fashion blog. It could be homewares or lifestyle blog. Whatever it is, jump in, participate and become part of the conversation. Just do what you can to avoid the whole, “PLEASE VISIT ME” thing. If your comments and interactions are valuable, people will check you out. If you beg them too, not so much.
Create a Blog Schedule
If you have a plan for how many posts you will do every week, your readers will know when to come back for new posts. Set a schedule. Advertise it on your social media, in your header or sidebar if you want. Whatever it takes, choose those post days and commit. This tip will benefit you, as much as it will your audience. You’ll have something to work towards and a bit of a plan to get you there.
Blog Like YOU
There is SO much content out there in the world. You can Google pretty much anything and find hundreds, if not thousands of articles on that topic. So why should people come to you? The answer is simple; it’s you. YOU are what is going to be unique about your blog, so start practising sharing who you are and your personality with your readers. Show them who you are.
Be Consistent.
When you start blogging {you’ve set that schedule, right?} you should aim to be so consistent it’s boring. Your audience should know when you’ll be posting next and what they should be expecting from you. If you want people to read your blog, then make sure when they try to, there is something there to meet that need. Think of your favourite bloggers (or Instagram-ers, whatever) do they post regularly? Can you count on them?
Create a series
If you want to create a reason for people to read your blog {and continue to come back to keep reading} then think about creating a series. Similar to my Confident You or Fashion Anarchy post series (which later became workbooks). By creating something that people can sign up for or come back for, you encourage people to do just that. What’s something YOU know or would like to share with people?
Let me know if you have any questions or if you have any tips to share with anyone reading this post. Maybe you’re a pro-blogger and you have some info to share, well, you’re welcome to do so. Thanks for checking out the post, keep an eye out this week for an outfit post. Mr Suger has promised me some of his time this week, the wait is over!
Before you go, I’ve put together some AMAZING blog posts from around the interwebs on my ‘Blogging Tips’ Pinterest board. Pin one, pin them all, whatever you have decided to do. There are so many tips for taking the tips I’ve given and put them into practice on your blog through scheduling, planning, and knowing what works on which social media platform.
I’ve been blogging for almost a decade. Yup, that long. But have you ever wondered how I started blogging? If you have, today is your lucky day. I made a video talking about how I started my blog and some of the things I’ve done along the way. It was fun to take a walk down memory lane {with a few sidetracks, of course} and share this with you guys.
The sound even worked properly. Yes!
And not just that, I talked about how I made a move from Blogger to WordPress, how I named my blog {that E, though} and the blogging community within Australia. I went into some of the steps I took to grow the community around my blog and why that matters. Plus there are classic stories such as the time Blogger pulled my blog down and how I started outfit blogging. It’s jam-packed.
Last night I asked the Facebook community if they had any questions or queries about how I started blogging or why, so I could answer it within this post as a bit of a value add. It was after 9 pm when I put the post up though, so well, it didn’t go well. Who knew you lot went to bed so early. Weird. Are you sure you’re following the right girl?
Here are your questions about how I started blogging.
Taryn asks: What was it that first inspired you to create the blog?
Suger answers: It’s one of those random moments actually. I came across the Blogger icon while looking around Google apps one night. I’ve always loved to write and take photos, so I just started doing that on the internet. Then once I was here, I found plus-size bloggers and they encouraged me to start sharing my outfits. The rest, as they say, is history. Haha. The video pads that out a little. But that was the inspiration; a love of creating stuff.
Carmel asks: What was uh ha moment that led you to hit publish?
Suger answers: I think the only thing that had me hit publish on that first post was that I was anonymous. I’d never planned to share my identity. Haha. Later, when I started sharing outfits, it was encouragement from the community and friends I’d made online
Julie asks: Your writing style is so honest and brave – you put it all out there! Do you ever feel too exposed in front of your audience? (Asking for an introverted friend 🙂 )
Suger answers: I think the only time I’ve felt exposed was when people in town started to recognise me. It felt very real then, like anyone I pass on the street who might’ve read it. But I’m okay with what I share and I’ve learned to be okay with knowing other people read it.
