Two years blogging! I can't believe it's been two years. It feels more like ten years. After two years blogging, I can honestly say growing a blog is not easy. I could write a novel on the adventures in blogging because it really is more than anyone can imagine. From technical horrors to learning new tools on the fly to becoming a food photographer to meeting celebrities to connecting with readers and influencers who have become some of my best friends, it's been as equally rewarding as hard work.
Truth is things have grown rapidly this year, as in quadrupled. It was unexpected. That growth really forced me to step back and re-evalute what I was doing and change how I was doing things from last year. That growth also means some changes are coming. Read on to find out!
Growing A Blog In Two Years
What I did different this year
Writing for my Audience
One of the biggest changes I made this year was tuning into my audience and focusing my content on them and their needs. For awhile I found myself writing for other bloggers trying to impress them with my latest recipe. I realized this did not align with my personal mission so I refocused.
As a result, I have fewer comments, however, a little secret most people don't know is that when pageviews get really high you get fewer comments. That's just what happens. I've considered turning comments off because I compare myself to others, but haven't as I enjoy reading them. Bottom line, they're not the whole picture and give a false indication.
Freelancing
This year I landed several freelance jobs using Upwork. As I posted for other sites, it brought more traffic and new followers to my site. Branching out of your own space is definitely a great way to get your name out there!
Outsourcing
As things grew this year, I quickly realized I needed help. Between nutrition school, running this blog, freelancing and doing everything else I do I just couldn't keep up so I outsourced things that were taking me away from the things I needed to be doing.
I hired two virtual assistants and they have been my life lines keeping my Pinterest organized, getting recipe submissions done and doing other administrative tasks for me. It was the smartest thing I ever did, and truthfully, I wish I had done it last year.
Working Smarter
I'm not sure if you noticed, but I stopped accepting as many sponsored posts this year. As a matter of fact, I probably turn down 80-90% sent to me. When someone reaches out offering $50 for a blog post, I can't justify spending the time on it. By the time, I write, photograph, edit, schedule social media, etc. it ends up being 10 cents an hour for my time. Not worth it.
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It's unfortunate how much brands undervalue bloggers, but that's because too many bloggers are doing things for free. If that's you, you need to read Why Bloggers Should Stop Working For Free. I also don't want this space to be about every product under the sun, only the ones I feel are pertinent and helpful to my readers.
Hiring A Coach
A few months ago, a professor told me "every good coach, has a coach," and I didn't understand what that meant until I hired a business coach. For awhile this year I was all over the place. Hiring a coach helped me strategize my laundry to-do list and has kept me accountable.
At first I was reluctant about this, but it's been a huge win. I realized this is no different than hiring a health coach. Sometimes you need someone who's been in your shoes to motivate you and give you perspective.
Email Marketing
A few months ago, I finally got serious about email subscribers when I realized I was missing on a huge opportunity. I have almost 10,000 subscribers and haven't been doing anything with them except sending a daily RSS email. I know. That was just dumb of me. I'm actually surprised that many people stuck around this long.
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Now I send special weekly information to my email subscribers (sign up here!). This has allowed me to build personal relationships with readers, understand their needs better and create new content for them, which leads me to what's next.
What's Next
I've spent a lot of time thinking about what's next, but in order for me to focus on health coaching and creating higher value for my readers I need to cut back on blogging, at least in the short-term. This was not an easy decision for me to make but a necessary one.
In the meantime, you may see guest bloggers posting here, evergreen posts or fewer posts in general. While part of me is sad to be blogging less, I am beyond excited to start sharing the things I've been working on behind the scenes. Stay tuned! Exciting things are coming!
Ah this blogging world it's so weird and always changing. Do what makes YOU happy Meghan, I can't believe it's only been two years! I can't wait to see what the next year brings!
I'm nervous, but excited. Thanks Renee, hope you're doing well!
YES to all of this! I'm really curious to learn more about your experience with Upwork. I've mostly run into more spammy things there... but still lurking in hopes of something better.
Email me! I've had a ton of success finding work and outsourcing things. You do have to be careful, but reviews help.
Congratulations on 2 years of blogging!
A lot of what you wrote in this post really resonated with me. I just recently read the book called 6 Months to 6 Figures by Peter Voogd and it was life-changing. I bet you would really love it! I am getting ready to try to launch my own dietetics private practice and the book says you should really reach out to people who are more successful than you to be your mentor. I ended up just hiring a mentor and I'm really hoping it will motivate me and keep me on track. Another thing the book recommended was to have a purpose in everything you do. It made me think about all of the mindless blog posts I write!
Congratulations on your blogging accomplishments this year. Can't wait to see what next year has in store for you!
I've actually be mentoring another blogger in my "spare" time. I think you're really going to find having one helpful! You tend to get caught in a sea of trying to do everything in this land and having a focus is really needed. I will definitely be checking out that book. That sounds like something I need. Thank you Sam!
I seriously cannot believe that you have only been blogging for 2 years!!! You seem like pro! Sounds like you've got some big plans ahead of you, can't wait to see what happens in the next few years 🙂
Thank you! It's been a lot of work and it goes by really fast.
Can you believe I actually have been blogging 10 years?!!! It's changed dramatically and really only became a business for me 4-5 years ago, but yes I had to start treating it that way by hiring and remembering WHY I was doing it becomes increasingly important.
Wow! I can't imagine what 10 years feels like or how you did it without support. There are days I could use blogger anonymous lol!
This is lovely insight. Thanks for sharing! It sounds like you've had to make some tough calls, but it seems to definitely be working for you. Cheers to that!!
It's all about finding what works for you and your goals. No right or wrong!
DAMN GIRL! I'm so happy for all your success and to have found you through your blog! Now we are besties and you'll never be able to get rid of me! LOL and now I look CRAZY! #lifecommenter
You are a nut, but I luv ya and I'm so glad we've become friends. xoxo
Hm. Never would have thought about more page views = less comments. Interesting. And I definitely need to figure out how to work smarter. I tend to jump in feet first without checking to make sure I'm wearing a suit and there's even water in the pool.
HAHA, it's easy to get lost in the sea of blogging! And most blogs with a lot of comments are just other bloggers commenting. It depends on your goals!
Wow, I didn't think about pageviews increasing and comments going down, but I guess that is true, because most of the big blogs I've seen don't have a lot of comments. Hmmm... It's so hard, because I love the comments, but I would love to grow pageviews too.
And I love how you are working so smart after just 2 years of blogging; I've been blogging for 2.5 years, and you are way ahead of me! Love learning from you.
Most blogs with a lot of comments are other bloggers commenting. There's no right or wrong answer, it really depends on your mission and goals!
Sad to think that more pageviews = less interaction with readers. That was one part of blogging I didn't know I would enjoy so much, but I do. I started my blog about a year ago as a way to keep track of my life more - things that I didn't want to post to FB but wanted to be able to talk about & remember. It has definitely morphed since then & I certainly care about pageviews & comments, something that never crossed my mind when I started.
But good for you for making the tough decisions you did to keep growing you blog. 🙂 Stopping by from TOL.
Less pageviews does not mean less interaction! My interaction comes from my email subscription which I get a ton of response from. What I realized was the comments I was getting were mostly from bloggers. Regular readers don't like to comment unless it's a question on a recipe otherwise they would rather have more personal interaction one on one with you. There's definitely interaction just in a different way!