You know that high feeling when you start a blog—you’re super excited to spend all your free hours taking photos, coming up with post ideas, chatting with other bloggers on Twitter, and writing your content.
You’re scheduling your pins on Tailwind and you’re searching for the right hashtags on Instagram. You’re getting a lot of love and comments from other fellow bloggers. Sometimes, you get lucky and a brand contacts you to collaborate with you on a post or send you a gifted item. You’re on top of the world.
Then, you hit a wall. Or wait, it doesn’t have to be a one-time hard bang against the wall. Little things can get in the way and it adds up to full-blown demotivation overtime. It could be from a myriad of things. Discouragement. Busyness. Feeling lost. Then you get frustrated and no matter how many topic ideas or photos you have on your phone, you just can’t seem to sit down and write.
I know these feelings all too well, and I am sure I’m not the only blogger who hasfelt this way. I got so discouraged by my stats going on a standstill (or even regressing), and I was pretty busy trying to balance work, married life, growing in my career, health and growing this blog. It was really overwhelming and I felt like I didn’t have enough time in a day. I was also comparing myself constantly to other bloggers and influencers and felt that I could never match up. So I took a 10-week break from blogging, which is actually the longest break I ever took since I started 5 years ago. I was relieved to have time for other things, especially working out. I also felt free not worrying about my stats (even though they did take a dip) and comparing myself to others.
But yet, I was missing writing and expressing my thoughts out there to the world. I wanted to find my voice again. I’ve been agonizing over if I wanted to continue on or quit completely or start anew.
Maybe you have doubts too about your blog, and you are on the verge of shutting it down and moving on in your life. It’s honestly ultimately up to you, but if you have even a mustard seed of faith and the tiniest desire to continue with your blogging journey, I can help you out.
1. Write about what you love
I’ve been noticing a trend in some blogs that specialize in making money and social media tips to help you grow your blog. A lot of them suggest that if you want to grow your blog and do it full-time, that you should blog about blogging, making money or personal finance because the beauty/fashion/lifestyle realms are oversaturated.
I can see where some start off as lifestyle bloggers and then transition to social media managers and money-making bloggers because they became passionate about helping others grow. While I do have blogging tips to offer and have social media experience through blogging and my full-time job, I couldn’t solely talk about that. I’m not a complete expert at those topics and I would get really bored. Plus, how can I help you make money when I have my own financial issues too? (Who doesn’t??) And how can I help you with my blog when I don’t have the best stats? Which leads me to…
2. Stop stressing about stats. It’ll come if you persist.
I know this is one of the hardest things to do. It’s hard not stress or worry about stats because most brands will not even look at you if they are on the lower end. My Instagram followers are considered pretty low and I still get brands contacting me. Sure, they aren’t huge brands like Urban Decay, but who cares?! I am just happy that those brands like what I have to write and consider me a good enough fit to promote their brand.
In the meantime, there are ways to increase your stats and traffic. Jordanne from The Life of a Glasgow Girl has a list of Twitter retweet accounts where you post your blog by tagging or hashtagging them, and they retweet your post. They usually have “follow trains” every few hours, where they have you post your blog, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. so that others can follow you and vice versa. My traffic increased greatly from that.
I also got a ton of traffic by joining Facebook blog groups and promoting my posts. My favorite groups are Boss Girl Bloggers, Blogging Babes and Bloggers Supporting Bloggers.
3. Create your own community.
Yes, comment on other bloggers, but don’t end it right there. I used to only comment on other bloggers. I would actually write a thoughtful response that was relevant to the post, and not just, “nice post”, but I still used it as a means to an end to get them to comment on my blog. There’s nothing wrong with that because I was able to develop relationships with other bloggers that way. But, it went further than that: we started following each other on Twitter and Instagram, and would message each other there. What I’m saying is that you should actually try to engage with other bloggers beyond the comments. If someone on Twitter is talking about their day-to-day life and I am interested, I make more of an effort to respond. If someone is wearing outfit that I love on Instagram, I now take my time to compliment. Actually try to get to know the other person behind the screen.
4. Stay true to yourself.
I’ve seen some bloggers talk about how they feel pressured to write about beauty or fashion because that’s one of the most popular topics…well, don’t write about those! I genuinely love beauty and fashion so naturally it comes easily to me. I personally also love reading other blog topics too. I am actually trying to transition more into a lifestyle/travel blogger myself.
If a brand contacts you and their mission or organization doesn’t align with your values, then don’t work with them.
I guess this part is also similar to #1 because it seems like most blog posts these days are sponsored or have some sort of gifted item. It makes me wonder if it’s pointless to just write about the things I love and am interested in because it’s not sponsored. Would people still trust what I write about even though my posts aren’t sponsored?
Also, as a beauty/fashion/lifestyle blogger, I always felt like I had to fit in a specific mold. And I sure don’t fit that mold at all. I don’t have an aspirational life. I don’t hang out in Midtown Sacramento every week. I’m not outgoing and I don’t always live my best life. My photos aren’t the best but I try. I am not the most fashionable and a lot of my hair is thinning. But I am who I am and I’m just trying to embrace how God made me (even though it’s hard) and share a piece of my life to whoever listens.
5. Take a break if needed.
It doesn’t matter if you need 2 weeks, 6 weeks, or even 6 months. Sometimes you just need to let it go for a bit and see if you miss blogging. You might just need time to reflect on your goals and vision for your blog. If you’re burnt out, it’s okay to come back. That way, you’re fresh with new ideas and you’re stronger and more passionate than ever.
Has there ever been a time where you got burnt out or bored from blogging? If so, how did you get your mojo back?
Hannah is a travel writer, graphic designer, and the founder/editor of Hannah on Horizon. She is based in Sacramento, California, living with her husband and two adorable dogs. She shares tips on how to experience luxury travel on any budget, and how to maximize time at each trip or destination, no matter what your budget or amount of vacation time at work. She enjoys making you feel like you have visited each destination with her through her storytelling and informative writing style.