5 Ways You Can Actually Be Sure of Blogging Success

By: | February 9, 2016 | Tags: , , , |

blogging success

 

Does your family still recognize you?

Blogging requires so much sacrifice of your time, they may be getting used to not having you around.

Even if you are physically present, you might be so distracted by your stats or plans for your next blog post, they just don’t ā€œgetā€ you anymore.

Fortunately, my guest author One Dizzy Bee is here today to explain the five criteria for blogging success she’s discovered in her first year of blogging.

Interestingly, all of them start with the letter ā€œPā€.

One Dizzy Bee, take it away!

Five MORE Revelations of a Neophyte Blogger

 

My first post on this topic, Five Revelations of a Neophyte Blogger, was so well-received that I thought to myself, ā€œSelf, why not share some more of your startling revelations with the peeps and see how that goes?ā€ In a happy twist of fate, Janice from Mostly Blogging just happened to stop by my blog around that same time. She surprised and honored me by asking if I’d like to guest post about my blogging revelations! Fate is sometimes a kind mistress.

 

So here we are. I feel like in the short time I’ve been blogging, I’ve learned so much. I’m like a blogging-sponge, soaking up all the info floating around the blogosphere. In other regards, I feel like Goldilocks. Some how-to posts are too soft, while others are too hard; i.e., so technical and numbers-crunchy that it gives me pain in the brain.

 

Then there are those that are just right – they’re presented in layman’s terms, are fun to read, and don’t send me screaming to Google every other sentence to try to figure out what the heck they’re talking about. I mean, I’m sure those posts are great for the advanced blogger. But me? I’m still new. I hope you have a little bit of fun while reading this post and maybe some of what I have to say will resonate.

 

By the way, I didn’t intend for all these things to start with P. Like most of the things I write, it just sort of happened.

 

Patience – This was, for me, the number one most difficult thing about being a new blogger. I visit a ton of blogs and see people with thousands or even tens of thousands of subscribers, and I was despairing that it would never be me. I heard bloggers complaining that they ā€œonlyā€ got 500 views a day. Privately, I was praying for 500 a day!

 

Without even realizing it, I’d gotten myself all caught up in this crazy numbers game, when numbers aren’t even the real reason I started blogging. Before starting my blog, I’d been writing privately for literally decades and having a great time. Give me a dotcom, though, and suddenly I stink unless people are clicking ā€˜like’?

 

What brought me back to earth was a question posted on a newbie blogger Facebook page to which I belong. Another blogger was wondering why their page views were going down, and they said they were afraid their blog sucked. (It doesn’t.)

 

The lightning-bolt hit me in the midst of reassuring them that their blog is good and that numbers fluctuate, especially in the beginning while you’re finding your voice. It took someone else’s question to make me see that I just needed to be patient, give people time to find (and love!) me, and to keep in mind that I started blogging because I love to write. Not because I wanted millions of views. Though, who am I kidding? Millions of views would be stellar!

 

 

 

Promotion – The fact that the internet is this unknowable, nearly infinite entity isn’t really a revelation to anyone. One of the things that did come as a huge surprise to me (funnily enough) was the fact that my site wasn’t going to promote itself. I had this completely delusional idea that the act of having a blog was somehow magically going to get it noticed by search engines. Okay, as soon as you stop laughing, say it with me … ā€œNoob!ā€

 

I started promoting myself on Twitter, because for me, it was the easiest platform to master. I’m older, and it’s true what they say. New things are harder to learn the older you get. I used to laugh at my mother because she couldn’t set the timer on her VCR. Now I’m becoming her, if you replace ā€˜VCR’ with ā€˜social media’.

 

The thought of doing Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, StumbleUpon, Instagram and whatever else, simultaneously, was enough to give me a twitch. However, I decided if the Kardashians are smart enough to do it, then darn it, so am I. Eventually!

 

Fortunately, there are a lot of resources within the blogging community to guide you through losing your social media virginity. In fact, the most user-friendly source I discovered is right here on Mostly Blogging. Their how-to for StumbleUpon is so straightforward I was able to dive right in and Stumble!

 

Perseverance – When you check your stats and see tons of views, you’re on top of the world. You’re in love with your blog, and blogging, and the mailman, and…wait, where was I going with this?

 

You’re going to have great page view days. Also mediocre ones. And downright bleh days where you’d swear your page views are actually negative numbers. You might have several of either in a row. Don’t let the bleh days get you down. That’s easy to say, much harder to do, I know.

