After taking a fairly long hiatus from regular blogging (Around 2.5 years), I started investing time into my blog again in February. I received this fresh hit of inspiration to take it in a new direction, post indie book reviews, and explore some ideas that excite me.

Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned this year about blogging:

1. Your blog grows with you. Your path, values, and outlook on life naturally change as you grow and mature and this reflects in your writing. In more recent years, I’ve enjoyed a refreshing, peaceful take on life. I think my blog is reflecting this more and more.
2. Posting regularly helps you gain more readers. The more you post, the more chances that your content will reach new people. If you’re posting regularly, you’ll attract people who enjoy reading active blogs. If someone loves your writing, they’re going to want to see it more often, right? Personally, I love stumbling on a blog that has posts I can keep clicking on and reading – and I’ll be returning when I see them post later in the week. There’s a good balance to it, though. You might not want to post *too* often (Like twice per day every day). 2-4 times per week seems to be a good balance for me right now.
3. It enhances your writing skills. Blogging is hard work, as fun as it is, and you’re constantly learning new things and honing your writing skills as you do it. I’ve found that reading other people’s posts can help you see how others write and compose their thoughts. Learning from others’ writing is so key to improving your own. It’s a great way to invest in yourself and you’ll be able to see your own progress as you go along.
4. You connect with some really great, passionate people. I swear that blogging seems to attract really kind, insightful people. If you’re blogging, it’s because you’re passionate about something, probably a variety of things, and it’s so cool to meet people through this medium.
5. Growing your following organically is always better. Don’t pay for followers. Even if it takes two years for you to reach 500 followers, it’s better than having 1000’s of followers who aren’t genuinely interested in what you’re posting. When you let your blog slowly attract interested readers, you’ll feel better knowing you’ve got people following you for your ideas. Plus, if you’re interested in making money off your blog, what matters more than followers is engagement since this is where the real income is made.
6. People love reading updates. One of my most popular posts ever is when I wrote about how I reached 500 followers. My 2021 goals post was also very trendy among my readers. People tend to respond well to passion and optimism. It’s encouraging to see other people who are happy with their progress, because it shows we can do it, too. So, be sure to include updates about your blog/life every so often. People find it interesting.
7. Schedule posts ahead of time. This is one medium where scheduling posts makes sense. Sometimes you get a real burst of writing energy and you’re blogging off the wall. It’s okay to schedule some posts ahead of time rather than posting them all at once and bombarding your readers. It gives you peace of mind knowing that your blog is set for the week and if you ever needed to take a break, you’re already covered.
8. Stock images. Adding great looking pictures to your posts makes your blog look more attractive and thus, more people will want to click on your posts. Be careful with copyright issues, though. You want to make sure you’re posting images that won’t get you in trouble. Check out Pexels or Unsplash for free stock images you can use on your blog! It’s a good idea to credit the photographer/artist, as well, since they were kind enough to let people use their images for free.

I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful! Until next time, take good care of yourself and have a lovely rest of your day. ❤

(Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash)