I have been blogging for a few years now and a day doesn’t go by without me reading something I MUST do right now or my blog will implode. There’s so much advice around, and I share my own here on this blog. I thought I would look at the biggest myths about blogging and the ones you really should ignore. There is enough stress in this world without driving ourselves crazy chasing after the unicorn.
10 blogging myths you should ignore immediately
You must respond to comments or you don’t respect your readers
In the past I have tried to respond to every comment left on my blog. You know what? It is totally exhausting. I used to find myself leaving ‘thanks’ responses when I really couldn’t think of anything to say and that seemed really pointless. Then I came to realise that replying to comments doesn’t generate any more traffic than if I don’t and my readers won’t hate me. Sure if there is a comment with a question or a particularly lovely comment, I will of course respond, but responding to everything because you feel a sense of duty or guilt if your don’t is totally pointless. It is also worth bearing in mind that responding to comments will encourage future visitors to leave comments, which brands see as engagement.
You only have a certain amount of time, so use it wisely. Respond to a comment or share that persons post on Twitter, I know which will be quicker and which will reap more benefits for that person. Use your time to write good content and your readers will thank you for it.
You need to be killing it on every social media platform
Social media can be all consuming. There are the old boys Facebook and Twitter, the cool kids Instagram and Pinterest, the young guns Snapchat and Periscope and there’s Steller, the weird kid that people don’t really talk to, but would love if they did. Not to mention YouTube and G+. You could spend your whole life on all of these platforms and you know what there would be no guarantee that your blog would do any better than if you focused on only a couple. You would be consumed and probably burned out, trying to master them all.
My personal take is that you have to be on them all (although you won’t find me on snapchat, as it looks horrendous!), but you don’t have to win them all. So find the platforms that you enjoy, maybe two or three and focus your efforts there, building your audience and having fun. Possibly auto posting on the other platforms that you are less enamoured with, so you have some presence.
You must be a fabulous writer to be successful
There is no doubt that the blogosphere contains some totally amazing writers, but you don’t need to be the next JK Rowling to start a blog and for it to be successful. What you do need is a desire to achieve and the dedication to keep producing good content.
You need to post every day
O.k, so do as I say not do as I do! You might have noticed that I post multiple times a day, this is a situation personal to me (the only way I get through the posting schedule), but it isn’t something that anyone needs to emulate; UNLESS it works for you too. Writing good quality (often longer posts) that are really useful to your audience, will have the same effect (better even) than posting shorter, less useful posts every day.
You need to spend mega bucks on a flash blog design
A beautifully designed blog with all the bells and whistles will no doubt make you look professional. However, if your content sucks, people aren’t going to stick around however pretty things look. You can get a flexible theme so cheaply, even as little as £20 and there are so many tutorials around that will help you install it yourself. Spend some time on Canva or Picmonkey and you will be able to create your own header image, then BOOM your new design is up and running, looks professional and barely cost you anything.
Your blog is too niche
I don’t think there is such a thing as too niche. Having a blog with a strong niche can make it easier to nail the traffic in that particular market. You will be are catering for a specific number of people who want that info and there will be less competition. While I truly believe people connect with YOU, if you want to write about a number of different topics then be sure that you share your personality and the things that make you unique. Otherwise you will blend in with the crowd and it will be harder to attract your tribe.
You need sky high traffic to earn money
This really depends on which monetisation strategy you use. Low page views and certain advertising affiliations won’t result in high earnings, unless you combine it with another income stream such a sponsored content. However, if you have lower page views, but an engaged audience who you can positively influence, then brands will see this and you will be able to earn from brand collaborations. The engagement of the audience matters most for these kinds of monetisation strategies.
You must optimise all of your posts for SEO
It is unrealistic to think every post you write will be SEO gold. Sometimes you might just be updating your readers on something and these sorts of posts will be difficult to find a keyword for and it is probably pretty pointless in trying.
Blogging is easy and anyone could do it
Blogging is very time-consuming. Posts need planning, writing, promoting, pictures need taking, video need to be filmed, edited, uploaded and promoted, you need to keep on top of your emails, your blog maintenance, your brand work; the list of tasks is quite simply never ending. So you need a certain amount of dedication and love for what you do to be one of the fewer people that continue blogging post 2 years than to become one of the many people who don’t!
Bloggers are blaggers
So many people start a blog because they want free stuff. The thing is it isn’t free stuff as you trade off your time, expertise and exposure to your audience in return. If we are reviewing a holiday it is wonderful, but it’s not the same as if we were just on holiday. Often I am videoing and taking shots on my DSLR at the same time, add in some iPhone shots to share on social media, making sure you have taken everything in, while still staying present for your family is not a total walk in the park. Most bloggers I know work very hard on their blogs and on behalf of the brands they work with, often working full time or running a house and looking after children, they are hustling, burning the midnight oil and are definitely NOT blaggers.
What you should do instead?
Share yourself; be honest and truthful and people will identify with you. No-one wants to read negative post after negative post, but showing you’re human and allowing people to know when there are bumps in your road will make you relatable. Being honest with your readers will help you grow a community around your blog, which is so vital for your blog’s sake and your own.
Comments 26
Thank you Aby – as a relatively new blogger, I have worried about almost everything on your list! I am in the process of trying to move my blog to WordPress and fretting that I have not had time to put together new posts. I have to remind myself that it is all a learning process and, hopefully, I will get quicker and better with practice, time and experience. This post has helped me to see the bigger picture – really appreciated.
