I seriously had no idea what I was doing when I first began blogging. It all started when friends were asking me questions about our new and sudden “no highly processed food” lifestyle, and one friend suggested I start a blog about it. I’ve always been a fan of efficiency (hey, I could answer everyone’s questions all at one time this way), but blogging? No way. My strong subject in school was always math, not writing! So I brushed off the idea…for about a week that is. And then for some reason I just said, “What the heck” and just took the plunge, which, at the time, felt incredibly strange and out of my comfort zone! Especially when I shared my very first blog post with friends.
One thing I really want to stress though is that the main purpose of this blog was (and still very much is) to share our real food lifestyle with others to hopefully inspire them to make some positive changes as well. From day one I just felt very passionate about sharing this message. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine this passion of mine could and would one day turn into our full time family business. Yep, that’s right. In early 2012, right before my eyes, my blog grew to a point where I could no longer reasonably handle it on my own. So I went to my husband Jason desperate for help – and help he did! Within a couple months he realized that if he really put his mind to it he could turn all the blog traffic I was generating into enough income to leave his corporate job. The corporate job that he absolutely hated that is. (My apologies if any of Jason’s former Siemens co-workers are currently reading this, but – nothing against you – it was just not his thing.)
Fast-forward almost 2 years and my analytical husband is now pretty much the “How to turn your successful blog into a full time income” expert. And I am lucky to have him (for many reasons of course!). His role allows me to continue focusing on the part I really enjoy – writing good, helpful content and interacting with you guys. It’s his job to ensure that what I do pays the bills.
It’s super amazing to be rewarded financially for work that you feel so incredibly passionate about…because it suddenly no longer feels like a “job” anymore and instead just an extension of your life.
And now – without further ado – here are my Top Blogging Tips that I’ve learned along the way…
- Be passionate about your topic.
If you don’t absolutely love love love the topic of your blog then it might be hard to maintain it over time. And I am not sure if blogging about wildly different topics is a good idea (although it does work for some). Before I started writing about real food I sat down and quickly came up with 6 months worth of topic ideas. I felt like that was enough for me to move forward.
– - Just do it.
I’ve witnessed a lot of people spend a lot of time simply contemplating their good idea…Should I? Shouldn’t I? My advice is stop (over) thinking it and just do it! Especially when it comes to something like blogging, the start-up costs are minimal so there really isn’t much to lose (financially speaking).
– - Be authentic.
I can’t stress this enough and that’s for many reasons. First of all, being yourself is the easiest thing to maintain over a long period of time. And secondly, authentic is just the right way to be in general (in my opinion!).
– - Get personal.
You don’t have to air all of your dirty laundry, but I think it’s a good idea to let your readers get to know you a bit. When bloggers sound like robots on Facebook I just don’t think it goes over as well as when you sound like a real person (that experiences ups and downs like everyone else). Just my two cents. :)
– - Be original.
This is one of those golden rules of life – don’t copy other people’s blog content and also be sure to give credit when credit is due! You know how it goes, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.”
– - Make your site “sticky.”
There’s nothing like a big unexpected media story about your blog that makes your traffic shoot straight up to watch it just shoot straight back down. No matter what you do you will have big spikes like that, but it’s best to end up (at least) a little better off than when you started. So give people reasons to subscribe to your email list or like your Facebook page – and make these reasons obvious. There’s nothing better than having people stick around to see what you have to say. I’ll never forget when I very first felt like a respectable amount of people were actually listening – it was awesome. :)
– - Be careful about committing publicly.
Anytime you say “I’ll share this recipe on Friday” or “I’ll post pictures of the event tomorrow” you are suddenly publicly committed and will feel the need to follow through. And, as we all know, sometimes life just gets in the way and Friday comes and goes – and the guilt slowly follows. So, for me, I’ve found it works best to say things like “I’ll share this recipe on the blog soon!”. Because unless it’s already typed up and scheduled to be published this allows the kind of flexibility I often need.
– - Don’t just talk about yourself.
