business of blogging

Feeling Spread Thin: Is Social Media Contributing to Burnout Among Bloggers?

February 24, 2015 by The Motherhood

When blogging first began taking hold in the early to mid-2000s, social media was almost nonexistent and smartphones were far from reaching critical mass. At that time, blogging took place at home, in front of a computer (no posting on-the-go), and the amazing exchanges between bloggers and readers came via comments on the post. There wasn’t a 140-character tweet, Facebook like, repin or share. In a way, those were the pure and simple days of blogging.

With the number of social networking sites in the dozens, we now have more opportunities to connect than ever before. Beyond the “big four” of social media, it seems like there’s always another “next big platform” cropping up – and many of us feel pressure to maintain a presence everywhere.

Is the need to keep up with this rapidly growing, ever-changing social media landscape taking a toll on bloggers who make it their business to regularly and actively participate online? Instead of making us feel more connected, is the pressure to be at the top of the social media game leading to disconnect IRL (“in real life”) and contributing to blogger burnout? With the number of New Year’s Resolutions to “unplug” more often and vows to simplify, we’d wager that the answer for many may be “yes.”

At The Motherhood, we deeply respect and appreciate the role of professional bloggers. Perhaps what we value most is the honest, genuine glimpses into bloggers’ lives, families and homes. That authentic slice of life brings rich meaning and value to what bloggers do. It translates to being a trusted resource, an advocate for important issues, a valued go-to for so many readers. It’s what encourages many other bloggers to create and share personal, meaningful stories and thoughts, and it’s what inspires action from bloggers’ communities.

It’s important to protect that passion and drive. The Motherhood has some tips to help ease the social media strain if you’re feeling spread too thin:

1. Remember what fuels your fire.

Can you think back to when you first began blogging? As Cooper and Emily recall from their days as some of the first and only women bloggers, they wrote primarily for themselves on topics they felt closely resonated with other moms. They loved sharing real-world advice and getting ideas from other moms for practical solutions for everyday problems.

As your growing sphere of influence opens doors for professional collaborations, we’re huge advocates of remembering what kinds of posts you most love to write and seeking out or creating those opportunities yourself.

We love Just Jilly’s idea of “old school blogging, just chatting about life.” These kind of throwback posts, which are not meant to be shared with every social media outlet under the sun, can be energizing and help you remember what motivates you as a blogger, and your readers will sense that enthusiasm.

2. Don’t be afraid to say “no.”

For parents, spare time is often hard to come by. While one of the great aspects of blogging is that it can be done from nearly anywhere, any time of day, the fact of the matter is that we don’t want to miss spending moments with loved ones and enjoying life. Therefore, as you consider taking on a partnership, ask yourself a few questions:

Is this a product, service or cause that fits with the focus of my blog and do I believe in it?
How will my readers benefit from this information?
Do the program requirements and associated deadlines work with my schedule?

You don’t have to say yes to every invitation that comes your way. Declining an opportunity that doesn’t work for you for any reason means you can reserve your energy for something else that speaks to you.

A prompt “no thank you” to the person issuing the invitation, possibly with a short explanation about why the program isn’t the best fit for you, often will keep you top of mind when another opportunity comes up.

3. Recognize that you don’t have to be all things to all people.

What is your favorite social media platform and why? Maybe you love the fast pace of Twitter and find yourself thinking in 140-character bytes. Or maybe you have an eye for framing up the perfect photo and love the double-taps you get on Instagram. If you love collecting and curating beautiful imagery, Pinterest might be your passion.

If your burnout stems from feeling like you have to be too many places at once, optimize your time based on your interests! Give yourself permission to become a specialist, not a generalist. Focus on one or two platforms that mean the most to you – whether that’s what you personally enjoy or what generates the most blog traffic, or a combination of these. When you dedicate the majority of your energy on what drives you, your community there will grow organically and the rest will fall into place.

Featured image courtesy of Flickr Creative Commons user Ervins Strauhmanis.

