I've been thinking a lot recently about the blog, this blog: Dear Thirty - which direction to move it in, how to promote better and about where I want to be a year from now. What my blog goals are. Why? Because that's what you tend to do when you've been writing a blog for a while; it's the next step for many, everyone does it, it's only logical. Annnd people tend to ask the inevitable question:
Where do you see your blog heading?
PR companies start to email you about events, reviews and likewise; it's easy to get caught up in that lovely successful feeling. I guess anyone could.
I'd like to think I have an honest and open attitude on this blog. I mean, I'm not anything special, I'm not famous, rich or even a beauty guru of anything. Just a regular kinda girl. A mother, a wife, a friend and a complete and utter sucker for vintage things. What I know about anything is what I've picked up along the way, I could never pretend to be an "expert", because I'm not - I'd at least want a certificate or something first to hang on the wall......then you'd never shut me up I'm sure ;) but, no....I do my best to research things and I'll admit if I'm clueless to something. I'm constantly learning everyday.
Also, it's important to remember why I started blogging in the first place. I wanted to learn about me as a person and gain confidence in myself and my ideas, but most importantly it was to keep an online diary of everything that was happening in and around my life, to look back on in years to come.
Where do you see your blog heading?
Truthfully, I want to be able to post daily, a combination of thought provoking ramblings, outfit posts, beauty buys, family happenings and I may well do the odd promo posts here and there.....I mean, lets be honest, if a company wants to send out a fabulous new lippy or a cute dress for me to review and lovingly wear, I definitely don't see a problem with this!
Where has all of this come from, I hear you cry?
Well, actually I stumbled across a few interesting reads last night; I found out about a blogger who was "outed" last year as a fraud (that sounds so dramatic reading it back, but I can't think of a better word for it.), she had basically shammed her way to blog success by copying and selling other bloggers/artists work and claiming they were "her own".
She'd been doing it for years apparently, the evidence was all there to see with my own eyes.....and believe me when I tell you: the bloggers found every last shred of evidence of wrongdoing.
A few of you might know who I'm taking about here, however I won't name names - because, frankly this story is old hat, so to speak, and there is little or no point in shaming the shamed.....
So the point I've slowly but surely been getting to, is this: it can be so easy to get swept away in a cloud of your own fabulousness (is that even a word?) that you can put yourself under too much stress and pressure trying to conform to expectations; comparing your blog to others and feeling inadequate in the process. It's also all too easy to overthink things and believe that your content for every single post has to be original, quirky and noteworthy - ranking high in google searches! and if you start looking at those sites that offer advice for - 'How to attract more readers to your blog in ten easy steps' you tend to get overly carried away.
Is my blog design good enough? Is the SEO correct on each blog post? Will my blog show if someone Google searches my keywords? Am I sharing this post enough times each day over social media? Should I use hootsuite to auto send tweets when I'm asleep? It can all sit very heavy on your shoulders all too quickly if you let it.....and really, when the chips are down, and you can't switch off from worry - is it really all worth it?
The fact is, it can easily become all about the promotion.....and frankly who wants to read about all that malarkey when they come to read your page? (*ahem* I'm fully aware right now that I'm writing a blog post about promotion on this very page - sorry, I hold my hands up!)
So I ask myself: what exactly is so terribly wrong with posting about the little, nitty gritty everyday boring stuff? Thoughts and likewise? I'm not Glamour magazine openly promoting a product, I don't work for a PR company either........I want to write about what I want to write about, in all it's vintage glory and that is what I intend to do. Isn't that what make people pay attention blogs in the first place?
I don't know, maybe I'm wrong about all of this and I'm having a reflective few hours....
Regardless, the keyword here is: honesty.
Say no more!
Hear, hear!
ReplyDeleteI know I only discovered your blog a few days ago after meeting you at #vintagefamilyhour, but I have loved every second of reading it. It's honest, it's real, it's you. That's what I appreciate about blogging and I think you should carry on as you have previously. Write about YOU and what YOU like. That's far more interesting and heartfelt.
All the best sweetheart! xx
I agree!! I enjoy blogging but sometimes I feel like I am not good enough but then I remember it doesn't matter if I do not have a crazy amount of followers, etc as I enjoy what I blog about. + It can get kind of boring when blogs are full of promotional stuff as well as it no longer feels individual. Your blog is great as it is, you can blog about whatever you want! :)
ReplyDelete- Becky xox
Thank you ladies, it feels so important to keep grounded - if my blog is ever full of promo stuff please feel free to shoot me ;) x
ReplyDeleteIve only just discovered your blogs/facebook posts and I think you are fabulous
ReplyDeleteThank you so much - you're too kind :)
DeleteI've accepted a few promo things, but I write only my own opinions, and all those promo things came in such a small space of time! I do love your blog, and you're definitely achieving vintage glory. I envy a lot of your outfits!! I find the promotion of blogging can be a little tiresome, I want followers, but for the right reasons, but it's hard to get them with no promotion, my husband has blogged for over a year and has no followers, but he doesn't promote. Whereas I've only been here since October and have more, but have promoted, but it does make me feel cheap at times! Gosh! I could go round in circles thinking and talking about this!!