 

I can’t say this enough. On the bleh days, remind yourself why you write. Not why you blog, but why you write. If it’s solely for the numbers, then I’m going to say this as gently as I possibly can: You may be in this for the wrong reasons.

 

Yes, as bloggers, we want to interact. Likes are our lifeblood. Comments are our candy. But we can’t make the mistake of measuring our worth by the number of visits, likes and shares we get. People return to blogs (or not) for their own reasons, and they often have little to do with your ability as a blogger.

 

Some blogs are fantastic, but they don’t speak to my personal interests. I’m a fifty-year-old woman with no children. I might visit your mommy blog, and I might think it’s great. I’ll probably even click the ā€˜like’ button a few times. But I won’t be a return visitor. I might visit your twenty-something fashion blog, and it, too, might be great. But again, I’m probably not coming back because you’re not writing for me.

 

 

So don’t give up. Find your tribe. Give your tribe time to find you. It will happen. There might be millions of blogs, but there are trillions of people in the world and an awful lot of them have the internet. Your odds are good!

 

Planning – Everyone should have a plan. For life. For blogging as well. At least, so I’ve been told. I am not going to lie to you here. This ā€˜P’ is my biggest pitfall. I’m random. I’m chaotic. I try to plan, but my plans seldom pan out the way I originally intended. I even got myself an awesome planner and swore to myself that in 2016, I Would Be Better!

 

I do have a posting schedule because it isn’t fair for my subscribers to get sucked into the whirlwind of my life. Whatever happens behind the scenes, I always make sure I adhere, at bare minimum, to the schedule I’ve posted on my blog. When I’m inspired, there may be more postings in a given week, but no one ever seems to mind that.

 

I also have time that I’ve dedicated to reading blogs. I have the ones I’ve subscribed to, and I also make time to look for new ones. There are so many gems out there. If I didn’t have time blocked out specifically for this purpose, I’d never get anything else done.

 

Then there’s time spent on social media. That would devour my life if I let it, so I’ve allocated specific amounts of time every day for that – an hour in the morning, and an hour before bed.

 

I have a day job that pays my internet bill, which allows all the aforementioned things to happen.

 

In my world, making time to actually use the planner the way the planner is intended to be used takes time away from things I’d rather be doing. Like writing, visiting blogs, or editing pictures.

 

So…yeah. My takeaway is, if you are the organized, plannerly sort, my hat is off to you. However, if you are an Agent of Chaos Personified (like me), don’t sweat the small stuff. Plan what you can, and wing it the rest of the time.

 

Panic – What a great feeling! Who doesn’t love the hammering heartbeat, the sweaty palms, the churning nausea in the pit of your stomach? No? You don’t like those things at all, you say?

 

Me neither. But it’s going to happen, and sometimes, for the silliest of reasons.

 

I once made a typo in a comment on a blog, and I convinced myself that somehow, those two transposed letters were going to cost me credibility in the blogosphere. I desperately searched, to no avail, for an ā€˜edit’ button.

 

I know, it’s ridiculous, but when you’re the new kid, you sometimes convince yourself that a grain of sand is actually a boulder poised on a mountainside, ready to tumble down and crush you in its wake.

 

 

Another time, I forgot to include a hashtag on a linky post in a tweet and was certain no one would let me in another linky again, ever. I’m sitting here chuckling and shaking my head as I write this, but at the time, I could just feel the ā€˜L’ etching itself onto my forehead. Linky Loser. That’s me.

 

Then there was the time I completely thanked the wrong person (publicly) for promoting some of my posts. Yeesh. I thought my lunch was going to reverse itself over that one. All parties were incredibly graceful about my confusion, and I got to blame it being old. Sometimes being old has its perks.

 

Trust me when I say that the Blogger Grand Poobah is not calling a secret meeting with all the cool bloggers, where they all stand around and discuss what a noob you are. I said this in my first ā€˜Revelations’ post but it bears repeating here. The blogging community is the most supportive, encouraging, forgiving bunch of people you will ever have the pleasure to meet. I only wish I’d started blogging sooner so I could have met them sooner.

 

So, next time you feel the cold sweats starting – just breathe. Breathe. It’s going to be okay. Unless you’ve set fire to something. Then call the Fire Brigade and RUN.

 

Have a funny story to share about when you were new? Drop your comments below!

Admin Blogger’s Commentary:

Readers, please share, so all bloggers know what it takes to have a successful blog. For newer bloggers, One Dizzy Bee’s tips are important. I’m sure even more seasoned bloggers would appreciate these reminders.