You star! These are all true, huni. And yes, we’re definitely not blaggers! 😉 xx
Such a refreshing post! I worry about nearly all of these things, especially trying to be present on all forms of social media. I love writing my blog and I want to keep loving it, so it’s good to read this & try not to burn out. I don’t think I have huge page view figures, but I do have quite an engaged audience. I like being part of a blogging community and if people read & comment, then I’m a very happy blogger! I really admire pro-bloggers such as yourself…you must dedicate hours & hours to your blog & it is hard work. Hats off to you 🙂
So gld to read this. I am really struggling with mine at the moment and as much as I am trying to stick to advice I’ve been given to look more professional, it’s not very ‘me’ and my emails have all but fizzled out now so I need to have a big think as to what to do. I don’t have a niche but I think that’s a good thing and I love scrolling through blogs with lots of different things but there are so many opinions and myths aren’t there. It is hard work and I really hope it pays off. Thanks for sharing xx
Thank you for your this! As a new blogger I often find myself feeling overwhelmed with all of the advice that I MUST be doing. I need a good schedule and must do list.
Hey Aby, thanks for this post. I’ve been working on my blog and read plenty of books, blogs, ebooks about the rule. It’s good & very helpful to see bloggers debunk some of the myths attached to it! Thanks for making to time to offer advice to the newer bloggers!
Thanks for the Tips! I just heaved a sigh of relief. It’s good to know that it’s OKAY not to do everything you read!
Thanks for this! Very useful for a new (and rather overwhelmed) mummy blogger. Very inspirational too!
I love this post Aby! Like seriously love it. Every single point was so valid and relevant, but the one that I took away the most from was around the commenting. I have been struggling with this lately where I’ve started to see quite a bit of volume of comments on my posts. Its the lovelies thing and it means so much to me, but replying to them all as I have been, becuase I feel like I at least owe that to my readers has often meant a bit of a trade off between doing that and writing content for posts or improving my blog. Reading you say what you’ve said made me feel less guilty about how I’ve been feeling/thinking about this, and I kind of feel like I can maybe think about other approaches around this like you suggest 🙂 Thanks! Emily x
This is so useful to a new (slightly scared) mummy blogger! Thanks for sharing!x
It’s great to be told what not to do and I found this so helpful. It is easy to get caught up in the mechanics of blogging, SEO, scheduling etc and forget why we started in the first place. I’ve been going for 18 months now. Hope I make it beyond the 2 year statistic!
Thanks for sharing your great advice with us. #TheList
Love reading this post! So true, blogging seems easy to do but it’s not, it’s a lot of hard work involve in it. And yes, we’re definitely not blaggers! #TheList
Great post. sometimes its hard not to get caught up in these ‘myths’ when you’re so passionate about your blog. x #TheList
Another really useful post 🙂 You’ve got t invest in the areas that you think are important – and that’ll make a difference to you and your blog. I like responding to comments, so I do, but if you don’t, then who’s to judge?!
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I do if there is a point, but I was just saying thank you to people saying nice pic…? Didn’t seem like a great use of my time 🙂 x
It’s so refreshing to read your thoughts about responding to comments on our own sites – I spend so much time doing this and often question if it’s making me a busy fool – I for one would really not mind if people don’t respond to my comment on their site. I have to admit that I think it’s a little overrated. Great tips as ever xx #TheList
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You are not superwoman and I think we have to be realistic and honest. Is your goal to make money from you blog? If so then, although you want to create a community and deepen the connection with your audience, is responding to every comment as good use of your time? Will the person even see it? Does it warrant a comment in return? Can you use your time more effectively to either help that person or move your business forward xx
Great tips here. I really struggle with time. There simply aren’t enough hours in the day. I need anotherv6 hours assay and an extra day in the week would be fabulous.
I couldn’t agree more with all of these – especially being too niche – I feel like if you have your own blog, write whatever you want on it! Also spot on about social media, I used to feel like I had to be really active on all but who has time for that ha ha! x x #TheList
I love this post, I have only been blogging 2 months and I tried to run before I can walk getting on all the social media and trying to make them all amazing…nope impossible when you have only just got the hang of the hashtag. I also get guilt as I can only post once or twice a week as working takes up all my day time and evenings are for my family…I then sit bleary eyed trying to be witty and grammatically correct at 11pm..I read this post and felt reassured and happier, thanks! #thelist
I love where you said “Share yourself; be honest and truthful and people will identify with you.”
So important as it is so much more sincere and authentic Thanks again 🙂
Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed about my blog. I do want it to be great, but I feel like I could never contend. Then I read a post like this and it makes me feel so much better. It’s so important to stop focusing on these little things that I can’t be perfect at and just love my blog and keep moving forward and improving!
Really really so much thanks. Reading this couldn’t have come at a better time.
Reading this post was honestly so freeing. I have read so many posts that say you have to be on every social media site and posting constantly. I love writing my blog content. I love to write. I write fanfic so anytime I get to jump on my laptop and write something that other people will enjoy is a happy day for me. The thought of having to be the person on every platform constantly was a huge reason I didn’t want to blog. I want my blog to be my business, but having to be on every social site is so overwhelming.
Thanks for writing this.
This was fantastic advice. I agree blogging can be fun and I personally enjoy it but it is at times a lot of work and time consuming. I also like your advice on that you don’t have to have a million pageveiws to make money blogging sometimes it’s all about how someone monetizes their blog.
I am having a bit of a wobble right now about blogging and this really helped me – thank you