The 5 Blogging Strategies that Tripled My Pageviews in 1 Year
2015 was a big year of growth personally and for In it 4 the Long Run, as alluded to in my Recap & What’s Next? post. But it would be totally selfish to brag then bounce, so today I’m sharing the 5 core strategies I implemented to help me go from 25,900 monthly pageviews in December 2014 to 87,000 pageviews in December 2015.
A couple notes about numbers before we start
First, numbers are FAR from everything. Every blog is so different and every blogger has unique goals. Numbers are purely a benchmarking tool just like a scale for your weight. The same way your weight doesn’t dictate your worth, pageviews do not dictate a blog’s value.
However, as a benchmarking tool, numbers can be used to show growth and as a tool to help achieve other blogging goals. Comparing blogs purely on pageviews is a hugely incomplete comparison. Every blogger’s goals and definitions of success will vary and these variables are crucial to consider when understanding the value of a pageview.
So what’s the goal?
The purpose of In it 4 the Long Run is to provide approachable, delightful vegetarian recipes as well as tools and guidance for women trying to live joyful, healthy and fulfilling lives for the long run.
My goal as a blogger is to create the highest quality content for In it 4 the Long Run. My long term goal is to turn this blog into a profitable business to serve even more women and build a rewarding career.
So in service of this purpose and my goals, pageviews are a growth and success metric.
5 Strategies that Tripled My Pageviews in 1 Year
1. Get Serious About Photography
This strategy is numero uno for a reason. No, not because I think my photography is anything remarkable, but because for a food blogger, your photography is your number one asset. If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times “people eat with their eyes.” It’s cliche and overused because it’s 110% truth.
Pinterest has been one of my top 3 sources for traffic all year and I credit that to the photography on In it 4 the Long Run. People click on pins that are irresistible. It’s our job to take photos that will make people think “I gotta have it.”
Other top sources of traffic have been from FoodGawker as well as the times recipes have been shared in other blog’s roundups (which is great for SEO too). This traffic can clearly be attributed to the photography. While I’m very proud of the recipes I make, I’m not ashamed to admit they aren’t insanely original. Healthy, fun, delicious, easy to make? Yup, crazy unique? Eh, not really. However, if I can create a beautiful image, that’s way more important.
For example, this recipe was on the FoodGawker most favorited list for a month which is why this is the top viewed recipe published in 2015.
How to Get Serious about Your Photography
Ok, hopefully I’ve convinced you that photography is essential, but how exactly are you supposed to get better? I think of it in 3 parts, invest, research,and practice.
Invest
My DSLR camera is hands down (next to my computer obviously) the most important food blogging tool I own. For years I’ve used a Nikon D3100* which is an entry level DSLR. If you’re just starting out you really don’t need too many bells and whistles on a camera. Look for a camera you feel comfortable with.
I also highly recommend getting a prime lens (a lens that does not zoom). Most food photographers (including myself) recommend a 50mm* either f1.4 or f1.8 depending on your budget. The low aperture lens allows you to get beautiful bokeh in your images (crisp focus, blurry background). Together an entry level DSLR with a 50mm lens will get you fantastic pictures for around $500.
After learning and loving my Nikon, I recently upgraded to a new Canon 5D Mark iii* and I can’t tell you how excited I am to share some of these new images. I have a feeling that this investment will pay off big time.
READ MORE: 7 Photography Resources That Changed My Blog
Research
Once you’ve invested in a camera you love, it’s time to learn to use it. Luckily there’s a ton of great free photography resources on the interwebs.
My Favorites:
- A Quick Guide to Understanding Your DSLR – Kevin & Amanda
- Photography Concentrate – Rob & Lauren
- Food Photography Basics – Sally’s Baking Addiction
Everything I learned was through practice, a little surfing and one of my favorite photography books Plate to Pixel*.
Depending on your personality, this one is easy to overdo. You can read every photography book in the deep blue sea, but at a certain point you just need to get out there and shoot.
Practice
Yeah, this one is pretty obvious, but if you want to improve, you have to start using that camera. If you have a full time job that prevents you from shooting when there’s natural light during the week, dedicate a couple hours each weekend to shooting your recipes. Play around, find the best source of light in the house and set up a little station where you can shoot there for every recipe.
