I've been thinking a lot recently about what I want out of my blog. I started Mascara Warrior a year and half ago as a fun place to talk about what I loved, but over time I began to get more and more discouraged. There were so many things that I didn't do well enough, and no matter how I tried I didn't see any improvements at all (sometimes I still feel this way!). Here are a few things I wish I could tell myself when I started blogging - and what I'll share with you so that you can spare yourself the same frustration.
Blogging really isn't a competition.
There's no need to hold grudges against other bloggers because they have an audience and you don't. That's actually petty and you're better than that. Besides, all that negative energy doesn't do anything productive! Instead, use that energy to inspire you to make your blog better. There's room for
everyone in the blogging world.
Post the kind of content that you'd want to read.
If you're not stoked about the content you're producing, then no one is going to be excited about reading it. Your lack of enthusiasm will translate to your readers and they'll click away just as quickly as they came. So, if you
really dislike review posts that focus on a single product, don't make them! Try something you'd rather read instead.
Proofread, proofread, proofread.
Grammar mistakes and typos are a
huge turnoff. Lengthy, rambling paragraphs of text aren't so great either. Be concise and poignant when you can. (And also, if you're writing content on an iPad, make sure you check to see if there are any auto correct casualties.
I've been so guilty of this.)
Don't push yourself too hard.
Having a posting schedule can be great, but if you're putting out lackluster posts just for the sake of posting then you're not doing yourself any favors. Quality really is better than quantity. (And if you're really feeling uninspired, skip a day. Nobody will yell at you.)
Success doesn't happen overnight.
Even a year and a half into blogging, getting comments is rare for me. Things like building a readership, getting a certain number of likes on Facebook, or being able to cash out on your Adsense will happen a lot slower than you'd like (if at all). That doesn't mean that you should stop plugging away at it. Which brings us to the last point...
Don't lose sight of why you started.
It's easy to get caught up in SEO, tracking analytics, and beating yourself up for not having a readership. You'll start to think that you're not worth much of anything, but trust me: things will happen when it's the right time. Think back to why you began blogging: you weren't in it to make millions of dollars or to be famous (because that's never a good reason to do anything). You started your blog because it sounded like fun. Keep that in mind the next time you start to feel overwhelmed.
If you could go back in time and tell yourself what you know now, what would you say?
Share this and spread the knowledge with your fellow bloggers:
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