Putting Your Blog in the Media Spotlight

October 22, 2012 by The Motherhood

This is a guest blog post by Linsey Knerl of Lille Punkin’, who hosted a live chat in The Motherhood on this topic. She was joined by panelists Alissa of Fun Finds for Families, Joey of Real Mom Media, Lynnae of Freelance Homeschool Mom and Sarah of Sarah’s Cucina Bella.

Last Wednesday, some of the Internet’s savviest moms and marketers came together to discuss one of the questions that seems to be on every blogger’s mind these days: “How can I get the world to know about my blog?” Specifically, we wanted to dig into sharing our blogs with the mainstream media.

Several moms were in attendance, and each one had something unique to offer the conversation. Here are some of the highlights of our 30-minute chat, along with an action plan for taking your media presence to the next level.

Small Blogs Can Get BIG Exposure!

One of the most delightful lessons we learned is that blogs are really making an impact on big media. Some of the bloggers in attendance had been featured in some very prominent periodicals, including TIME, Redbook, and All You! Just learning that it’s possible to have the editors at these publications interested in what you do was a major inspiration to us all.

Professionalism Counts

Being polite, staying punctual, and offering a helping hand are all important qualities to bring to your blog and business. Guess what? Reporters respond well to these qualities, too. By keeping your word on communications to reporters and giving them lots of direct quotes to work with, you can improve your chances of being used as a source in future articles and televisions spots.

Get Connected

You could go out and pitch every news site and magazine that may be looking for a story like yours, but it’s like casting a very large net for a tiny, tiny catch. You are better off subscribing to free services like HelpAReporter.com or ProfNet to get alerts whenever a journalist is needing an expert to interview. The success stories for those who have used these to score amazing press mentions are numerous, and it’s much more realistic for small blogs with limited PR budgets.

With the web being instrumental in so many “rags to riches” stories, is it any surprise that it’s one of the #1 tools bloggers have in sharing their stories with those who give news to the world? To get started getting your share of free press mentions, follow these few simple tips:

1) If you don’t already have an easy way for reporters to reach you (either with a contact form or an easy-to-find email address on your blog), you may be missing out on the chance to see your name in the next issue of your favorite mag.

2) Get connected with reporters and news outlets on Facebook and Twitter. Keep an eye out for “open calls” for story submissions, and be prepared to pitch!

3) Sign up for HelpAReporter’s free subscription service, and check it regularly for stories that match your expertise. Have a pitch template on hand that you can change up to match the needs of each request.

Good luck with your pitches. We hope to see your name in the news soon!

On Success in Business and Blogging: Personal Branding & Learning to Market Yourself

April 10, 2012 by The Motherhood

Do you have a tough time talking about yourself, especially about what you do well? Does it feel uncomfortably like bragging? If you said “yes,” you are not alone.

But whether you are a businessperson or a blogger (or both), “you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable and put yourself out there,” said Erin Lane of A Parenting Production, host of a live chat today in The Motherhood on developing your personal brand.

She and a group of co-hosts pointed out that success will come with developing and maintaining a consistent personal brand, paired with persistence in marketing that brand.

Why Creating a Personal Brand Matters

Erin’s advice can be applied to business, blogging and life in general: “You want to define yourself to them … not have them define you.” When it comes to blogging, “Doesn’t matter your readership … it’ll grow. And it doesn’t matter if you aren’t monetizing. Your readers view you in a particular way.”

Developing Your “Voice” – How to Get Started

So how do you WANT your readers or colleagues to view you? “To start defining your ‘brand’ start with the question, ‘What is your goal? To do what?'” said Lea Ann of Mommy’s Wish List. “This is your brand vision.”

She went on, “After you have a clearly defined goal, next question involves positioning yourself. Two points: Target – who are you talking to? Frame of Reference – what is your category, niche?”

For inspiration, Kathy of I’m a Danish Mama taps into the visual elements of a “collage where I can see all the things that go together … That helps with the feel of the brand. I also do a word chart where I list all the words that come to mind.”