Plan
Before you shoot, plan out what you want the photo to look like. Sometimes I’ll sketch out compositions before I set up my scene to make sure I get it right. This actually saves me a ton of time in the long run. There’s nothing worse than spending hours on a recipe and realizing you don’t love any of the photos.
There will be those days
We’ve all had them. You have grand plans and for some reason or another no photo is coming out right. The light isn’t showing up, you can’t find a composition you like, the recipe doesn’t look as good as it tastes. Don’t worry or beat yourself up. Just get back on the horse.
There are plenty of recipes I’ll make, shoot and hate the photos. I move onto the next and try to remake it the next weekend.
Slowly, but surely if you keep practicing, keep finding what you like, what you don’t like, experimenting with new lighting, props, angles, composition you’ll find a groove.
2. Build a Community not Just an Audience
There are oh so many things I love about blogging, but the community is my favorite by a landslide. Hands down. Zero competition. In 2015, I went from blogging in a vacuum to blogging with a tribe. It wasn’t just a strategy shift, it was a mentality shift. I went from “what’s in this for me?” to “how am I helping others, how can I make this more valuable for someone?”
Not only is this way of blogging far more enjoyable, but engagement, comments, emails, likes, shares aren’t even comparable to 2014.
How to Build a Community
Admittedly this one’s a bit harder to tell you “how-to” because there’s a million ways to build a community. You can’t “growth-hack” community, because it’s foundation has to be trust. Every community has different needs, different goals, desires and ways to connect. But here are some ways you can start to gather your tribe:
Reach Out
- Have a blog you love reading and commenting on? Send a thoughtful email or private message.
- Admire a blogger in your peer group that is doing something awesome? Let them know! An authentic compliment goes a long way.
- Did someone comment on your blog? Go read theirs, and comment back or send a private message.
- See someone asking a question on their blog, twitter, a forum, a Facebook group, on instagram? Answer it.
It took me SO long to get into the practice of connecting one on one, but it’s incredibly powerful.
Adopt a Giving Mentality
The ROI on generosity is insane. However, it’s kind of a paradox because the key to generosity is to expect no ROI at all.
One of the most transformational mindset shifts I had this year was my attitude towards generosity. I’m the first to admit that I was a pretty selfish isolated blogger my first year and a half. I was blogging on an island just wanting for the fans to flock to me.
Lol. Nope. Wrong.
Somehow a lightbulb went off and I realized that if I shared my time, knowledge, attention, comments, anything, that not only would I be helping someone else, I’d be fostering a mutually beneficial relationship.
Find different ways to help other bloggers succeed with zero expectation. In blogging the nice guys win. End of story.
3. Utilize the Power of Instagram as a Tool for Blog Growth
Oh Instagram, thank you for existing. Instagram is such an incredible tool for bloggers. I was definitely late to the ‘gram game, having only started one for my blog in earnest this year, but I did my damn best to bring the heat.
Simply put, Instagram is where the people are. It’s simple, searchable, easy to discover new accounts, easy to share, easy to engage, and easy to build a powerful brand through photos and captions alone.
This is THE platform brands are looking for influencers on right now. If you’re interested in earning money and collaborating with brands through your blog, you definitely don’t want to ignore this platform. I’ve gotten 90% (if not more) sponsorship opportunities through brands finding my blog on Instagram. The time I spend on that platform, at this point, has the highest ROI. So it’s definitely helping me get to my goal of turning the blog into a profitable business.
How to Grow Your Blog with Instagram
Funny you should ask, I’ve written quite a few things, including an ebook on Instagram. Yup. That’s how much I believe in this platform for bloggers right now.
Grow Your Instagram Audience:
A Blogger’s Guide to Building Your Instagram: Part 1
A Blogger’s Guide to Building Your Instagram: Part 2
Transform Your Instagram Photography (which, hint hint will grow your audience in a huge way)
4. Use Your Unique Voice
I want to share a secret. You know that secret sauce you’ve been looking for? The one thing that will give your blog that edge. The thing that no one else can compete with. You guessed it. It’s you.
Ok, don’t roll your eyes quite yet, because I’m totally serious.