Which tip do you feel was the most important for beginning bloggers? Do you have any other blogging success tips you can recommend? I look forward to your views.

One Dizzy Bee did a great job. She explained with levity many serious points about all that successful blogging entails. Let’s show her some blog love by visiting her site, OneDizzyBee.com.

Note: MostlyBlogging is looking for guest authors. If you are interested in guest posting, here is the criteria.

Related Posts:

Getting the Most Out of Your New Blog

How to Have a Popular Blog [And Should You?]

7 Tips I Wish I Knew When I Started Blogging

71 Awesome Tips That Will Make Your Blog Successful

How to Be a Successful Blogger: 19 Experts Share Their Secrets

Ā 

 

 

    • Janice Wald

      Hi John,
      Thanks for writing. I thought One Dizzy Bee did a great job also. She is a funny writer! I liked the Goldilocks and the Three Bears comparison.
      Janice

    • OneDizzyBee

      Thanks, John. Glad you enjoyed the post. A little humor helps me to not take myself so seriously and keeps me from stressing out. I never want to fall into the trap of spending so much time worrying about blogging that I don’t enjoy it anymore.

  1. Lidy

    Patience is most definitely the most important lesson for new bloggers. When I first started blogging, I was using Weebly. I wrote one blog post and didn’t return to my blog for four months. I’d thought the likes and comments would start rolling in as soon as I pressed the publish button. Well, if you were a noob then I was Super Noob. Only thing missing was a cape and tights, preferably in blue. But I did come back, blogging on a consistent basis and now approaching my third blogiversary this May. I’d like to add another P lesson: practice. Practicing patience, promoting, perseverance, planning and not panic, as in not so much.

    • OneDizzyBee

      Practice, yes! I knew I was forgetting something. Love the Super Noob visual. You take blue, I’ll take red, we’ll fight blogging insecurities together šŸ˜‰

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Lidy,
      Thank you for writing and for visiting! People came in after you and commented. They agreed that “Patience” is the most important quality for a (new) blogger. Great to see you!
      Janice

  2. Debbie Dey

    Janice, great insight, as always. I want to be just like you when I grow up! (into an adult blogger.) I’m going to share this as a re-blog on my page. Thanks for the pep talk. I definitely needed it! šŸ™‚

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Debbie!
      Great to see you again! Thanks for the visit and the comments. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks as well for the idea of reblogging it. Since I self-host, it would be hard to reblog the post, but I would be honored if you featured the link on your site. Thank you!
      Janice

  3. Ellen Pilch

    Great post. I remember when I first started blogging almost 2 years ago, I would get about 10 a day and it slowly built. Patience is definitely important.

    • OneDizzyBee

      I agree, and it’s also, at least for me, one of the hardest things.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Ellen,
      Great to see you. Thanks for commenting. “Patience” seems to be the definitive answer to my question, definitely the consensus. I hope you’ve had a chance to read the other comments. Patience sounds hard for everyone. I think it IS hard for everyone.
      Janice

  4. Melinda

    Dizzy is my kinda girl!! I love her honesty and humor.
    Thanks for having her, my BBFFJ!!

    • Janice Wald

      I thought she was really funny too. I laughed out loud several times.
      BBFF me

    • OneDizzyBee

      Thanks, Melinda! I’m so glad you enjoyed the post. I’ll be checking out your blog as well!

  5. Carla

    I so so so believe the word an idea of patients cannot be emphasize enough. I’ve made my living online since 2001. But that living was not very good in 2001 or 2002 or even 2003 šŸ™‚
    It has taken a lot of time work and patience.

    • OneDizzyBee

      Hi Carla,

      Thanks for reading the post. I love to hear from people who make their living online. I haven’t really thought much about trying that – too afraid of not having a steady paycheck – but I love to hear success stories like yours.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Carla,
      Nice to meet you. Thank you for commenting on the post. You make your living online– how exciting. I said in a post recently I think that’s every blogger’s dream. Your comments are inspiring. They show that patience CAN pay off and not just with page views, but monetarily.
      Janice

  6. Julie Jo Severson

    “Agent of Chaos Personified.” Oh, you nailed it. How did you know? šŸ™‚ Oh my gosh, I can’t even imagine being disappointed at 500 views a day!!! That seems lifetime achievement. I had one post that went crazy, at least for me, reaching 20 or 30,000 in one week. But, then, back down again. 15 minutes of “fame” (ahem). Your comment regarding the family getting used to you not being around hit me between the eyes, punched me in the gut. Not wanting that to happen . . .

