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Summer always seems to fly by, and this one was no exception. Our last day of school for staff was the Tuesday after Memorial Day, and we reported back on August 13. I had planned to write over the summer, but not nearly as much as I ended up doing. And, over the summer, I learned several valuable lessons about blogging.

Seven Lessons I’ve Learned from a Summer of Blogging

1. Goals are important.

April 2017-May 2018

I started my blog about eighteen months ago, wrote a few posts (…to be exact), and forgot about it for the next ten months. Then, for some reason, I remembered that I’d paid for a year of hosting and went back to it. My goal was not to have thousands of views or hundreds of followers. Back then, my only goal was to write about my family’s travel experiences. I’d only planned to share it with my friends and family.  That’s it.

I started writing  about our trip to Ireland  and paid for another year of hosting. My new-found hobby was fun, and relatively inexpensive in the whole scheme of things.

June 2018

Those goals changed in June when my daughter left for Colorado and decided to stay out there. I’d based my summer plans around babysitting for her three-year-old while she studied for the bar exam. I wrote some more posts and found a free blogging blast-off course on Facebook. As my views climbed and I shared more of my writing, I was hooked.

July 2018

July was really the first month that I set goals. My goal for July started out at 750 page views and 20 subscribers. I wanted to add a privacy policy and write three posts a week. I met all those goals. My views for July ended up being 3277–more than four times the goal I’d set for myself. I had my best day ever with 390 views on July 30, 2018.  The most I’d had before that was the day in April when I had my middle school students check out my blog.  I started using Constant Contact and ended up with 63 subscribers.

August 2018

I knew I’d be going back to school on August 13, so I made sure to set attainable goals for August. I wanted to have 3000 views, 75 subscribers, and 10k monthly Pinterest viewers (I had 6.1k at the end of July).  I also wanted to blog twice a week.   As of August 31, I had blasted through every one of those goals except having eight posts for the months. I only had six. If I publish this one before midnight, I’ll have seven. Not quite what I’d planned, but the beginning of the school year is always hectic, and I’m okay with all that I’ve accomplished.

My Pinterest account really took off. You can follow me here. I went from 6.1k monthly viewers on July 31 to 100.6k viewers on August 31–more than 10 times the goal I’d set! I started using the Tailwind app to schedule pins, and I think that helped a lot. I still don’t completely understand how it works, and I’m sure I’m not doing everything correctly. However, what I am doing is having amazing results!

2. Blogging takes work.

I spend a lot of time each day working on my blog, whether it’s writing new posts, connecting with other bloggers and my audience via social media, or scheduling Pinterest pins. On average, I probably spend at 3-4 hours a day working on my little “hobby.” When we travel, I’m taking notes and photos. I’ve also tried to keep up with my Facebook group “homework” when we’ve been out-of-town, which is much harder than it sounds. Using a cell phone is not conducive to blogging (for me, anyway).

I’m involved in four different Facebook groups for bloggers. There is one that I like better than the others, but they’ve all been helpful in their own way. It’s taken me some time to find the right one for me–one is too big, one’s too small, and one is just right.  I write down all the “assignments” each day as I add my information to them, whether it’s a blog post, Instagram photo, Facebook post, Twitter post, or Pinterest pin. Then, I go to work on my computer working on finishing each assignment, whether it’s liking posts, reading and commenting, or sharing.

3. Don’t second guess yourself.

Just do it. Take the plunge. If you want to write, start a blog. There’s really no time like the present. Some people say not to make your page live until you have at least twenty posts. If I would have followed that rule, I’d probably would still be waiting.

Start small if you’re unsure. You don’t have to share your thoughts with the world. You can always create a private Facebook group and invite your close friends and family, the people who won’t judge or lie to you. Post your blog entries there and wait for feedback.

4. Social media is your friend.

Don’t hesitate to share your writing. Share often. Be loud and proud. Share your goals and your triumphs. Let people know that this is important to you. As I stated before, you can start small and then expand. There’s nothing wrong about that. However, if you want to grow your audience, you’ll need to add Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter to your arsenal of tricks.

The Tailwind App has been huge in helping me grow my Pinterest views. It’s a scheduling tool that I’m just now figuring out how to use. I love the fact that I can schedule a pin and then other related ones pop up. I can also refresh the list and get more. This saves so much time because the more you pin, the more your pins will be seen.

5. The blogging community offers support and encouragement.

Find the Facebook group that works for you. Follow the instructions and complete the work or you may find yourself deleted from the group. If you have a question, ask. I haven’t found a blogger yet who is unwilling to help out a newbie. I keep a list of my “homework” each day in my Make It Happen journal and check off the assignments as I complete them.  If I have a question, I know I can reach out to someone in the group and ask them. Chances are that one of them has written a spectacular post about the topic. I love it when that happens because I can pin the article and refer back to it again and again.

6. Mistakes will happen.

I added Google Adsense ads to my blog the end of June. However, I didn’t read the fine print (or probably the large print either). I must have clicked on one of the ads to check it out. They are showing Disney Store ads, so how could I resist? My girls need more princess dresses! Anyhow, I was suspended for an entire month. I learned that you do not click on your own ads EVER.

I also had a problem with my subscribe form. I deleted the original one when I added the pop-up Constant Contact form. I have no clue how to get the old one back. When people are using a pop-up blocker, they can’t sign up. I still need to fix this.

Another issue was when Facebook banned me from liking other bloggers pages for 24 hours. Supposedly, I was liking too many too fast. I learned that you can only like a few at a time.

7. You’ll never be done learning.

When I first started out, I had no idea what I was doing (still not sure I do). In the spring when I decided to continue, I purchased Dr. Andy Williams’s book, WordPress for Beginners 2018. I knew I needed an actual book that I could highlight and take notes in, as opposed to an e-book. I worked my way through  the book during the month of June and have referred back to it from time to time.

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*Disclaimer: The image of this book is an Amazon link. If you purchase this book through this link, I will receive a small commission. There is no cost to you.

Everyday I learn something new. I learn about new places, new techniques, and new ideas. I learn by asking questions, by reading, and by watching videos. If you start a blog, be prepared to learn something new each and every day.

Conclusion

Blogging has been an adventure for me, one that I’ve completely enjoyed, and one that, unlike a vacation, doesn’t have to end anytime soon. If you are thinking about starting a blog, I highly recommend it. I’ve had so much fun and learned so much!

Do you have a blog? What lessons have you learned from blogging?

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