A big source of traffic this year for me has been due to people sharing my blog. Not just my recipes but my more personal stories of body image struggles, as well as my practical tools for building a blog. Like my recipes, none of my ideas are remarkably original, however my voice is. It’s as me as can be. And while you can copy my recipes, my design and my photography I doubt anyone could figure out how to sound like Georgie. If they can, I’d like to meet them. We’d probably get along (after I beat her up for copying me, of course.)
How to Use Your Voice
This is another tricky one to “how-to” for you, but I’ll do my best:
Write like you’re talking to one reader, not 1000 people.
[Tweet “Write like you’re talking to one reader, not 1000 people.”]
When I write a post, I imagine one woman reading on her phone or on her computer. I constantly ask myself, what would I say to her if we were having a coffee together? What does she care about? How can I get on her level? How can I make her laugh, make her smile, make her feel something? How can I write in a way that she’ll want to share this post with her best friend?
I’m not yelling at an audience. I’m not writing in my diary. I’m writing to you. Because that’s who this blog is for. You’re all I care about.
5. Put in the Time
Ok, this one might be too obvious for most people, but I needed to add this because often I’ll see a certain (dangerous) sentiment floating around. Ok, dangerous is a bit dramatic, but so often I’ll hear people making excuses why they aren’t seeing a level of success they believe they “deserve” and often the same people who are complaining, are the ones who aren’t putting in the time.
In 2015, I easily spend 35+ hours a week on this blog in addition to having a full time job. If that sounds like a lot of time… it is.
You can read all the blog posts with the best strategies in the world, but if you aren’t making the time to implement and execute with excellence you won’t see any return.
It’s almost too simple. But it can’t be ignored.
If you take the time to execute on just one of these strategies, not for a day a week or a month, but for a whole year, I can guarantee you’ll see a change.
I would truly be blown away if you spent several hours each day for an entire year to transform your photography and didn’t see any kind of result from that. Blown away. But it takes time.
So next time you feel the urge to make an excuse for why Betty-Sue is seeing success and you aren’t, first ask yourself, are you making the time and truly moving towards your goals?
I definitely didn’t mean for that to sound too preachy, but it’s because I think you’re awesome and I want you to achieve, in the words of Jim Collins, your big hairy audacious goals that I just gotta stress how important putting in the work really is.
[Tweet “Use these 5 proven blogging strategies to grow your blog in 2016”]
Hopefully you can take a strategy or two to help make this year epic. If you thought this was helpful, share it with your blogger pals. I’d love that. (Hopefully they will, too)
*An asterisk indicate an amazon affiliate link, if your purchase an item through this link I get a small percentage
Your Turn:
- Bloggers – What’s been a big game changer for you?
- What areas of blogging do you want to work on this year?
You were right – extensive (and freakin’ awesome). LOVED this, and I agree with every single point, especially the part about 35+ hours a week and it being a lot of time. I always tell people I work 2 jobs, because I freakin’ do! But blogging never feels like work (thankfully), or else I would have said goodbye a long time ago. Congrats on all of your growth, you deserve every single increase 🙂
Heck yes. I honestly never even counted up the hours until I was writing this last night and though. “oh. damn.” hahaha – blogging is approximately 3000% more amazing with ladies like you. <3
Georgie this is amazing! It’s everything I needed to hear! You’re ratios are amazing especially since you get so much from organic search that’s fantastic.
You’ve helped me so much with instagram and I’m hoping that if I keep working hard I’ll see results. It’s a little confusing what to post sometimes since I’m not necessarily a food blogger, but maybe it’ll just take trial and error?
I’d eventually like to move away from my “weekend recaps” and things and post only value, but sometimes that seems to be people’s favorite content on my blog so I’m not sure. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. Anyways, great job and I can’t wait for this same post next year 🙂
That’s so wonderful to hear Margaret, nothing makes me happier than knowing that I helped someone get closer to their goals <3 With non-food timing it can be a little tough (working on this with the new @bgbcommunity account) but I think testing different times is your best bet, and once you find one you like being consistent.
I'm a firm believer you can add value to any kind of post - whether it's knowledge, inspiration, or even a good laugh. If you write in a way that delights your readers then you're on the right track!
Georgie, thank you for this post! It is so informative with great, solid tips. I will definitely be implementing these tools more in 2016.
Thank you so much Kayla – cheers to an awesome year!