That’s a wrap. I hope you enjoyed the casual format/chat type video and insight into how I started blogging. Getting started can be the hard; where to blog and how to get started. I hope you can see from that video that you have to dive in and figure it out as you go. No one has all the answers; if expressing yourself matters, you’ll figure it out.
Kellie Brown of And I Get Dressed is easily one of THE most stylish bloggers in the universe. My universe anyway. And the plus-size fashion universe, definitely. So, don’t miss this episode as we check out Kellie’s blog, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for some blogging tips and tricks.
And, there is a lot of fangirling. I’m sorry about that.
I did the best to restrain myself, but I was totally out of control. Kellie is one of my favourite bloggers with content that makes me green with envy. She has this amazing style and has been featured on my all time favourite blog, Manrepeller. That’s when you know you’ve arrived. Le sigh, so cool.
For me, Kellie is a blogger to aspire to because she transcends that ‘box’ plus size bloggers are sometimes placed in. Kellie has worked with many international brands, her style transcends size (which let’s face it, doesn’t happen a lot) and she works it. It’s a business and the professionalism shows in her beautiful images and ‘on-point’ graphic design and branding.
Lots to see here, team!
There are a few issues with sound in this episode. Ugh. But, if you’ve heard the early episodes of my podcast, it was the usual echo of my giant office. If it REALLY bugs you, sorry about that. AND, I’ve picked up a new mic from my camera so it shouldn’t be a problem moving forward. I feel like this whole make a video a week thing has been such a HUGE learning curve. Thanks for hanging in there with me while I learn.
And I Get Dressed was on my list from the start so I was excited to share it so soon after the start. I hope you guys are enjoying this new series. It’s been fun to be able to check out what other plus size bloggers are doing on their blog and social media. I’m obsessed with finding more bloggers to share, so make sure you let me know your favourite.
I guess you’re here because you want to blog like Nicolette Mason, right? I hear you. That’s why I’m kicking off my new YouTube series, ‘how to blog like…’ the top five things you can do to blog like Nicolette Mason. She’s pretty darn fabulous!
We are going to dive into her social media channels, I’ll provide the commentary, for ways to improve your blog. Nicolette Mason is a blogger I’ve admired since I first started blogging. Around the time I discovered her, she secured a column in Marie Clarie magazine. I felt like, WOW, that’s so not something I thought a fat girl could do. Let that sink in for a moment; it’s a pretty massive realisation. The possibilities are endless.
From there I, in a fan-girl-esque fashion, have followed her career closely. From her days as a brunette, through her wedding and on to her launch of her clothing line, Premme. And now, she’s being featured (again) on this blog. That’s how you know you’ve made it, right? Forget fashion week. Pffft. Haha.
Let me say one thing; this isn’t about copying Nicolette’s style or branding. If you do that, I’ll put you in the naughty corner. In this video, I talk about what makes her one of the best. It’s about the tips you can focus on to improve your blog. If you have any questions, want me to clarify anything I’ve said, leave it in the comments. To be clear, all the opinions expressed in this video are mine, I didn’t have access to Nicolette to discuss them nor did she approve this video in any way. I’m just a fan, trying to blog better. Disclaimers aside, let’s begin!
Want to see your favourite blogger featured? That’s simple. Tell me who they are in the comments 9here or on YouTube) and I’ll start making a list. Coming up next, we check out the blogging style of Kellie B of And I get dressed. Can’t wait!
Later this year, which is flying by at an unreasonable rate, my blog will turn 8 years old. EIGHT. Eight years of words and pictures, stories and challenges. I’ve seen a lot of bloggers come and go in my time. Loads of changes to the way things are done and even the platforms they’re done on. But this post isn’t about this, not this time, it’s about my why.
So, why do I still blog after all this time?
You mean other than being a total narcissist who assumes the world revolves around her, right? My OTHER reasons. Haha. Mostly I’m still blogging after eight years because I love to create ‘stuff’. I’m never happier than when I’m writing, taking photos or creating something. Blogging is a perfect fit for that and it allows for a whole range of avenues that I can make a living doing what I love.
