Updated June 27, 2016
In my 6 years of blogging, I have read so many “advice” blog posts, with opinions on how to blog. I have immersed myself in books, courses, and videos on how to grow my blog. I have invested money and have treated it as a business. I’ve found, throughout the years, that there’s a lot of opinions when it comes to blogging. Lots of do’s and don’ts. Today, we’re going to focus on the don’ts – the bad blog advice I’ve been given.
[bctt tweet=”Don’t let what people say discourage you from blogging the way you want! http://wp.me/p3MUP7-1Y0 via @mo_meg” username=”mo_meg”]
I do have to preface here, though, that this is my opinion. I am not the bible of blog advice. What I want to accomplish here is to encourage you. Because, at the end of the day, you are the creator of your space and you make the rules.
So, I’d like to debunk some blog advice here…
Post Monday through Friday, 5 times a week, at 7:00 a.m. Uhhh… have you seen my blog schedule? There is not one. Some weeks I struggle to get 1-2 posts up. Other weeks it’ll be 3-4 times. I post when I have something to say. I’d like to think it keeps my readers on their toes (it definitely keeps me on mine). I plan out a general idea of my upcoming weeks, and I will have sponsored post deadlines, but I consider myself a “fly by the seat of my pants” kind of blogger. It works for me, and it takes away a lot of pressure.
Consistency is key. This goes along with the above. Here’s the thing. If you are always holding yourself to a standard you can’t meet, you’re setting yourself up for failure and disappointment in yourself. It’s impossible to be consistent at something that isn’t your full-time job. I teach part-time and blog part-time now, and I haven’t quite figured out a consistent schedule. But I make small goals for myself – to post twice a week or schedule out all of my social shares. Being consistent pays off for anything you do, but don’t get caught up in it. Do what works with your life, your daily routine, and your sanity.
Work for free to establish a relationship. Or the opposite: NEVER work for free. Getting to work with brands is a very exciting aspect about blogging. There are people who are very passionate about bloggers getting paid for their time and effort. But there are some that say you should work for free so you can establish a relationship with a brand. I fall somewhere in the middle. It just has to make sense and has to be worth it for YOU. What’s worth it for me may not be what’s worth it for you. If a beauty brand wants to send me their entire line of makeup, that’s worth a blog post and a social share. If they want me to post every week for the next 5 weeks, plus 5 social shares, that’s not worth it. Just don’t work for free because you think it will give you a foot in the door.
People only care about Instagram, so focus on that. Listen, I get it. Instagram is “the thing” nowadays. There is so much power in Instagram, and ever since I’ve really worked on growing my account, I’ve seen more opportunity. I am even guilty of saying something like “Well, she only has 1,000 Instagram followers, so what does she know?” Which is totally rude. It’s not fair to think that Instagram is the currency that values one’s blog. What I care about is pageviews to my blog. The people who visit my site, not my Instagram profile, are invested in me. I definitely think you shouldn’t spread yourself too thin on social media, but do what makes sense. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket. (Be sure to read that linked post where I talk about what happened when I lost my Instagram account for a week!)
Stick to one niche. While finding a voice is important in blogging, having one specific niche is not necessary. Do what feels right to you. You make the rules to your blog. What you say goes.
Start a blog because you can make money with it! If you get into blogging for the sole purpose of making money, you’re going to get really discouraged very quickly. Money hungry doesn’t look good on anyone to begin with, and it takes a lot of time to build your blog’s presence before you begin to be taken serious by your readers and brands. My best advice is just to build trust with your audience. Authenticity looks good on everyone. The money will come.
There are too many bloggers, and it’s hard to be successful. This is the biggest lie of them all! Guess what, y’all. There is room in this big, big world for everyone to be successful at blogging. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it two years later. Sure, we may not all be the Pioneer Woman or reach celebrity status, but success looks different to everyone. I’m small potatoes compared to many bloggers, but I feel successful because it’s my space, I have great readers, and it allowed me to go part-time at work. This is why it is absolutely crucial for us to have a community of bloggers. It’s imperative that we build each other up. Sharing and helping another blogger is not only the right thing to do, but will help you in the long run. Treating this as a cut throat race to the top will leave you feeling pretty empty.