Keep the creative juices flowing by thinking about “brands you admire, big box or small business,” said Rajean of Rajean Blomquist – Because I Said So. She had a few thought-starter questions, including: “What do you think of when you hear their name, see their logo? These are the types of images you should work on for yourself. What do you want others to think of when they hear your name, your company name, see an image associated with your brand and/or business?”

Ilina of Dirt & Noise added, “It helps to ask others their opinions, too, to get some external feedback on your brand and how you are perceived. It’s important to be earnest and not try to be someone else.”

Making Your “Brand” Recognizable

Once you establish a voice and a look for your brand, people will recognize YOU anywhere online. “If it becomes familiar to others as they seek your brand, it gives a sense of comfort and can establish trust. Both very important in branding,” pointed out Rajean of Rajean Blomquist – Because I Said So.

“I think a huge part of seeing your brand clearly is CONSISTENCY: do you have a branding document that has your fonts, logos and pantone colors in one handy place?” asked Kathy of I’m a Danish Mama.

And it’s not just about your blog, but your entire online presence. Kathy went on, “Are your avatars (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) all the same? Can one person find you in multiple places and know it’s you or do you leave them wondering?”

Lea Ann of Mommy’s Wish List provided advice on creating a consistent look: “Pick a color palette of THREE colors. Dominant, Subdominant, Subordinate (accent). Pick one font and stick with it throughout. Most font families have an italic, a bold, a condensed. One font gives you the impression of one voice, in other words, more consistency.”

Marketing Yourself

If one of your goals is to publicize and monetize your “brand,” with the back-end work finished, it’s time to start marketing yourself.

It won’t always be easy, and rejection is part of the process. “There are always more ‘no’s’ than ‘yeses’ but the yeses come with persistence,” said Erin of A Parenting Production. “It’s easy to get dejected, but remember, EVERYONE feels that way at some point…even those you perceive to be extremely successful.”

Lea Ann of Mommy’s Wish List suggested that bloggers focus on showcasing “your relevant background” to PR people at the companies you want to work with. “It makes you an expert. Also, including links to relevant material you’ve written shows credibility and that they are not taking a chance on you. You are a proven entity.”

To get your name out there, Kathy of I’m a Danish Mama suggested subscribing to HARO (Help A Reporter Out). If you see requests from reporters on topics that align with your brand expertise, send an email offering yourself for an interview.

But don’t let your guard down, in person or online. “Remember that your brand doesn’t have an off button,” cautioned Erin of A Parenting Production. “How you are online and in person at events, conferences, etc, matters.”

Keeping Your Brand on Track

On a day-to-day basis, you should continue using your unique voice to create interesting content and promote your brand. “Don’t be afraid to tweet out, pin or share your own posts. Just do it sparingly,” Erin said.

Kathy of I’m a Danish Mama provided a good rule of thumb, suggesting that for every nine links or tweets you share on other people’s behalf, you can share one post promoting yourself.

As you create additional content, keep your brand in mind. To help, “choose 5 adjectives to describe it as if it were a person. Then everything you do should answer to those adjectives,” advised Lea Ann of Mommy’s Wish List.

Along the same lines, “A tag line is super important!” said Joy of Creative Mamma. “People get a sense of what they are getting from your blog just from that one little sentence!”

And never forget that YOU are your personal brand’s strongest asset. One “great place for your personality and voice to shine,” as Ilina of Dirt & Noise said, is in your bio or About Me blog page.

If you have additional questions or would like advice from Erin, you can leave comments on this post or email her at [email protected].

Kathy of I’m a Danish Mama also offered her support via email at [email protected].

Building Your Blog Community: Part Two

February 28, 2012 by The Motherhood

Are you an established blogger with a community of followers, looking to take the next steps to grow your audience, improve your search results and market your blog to brands? If so, you’re in the right place.

For everyone new to blogging and looking for tips and ideas for getting started, take a look at our post on Building Your Blog Community: Part One – Blogging 101.

A recent live discussion in The Motherhood with a panel of expert bloggers took us through both the basics of blogging and more advanced concepts, including the best SEO (search engine optimization) techniques and how to build relationships with brands and PR firms to monetize your blog.