Blogging is also something of a structure for me. Now, this won’t be a surprise if you know me IRL but I need structure. I’m much too chaotic of mind (wasn’t that poetic, haha) to exist without a set of deadlines and expectations placed upon me. Blogging has been that for me. When I posted every day, especially during the times I wasn’t working a job outside of my house, it gave me structure. A framework on which I built the rest of my life. And I keep blogging for that. For the consistency of it all.
And last, but certainly never ever least, I blog because of you.
Stop. Laughing. It’s cheesy, for sure, but it’s true. When I started this blog I had no idea what blogs really entailed. I never pictured a community of women who would not only look to me for advice or stories but who I would learn so much from. You have no idea, well, I assume you don’t. The impact on my life of having you here with me has been huge.
Every single time I write a challenge or a series or spill my guts on a post that is bottled up inside, it changed me. I credit this blog and the guiding hand of all of you for showing me the person I want to be. In 2009 when I clicked “publish blog”, I had no idea what I wanted from life. I knew what was expected of me but not how I felt about it. Talking it over with you, well, it laid a foundation for me to stand on. The real Suger stood up and continues to show up day after day.
That is my why.
If you’re looking to start a blog, I say do it. If you want to write your story and share your life, do it. One hundred percent do it. If you want to find a way to something you haven’t really figured out yet, blogging will help. It’s always done that for me. I believe that pretty strongly. Just watch yourself, it’s pretty addictive. But boy-oh-boy, what a ride.
Do you blog? What’s your why? Let’s use this neglected comment section and share some blog love. Links welcome, I’ve cleared the blocks, it’s all systems go.
This blog turns eight this year. I know, times flies when you’re having fun. And in those eight years, I’ve seen all kinds of ups and downs and changes in the blog community. In some ways, I feel like I’ve had my personal stamp on some of those changes. I was part of the community, in conversations and we were really setting the rules for how blogging should be defined as a profession. We did all that by coming together as a community.
But times, as they tend to do, change.
In a conversation with some blog friends, most of who don’t blog anymore, we talked about bloggers and the blogging community in Australia. It feels different to us, and maybe that’s just us we are all varying levels of awkward AF. There seems to be a decline in blog events and career or skills development. Facebook groups are more aimed at taking your blog from zero to business at a million clicks per hour. Where are the group lunches, the coffee dates or the low-key catch ups?
Where are the people?
I don’t mean those few friends we all have online. This plea if for the community of colourful, varied, interesting, full of conversation and joy, people. In the olden days, I would put a call put on Facebook or Twitter for people who wanted to catch up and actually get a response. It occurs to me just now that it could just be me… That would be awkward. Are you all out there meeting up without me? If that’s the case, I want back in. Tell me where the next one is and I’m in! I miss the people.
Now, I’m going to do something about it. My friend Gayel is having coffee (tea also available) with real live people and interviewing them for her blog. Vanessa wants to run low-cost workshops in her local community spaces. And me, well I’m going to come up with something. It will probably start with putting together a lunch. Something easy, come as you are, show up and talk blogging with people who get it. I won’t even get anyone to sponsor it. Haha.
Legit old school.
If you’re a blogger who wants to bring the community back, I encourage you to find your thing and do that. And if you’re within driving distance of me, make sure you let me know when your event is going to be. I need to get out more. Let’s get out from behind these keyboards, phones, tablets, desktops (big flash new desktops) and see if we can put some real, unfiltered faces to those social media handles. Let’s get together and talk shop. It’ll be just like old times.
And if you’re not a blogger?
Smaggle wrote a post recently about how to support your favourite bloggers and content creators. It’s for the family and friends, for the acquaintances or low-key fans who just don’t know what they can do to support this crazy thing we do. The rules don’t seem clear, right? This will help. If you’re not a blogger and you’re wondering what the heck you can do to bring ‘the people’ back, this is a good start.