This was great advice that I got from another blogger, Carrie Vitt (see that giving credit thing in action here? LOL). It was actually unsolicited, but she was tactful about it, and I very much appreciated her telling me! Share great posts from other bloggers on your social media channels and I am not just talking about YOUR guest posts on other people’s blogs. So c’mon share the love and you’ll be glad you did…fellow bloggers can be your biggest allies in this world.
– - Clean house when you need to.
I’ve had to do this myself more than I’d like to admit. But for some reason people on Facebook can be REALLY mean from behind their computer screen. Not only do their comments not usually add any value, but it is not good for the other users’ experience (because they tell me so). So I created a comment policy and I enforce it by banning commenters who violate these simple rules. It’s not that I don’t tolerate the opposing viewpoint – because I most certainly do! – but I do demand respect. This is my page after all, and I must maintain control as best I can.
– - Break the rules.
Don’t put too much emphasis on all the blogging rules out there (even these!). Just do what feels right and success will (hopefully) follow!
Such helpful tips! I just started and it’s nice to get some insight from someone who’s been there.
xx
A Simple Sophistication
Blogging is not easy and this tips gives good tips about writing a blog.
I was wondering if you could share what “a day in the life” of your business looks like. You often share about your family and meals (duh!) but how does it look like when you are both working on the business of this blog when it’s not mealtime?
I agree!!! I would love a day in the life post! I know it can be hard to document because everyday is different, but just a general idea would be helpful.
I am very new to blogging but definitely not to your website. I’ve been following you for a couple of years and I have found you to be very inspirational – in fact I have your site listed as one of my resources. It’s so wonderful to see someone doing what they enjoy and making a living doing it. Best wishes to you and thank you for the tips!
Always Choose your favorite niche for the content writing otherwise it become very difficult to deal with Blogging.”If you don’t absolutely love love love the topic of your blog then it might be hard to maintain it over time” Agreed with the Point.
Creating new ideas in blogging is very important and its possible only if your are writing in your related domain which you Like.
Thank you for the great tips! I will definitely learn to be more original with my ideas!
Ella x
Cleaning house is a good rule. Haven’t had to do it yet even though I have 7,000 FB followers but I won’t hesitate if someone is brining other down. My feeling won’t be hurt if someone says something about my blog but if they attach someone else or bring the morale down, its “block” time! Thanks for the tips
Great tips! I started my blog about four months ago but i wish I had done it sooner! I definitely questioned myself too much. Finally, I just took the leap of faith!
Your tips are really good and practical. Thanks for keeping us up to date on this, much appreciated
Thanks a lot :)
we will focus and make it full time job :)
please tell us what do you think about this site http://edmwolf.com/
How long until you started earning an income similar to your full time job?
Hey Rem – About 2 years. More details here http://problogschool.com/about/. Income has gone up substantially since then. – Jason
Thanks for sharing these tips Amy. It is really helpful to read about what has worked for other food bloggers.
these are great tips! Love yr blog and looking forward to learning from your husband’s blog school.
Thanks! I subscribed to your husband’s blog. I’ve recently started blogging again, and these are great tips!
Thanks for the tips! I’m heading over to your husband’s blog now!
Thanks so much for sharing this inspiring information with us! I’m excited to start reading your hubby’s new blog! <3
I have a question; I love blogging and have been maintaining a family (private) blog for years but I am ready to get serious. I understand the set up process but how do you get paid? If someone mentions your blog or article on their site? I am confused on that process..anyone can mention anyones blog right?
Sorry if this is a silly question.
Christina
Hi Christina. Not a silly question! Go to Jason’s blog and many of your blogging income questions will be answered: http://problogschool.com/. :)
Hi Lisa,
Regarding rule #8, “Don’t just talk about yourself”, when sharing another bloggers posts do you need to get permission from them first? I’m just starting a blog of my own (Adventures to Feast Upon) and I know it’s important to build a sense of community with fellow bloggers. Just curious of what some of the etiquette is.
