My Thoughts As A Full Time Blogger for 7 Months
It’s officially been a little over 7 months since I became a full time blogger. You can read more about how I became a full-time blogger in this post. I thought it would be fun to share some of my thoughts/tips for you guys after solely focusing on blogging full-time for the past 7 months.
SELF MOTIVATION IS KEY
You need to be highly self-motivated in the blogging industry. You are your own boss, your own brand, and your own advocate. I like to create goals for myself and then visualize them happening. Keep visualizing where you want to be, and you will end up there. Write out your goals and keep them in front of you daily. Tape a piece of paper with your goals written out above your desk if you have to.
DON’T ACCEPT EVERY OPPORTUNITY IN YOUR INBOX
I receive pitches daily to work with various brands. One of my most hilarious memories that I’ll always remember in blogging is when I worked with a personal lubricant brand on a sponsored Instagram post. Yes, I said that right, personal lubricant, LOL. I was so pumped that they wanted to pay me so I signed up right away. I posted an overhead image of Dylan and my feet with our luggage. We were heading downtown on a staycation, so it totally made sense to post about personal lubricant & keeping the spark alive, right? Ehhh… wrong. We were taking a trip with our 6 month old baby. Someone literally commented on my Instagram photo something like “Aren’t you taking your baby?” That was a learning experience for me, obviously. I love sharing it with other bloggers because it’s a great example of not accepting every opportunity in your inbox. Now that I would consider myself an established full time blogger, I literally turn down about 90% of the opportunities that come my way. I only focus on opportunities that are authentic to me and my brand.
CREATE A POSTING SCHEDULE, AND STICK TO IT
This was hard for me in the beginning. I wanted to blog when I wanted to blog, but that didn’t really give me the opportunity to create a schedule for myself or for my readers. Once I decided to post 3 times a week here on the blog on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I felt so much better. It created a structure for me, and I knew that when I had my posts done for the following week I could focus on other work. It also created consistency for my readers, and they came to understand my posting schedule and knew when to expect a new post. Now that I’ve started a Youtube channel, I am hoping to share those videos on the blog and Youtube on either Tuesday or Thursday each week. This is still being determined, so don’t hold me to it just yet!
SHOP THE POST:
distressed boyfriend jeans // woven sleeves top // structured Zac Posen bag // Donald J Pliner loafers
I hope this post was helpful. It took a while to write, and I totally put myself out there, but hey why not! Leave any blogging questions you have for me in the comment section below!
XO,
Lee Anne
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I am so proud of you! 2017 is going to be even more amazing for you. Completely agree but not accepting everything in your inbox!
Thanks so much Laura! I’m proud of you as well, and so happy to have met you in person! Cheers to 2017!
I’m dying over your lubricant story! And sounds like you’ve come so far in 7 months – congrats!
Thanks so much Sarah, hahaha I know, it’s the funniest story so I thought I would share 😉
Haha, we live and we learn. I’m getting to the point where I’m quite picky with who I work with too. Congrats for going full-time!
Thanks so much Sam, yes it totally pays off to be picky!
Hahaha your lubricant story is so funny!! Such great tips that I will keep in mind if/when I start blogging full time!
xo Kelsey | http://www.chasingcinderellablog.com
I literally LOL’d about the personal lubricant 🙂 I just got offered a partnership that I thought, “Is this really me?” so it was nice to hear you say the same thing. Good luck in 2017 girl!
Congrats! Blogging is tough work. Thanks for the advice–especially about not accepting every opportunity that comes our way.
These are SO true! I’ve been blogging part time for over a year and saying no to opportunities is still really hard! Gotta stay true to who you are, though.
I love this!!! Ive had some of these random collabs in my inbox and just had to laugh… Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! Cant wait to see what 2017 holds for you and your blog 🙂
Brittany 🙂
http://www.kingdomofsequins.com
Okay the lubricant story is funny- but at least you learned from it! lol I think these are all great tips for bloggers looking to go full-time. Best of luck with your youtube channel, that’s exciting!
It’s so great to hear about the success you have had over the last 7 months. I’m just starting out and am excited to get to this point. Thanks for sharing!
Totally agree with not accepting everything that comes your way! I think that’s been a lesson learned by every blogger, myself included haha!
OMG your lubrication story is hilarious. I’m been blogging for 8 years (part-time), and I have gotten thousands of partnership opportunities, but you’re so right – only partner with brands that are a good fit with your own brand.
