Six months ago, I started this little site with the intention of forming a writing network and improving my craft. While I totally flaked out until the end of May, I’ve found some serious joy and had some serious fun in the past month building my network and interacting with some seriously talented individuals.
To commemorate my six month anniversary with Annie Likes Words, I’m going to share some of the lessons I’ve learned on this little journey of mine.
- You get out what you put in. I started this blog in January and I posted some thoughts periodically, but I didn’t buckle down and put in the work until the beginning of June. Once I started posting frequently and reaching out to other bloggers, my stats boomed. I had about 200 views going into June and I’m leaving with about 1,700 views and counting. If you make the conscious choice to blog, you’ll see the results.
- Make a plan. I received a Big Weekly Planner from MochiThings for Christmas and I just started using it to plan out my posts. Let me say that it has been so helpful! I brainstorm as many topics as I can and write one in for each day. Allocating the work over seven days makes it seem less daunting and more manageable. Also, I write out my schedule next to my to-do list so I can look at the day and decide when is the best time to crank out a post based on my activities for the day. Here’s a pic of my weekly spread from the last two weeks:
- Don’t just write. Everyone wants to be heard… or in this community, read. Show some love to your fellow bloggers and they will return the favor. Read as much of your fellow bloggers’s posts as you can. Like their posts. If you have a thought or question, leave a comment. If someone comments on yours posts, respond. Be engaging and be engaged.
- Set your hyperlinks to open in a new tab. This is one of the first things I learned to do and it has been such a good tool! If you’re linking to your social media accounts or another blog post, check the box “Open link in a new window or tag” so that your post stays open and the reader can return to it when he’s done exploring your lovely little link.
- Stray from the norm. Write what speaks to you, even if that means doing things on your own terms. People value people who say what is real and genuine, so be true to yourself and your convictions. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but it’s okay to post a review like this even when everyone else seems to be posting reviews like that.
- Schedule your posts ahead of time. One of my favorite things about WordPress is the ability to schedule posts in advance–it’s truly a lifesaver when going on a trip with spotty Internet access (like the trip I’m about to take lol). WordPress also uses some analytics voodoo to come up with the most popular hour of the day for your posts so you can reach maximum engagement and get your message on as many screens as possible.
- Use GooglePhotos to sync pictures from your phone to your computer. In the spirit of full disclosure, I just learned this trick when I tried to upload the picture of my planner from my phone to my computer. It was stupidly simple! I already have the GooglePhotos app for iPhone and, after adding that picture to the app, all I had to do was pull it up on GooglePhotos and download it to my desktop. Like I said, stupid simple.
What have you learned so far as a blogger? Let me know in the comments ๐ and don’t forget to show some social media love! Check out my Twitter, Pinterest, Goodreads, Wattpad, and Spotify <3
Great tips!
Thanks!
A word of advice, if you don’t mind.
Don’t spread yourself so thin that you experience burnout trying to keep up with ALL your sites. If you can keep up with 6 sites, do it. But you should have a plan to prioritize them for when you experience a slump, whether short or long. And as self-serving as it may sound, prioritize those sites according to how many people you interact with on each. It’s easier to cut off a fingernail than a finger ๐
And thanks for the follow awhile back and your continued “likes”.
2 years is about when most people burn out who are going to. So learn like crazy about how to survive so you don’t burn out then and leave…
Thanks! This is actually my only site but I have been struggling to balance blogging, reading, and writing! I’ve found that what works for me is blogging in the morning, reading in the afternoon, and writing at night ๐ and you are very welcome for the likes–they’re easy to give to such an amazing blogger!
Thank you for the kind words.
I was referring more to your spotify, goodreads, twitter, etc sites. However, as you appear to be an aspiring writer, it is kind of hard to NOT be on those places ๐
Oh gotcha–yeah, I started I’d prefer to stick to WordPress and Goodreads but whatever’s going to get my book in print, you know? Pinterest and Spotify are more for pleasure and I’m in the process of developing my Twitter presence since I’m pretty new to it ๐
Hi Annie,
I am just beginning to put my blog together (by myself lol) and I am getting frustrated at a few of the “challenges”. Do you yourself or do you know of anyone who helps newbies like me set up new wordpress blogs?? Thanks, I followed you.:)
Thanks so much for the follow! So I’m certainly no WordPress expert but if you have some specific questions I might be able to help! You can fill you the form on my Get in Touch page or just drop me a comment here ๐
I loved these tips!! I definitely agree about scheduling blog posts. As a fellow student, it saves me soooo much time and helps prevent a lot of stress.
Yes that’s been my favorite feature!! It’ll be a lifesaver come August ๐
I love this post! Though I already do these things, they are things that I learned to do myself and I wish someone would’ve told me about them when I first started. Great post and awesome tips! ๐โค๏ธ
Thanks so much!!
You’re welcome! ๐๐
Loved this post. So much to learn from it, thanks for sharing.
Thanks!!
Great tips! I really do need to get more organized with my posts. I’m usually scrambling last minute!
Jo-Ann
Yeah that’s where the WordPress scheduler comes in handy for me–it takes the stress off!
So honest and helpful! Thank you for posting these tips, Annie!
Aww thanks so much!
This was such a fantastic post and I feel like it’s great advice for all bloggers whether they’re new or old! I found that scheduling posts ahead of time is so helpful and it saves me a lot of time! It can get quite stressful to keep up and pre-write all of the posts at first but once you’re in it, it feels a lot more relaxing (if you get what I mean XD)!
Yes it’s so nice to get ahead ๐
Great post! Yeah, you definitely get more support when you give it to other blogs. Plus, I get lots of ideas for posts by reading other people’s posts.
Exactly! There’s so much inspiration to be found in our fellow bloggers, they’re all pretty fabulous ๐
Such useful information! ๐
Thanks!!