    • OneDizzyBee

      I would definitely do a happy dance if I got 500 views a day just once šŸ™‚ But I’m practicing patience and trying to build an organic audience. And yes, the first month of blogging, I drove myself crazy thinking I had to be online /all the freaking time/. My wakeup came when one of my dogs started hitting my cell phone with her paw as I sat in bed one night staring at my Twitter feed instead of playing with her, which was my pre-blog norm. Suffice it to say, that little furry gut-punch changed my priorities drastically. So easy to get sucked in though, without even realizing.

      Thanks for reading and commenting!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Julie Jo!
      Thank you for commenting. I am glad my introduction to One Dizzy Bee’s article resonated with you. Blogging takes so much time, family time has to suffer; it’s inevitable. I work outside the home. These are definitely issues that I am dealing with, having enough time for everything. Bloggers were surveyed. They revealed time limitations were their biggest challenge.
      Congratulations on 30,000 page views on one post in one week! Incredible! Happy dance times ten!
      Janice

  7. Ron Hervey

    Very informative post. You have answered some of my blogging questions and addressed some of my blogging fears. Thanks for Posting.

    • OneDizzyBee

      I’m really glad I could help you out a little, Ron. Best of luck to you with your blog! I’m definitely going to come check it out.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Ron!
      Great to hear from you! I am glad the post resonated with you! It sounds like it resonated with many people. I am glad you got some questions answered and found it valuable that way too.
      Janice

  8. Richard Schulte

    The phrase that resonated with me: “having a great time”.

    Life is short.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Richard,
      Thank you for contributing to the discussion. The more I read, the more I feel you are an anomaly. Did you feel you are anomaly not being as concerned about stats?
      Janice

      • Richard Schulte

        There was a time in my life where I would have been. And I thought things like money and position were very important, too. But one finally learns what is precious in life. Some people don’t figure it out until they’re very old and are confronted by their mortality.

        • Janice Wald

          To find joy in a hobby, the way I do with blogging, makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. A youthful zeal. What fun! Of course, I would love to make money, but whether or not I do is irrelevant. I still have fun blogging. Thanks Richard. I have always loved our interactions. This one is no exception.
          Janice

    • OneDizzyBee

      Hi Richard,

      Thanks for commenting! Having a great time is one of those things that seems so disposable when you’re young. “Oh, there’s always time for X or Y”. But there isn’t, not really, ever enough time. If you’re fortunate enough to grow older, I think you begin to realize that having a great time is pretty much one of the most important things. Granted, there are unpleasant things we all must do, but wherever I can, I make it a point to have a great time.

      • Richard Schulte

        To me, having a great time isn’t merely having fun. It’s living life fully, absorbing every moment, seeing the beauty, complexity; Seeking out deep truths. And unpleasant things are part of this. It isn’t about pain and pleasure. It’s about something deeper. Something “greater”.

  9. Carolann

    I subscribe to your newsletter and really appreciate your posts. I remember my first year. It was a tough one. Great info! Thanks so much for sharing.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Carolann,
      I know you subscribed. You and I go way back. Thank you so much for your support of my blog and your nice comments. I am glad you enjoyed One Dizzy Bee’s guest post. Thanks for writing us.
      Janice

  10. sue

    I really identified with this post from Dizzy Bee, Janice. Patience and perservence are required when blogging although these traits can be difficult at times. Thanks to you both for a great post which I saw at Blogger’s Pit Stop. Have a great week!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Sue,
      Thank you for clicking on my link over at Blogger’s Pit Stop. Did you read the other comments? “Patience” seems the most popular answer to my question, what is the most important tip for new bloggers. I agree with the answer. Once I was told, “Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint,” the wait for traffic became easier.
      Thanks for writing. Great to see you.
      Janice

    • OneDizzyBee

      Hi Sue,
      Thanks for writing! I have to say that out of all the things I’ve learned since I started blogging, patience is high on the list. There are definitely been times, even in the short time I’ve been blogging, that I had to ask myself if I had what it takes. Or if I was more a sprinter than a marathon runner. Writing posts like this and seeing others identifying with the way I feel kind of makes me feel like I’ve found a home in the blogosphere!