Ironically, I look at this post and I realise some blogging communities made it through. Some have lasted and continue to support each other. Sorry to my team, but maybe I bet on the wrong horse. Bloody lame ducks (I’m looking at you Rah). Haha. It’s time for me to commit some time to rebuild the support network of storytellers, content makers, and creatives. If you want in, I want you here!
See what I did there? Optimal. My blog office daily routine is a little less “on-task” and a little more easily distracted. It’s all about being realistic because there are days, many of them in fact, that this just doesn’t happen. Such is life. Setting out with an idea of what I want it to look like helps me be more productive, get more done and know what’s coming up next.
What does blog life look like? It goes a little something like this; I work about 15 hours a week outside of my home, usually across three short days. I work the rest of the days, in my blog office, on my blog and social media business. The combination of the two makes for some action-packed weeks and juggling, but I make it work. If you’re interested in how I managed my blog, business and working over the last eight years, check out this blog post on balancing the two.
This post is about what happens on those two weekdays and usually at least one of my weekend days. The systems I use, the way to break things down and why I find it’s important to have my space to get what I need to do done.
A day in my blog office.
There are a number of tasks that I do in any given one blog day. The sheer volume of tasks that it requires to own and operate a blog and business as I do is a bit ridiculous. So my tasks are interchangeable. Sometimes I have consults or appointments, and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I’m scheduled in advance, and sometimes I’m not.
I try to be flexible, keep a list of what there is to do and go from there. I’ve also shared a few tips that work for me to get what I need to get done done. Some time ago, I shared this post about blogging as a business and the things I’ve learned, check it out too if that’s your thing.
As far as an actual breakdown of time goes, my optimal blog office day would look a little bit like this;
6:00 am Wake up, scroll through social, check-in on overnight creepers, etc. There was a time when I went to the gym between 6 am, and 7 am, and I loved that. If there’s something I want back in my optimal day, it’s that.
7:00 am Get up, dress, get coffee! Eat something, of course. Mentally prepare for work; as someone who is easily distracted, I find it necessary to get focused using music mostly, and sometimes it’s about finding somewhere quiet; whatever works on the day.
8:00 am Head into my office if working there. If working somewhere else (dining table, cafe, couch, I head there). Review emails, respond or flag, create a list of things I’m doing that day for clients and me. I make a plan of attack.
9:00 am Commence batched tasks. Whether it be photos, editing, creating social media share images or whatever. I start task one and block out a set time to do it. I work in 15-minute blocks because when you get down to it, most stuff doesn’t take that long to do. For more about this technique, check out Batching below.
10:00 am Continue with batched tasks. As much as I like to think I’m immune to a scroll or check-in throughout this time, I take occasional breaks (making a snack or moooore coffee) and check-in then. I do my best not to get drawn into conversations or social media platforms, but sometimes if there’s a conversation to have, that’s where I’ll be.
11:00 am Continue with batched tasks. By this stage, I might be circling back to something I started with like checking my emails (comments on social, etc.). I should be making some progress on my daily list. I check in with this and contact people who may be waiting on an update or something from me that may not happen that day.
Noon: Lunch! I like to go out for lunch to break up my day. This is risky, though; often it will end up going over an hour and leaving me in need of a little rest when I get home. Haha. But still, interacting with people is important to me when I spend so much time in an office by myself, so lunch stays!
1:00 pm Resume batched tasks. After lunch, the light in my room doesn’t work for photos, so it becomes more of a time to do client work, schedule and chip away at the things at don’t require ‘good lighting’. I think it’s important to be in the right frame of mind to be responding to emails or creating posts for social media, so if I’m flat, I find something else to do that will pick my energy up. Something I consider more ‘fun’.
2:00 pm Resume batched tasks. By now I’m 100% circling back on earlier jobs, finalising some and rescheduling others. I don’t like leaving loose ends if I can avoid it. So, I use the last ‘official’ hour in my office updating people on their project and assessing progress.
3:00 pm To be honest, I nap. More likely for 30-40 minutes, but I allow the entire hour because it takes me a little time to wind down. I get that this is a MAJOR luxury. For some people, it would be a break to pick up kids or something like that. That’s the upside of being childless I guess; I get to put myself down for a nap.