Im loving these blogging posts! These are so darn helpful! I still need to really improve my photography with my new camera and gotta work on trying to find my “voice” in my posts! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thanks Rach! That’s so nice to hear. Photography will always be such a valuable tool. If you focus 90% of your energies in your voice and photography in 2016 you’re gonna have a killer year.
I really appreciate your willingness to share, Georgie! I love your mindset that there’s enough success available to go around, so it’s actually GREAT to help each other out 🙂 Congrats on your BIG success this year, and excited to see where you go from here!
Hell yeah, this pie is huge and I hope we all get a slice (because pie is just more fun with friends)
This post was absolutely lovely! Such great advice and tips that I hope to implement throughout 2016. Congrats on your growth in 2015!
Thank you so much Ashlyn! <3
Goodness gracious this is amazing. All of it, 100%.
Things to work on: “PLAN” …Ugh this was me this weekend. I felt like I had zero recipes go the way I had hoped. I had a semi-plan once I began photographing, but not nearly as thought out as it should have been. I definitely wasted hours and am re-shooting this week now because of it. So frustrating.
Game changer: Definitely my photography. Once I switched to manual and learning what settings to manipulate depending on the light I was working with, my photography changed instantly. Which then led to more pins, shares, etc.
Girl, your photography and how much you’ve taught yourself so quickly BLOWS ME AWAY. I don’t think I say it enough, but yeah, you’re blog just makes me smile.
“Those Days” make the good shoots so much more rewarding.
I am working on Instagram and redoing my blog/brand so I have a lot going on in 2016 and I really excited for the new launch and the new me. It is a heck of a lot of work, but I love it and that is what matters. Great tips Georgie and congrats on doing so well in 2015. You are rocking it! XOXO
Heck yes! Can’t wait. A lot of work because YOU and your dreams are so worth it.
This is so helpful Georgie. I love that you started off saying that blog page views do not dictate the value of your blog, because it is so true, yet they are a great way to see if what you are implementing is working or not. A big game changer for me has been investing in a DSLR camera, I still have a ton to learn, but have loved the journey so far with it.
Such a smart investment and you’re going to definitely see a return on that one! Not just for blogs but it’s an incredible skill to have. <3
I really want to work on my photography, as well as increasing social media engagement and following especially Instagram and Pinterest – both of which I only began using in November. I really appreciate your comment about the amount of time you need to put in to see results, the balance between time for my full time job (in my industry this means 50-60 hours per week), friends and family, running, my volunteer work with the Junior League, and my blog – I can make it all work but it needs to be the right mix for my life at any given time, and I need to make myself realize that the year I prioritize certain relationships, am training for my first marathon, and am still settling into my job might not be the year of the biggest increase in readership. But that doesn’t mean I can’t engage with the community which I’ve found so fulfilling to the fullest extent I can 🙂
Ahh yes, time. It can be so frustrating when you love so many things and have such big goals that there never seems enough. In college I was the poster child for over committing and once I simplified and focused on one main thing (my blog) I did see a big difference, but there are tons of things outside my blog that take the back burner so hopefully I can work on more balance outside this space too.
Did I mention I consider you a flipping fabulous blogging rock star yet?! Because you really are. Even more so because you don’t simply enjoy your success but it’s your mission to share the secrets of it with others, too.
One big goal for me this year is to manage my time online better. I tend to get lost trying to multitask too many things at once only to end up getting none of them done properly. Also, I want to up my social media engagement beyond sharing others’ links. The reason I’m not doing so well there is the time management issue again … I’m really enjoying the Instagram challenge as a way to connect to new bloggers right now – a great start for my goal so thank you, Georgie!
And then I would like to grow my blog further in general but find it hard as a non-food blogger without that –one- niche. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy food but I find I’m not naturally a recipe creator and that makes blog growth harder.
Thank you so so much <3 Really. I'm so glad the challenge is a good start to your year. I can SO relate to multitasking and diluting my time. I'm far from perfect, but I'd recommend focusing on just 1 or 2 platforms and don't let the others stress you out. Right now Pinterest and Instagram get 90% of my focus and they've given me the most return.
Hi Georgie! You are doing amazing work over here, and I’m so glad we’ve connected the past few months through the blogging world. I love your photos and your voice. Great tips, as always, lady. Thanks for keeping it real and being such an open book!