Vera Sweeney of Lady and the Blog, Melissa Chapman of Married My Sugar Daddy, Nadia Carriere of Child Mode, Audrey McClelland of Mom Generations, Annie Shultz of Mama Dweeb, Victoria Pericon of Veep Veep, Whitney Wingerd of Mommies with Style, and Megan Crume of Sweet Sadie Marie shared their thoughts and experiences when it comes to taking your blog to the next level.

Increasing Your Blog’s Visual Appeal

Great content will bring you a loyal following, but “visually appealing sites keep me on the site longer,” Ronnie noted. They are also more attractive to brands.

Audrey of Mom Generations said, “an easy (and free) way to bump your blog up a bit … add some extra photos/videos to it.” But if you’re looking for a bigger overhaul, “there are many designers out there who can work with pre-created templates (like studiopress.com) – you might want to see about uploading one of those,” suggested Vera of Lady and the Blog.

The group agreed that WordPress is a great blog platform. “WordPress has so many plug-ins; I recommend migrating to it so you can make things look the way you want without having to know so much of that techy stuff,” said Victoria of Veep Veep.

Paying for Photo Rights

When it comes to using photos you find online, the rules are clear: “Just giving credits is not enough. You need to visit sites where people say it is ok to use their picture,” said Charlene of Charlene Chronicles.

Creative Commons on Flickr is a good photo resource, or you can take and use your own. (The photos in this blog post come from Creative Commons. Click the photo to see the source.)

Using SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to Your Advantage

SEO essentially means making your blog post easy to find with a basic Google search. One simple way to improve your SEO is to write your post title and first paragraph with possible search terms in mind. For example, “Instead of ‘Rockin Restaurant’ title it ‘Burger King Kid’s Meal Review,'” said Annie of Mama Dweeb.

“Google has a great tool – keyword search,” said Vera. “And tag everything! I was told that tags are better than categories. The category should be fashion, for example, and then the tags should be more specific – red carpet fashion, Oscar fashion, celebrity Oscar fashion, etc.”

Nadia of Child Mode noted, “Linking is excellent for SEO, as is linking back to previous posts that relate to the one you are working on.”

For more SEO advice, read these posts on SEO techniques from appledaniels.

Growing Blog Traffic

There are existing tools for becoming known in the blogging community. Nadia of Child Mode suggested participating in “memes such as Wordless Wednesday, Food Friday, etc. There are linkys for these, so not only do other bloggers find you, but you can discover others.” And trading link-ups with other bloggers by “participating in blog hops and blog hop giveaways is an awesome way to gain readers,” said Theresa of Faith and Family Reviews.

“I follow as many like-minded bloggers and experts as possible on Twitter and Facebook and try to retweet and share their links as well,” added Melissa of Married My Sugar Daddy. Along those lines, agreed Megan of Sweet Sadie Marie, “Read blogs, comment, become part of a community. They will follow you, they will read you, they will comment.”

It’s best to start by growing your blog organically, but you can also try purchasing Facebook ads to bring in traffic. “You want to make sure that if you use them you have the ad forwarded to a lead capture page to capture the person’s info… this helps with list building in the long run,” suggested appledaniels.

Teaming Up with Other Bloggers

Above all, your best resource when it comes to growing traffic and finding brands to work with is other bloggers.

“Do you team up with like bloggers and tweet one another’s content out?” Vera asked the group. “Or how about Stumble Upon? Pinterest? Ever thought of reaching out to friends to start this up?”

Annie of Mama Dweeb replied, “That is kind of what Triberr is … I have been a part of smaller group – 5-6 people – and we tweet/Facebook/pin stuff on our blogs almost daily. This is such a huge help.”

Vera suggested creating or joining blogging groups to share information, tips and brand contacts to grow your network of PR reps. Janel of A Mom’s Take agreed, “I recommend joining all the networks you can! They can only help!”