4:00 – 8:00 pm I take a break. Usually, Kel gets home somewhere in the middle here, and it works for me to break during this time to hang out with him, cook dinner and catch up. By 8 pm, he’s settled into some form of program, and when that happens, I go back to work.
I also use this block for meetings and other commitments. I find that these ‘break’ hours can be an excellent time to slot consultations and appointments into my day without giving up the workflow. For most small business owners (who I predominately work with) this is a time that they can commit an hour or two to our meeting and by extension, their business.
9:00 pm until late I find this the most productive time for me to write. My laptop and I curl up on the couch, or at the dining table (so I stay close to Kel), and I write and plan draft posts. Netflix has been a bit of a killer for this one. I used to get A LOT more writing done at night before there was soooo much streamed content available at my fingertips.
Some hot tips!
Do you know about batching?
Let’s face it if you’re blogging part-time, or any other style of side-hustle, you need to work with batches of tasks. No. Questions. Asked. Batching is when you tackle one single thing for a set period, then move onto something else. It stops that ‘flitting about’ that can happen between your inbox, a task, a phone call, and other incoming distracting type things.
The way I make this work for me is that I take photos, whether they be outfits or food, in a block of time. I don’t review or select or edit or share them on social AT ALL. I keep my focus and get that one job done. Other than taking photos I block out time to edit photos, to schedule updates and social media shares, respond to emails and write (of course).
It works for me, my short attention span rallies against any one task done for too long, so this works. For some of you maybe it’s not about your attention span, but about getting everything done. You might be someone who needs to set a timer to remind you to move onto the next task. Great, do that. I know batching will work for you, give it a try.
The closed-door policy
This one is simple, during work hours I don’t encourage the drop in visitor, the coffee date or the husband being home and wanting to give me an update on life. I close the door and shut out distractions. Not an easy feat when you’re still getting around to air conditioning your office, and it’s a Queensland summer. But, you get where I’m coming from, right?
The same system goes with my phone; when I am working phone calls go to message bank. Not to mention that I’m one of those people who can’t resist a notification, and it sucks me in if I see them. My phone goes on silent, and I leave it to the side to avoid seeing pop-ups.
Say no
Learning to say no is a lesson I was slow to learn. People email me, message me, call and reach out to me on a regular basis for coffee, for a chat, to pick my brain or otherwise. The demand is a huge reason why I started incorporating social media consulting and planning to my ‘services menu’. I love talking about this stuff; I want people with blogs and small businesses to succeed.
Except that, let’s face it, for most people, they don’t want to pay or show any real commitment to the conversation we are having. I’ve had these conversations over and over and never seen a result. No blog ever opened, no advice taken, nothing happens. And that block of time that I handed over so freely, it’s gone. Wasted.
Now, I respond to emails and messages when I can, but on the whole, I say no. Or I say, sure but, here’s my fee. For a while, I thought that made me a jerk. I’ve always been a “pay it forward” blogger and prided myself on that. Anyone has questions or wants to talk about what I do; I’m in! Except that for every hour I’m with you, that’s an hour less I have to work on my business.
You, whatever your business is, need to start doing the same. If your expertise is so in demand, those wanting to avail themselves of it will pay for it. And when they pay for it, they will value every second; they won’t show up late or never act on the advice you gave. Nope. They’re in it.
There you go, team! My best tips and tricks and a bit of insight into my day-to-day tasks. I’m opening my comments to your questions. No saying no to be found. Haha. Got a burning question, ask away. Now is your chance. I hope it helps!
So I’ve been to #PBevent before. You knew that, of course. It’s a fine alumni club it is the ProBlogger Training Event graduates. Some of us go year in and year out. We soak up the good times with friends and the occasional expert speaker and return to our dark corners to continue to, alone, write our blogs for the people of the interwebs.
For me, each year requires a wrap up of sorts. A way for me to put into words what I’ve taken away from the weekend before the pages of notes flies out of my brain, lost forever. Some of them are serious reflections on this thing we do. Others are somewhat instructional (if you count telling people what to wear as instructional). And where are these magical, mystical posts of ProBlogger style awesomeness?