Ashley thank YOU for your kind words, really that means the world to me. I’ve always admired your blog and I’m so glad BGB has connected us.
These are amazing strategies! I look up to you and your blog a lot. Since starting my blog I’ve learned that I really do love writing and blogging is something that is fun to work on. Thanks so much for sharing these!
Ahh Amanda that means the world to me, thank you. I never knew how much I would enjoy blogging, but the more I do it the more I love it. So glad to hear that you love writing, it’s such an incredible skill and talent to hone <3
Fantastic (& straightforward) tips!
I definitely need to up my photography game; however, I work 8-5 and never get to shoot in good lighting. Plus, even an intro DSLR is out of the question right now (daycare is expensive, lol).
I discovered your blog probably in the last year or two, but it really caught my attention recently. It’s evident to me, as a reader, that you’ve put a ton of effort into improving it. Also, your voice really does shine through; it doesn’t feel phony at all. I come from an academic writing background, so it’s hard for me to write conversationally.
Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Ahh thank you so much Catherine, that means a lot! I honestly can’t imagine what it’d be like balancing blogging with a kid. A full time job was one thing, but a kid is a whole new ball game. Even if you focused on one thing vs. 5 I think you’ll continue to grow <3
This is a really, really wonderfully detailed post and I agree with every single point, especially the photography and putting in the time. Success doesn’t happen overnight for anyone. And as cheesy as it sounds, if you let your passion drive you you won’t even realize how much time you’re putting in. Sigh.. blogging’s the best, this post is the best… the end. Xoxoxo
<3 You're proof of so many of these strategies girl. Your photography blows me away all the time. Every post looks more amazing than the last (which is saying something)
Looooove this!! So many good and detailed tips!
Thanks Leah! <3 So glad you enjoyed.
I need to work on photography this year! My fiance is an amazing photographer and has two great DSLR’s…why haven’t I been taking advantage of that more in the past!? That is definitely a huge goal of mine for the upcoming year. Thank you for all of your tips!
Photography is a game changer. That’s so awesome he’s a great photographer, who knows maybe you’ll have some dates over shooting then eating recipes? Hehe
Umm that’s an amazing idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Gotta tempt the men with food 😉
Joining BGB has really helped. I paid for a “coaching” session with someone that did nothing for me. I have learned far more from my blogging peers for free!
Pragati, that’s seriously the best compliment BGB could have gotten. It’s amazing the power of sharing knowledge.
Georgie, you’re amazing. This post absolutely rocked my socks. I’m definitely putting my time and effort into photography this year – your 5D is beautiful!
Aww thanks girl! So happy you enjoyed. The 5D is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever owned. But it’s like going from a beat up car to a Ferrari so there’s a bit of a learning curve.
Just like everyone else said, this post is amazing. So much valuable information, and you really are inspiring. I definitely agree with how much time/ hours are put into a blog, it certainly is another full-time job, but a fun one! I hope that I’m in a similar to position to you one day and can help others grow their blogs! Thanks for sharing!
Oh for sure! It’s time but it’s probably the most passionate I’ve been about anything. So glad this blogging journey has brought us together.
Girl, you are so supportive and helpful and just…awesome! I am so glad I became a part of the Bloggers gonna Blog community a while back and I’ve watched the bloggers of that community reach out to each other and provide so much insight, inspiration, and support. That’s what this blogging shindig is all about. 🙂
Ahh you have no idea how much this comment means to me <3 Nothing makes me happier than women helping each other
Another post full of incredible wisdom!! You have got all tips Georgie and I can’t thank you enough for sharing. My biggest struggles are: spreading myself to thin and trying to implement too many strategies at once, managing my time I work on the blog, and PHOTOGRAPHY (but hopefully this will be addressed when I take a photography course this semester!). This post is so thorough and such a great resource. I agree with every single suggestion you give I just have trouble with a lot of them still. I feel like blogging is a total learning process though. Just like there’s no real end point to a blog (it’s always being added to, growing and changing), the things you can LEARN about blogging or how to improve about your strategy are always evolving right along with you!
Sorry for the ramble! TLDR…you are a blogging guru and totally my idol! Keep doing amazing things.
Can I just say that you are freakin awesome <3 It's been so amazing seeing your growth over the last year!