I couldn’t agree more!!
xo, Nicole @ http://simply-nicole.com
First off, I neeeeeeeed those flats!! So cute. Second, these are great tips! That lubricant story, omg!! I feel like as a newbie (7 months part-time blogging) I almost need to accept a good amount to get traction but definitely agree that I shouldn’t sustain that once I really get my name out there. I’m so curious when bloggers start asking for payment with collaborations? This might be a more personal question but I am using someone’s product for MY business and while, yes it was free, I still feel like I should receive compensation for it as well. However my media kit isn’t that impressive, so I feel like they’d laugh at me! I have a good enough Insta following but my blog traffic sucks. I am on rewardStyle, but I would love to start making money for posts in addition. Any tips on that would be amazing! Also, any tips on getting traffic to my blog? Sorry for the book 🙂 Great post, Lee Anne
– Mary
http://www.MissMaryPowers.com
Hi Mary-
I think as long as you have an engaged audience, quality content, and have been blogging for at least 6 months it’s fair to be compensated for your work. Every brand is different, and some just don’t have the budget. For traffic I wold highly suggest utilizing all social channels, not just Instagram. Put some focus into your Pinterest strategy and that will do wonders!
Ah Pinterest! I keep forgetting about it but that’s great advice. Thanks so much, Lee Anne! As far as the compensation, I guess the worst is they say no.
So many great tips! I’m hoping to get there one day!
http://www.kayleighskloset.com
I am dying over here!!! That story of your IG post, thank you for being so humble to share that. Keep killing it girl!!
I definitely need to do better on a schedule. It’s so easy when you work for yourself to make things flexible but that structure is so helpful.
xx Nina
http://www.theHSSfeed.com
Love your honesty and this inspiring post. It’s been hard to get the proper balance with it all. Love your schedule commitment too, something I’m working on. So fun keeping up with your journey.
It must be such a fantastic feeling to be able to blog full time, I can’t wait for that day. These are some great tips to keep yourself successful.
I just started taking my blog seriously in December, these are some great tips! I hope that I can grow my blog into something bigger with handwork and goal setting.
Hahahha that first paragraph made me LOL!! Because I have been there! Congrats on going full time ! This is amazing! The best is yet to come!!!
great post babe! totally agreed on not taking every brand that comes knocking! i turned full-time in July so can totally relate to keeping self-motivated and having a schedule, it’s so important!
http://www.layersofchic.com
I’m just beginning my blogging journey, but I hope to be able to do it full time. These tips are very helpful. I feel so much more prepared now that I have a posting schedule and monthly themes.
Such a great post! I’m on the verge of potentially going full-time, so I loved reading these tips!
xx Mollie
Such a great post! So true about not accepting every “opportunity” that comes along.
Congrats! So funny about the opp you took! As tempting as it can be, you definitely can’t take ’em all.
I love your tips!! Especially about taking opportunities that mean something to you and not just anything that pays.
http://www.maggiealamode.com
This is an amazing post! You are such a girl boss! Thanks for sharing your tips and tricks, babe!
A consistent schedule is so key…and not taking every opp that comes your way. I used to do that in beginning and it led to some not so authentic posts.
I so love your honesty. I always find it so cool when bloggers move to making it their full-time job and seeing how they balance it.
-xoxo, Azanique
LotsofSass.com
First off, I love this outfit! Secondly, thank you for your tips about going full time! It sounds lovely but like it also requires a lot of self discipline!
Neelofar
http://www.theloveliestlily.com
You definitely had me giggling with the lubricant post. I agree that it’s good to turn down collaborations that don’t fit with your brand. We’ve had some strange requests, and it makes me wonder if the brand has any clue what our blog is even about. lol I also agree that self-motivation is key when you’re a blogger. Wishing you a very successful and happy 2017!
Cheers to 7 months! I agree, I think not accepting every opportunity is so important! It’s hard not to be seduced by the cash but it’s a necessary to gain trust with your followers.
xx, Christina
http://www.christinabeex3.com/
Thanks so much Christina!
Really enjoyed reading how it’s going because this is a goal of mine ((probably not in 2017 but hopefully 2018!))
-Morgan
How 2 Wear It [] http://how2wearit.com
Hi Lee Anne,
I just recently started working from home to be able to focus more on blogging and I absolutely agree with your points. Sticking to a schedule is really important to keep your momentum going. Also working with brands and products that compliment your own brand is vital to keeping the trust of your audience. Thanks for sharing!
xo Gennifer
http://www.GenniferRose.com
Such great feedback!! Love that you are staying true to yourself. Loving these distressed jeans too!
Love this post!! And that amazing outfit you’re wearing!
Great advises you have here. I suck on consistence when it comes to post. I definitely need to do something about it.
Hi Lee, I watch all your YouTube videos. I love it. You know you are on my list of favorite bloggers. Your blog just makes me smile and admire you each time. ❤️❤️❤️
I love this look! Thank you for your advice! While I am no where ready to quit my job and become full-time, it’s always great to learn new things. I decided this year that I would only post 3x a week and so far, I feel less stressed.