They are right here, of course.
ProBlogger Training Event posts I prepared earlier!
Enjoy the post folks and if you’re heading to the event (or happen to be stalking the Royal Pines later next week), I’ll see you there. Can’t wait. I’ve already pretty much, almost packed. Woo.
Welcome bloggers to a must read post. How to coerce, bribe and force your partner to help with your blog. Lovingly, of course. I mean lovingly, really I do. We love our partners, friends and family. We love our blogs. So sometimes it’s essential for the two to meet, to interconnect and intertwine. So how do you get your partner/sibling/cousin/friends involved to take photos, participate in events or posts and generally be behind the blog?
How indeed. I’ve got the hot tips for you. They’ve been a long time coming. You’re welcome.
Ease them into it
Mr Suger didn’t start out his role as blog wingman all in one giant leap. First he took an iPhone photo here or there, then an outfit photo, then he attended some of the events. It developed over time and for us that worked really well. We eased him into Blog Life. He had the opportunity to meet the people I worked with there, and loved it. Soon he was suggesting content ideas and photos. Go slow, introduce them around and soon you’ll find support from those you love, and if you don’t, hmmmm, questionable.
Be nice
The person you are asking to help is doing so because you asked them to. They like you, so they said yes. So a word of caution from the wise and not-so-wise, sometimes with outfit photos in particular, it’s not pretty. I turn into this demanding, bitchy, pain in the butt sometimes (ok, all the time) when it comes to getting decent photos for the blog.
I blame it on posing for photos out and about in public. It’s embarrassing and sometimes you feel like a tosser. For me, that anxiety can cause me to be a little sharper than I need to be. And by sharp I mean screaming are you an idiot? How many times do I have to tell you crop from here, mad hang gesture, not here! SIGH. Believe me, when I’m barking orders, wagging my finger and sneering it’s going to take something special to make him want to come back. So try to rein that part in. Express what’s going on (soooo embarrassing, anxiety overload) and hope they understand… And if they don’t, move on to the next level…
The bribes
When times are tough in blog spouse world there are always the bribes. For Mr Suger it was Frozen Cokes. I was the happiest kid in the world when they started selling those babies for $1! There is not much in blog world that Mr Suger won’t do for a well-timed Frozen Coke. We often joke that sex is another bribe. But what can I say, when you’re all dressed up, hamming it up for the camera, that has its own power. Wink wink. You’re welcome.
The blog bribes
Different to the bribes you purchase yourself, the blog bribes are the upsides and incentives you can offer because of your blog. It’s the tickets to a movie screening for date night, the new sunscreen from that PR company, it’s workout gear for your sis. I found people super keen to be involved when there was a little something something for them. It’s human nature.
When you are reviewing PR opportunities that hit your inbox, consider how the blog helpers might like the items. And if it still fits your content, go for it. That said, on occasion I have sourced some serious post opportunities that no only require feedback on items for the post but photos and social media mentions. It’s important that you give people a chance to opt out if they aren’t interested. Don’t rush in and say yes on an assumption. You have to ask, they have to commit, it’s business after all.
The laughs
The best part about having Mr Suger join in the blog stuff, from the photos to the events is that I love spending time with him. It’s the best. And the times I’ve included my family in posts have always been a laugh. They find the entire world of blogs and creating blog content so weird and foreign that we had a great time. Even if my Dad still won’t have his face on Facebook. And you know us, we are all about a person’s right to choose.
The demand
If all else fails and your partner, your friends or family won’t be involved then you need to tell them WHY it’s so darn important to you in the first place that they take part. I have never had an issue yet when I said to someone “I love you, you’re important to me, can you help me please?”. And why wouldn’t they? Well maybe you’ve been a jerk. Maybe they feel a little neglected thanks to your blog and resent it a little. Well that’s all on you. Fix that and hopefully they’ll get involved. And by hopefully I mean, they better (waves fist menacingly). HA.
Do you blog? Does your partner help you out? What about your friends and family? Who do you have on your blog team?