ReplyDeletexx
Same.....I think it's about keeping the balance right. I can totally relate to promoting becoming tiresome, it does totally.....I often think people get sick of seeing my tweets sometimes etc haha! x
DeleteI never get sick of your tweets. Congrats on being shortlisted btw, maybe next year I'll be brave enough to enter! x
Deleteas long as it is stated the things were sent for review purposes, I am totally ok with it. I dont particularly like it people do not clearly say it in their posts, when it is clearly sent to them or possibly getting paid for it
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely - that's very true, I know a lot of people * any PR samples etc, I think this gives the blogger integrity :)
DeleteSuch a good post! I think more opinions on sponsorship should be put out there! It's even encouraged me to possibly do my own post on the subject down the track!
ReplyDeleteSponsorships are a big and required part of blogging as long as they are still true to you. Why? Because blogging is not just a hobby for many people, but a job. Full time blogging can't happen without sponsorship. There is so much time involved in each post to make it the exact reason why readers keep coming back, if you also have a full time job, the quality and quanitity of posts just isn't possible. So in order to substitute paid employment with blogging, you have to earn an income from where you are placing most of your time! And that usually includes sponsorship work.
Similarly to magazines, they're enjoyable but there are ads included in it. Those ads are what allows the magazine to stay alive and keep bringing you great reads! Without the ads, there would be no magazine as there would be nothing to pay for that great content. It's a big circle and there's a lot more in it than a lot of readers think.
Sponsorships shouldn't be something people should steer clear of, nor something that readers should feel upset about. If the products/events are promoted in your own opinion, done in your style, and true, they should be respected and understood and even looked forward to!
All of my sponsored posts have involved me going to places or finding out about products that I hadn't ever heard of before, and I genuinely loved it! I haven't accepted all that has been offered to me as I may not have liked it, or agreed with it, or thought my readers could relate. But the ones I have worked with, I may have been paid to promote them, sure, but I also found out about something new that I now love, and by showing that to my readers, they may find something new that they can love too.
So in that way, it's better than an ad in a magazine, because our readers know us, trust us, and can be assured that whatever we are talking about, whether it be paid or not, is true.
So frowning on sponsored posts I think is a bad thing because you're frowning upon people making a living and supporting themselves, a family, a dog, and having a real go at doing what they love.
That's my two bob anyhoo!!
Trish you are so right, it's so important to remain honest and be yourself whilst reviewing products etc. I love the way you incorporate your reviews into your everyday blogging - a perfect example of how it's done :)
DeleteLovely, honest post and a good read! I see no issue in working with brands/companies, reviewing or promoting them etc. But I think as soon as you give a "yes" when you actually think "no," that's where you should really think about where your blog is heading! I've personally never been paid or given things to promote etc, if the opportunity ever rose I'd love to see what it's like, however I do want to stay true at the same time which I think is completely doable as long as you're thinking of your readers and yourself before the brand/company. A little heads up that it's a sent product is always good, too! xx
ReplyDeleteOlivia | Thoughts, fashion and beauty.
I completely agree! I think a lot of blogger giving a 'Thumbs up' instead of a 'Thunbs down' feel under pressure by the brand. I'd like to think I'd be gutsy and write what I thought, bad or otherwise. Rahhh! :)
DeleteX
I wholeheartedly agree with this. I see no problem in working with brands either, and I think you have the right ethos, and as long as it fits in for you, what is the harm? If I get an offer it has to be something that I would be interested in/fits into what I am about - otherwise I just become another sellout. As long as you're honest and upfront about these things, that's all anyone can ever ask of you.
ReplyDeleteAt the core of your blog it's about you, from the nitty gritty to the amazing and fabulous. That's life, and that is what makes our blogs real. We don't pretend to be amazing, life isn't amazing and wonderful all the time, and the dull nitty gritty/hard times are what shapes us as people and also shapes our blogs.
PS. Love your blog!
So true, I definitely wouldn't attempt to review anything I didn't think would interest my reader, or, in fact me. I mean, really - could you see me reviewing something like a windscreen washer product? Hmmmm......
DeleteYep, so important to be true in this day and age :)
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I LOVED this post.Its so easy to go and compare your blog to others asking yourself 'is my blog really good enough for people to read?' I do it so many times myself and I want to punch myself for it.So many times I've seen bloggers say ''I Wish my blog was as good as ....' and I feel like saying it is as good as theirs...maybe even better.We all have our strengths at different parts of blogging,wither that be photography,writing or design,you have a talent which is recognized but many people out there.Rather than comparing our blogs to others we should be inspired by the work which hundreds of thousands of normal everyday people are creating wither that be from their home or work .. maybe even from a cafe where they can access a computer.Even though PR work can give us great oppertunitys a blog is nothing without the person behind the computer screen injecting originality into their posts.
ReplyDeleteBlogs are something special,PR and Promotional stuff are great don't get me wrong...but without that person behind the screen working away hours on end playing around with words .. A blog is just ... another promotional website on the Internet.I just discovered you blog and its so adorable !! I love it.Keep p the hard work doll x
http://copycattt.blogspot.ie/
Haha - please don't punch yourself ;) but yes, I get how you feel....I've been there myself, especially at the beginning when the blog lacks direction or readership - but we all find our way in the end.
DeleteA blog is like a friend you keep coming back to. I'd like to think of it like that anyway :)
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