Have you received bad blog advice? What was it?
Natalie King says
LOVED this post Meg!!
Meg O. says
Thank you so much, pretty lady!!
Britt Fullwood says
Love this, Meg! So much truth…I agree with every point!
Meg O. says
Thank you so much, sweet girl! I appreciate it!!!
Melissa Faye Blog says
I have always felt so overwhelmed with advice posts. Many of them have advice that feels cookie cutter to everyone else, but this was different. I have even done advice posts myself on my blog- I may need to revamp it now :).
Meg O. says
I think blog advice posts, while meant to be helpful, can be overwhelming for some people. I am a creative person, so NOT type A, and I have a really odd work flow. My type A husband gets annoyed with me all the time, because I’m all over the place. But the point is I get it done! haha! I just really believe in bloggers being the boss of their blogging universe, and not let others dictate what is “right” and what is “wrong”! Thank you so much for your sweet comment.
Naomi Trevino says
This was so good!! Thank you for sharing.
Meg O. says
So glad you found it helpful!!
heleneinbetween says
haha I agree with ALL Of this. So spot on. especially nitche. But i do think you should be consistent, but on your terms! meaning, post wen you want, with quality content!
Meg O. says
Oh, yes. 100%. Never post JUST to post. Consistency is good, but it has to be YOUR kind of consistency, not what everyone else says it should be. I also LOVE that you teach bloggers not to niche down. One of my favorite things about you!!!
shopandtwirl says
Now this is some advice I can get behind! I think it’s so important for people to follow their own path when it comes to blogging. One formula won’t work the same way for every single blogger. I really love your point about consistency. Yes, it’s important to post a lot of great content, but it should always be about quality over quantity. Once I finally accepted that (a few years ago), I regained my sanity and started posting ONLY when I had something to say or high quality pictures/cute outfits to share. Trying to keep up with posting more than 3x a week is crazy nonsense to me. xo!
Meg O. says
YES!! It’s so much easier to post when I have something to say. I put soooooo much into every single post. While it would be easier to put less work in and put out more posts, it’s not worth it for me.
tawnya says
ALL so true! Love this 🙂 Especially the first two… I find I am a much better blogger when I don’t hold myself to a specific standard… plus I don’t let myself down when I can’t/don’t have time to post… I do have two young kids after all. You can totally tell the bloggers that do hold themselves to a high standard because half of their posts there’s no voice or heart behind them… it’s just fingers on a keyboard to get the posts done and as a reader I don’t appreciate that.
Meg O. says
Your posts have been amazing lately, and I think it’s because you really are throwing those “standards” out of the window and posting when you have something to say / have great content. It makes blogging and life so much easier to throw a “schedule” out the window!!
Ships says
I totally loved this post. I am sort of in this weird funk with blogging at the moment, I love it, but trying to figure out my purpose. I think I’ve figured out that I don’t want to do it as a career, but love it as a hobby and especially when I can make extra money doing something creative such as blogging and storytelling. I am also trying to deal with all the so-called rights and wrongs of blogging and so this post hit my feelings right on the head! I struggle a lot with the BS of “numbers” and all the rules that go with it. I see so many big bloggers with poor quality, but they get jobs because their numbers are high. It’s truly a shame! I also think blogging rules in general are lame – I do what I want because it’s my blog, yah know? Word count – who cares?! Consistency? Who cares! (Just like you said!) Omg, look at me – totally going on a rant here. But yes, your blogging points were great. I can relate to and AGREE to a lot of them.
courtneyspena says
Great post! I used to be much more strict with my posting schedule- which I think was great when just getting started. But now that I have two littles(which you totally understand!) I’ve adapted your approach to posting- at least 2x a week and only when I really have something to say/share. I like to think that my readers appreciate that more than a thrown together post.
