I hemmed and hawed for about 2 years before I finally took the plunge and launched my blog, KimGaleta.com a few months ago. And I’m so glad I did! It’s been a great ride so far and the best part has been connecting with folks from all different walks of life and working with them to achieve their financial goals.
That said, blogging is not as easy
as I thought it was going to be and I made quite a few missteps especially
during my first 4 weeks as a blogger. However, I used these blunders as
learning opportunities and I’m excited to share these with the
Cityscape Bliss readers today.
🌸 Focusing on quality over quantity
For a short while I was obsessed with numbers -- the number of blog posts I churned out, the number of followers I had on each social platform and the number of likes I received for each post.
For a short while I was obsessed with numbers -- the number of blog posts I churned out, the number of followers I had on each social platform and the number of likes I received for each post.
However, this approach isn’t sustainable. On Instagram specifically, I found that while my
following grew rapidly, the number of people who clicked on my blog link in my
bio was on the decline. More people were liking my posts but that didn’t translate into them wanting to visit my blog. Why? I was overdoing it
with posts -- three or more per day -- and 2 out of 3 posts were not useful
content. I was simply posting for the sake of posting.
At that point, I knew I had to go
back to my “why.” My reason for starting the blog in the first place
which was to help others with their personal finance and life goals. This
switch in mindset led me to post less frequently on Instagram but also more
thoughtfully and selectively as well. I decided to only post if I had something
useful and helpful to say. I was surprised (and pleased) to see that my
engagement levels actually improved significantly when I did this. I also took
a similar approach when it came to content creation for my blog. I’d rather post something a bit later than planned in order to ensure that
it is high quality and well put together instead of rushing to ensure I have
something up because it is posting day.
🌸 Finding my own voice
Although I had experience as a professional writer, there’s a difference between writing for a newspaper or magazine outlet and blog writing. This was a big struggle for me at first. Initially, I tried to replicate the tone that other bloggers were using, which is a big no-no because your readers can usually tell when you’re trying to be something (or someone) that you’re not. After a few weeks of working on this, I found that I am not someone who comes up with buzz-worthy catch phrases and that’s okay. Once I stopped overthinking it, I realized that my strength lies in being a conversational writer. My posts are now a lot more easy to put together and I’d like to think that my readers are happier because I am speaking directly from the heart.
Although I had experience as a professional writer, there’s a difference between writing for a newspaper or magazine outlet and blog writing. This was a big struggle for me at first. Initially, I tried to replicate the tone that other bloggers were using, which is a big no-no because your readers can usually tell when you’re trying to be something (or someone) that you’re not. After a few weeks of working on this, I found that I am not someone who comes up with buzz-worthy catch phrases and that’s okay. Once I stopped overthinking it, I realized that my strength lies in being a conversational writer. My posts are now a lot more easy to put together and I’d like to think that my readers are happier because I am speaking directly from the heart.
🌸 Learning about the power of Pinterest
I did not use Pinterest at all during my first month as a blogger because I had no clue that this quasi-social media platform was such a huge traffic driver. It took me a few weeks to properly set up my Pinterest, but once I did, the results were pretty much immediate. Not only did I gain more than 1,000 followers in a short space of time but more importantly, my blog traffic more than tripled. Here are a few things I did to grow Pinterest:
I did not use Pinterest at all during my first month as a blogger because I had no clue that this quasi-social media platform was such a huge traffic driver. It took me a few weeks to properly set up my Pinterest, but once I did, the results were pretty much immediate. Not only did I gain more than 1,000 followers in a short space of time but more importantly, my blog traffic more than tripled. Here are a few things I did to grow Pinterest:
i.
Cleaned up all my
boards (deleted any non-related boards like recipe boards).
ii.
Created pins for
each post (seems like a no-brainer, yet I didn’t
have any).
iii.
Joined group
boards like Bloggers from Blogstart and also created my own, Lifestyle BloggersRule.
iv.
Started using
BoardBooster to automate repins for my content. I firmly believe this has been
the game changer for me in helping to more than triple my traffic. You can
start with a free subscription to BoardBooster here (I now use the $10 a month service). I also use
Tailwind to schedule other people’s content which is absolutely key if
you want your pins to start appearing regularly in Pinterest. You can get a $15
credit to Tailwind by following this link.
🌸 Creating a content calendar to stay organised
I created a posting schedule (Mondays and Thursdays) which I’ve been pretty good about sticking to, with bonus posts on Saturdays sprinkled throughout the month. But unfortunately, knowing which days you’d like to post isn’t enough. What started to happen in my case was that Sunday would roll around and I had to scramble to come up with a topic, write a draft, edit it and find appropriate images. It all became very stressful. By properly utilizing my content calendar, I have the topics and outlines along with links to potential sources, already created a few months in advance. I have also set reminders and deadlines for myself to start working on posts a lot earlier.
I created a posting schedule (Mondays and Thursdays) which I’ve been pretty good about sticking to, with bonus posts on Saturdays sprinkled throughout the month. But unfortunately, knowing which days you’d like to post isn’t enough. What started to happen in my case was that Sunday would roll around and I had to scramble to come up with a topic, write a draft, edit it and find appropriate images. It all became very stressful. By properly utilizing my content calendar, I have the topics and outlines along with links to potential sources, already created a few months in advance. I have also set reminders and deadlines for myself to start working on posts a lot earlier.
🌸 Growing my email subscriber list
Although I stopped obsessing over numbers, I still need readers in order to grow my blog. One method that I am focused on using is growing my subscriber list by providing resourceful content that is actionable -- meaning someone can implement the tips in their own lives. I have finally created my first “opt-in” free downloadable guide which I can’t wait to share on my blog. I have also been looking into creating a resource library and found this post to be particularly useful.
Although I stopped obsessing over numbers, I still need readers in order to grow my blog. One method that I am focused on using is growing my subscriber list by providing resourceful content that is actionable -- meaning someone can implement the tips in their own lives. I have finally created my first “opt-in” free downloadable guide which I can’t wait to share on my blog. I have also been looking into creating a resource library and found this post to be particularly useful.
🌸 Learning how to be patient
Apart from being a resource for my readers, I also wanted to be able to earn a bit of side income from blogging as well but in a way that isn’t pushy, “salesy” or aggressive. I wanted to be able to do this by promoting products and services that I believe in and that can benefit my readers. However, earning my first few hundred dollars from blogging did not happen over night. It took a few months of learning and patience. I also took a course called Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing which helped me to create a strategy to start earning money from my blog.
Apart from being a resource for my readers, I also wanted to be able to earn a bit of side income from blogging as well but in a way that isn’t pushy, “salesy” or aggressive. I wanted to be able to do this by promoting products and services that I believe in and that can benefit my readers. However, earning my first few hundred dollars from blogging did not happen over night. It took a few months of learning and patience. I also took a course called Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing which helped me to create a strategy to start earning money from my blog.
My advice to any blogger who might
be struggling at the moment is this -
Set your big picture vision and break those down into realistic weekly and monthly goals. Then take it one day at a time. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I have formed relationships with more seasoned bloggers than myself who are always willing to share their tips which has been super helpful as well as encouraging.
And there you have it... the five
mistakes I made during my first month as a blogger and how I overcame them. I’m so excited to continue this journey and share my experience with all
of you in the blogging community.
Kim Galeta is a personal finance blogger and freelance
writer.
Along with her husband, Kim has paid off $45,000 of debt in two years
and loves helping others work on their debt free goals!