This year I'm hoping to focus on actually practicing my photography, not just pulling out my camera when I make something for the blog. And I want to spend more hours working on things that actually matter. Like creating content and engaging with readers, not spending 5 hours trying to fix something seriously minor in the backend or design my own logo 😉
Fingers crossed I can actually get it together and accomplish all the things I have planned for this year!
I love this post! Great advice Georgie 🙂
Instagram and the BGB Community have been the biggest game changers for my blog. I don’t have a huge following (which is fine) but I do have engaged fans and people commenting on each of my posts. This means so much more to me anyways since people are actually reading and taking the time to comment on my writing. My goal for 2016 is to develop an email subscription service and develop a consistent posting strategy (MWF). I also want to improve my photography using manual mode.
Wow, thank you Georgie for really pressing me back to better photography. That’s what I’ve been really lazy about this year, and I think you gave me incentive to actually use our really nice cameras and really figure them out this year. THank you for sharing so much of your gifts and knowledge with other bloggers. Your giving selflessness when it comes to blogging is SUCH a blessing. And I think I’m going to spend MORE time on blogging this year too.
Wow! This is so incredible, and thank you for sharing it! I love your blog, your voice, your photos, and your complete willingness to help other bloggers! Joining BGB has taught me so much, and I adore the support of that community. My biggest things to work on are probably that little thing called balance (college and the blog) and photography . I’ve always enjoyed being behind the camera, but college dorm lighting and early sunset makes shooting any recipe extra tough. Again, thanks for everything, and keep doing fabulous things 🙂
This post is so stinkin helpful as per usual. I wouldn’t say I really stumbled across any game-changers for me in 2015. I was pretty lucky that I took to photography fairly quickly but am always looking for ways to improve. In 2016 I’m going to focus on working smarter, not harder and streamlining my overall workflow. I feel like I put in a lot of the work, but often times..ok all the time felt like a hamster on a wheel. Perhaps because I was putting in the work in places that aren’t as important, or helpful in the long run (<– see what I did there). Thanks for another awesome post!
Great tips Georgie!! Thanks so much for your transparency so that we can learn from your experience! When you pin photos to Pinterest, do you make collages or add fonts? Or do you just let the pictures speak for themselves?
Thanks!
Looooove this! I’m so glad I found your blog this year! You’ve def helped me look at photography and instagram in a whole new way and I’m loving all of these blogging resources. Congrats on all the success this past year! <3
Thank you so much Megan <3
Wow wow WOW. This is incredible. Helpful beyond words, articulate, motivating, and so generous. We can read your enthusiasm for blogging through every word, and with this, know that you want to just share your enjoyment with everyone else so that they may, too, have the results you have had. I just started my blog in September and am surprised at how much I really, really love it. Connecting with others is by far the best. I’m slowly getting on with the different social apps and am just trying to figure out my time management and priorities… a bit of an experimental phase right now, but I’m reminding myself to have patience. I’d like to just continue having the confidence to reach out to more bloggers and take opportunities to get myself out there. You rock girl. Seriously rock.
Ahh wow Cora, thank you for such a thoughtful comment. Patience is so key when you’re first starting. There’s so many directions to go in, so much to learn and spend time on and just knowing that it just takes some time is such a great attitude to have. So glad you’re blogging and loving it.
Hey Georgie,
I’ve been reading for a while and this is the first time I’ve commented. Many of the things you share have helped me a lot even though my blog is tiny and I do it for the sole reason that it is an outlet for my creative energy. This year my blogging goal is to nail down my voice. I do not want to give advice or healthy tips. That is cool for some people, but not who I am. When I first started blogging I thought i had to be some HLB…but that doesn’t really resonate much with me. Part of this past year was learning that was ok and people like reading the blogs on my life and my opinions. I want to solidify what kind of blogger I am this year, not try to fill a niche. Thanks for this post 🙂
That’s so awesome to hear Ellie! Finding your unique voice when it comes to blogging is no small task but it’s so worth it. It’s hard to stand out and do something different when the crowd is all going one way but being authentic is THE long term strategy that will make both you and your readers happy.