Thanks,
Kyra
Hi Kyra. This is an entertaining and accurate look at some basic etiquette: http://teacherswithapps.com/slow-catching-on-to-the-etiquette-of-sharing-a-blog-post/. :) ~Amy
Thank you Amy :) That post was very helpful!
Hi
Thanks for the great tips and i was just about to start my own food blog.
Hi Lisa!
Congratulations on your success! Thank you for sharing these tips! Very inspirational for us indeed. We heard about you on Pat Flynn’s podcast and finally created our own website with Healthy Indian Recipe tips.
thanks again.
This website was… how do I say it? Relevant!!
Finally I have found something that helped me.
Thank you!
What an inspiration you two are. Thanks for the tips…I’m working them!
Great write up. Congratulations on your success! I just have to get over #2 and I’ll be set.
Thanks for the helpful tips. I will definitely try them.
Hi Lisa!
Congratulations on your success! Thank you for sharing these tips! Very inspirational for bloggers of all experience levels.
Hi Lisa,
great article with tips! Congrats for the success! Btw I totally support healthy eating. We are what we eat
Great tips and inspiration. I’ve only been up a few months but trying to commit along with just creating as much good content as I can
Inspirational, no doubt! Congratulations on your success … the web is a friendlier, more educational space when bloggers take their craft seriously and contribute to the greater good!
Really great list! People crave personal connections and if we sterilize our blogs, they’re not worth reading.
Thanks for sharing Lisa! Congrats on being in Pat’s show!
First of all I would like to say awesome blog! I had a
quick question which I’d like to ask if you do not mind.
I was interested to find out how you center yourself and clear your mind before writing.
I have had a hard time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out there.
I do take pleasure in writing however it just seems like the first
10 to 15 minutes tend to be wasted just trying to figure
out how to begin. Any recommendations or tips?
Thank you!
While I’m not as practiced a writer as Lisa, I will share one tip. When you start writing a post, just type what comes out. Don’t worry about structure or word choice or anything else. Once you dump your thoughts, go back through and read from your audience’s perspective. That’s when you tweak it and make it concise with good flow. – Jason
Hi Lisa!
I read this page 2.5 weeks ago. Since then I’ve started my page and have been posting for a week. I have a ton to learn from you and your husband yet, but I wanted to thank you for that initial push.
Keep up the great work!
Raj
Nice work Raj! Taking action is what it’s all about. Good luck to you. – Jason
Two Words – THANK YOU!!!!!
Great advice for not only beginners, but intermediate and advanced bloggers.
I’m so glad I stumbled upon this post! I’m a newbie blogger and this has been some sound advice!
Veryy good article. I’m going throhgh many of these issues as well..
Thank you so much for this post! Some really great tips for bloggers just starting out, like me! Love your husband’s site as well. Can’t wait to keep up with both sites now!
Lisa , Thank you for sharing. I share your passion about everything you talk about . Recently, I started meal planning for my friends and relatives who do not have the time to prepare healthy food. I’m want tto expand it and just made a Facebook page called ‘.Clean Bites” . I am a bit overwhelmed by the things I need to do and this article is a blessing!
Thanks so much for sharing these thoughts!
I recently started blogging since I cook, bake, craft, and garden a lot and a friend sent me a link to this post. I love it! I’ve been a long time reader of your blog since my Hubbs and I try to do more of our cooking from scratch. Thank you for all that you do!
Hey Lisa,
Thank you for your blog. Planning on visiting your husband’s blog. I started a blog for children but am in the process of editing some. Due to life’s problems (health, and dealings with different editors, which seemingly led only to closed doors, became a tad bit of despondent. For weeks into months would leave it unattended. Intentions seemed good. A blog for children and kids; fun stories dealing with every day life issues kids deal with today. Have turned some into devotionals and others, story books: All filled with children’s power-up words and songs. But have to admit, had just about given it up until reading your blog. Thanks for the encouraging words and the inspiration you live passing on to others, like myself.
If there’s any advice you would like to add towards a blog like “this” would be ever so humbly grateful.
Congrats on you and your husband’s blog! May The Lord continue to bless you all. “Thank you,” again!