Creating a Media Kit

Networking will get you halfway there, but a media kit is your best tool for convincing PR firms and companies that your coverage is valuable – and worth paying for.

Vera keeps her media kit online, while “I send mine at request and send it as a PDF,” said Whitney of Mommies with Style. “Two pages. Stats, rates, previous advertisers and a bio on me/my work.”

If your blog is relatively new, or you don’t have previous advertisers or projects to highlight, “Your media kit could also show off your best work!! It’s about selling yourself – any way you can,” said Vera.

That could also include showing “how connected you are. Good brands and companies don’t just look for #s but influence too,” pointed out Charlene. “So if you have a FB page, include your number of fans AND your number of monthly FB page views when pitching or responding to a pitch.”

Whitney also added that when she first started out and didn’t have stats to share, her media kit instead included “information from my business plan. Plans for the site, an outline of my intentions with the site.”

Connecting with Brands and PR Agencies

“You can absolutely have success working Blogger to Brand! I have worked with several companies directly as well as through their PR team,” said Nadia.

When it comes to connecting with brands, building blog content should come first. When you are confident in your work, Audrey suggested making a list of the companies you would like to work with – “then actively try and connect with them on Twitter or Facebook or through their sites.”

Vera added, “I do searches on Google. Look for press releases and then on the bottom there is ALWAYS a PR contact. I also reach out to friends.”

Theresa cautioned, “The thing is some PR companies are not willing to pay. They want you to post for free. I got tons of pitches when I was posting for free, but once I started sending my rates those emails have slowed down.”

“Know who you are pitching so you can tell them why you are attractive to them as a blogger,” suggested Rachel Blaufeld.

Overcoming Your Geographical Location

If you don’t live near a large metropolitan area, you might not be in many brands’ “event hot spots.” That isn’t necessarily a problem.

You can always “host your own event with a brand that’s local!” suggested Victoria of Veep Veep. Or offer to “work off the press release pics,” as Vera sometimes does.

Melissa pointed out that you can be “JUST as active and engaged in events and communities via social networking – follow hashtags on Twitter for events and join the conversation!”

Charging for Ads and Content

Most established bloggers charge for sponsored brand content. “Make sure you’re not giving everything away for free,” said Audrey. “When a brand/company reaches out, make sure you’re being compensated some way if you enter into an agreement with them.”

When it comes to advertising, “I decided how much to charge based on what other bloggers with my similar traffic/reach were charging,” said Annie of Mama Dweeb. Vera agreed, “Start with a number and if too many people are biting – you are charging too little!”

Making a Profit

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your blogging business won’t be, either.

“I always like to say to people, instead of opening up a coffee shop on Main St, I opened a blog. Takes the same amount of blood, sweat and tears… but it’s incredible!” said Audrey.

It could take months or even years before you start making money on your blog. When you do start getting checks in the mail, the amounts will vary. Theresa of Faith and Family Reviews is “making $500 on good months,” while Janel of A Mom’s Take earns “approximately $800-1,000 a month.” Annie of Mama Dweeb pulls in “as little as $100 on dry months.”

The keys to success will be patience, perseverance and great content. “It definitely takes lots of time and hard work,” said Nadia of Child Mode. “Make sure you are doing something you are truly passionate about. Your readers and brands will notice.”

Building Your Blog Community: Part One – Blogging 101

February 28, 2012 by The Motherhood

Starting a blog isn’t much harder than choosing a blog name and a platform, clicking a few buttons, and starting to write. But if you build it, will anyone come? And what will happen when they get there?

Today in The Motherhood, we had a great talk with an exceptional panel of bloggers who enlightened us on everything from the administrative to the creative, and gave guidance to beginning and longtime bloggers alike on building our blog communities.

Vera Sweeney of Lady and the Blog, Melissa Chapman of Married My Sugar Daddy, Nadia Carriere of Child Mode, Audrey McClelland of Mom Generations, Annie Shultz of Mama Dweeb, Victoria Pericon of Veep Veep, Whitney Wingerd of Mommies with Style, and Megan Crume of Sweet Sadie Marie weighed in on the blogging questions you’ve always wanted answered.

