This month will mark eight years of blogging for me, EIGHT! I rarely share blog posts about blogging. The reason being, even with all that experience by no means do I consider myself an expert. However, I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate my 8 year blogiversary. Here are 8 reasons why you should be a blogger! Some links in this post contain affiliate links, all opinions are my own.
why you should be a blogger
1. If you really like cliques
There are lots of friends that I’ve made through blogging and social media. Some I’ve met in real life, some are friends I look forward to chatting with daily! However, there are plenty of other people that just don’t seem to have the “community over competition” mentality. It usually becomes pretty apparent that some people are just in it for themselves. Or more frequently, when they’re only interested in their small group of people they feel are worthy to spend their time with. I understand that not everyone can be best friends. So if you really miss high school politics and mean girls then you might want to become a blogger.
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2. If you enjoy working for very little (or no) pay
You might see your favorite content creators and think their life is complete and total #goals. After all, we’re getting free stuff all the time, going on sponsored trips, and getting paid big bucks for taking a few pictures–right? Doesn’t that sound like a great gig?! The truth is, the amount of content creators that make decent money are few and far between. Many companies still try offering you free products or a measly discount to essentially give them free advertising. Let’s be honest–the cost of a product for a company is not nearly what they charge for it; and if I probably never would have bought that product anyway I’m going to say thanks but no thanks.
Here’s just one example: Company X wants to offer me a free product that would normally cost $50. In exchange they’re asking for a blog post. That means I’m probably going to have to put in anywhere from 4-8 hours of work, or more. That includes photographing, editing, writing, proofreading, and then promoting the post. Maybe that product has the typical 50% markup, meaning that Company X is valuing my time at a little over $6 an hour. Um, I don’t think so. So, being a blogger is the right career if you’re okay with making less than minimum wage most of the time.
3. If you get a thrill out of technical jargon
SEO, HTML, UMV, algorithms… eight years into blogging and certain things still make my eyes glaze over. If you think you’re just going to write a few blog posts and pageviews will come–yeah, that doesn’t usually happen. Like never. There are certain things you have to know so all your hard work doesn’t just disappear into the void. If you love learning new technical terms and that kind of stuff makes perfect sense to you, you might want to be a blogger.
4. If you love hearing no or being ignored
There are three main ways I get sponsored work. One way is that I search for the PR contacts of companies and reach out directly. Or I might apply through an agency who works as a middle man between influencers and companies. Lastly, some companies reach out to me. For every company that I get a “yes” from there are probably six or more that give me a flat out “no“. Or even worse, just ignore me and never respond at all. You guys, this is their job and they can’t bother to even email me back and say no thanks. I don’t know about you, but my own kids ignore me enough, I don’t need the head of some random PR department to do the same thing.
Honestly, when the no replies are polite and professional (which usually they are) I don’t mind them. I try to remember what my mom told me a long time ago when I’d go on auditions, “Just because you don’t get the part doesn’t mean you weren’t good, you just weren’t what they were looking for. It’s like trying to match a couch with wallpaper. There’s lots of great couches out there but they’re not all going to work with that wallpaper.” But hey, if you like hearing no repeatedly or being ignored then start blogging.
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5. If you enjoy explaining (and sometimes defending) what you do for work
My husband is a dentist, it’s easy for him to answer the question, “what do you do?” If you love answering this question in great detail then I suggest being a blogger or influencer. I’ve been blogging for eight years and I still struggle with this question. Sometimes I keep it super simple and don’t even touch the blogging issue–“I’m a stay at home mom”. I mean, it’s not a lie, I do stay home with my kids. And it’s a lot easier than trying to explain what I do.
“I have a blog, it’s a lifestyle and family travel blog. I write about everything–recipes, motherhood, diy projects, travel… sometimes I’m able to work with companies and help them with marketing…” it just has the potential to turn into a lot of word vomit, you know?
I recently had an experience where I was checking into a resort. The very friendly person at the front desk made the comment, “wow, you’re getting a great deal, must be nice!” She truly was being kind and did not mean it maliciously at all. However, I felt the need to make it very clear that I had a lot of work to do for that “fun trip”. I’m not really complaining, everybody works for payment and sometimes payment is in the form of a comped stay. I’m just saying, it can be hard to explain to someone who doesn’t blog that it really isn’t all fun and games.
6. If you like exposing yourself to scrutiny
Well, even non-bloggers have to deal with this one. There are a ton of Internet Trolls out there who just love to tear anyone and everyone down–“Did you see her child was front-facing, I guess she doesn’t care about her child’s safety!!” “She didn’t breastfeed, how could she be a mom blogger?!” “They’re pregnant with their SIXTH child, they must not know about birth control!!” All of these are ridiculous statements. Yes, in our social media-obsessed world many of us put ourselves out there in public. But each of us chooses such a small snippet to show to the world, let’s not assume that we know everything about someone because we follow them on Instagram, okay. The world can be pretty ugly but if you don’t mind at all then by all means, blog away.
7. If you’re okay with hounding your friends for likes and clicks
You would think that once you become a blogger all your friends and family would automatically support you, right? Well, some do, but a lot don’t. I’m not sure if they just assume that their likes or comments or follows don’t matter, or what it is. However, you will quickly find that you’re missing out on a lot of followers and page views that you were counting on.
It’s hard because no one wants to feel like they’re a spammy salesman. But for those of us that blog to help support our family EVERY follow, comment, like, and click counts. It might surprise you to know that even when you DON’T make a purchase we sometimes get paid just for a view or a click. So if you don’t mind either, (a) asking your friends for constant support, or (b) realizing that you’ll never get it from them, then you are definitely made out for this blogging thing.
that’s not all…
Okay, so with everything that I’ve said about blogging you might be wondering–“Justine, why the heck are you still blogging after eight years?” Trust me, my husband has asked me the same thing and I’ve even though it myself from time to time. The truth is simply that I love it, which brings us to the eighth reason why you should be a blogger:
8. If you love it
Having a flexible schedule is a great perk. And to be honest, I kind of like having deadlines from companies too. Sometimes a blogging deadline “forces” me to do something I probably wouldn’t have taken the time to do otherwise and I might have missed out on. I like trying to figure out new ways to do things. Knowing that I have a platform to share a positive message with the world is pretty cool too. It makes me so happy when I get a message from someone saying that they tried something I suggested and they loved it. I love the opportunities that it has provided for my family and myself. I value the personal friendships I’ve made through blogging and the professional relationships I’ve established. At the end of the day I just love it, and if I didn’t, then I would stop.
So yes, I honestly feel like blogging is completely over-saturated. New blogs start every day and I once read that most blogs don’t make it past six months. It’s hard, a lot harder than I think most people expect when they start. But if you start for the right reasons, you know what you’re getting into, and you love it then by all means, be a blogger.
What do you think about my reasons of why you should be a blogger?
Check me out on Instagram where I share more behind the scenes of being a blogger!