Best Lessons Learned From My First Six Months of Blogging
On March 30, 2021 by Megan FolsomExactly six months ago from this weekend, I launched my first blog! Looking back, it’s so fun to reflect on all the growth I’ve seen over the past six months. I had no idea what was in store for me or how much goes into creating and maintaining a website.
I’ve learned a huge range of things from SEO to Pinterest marketing to coding. Honestly, I still have so much more to learn, I don’t think I will ever know it all (especially since the internet is always changing). It’s been life-changing for me to have a new sense of purpose, experience self-improvement and set goals for myself again.
I’m so proud of myself for actually sticking to my commitment to myself and staying consistent with my goals and posting schedule. There are always so many questions about blogging and so many people interested in started there own website, which I would totally recommend. So, I wanted to share my top lessons that I’ve learned over the past six months as a very beginner blogger in this cyber world.
Blogging Lessons
1. Time Commitment
Writing blog posts takes SO much longer than you think, especially when it comes to finding and linking things! I spend so much time on my phone and laptop and my brain never stops working. Always add more time than you expect for finishing touches like SEO, final formatting, images and links. It helps if you have a big block of time to focus and get several posts done at once when you’re on a roll.
2. Always learning
There is endless information to consume about blogging and each social media platform. There are THOUSANDS of courses you can take and hundreds of business coaches to learn from. Some information is really valuable and some information might not be right for you and your goals.
3. Creativity
Creativity comes in waves and you learn to ride it. Some weeks, I have a million ideas and some weeks I have so much motivation to write. But, other weeks I have zero desire and motivation. This is totally normal, you just have to learn about yourself, plan ahead of time and really take advantage of the productive days.
4. It’s not about me!
It’s really all about my readers, not me. Sometimes, I think a post will be a huge hit and it flops big time. Other times, I am totally shocked by how well a random post does. I’m learning to lean into figuring out and helping with the needs of my community, while still staying within my niche.
5. Write it down!
Keep notes for everything and write EVERYTHING down. Notes on your phone will be your BFF. I love writing things down on paper, so sometimes I’ll try to make a mental note to write it down when I get home… and I forget 95% of the time. Now, I just keep running notes in my phone and refer to them when I’m planning on paper later.
I write everything down like blog post topics, to-do lists, collaboration ideas, captions, new hashtags, questions people ask, IG Reel ideas, blog post drafts, etc.
6. Build relationships
Build relationships with others! Other bloggers, people you admire and aspire to be, people who fit into your niche/topic, your community on social media, etc. It’s one of the best parts about blogging and “influencing” and making these new friendships makes it all worth it! Plus, no one wants to follow along with you if they feel that you’re not a real person or don’t care about the people in your community.
7. Other bloggers
Along the lines of number 6, you can learn so much from other bloggers in your industry, micro and macro. Even those with your same level of experience will have tips and tricks that you don’t know yet and they are great to collaborate with and bounce ideas off of. Bigger bloggers are great to learn from, too. I’ve learned both things that I try to improve on and things that I never want to do from watching others in the industry – it’s all valuable to me.
8. One step at a time…
However, trying to do it all at once is overwhelming. When you’re starting out, sometimes you just have to pick one thing to be consistent with and then slowly learn about and add in new things as you feel you’re ready to mentally handle them. For example, I’m not great at email lists yet, and while it is a long-term goal of mine, I have to learn how to create and run a website first!
9. Be realistic
Don’t let it stress you out if some weeks you just can’t do it all to a perfect standard. It’s hard to balance it all, and sometimes life happens. Especially as a mom and a wife, my family takes priority. If something bigger is going on, sometimes I have to lower my bar a little bit or take a couple days off, and that is OKAY.
10. More than just writing
There is SO much more to being successful at blogging than just writing, like SEO, marketing/advertising, back links, Pinterest, email lists… to name just a few. It actually feels amazing to learn about new things like these though, especially ones that are so relevant in this day and age for any business.
11. Personal balance
You have to find your own balance and your own goals and time limits. Everyone is different and you can’t do what you see everyone else doing at the same pace. Feel it out, try different things and see what works best for you and when. The nice thing about blogging is that it’s up to you and you work for yourself now!
12. Feed your mind, too
It’s impossible you can’t just create, create, create on your topic. Be sure that you’re still learning, growing, consuming, and improving, too. If you don’t you will hit mind blocks and the inspiration WILL stop flowing.
13. Money
Making good money blogging is hard work and takes a LONG time to build up (aka more than six months haha). Amazing opportunities do start to arise when you’re consistent and work hard though! Just keep going!
I’m so excited to see what the next six months bring for me and my website. I’m so so grateful for YOU, the one reading this right now, and can’t wait to get to know you more. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE! <3 Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to me on Instagram if you have any questions or want to chat!
Remember, for tons of discount codes and links to my favorite products, see my Favorites tab above.
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