How to balance your blog and your day job is a question I get asked a lot at the moment. I work full-time and blog on two sites while attempting to still be an in real life human sometimes. It’s busy. Like maybe sometimes I could sleep for a week kind of busy. So I’m here to help out.
Most, if not all, bloggers dream of the elusive full-time blogger job title. They want it for themselves and the free time that comes with it to write, develop your blog and just be more available to it. It’s a lovely dream, one I hope you achieve, but what the heck do you do until then? I’ve got your back, let’s get started.
How to balance your blog and your day job.
Will that even work?
Over the years, I’ve found a way to balance the two. It’s been a stumbling, bumbling comedy of errors. I’ve been reprimanded for too much Facebook in work hours. Then on the flip side I’ve had bosses ask if I wanted to blog about a situation at work, implying that a back-link wouldn’t hurt. So with all that experience under my probably high-waisted belt, there’s a few tips I want to share to help you out. Take what will work for you and leave the rest. My hope is that you’ll find your way, and you job AND you blog will
It’s about communicating
Everyone at my current job knows that I blog and will often call out to say they just read something or do I have a post about such and such. It’s something that I have learnt to be really upfront about. I need time to check in on my accounts during the day. I take my lunch and other breaks to do this. I need to be able to attend the occasional event during the week. I communicate all this upfront and find it smooth sailing because of it.
In a previous job, I was asked about my regular posting schedule on social media during work hours. I hadn’t been upfront and the bosses had noticed a full day’s worth of activity on my page and were a little annoyed it was on their time. We had a meeting and I explained the process of scheduling a lot of updates and how checking in for a few minutes here or there is all it takes to keep things ticking over. Everyone was happy. It was a conversation I should have gone to them about in the first place, not the other way around. It was a lesson learned.
It’s about being respectful
If I am working for someone, they have purchased my time. It doesn’t belong to me any more, they own it. So if I have to take time within my work day to handle something for the blogs (much the way you need to handle other personal business), I make up that time. Always. I need to feel that I have done my time one hundred percent to feel good about myself. And let’s face it, a clear conscience is something we all want at the end of the day.
Schedule like your sanity depends on it because it does!
It actually very much does depend on it. To balance your day job with your blog and do well at both, you need to be super organised and ready for all the things. Sigh. I remember being that blogger. Having two blogs put a dent in my productivity for a while but I am clambering back.
Schedule posts in advance. Schedule tweets and social media posts. Schedule your free time and make it laptop and device free. Schedule time to write, to take photos, to create awesome post images for Pinterest… All that. Independent Fashion Bloggers has a great post that will give you all the insider tips on apps and scheduling. Check it out even if you think you know all the things, I always find something new at IFB, and not just as a fashion blogger.
Then you have to do it.
No matter how good your plan is, the structure around it or your intentions if you don’t execute, you’re done for. Continuing to grow a blog (or, cough, blogs) while working full-time will require you to treat your blogs like a second job. A third too if you’re in the fashion blogger game because you need to be a part-time photographer and editor too.
Plan the work, work the plan. That’s going to be your new motto. In fact, I saw some amazing resources for bloggers at ByRegina.com that are aimed at editorial planning not only your blog posts but your entire social media calendar for the month. Let that sink in a minute… Imagine being THAT organised. You can be. Start there. The By Regina “get serious about social media” post is here and you’re going to love it!
And my thing has always been, if you don’t love it, don’t do it.
That’s not to say you will always love it. But the truth is you’re going to need something more than the dreams of blogging grandeur to keep you going. Especially when you arrive home from a crapola day at work late, hanging for a wine but have a week’s worth of emails to answer. Or posts to schedule. Or comments to reply to. The only thing that will get you over to your workspace then in a love of your blog. Full stop.
To read more about my blog journey and all that, journey gag, head over to Amanda’s blog, Kaleidoscope for the full interview. And if you’re a woman who blogs, then you are going to want to hang around there. It’s gorgeous and always has new posts filled with hard-fought blog and design knowledge.
Do you blog while working full-time? What’s your number one tip?