If you build it…

First, of course, you have to build the blog. When asked whether it was more important to have a great looking blog or one with great content, the panelists were unanimous: it’s all about the content. Annie of Mama Dweeb noted, “Content is King! That is what they told me in newspaper class and that applies to blogging.” Even an ugly site with great content draws readers back, though an attractive site may keep them there longer.

How to make that site good looking? Nadia of Child Mode and Whitney of Mommies with Style advise that WordPress and TypePad have lots of easy-to-use templates and themes. Vera of Lady and the Blog recommends “adding more images and videos that are engaging for the readers.” She cautions, though, that it’s never okay to grab images from other websites, even if you credit them. If you use others’ images, you should be prepared to pay for them.

Along with good content and good looks, several panelists emphasized that regular posting is critical. Vera said, “You should carve out time each day. Even on the weekends I sneak over to the computer and get at least one post up.”

After you build the blog itself, it’s time to build relationships. Vera summed it up neatly when she said, “Building relationships is key to any successful business. With blogging, there are three types of relationships that need attention:

-Blogger to Blogger: Start linking to like blogs with similar traffic. Do weekly roundups. Post one another’s badges on your sidebars. Tweet one another’s work. There is strength in numbers.

-Blogger to Brand: Become friendly with reps. Attend events. Work on projects and keep the communication line open. Make them remember you.

-Blogger to Reader: Reply back to comments. Offer something special on your newsletter, interact on your Facebook wall. All these things matter.”

To build relationships with other bloggers, consider joining a blogging group (or a few). As far as building Blogger to Brand relationships, the panel was mixed about whether it was easier to build relationships directly with brands or to go through PR agencies.

What to do to get noticed by brands? Again, the panel emphasized content. Megan of Sweet Sadie Marie said to ask yourself who and what you’re passionate about–that will guide you. Melissa of Married My Sugar Daddy added that “when you’ve got really good content, it’s easier to make brands notice you–and you will feel a lot more confident making those introductions when you’ve got the blog content to back it up.” Vera and several panelists also recommended having a media kit, something you can send to PR reps to showcase your brand relationships and past work.

As you build relationships, especially with bloggers and readers, you’ll build audience. Vera recommends increasing SEO by tagging your posts with keywords and repeating those in the post itself; matching your post title to its first paragraph, and using bullets and headers (which search engines love) throughout your post. Annie adds that it’s wise to think about specific terms readers might be searching for, and using those in your post title in lieu of something more generic.

Another way to grow your audience is the use of Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and the like to drive traffic to your site. Whitney says she uses “auto-feeds–everything I post goes straight to my Facebook page and Twitter feed–makes it nice and easy and I get a ton of traffic that way. ” For those who are not seeing success from those methods, Victoria of Veep Veep reminds, “Talk with others. If you write but never reply to e-mails or respond to comments or tweets, then they won’t come back.” In other words: engage your audience. Nadia recommends participating in memes such as Wordless Wednesday as a good way to connect with other bloggers and build audience.

…They will come.

Your hard work will pay off, the panelists agreed, but be patient and persistent. Annie said, “There is no such thing as overnight success with blogging. It takes most bloggers at LEAST six months of hard work before they see a dime.”

Several panelists offered their best tips for getting paid. Vera said, “Don’t be afraid to pitch yourself,” and recommended charging for contests, even if it’s only $25. “Something is better than nothing.” Whitney cautioned, “Do NOT work for free with the promise of a later paid gig! There are so many of these ‘offers’ out there. You are worth more.”

As important as it is to know your worth and to be paid, don’t get hung up on earnings and pageviews. As Audrey of Mom Generations wisely observed, “It will come if you keep with it. As soon as I let that piece of it go and started producing content that I loved and was ultra passionate about, doors began to open.”

You can read the full transcript of the Talk here.

Next up we’ll be posting a second part summary of the Building Your Blog Community: Part Two – Advanced Blogging. Look for that post soon! Thanks!