And also YES- what is my niche? No idea. I want to talk about my kids. What we wore. My house that we’re fixing up. Homeschooling. There are all sorts of things going on in my life and I don’t feel like honing in on only ONE topic.
Arie says
Meg this hit close to home for me, and I needed to hear this!!! Thank you for taking the time to share this kind of information with your readers!! I do have a question did you work equally as hard I the SEO of your blog, or you took another route?
Nette says
You are so on point – a blogger should do what they feel is interesting and right for them. Content made without some sort of passion quickly gets boring..
The “only post on weekdays” or “in the morning” recommendations have always felt a bit strange to me, as I mostly have the time to read on weekends or in the evenings. As I use bloglovin, a post is published late afternoon or during weekends, will be shown first in my unread list and more likely be read.
Marette Flora (@maretteflora) says
I love this advice. I wish I had read it when I first started, but it’s reassuring even now.
Floradise: http://www.maretteflora.com
Chelsie Carr says
YES TO ALL OF THIS! I love everything you said. I recently was stressing myself out SO much about my blog’s niche because everyone seemed to be telling me that if I didn’t write about one topic, I wouldn’t be successful. It made it hard for me to write because I was so worried about not being on niche! But you are so right, you don’t have to have a niche to be successful!
tiffanyatouchofgrace says
This is fabulous Meg! All so true, especially the consistency and niche part. Even though I’m narrowing down my focus I never see myself just writing about one topic. I’d get bored.
beccadorr says
So good! I think in some cases, consistency can be beneficial, but I agree with you that it can create too much pressure and a feeling of failure.
simplystinebeauty says
Such great advice! All bloggers are different, but we’re all working towards the same goal. I’ve had advice given to me that just hasn’t worked for me, but it’s worked for others. I do my own thing, but am still always down for learning from others. I just have to make that advice work for me! PS I’m so not a scheduled blogger. I try to be, but I can’t deal with the pressure of having to come up with original pieces everyday!
Whitney says
I definitely struggle with the consistency thing, but I totally agree with you. If I’m posting just to get something up, it’s not worth it for me or my readers. Posting when I’m inspired to do makes it so much more authentic for me!
The Ashmores Blog says
Great post Meg! Spot on my friend! xoxo
Cambria Lagana says
LOVE this post!!!!! It was so honest and that was great to read!! Thank you SO much for sharing!
Erin Hicks says
Hi there! I’m a new reader.. The consistency thing really gets me. Some bloggers say to be consistent, others say you don’t need to. I’m so confused! When it comes down to it though, I’m just starting out and this is in no way my full-time job. (At least not yet) So I have a hard time putting my blog over actual paying jobs, which makes the consistency thing difficult. I also think that if your presence on social media is consistent, you don’t need a new blog post EVERY SINGLE DAY to keep people coming back to your blog. But I’m new, so what do I know. :p Anyway, thanks for sharing!
kymakeupjunkie says
Meg – absolutely love your blog! I just started a beauty and lifestyle blog myself 🙂 I seriously feel like you are my spirit animal, LOL. Even our pinterest pages are set up similarly! Thanks for this great post, I too feel like I’ve read a lot about how a blog “should” be. I’m a momma first, so I post when I can! Wish it could be more often since I’m just starting out and need to get some posts under my belt, but posting everyday just isn’t doable for me. I’m trying to make small goals too! xoxo, Jill
Wendy Tomlinson says
Love this post. There’s never just one way to succeed in business and the same goes for blogging too. I hate the advice that starts with “If you want to be a successful blogger you MUST to… ”
On a forum recently I asked “If you could only choose one social media platform which would you choose?” There were so many different responses and it just shows that just because one thing is right for one person does not mean that you have to do it to succeed.
Cookie Crumbs says
I needed this! I’ve been tearing my hair out trying to keep up with a posting schedule. I feel like it has taken away from my ability to learn and really grow my blog into what I want it to be. Thank you!
Brittany says
On Instagram can you post your blog post or can you only post pictures. I agree Blogging is not a quick rich scheme it takes time. I also don’t post 5 times a week I try to post once every 2 weeks.