  11. Mary Crowther

    Thanks for a great post! Sometimes we forget the important points in blogging. The 5 P’s make it easy to remember

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Mary,
      It’s me! Janice, from Le’Espirit. What a coincidence we are both blogging and promoting in the same FB groups. You moved far away, but in this respect we are very close.
      What a small world the blogosphere is! Thanks for reading and commenting on my article. Great to see you here! I hope you are doing well after having relocated.
      Janice

  12. Leanne

    I loved this post (and popped over and read the original too!) I think my biggest lesson was not to get caught up in the ‘bigger is better’ palaver – being authentic and enjoying what you do and having a life away from your computer are more important than the elusive million views. I think I’ve found the balance where I’m tonking along quite nicely but not putting pressure on myself to be the next big “thing”. And I don’t tweet so you’re much more cyber-savy than I am!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi LeeAnn,
      LOL! I don’t think of myself as cyber savvy, but thank you for the compliments. It is nice that you have found a balance. I feel it is something I am still striving for.
      Janice

    • OneDizzyBee

      Being authentic is such a great way to put it. I see a lot of ads for ‘buying’ followers and such…but I don’t really see the point. Balance is something that seems to be in such short supply. Whenever I find myself teetering a bit too far over the line, my family pulls me back. Funnily enough, it’s my dogs – who will bat my phone out of my hand if I’m Tweeting when I should be petting šŸ™‚

  13. Cathy Lawdanski

    I’m new too. I like her idea of limiting time on SM – I can get so wrapped up in that and the hours just flitter away. Also patience. There is so much to learn. Take it a little at a time.

    • OneDizzyBee

      I know what you mean about getting wrapped up. Sometimes I just mean to pop on and answer a comment or two, then I find myself suddenly flitting from blog to blog, reading new posts and the time just flies! I also feel like in five years I’ll still feel like I’m new and learning. Every time I conquer one challenge, a new one pops up. But as long as we pace ourselves, we’ll be okay, I think.

  14. Janice Wald

    Hi Cathy,
    Thank you for writing me. I agree with One Dizzy Bee and the majority of the comments here that patience is seriously necessary to be a successful (calmer?) blogger. My nature is not to be patient. Once I heard that blogging is a marathon, not a sprint, it helped a great deal. Thanks again for your comments and your visit.
    Janice

  15. DazzleWhileFrazzled

    Thank you for the list of Ps! “Patience” is definitely not my strong suit but it was one of my New Year’s resolutions (primarily with my kids but a blog is a “kid”, right?!) I’m a super newbie blogger (in month #4) so I agree that it’s hard to not look at other blogs and want their success now. Visiting from Saturday Sharefest party.

    • OneDizzyBee

      Our blogs are about the same age! My blog is definitely my kid, and like all parents, we want our kids to do well. I think in part I may have written this post to remind myself what’s really important, though.

    • Janice Wald

      Hi DazzleWhiteFrazzled,
      So sorry I didn’t reply sooner. My house has been sticken with bronchitis from which I am just recovering. Thanks for clicking my link over at SITS a few weeks ago. Are you a new blogger? I help new bloggers at my site. I am having a big blog party this Saturday. Perhaps you’ll return and meet new readers. Sorry for my delay in responding to you.
      Janice

  16. Renee

    Thanks for the great tips! I’ve only been blogging for about 5 months. I would definitely have to say that patience is the hardest. I really enjoyed reading this.

    • OneDizzyBee

      Patience (and needing to have it) seems to be a common thread among us bloggers. If I were a psychologist, I’d be trying to figure out what that said about bloggers! šŸ™‚

  17. Pingback: Inspire Me Monday Linky Party #69
  18. Kathleen

    Janice this awesome post was among the most clicked on the Blogger’s Pit Stop. I just want to thank you for being a great Pit Stop Crew gal and for you consistently helpful posts that we all benefit from.

  19. Pingback: 5 Ways You Can Actually Be Sure of Blogging Success
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  21. Denise

    I completely hear you on the panic! As soon a I notice a typo, I’m ALL about finding that edit button… I actually break out into a sweat and hope no one actually noticed it! And I’m not interested in the fashion or mommy blogs either… while I respect and like some off those that I follow, it’s just not my thing… I guess I’m still searching for my niche, really… but for now, camping and family are it for me šŸ™‚

    Thank you so much for sharing… you it the nail on the head!

    • Janice Wald

      Hi Denise,
      Thank you for writing us. Tess (One Dizzy Bee) did a great job with the post. As I’m sure you saw by the number of comments, her post really resonated with readers. Most people seemed to feel patience had the most validity, so it’s interesting hearing your perspective. Great to see you Denise. Thanks again for writing.
      Janice

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