Georgie, this is so helpful! I’ve been slacking on insta, I always forget to take my pics with my phone when I’m also using the real camera. But clearly it’s so important. I love your tips and I love your voice! thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you so much for this post! I just started blogging and it can truly be overwhelming. These five strategies will help me make it more manageable. I really like the suggestion of writing to 1 person not a 1000 and imagining that you are talking to one person and how you can make them laugh, smile or get on their level. This is definitely a mindset I want to implement! Again, thank you so much for your insight!!
Marilena
Hey! I’ve been following your IG account for a while and just realized you’re across the water from me! I live in Wellfleet, MA! We should meet up sometime! I highly enjoyed this post…I’ve been blogging for quite some time now (too embarrassed to say actually!) and am really trying to turn it into something more than a hobby. I definitely have learned a thing or two from this post…thanks for all your advice! Can’t wait to follow you the blog behind the IG account 🙂
This is so insightful and inspirational as I start taking baby steps to start my own blog! Your approach to writing and blogging is so authentic and heartfelt – I could just keep reading your posts all day 🙂 You have a special talent, lady! Congrats on all of your success!!
Absolutely true!!! I think everyone believes my blog became a full time job overnight, nope. I spent a few years doing exactly what you said full time, plus full time! I loved it though so it’s been worth it.
This was a great, comprehensive post. I love the point you made about your unique voice. Excellent.
I love this! Most of the “how I tripled my page views” posts these days all link to ecourses you can take, which are great, but I love that you laid it out for people how they can grow their pageviews without necessarily taking a course. Photography is so important, it makes a ton of sense how you would’ve grown your blog through bettering your photography! I’m happy I found your blog through Blog + Biz BFF’s!
Aww thank you Madison! That was totally my goal.
Love this post! Found so many things of interest as I am pretty new to blogging, thank you! x
I found this post SO helpful. Your Instagram was one of the first healthy food accounts I started following and your blog has been such an inspiration to me as someone who is just now starting to get my blog up and running. Thanks for the great advice! It’s so daunting to know where to start, and most blogs I look to for advise or inspiration seems like they have it so together already it’s hard to know how they got to be where they’re at. I really appreciate your transparency!
Hey Georgie- thanks for sharing! Really encouraging for us as a new blog just starting out! Stumbled across your page through Instagram just now! Thanks!!!
Love all of your content, I could spend all day browsing your blog for tips + tricks to implement on my own:)
Tonight I was thinking – how do I vamp up my blog?? So of course I had to pop on over to your site to check out your tips (which are fabulous). The major thing I am lacking right now is time to invest (hello 40 hours of class per week). I think that is , and will always be my biggest struggle. I wish I had more time/ money to invest in nice food photography and a camera- some day!
georgie! your blog + insta are so inspiring! i can’t remember how i first found your IG, but i love everything you share + create. thanks for being real, and inspiring others! i have been in a blog slump, but so badly want to see it succeed! your encouragement + the BGB community are a breath of fresh air, and remind me i CAN do this, and i can do it well. here’s to getting out of the slump! thanks sista 😉
Girl frand you are not alone – I’ve been in slumps many a time and sometimes it’s just about reminding yourself “why” then busting your butt to connect with that vision. Xoxo
This is a great post and EXTREMELY helpful Georgie! The last few months have been super chaotic for me, we moved, renovated, my 9-5 has been nuts…yada, yada,… so I took a break from the blog. I’ve been slowly getting back into it and have felt really discouraged, lost, and overwhelmed. I’ve been really down lately and I came to the realization last night that it’s because I haven’t had the time to do what I love to do, blog.
This week I bought a DSLR camera and CAN’T wait to learn all about photography and really start practicing. I’m so grateful to have people like you that are so supportive (whether you know it or not)! I’m especially thankful for the BGB Community because it has given me so much inspiration and motivation to get the F up and MAKE time to do what I love to do!
I accept your challenge – Marking this day on the calendar – starting now – 1 year from now, my blog WILL have drastic progress.
Thank you again for being you!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks Georgie! My best friend and I just launched a blog two months ago. I’m quickly realizing that I am having to put in an additional 35+ hours with another job too. I am printing that quote and putting on my mirror as a reminder. The side hustle is real. Ha. But totally worth it. You’re an inspiration. Thanks for your side hustle because I know it can be done!
Aww thank you so much Rosie! I promise it’s worth it. Some days it definitely feels like you’re running into a brick wall but when you have the good days it suddenly feels so amazing