The Ultimate Blog Podcast - 130. 3 Ways to Stay Positive as You Grow Your Blog

Episode Date: June 11, 2024

How is your mindset when it comes to your blog? Amy here, and I'm doing a solo on the importance of maintaining a positive mindset as you grow your blog.  I want you to focus on staying connected to your purpose, avoiding negativity, and focusing on what works. It's important to also build a supportive community. I hope this episode encourages you to stay resilient, make data-driven decisions, and continuously adapt to achieve success! Blogging is such a gift but we can have bad days with any job, so I hope that this episode helps you to keep a positive mindset!Thanks for listening! Let us know your thoughts on Instagram: @sparkmediaconceptsThank you to our sponsor Memberful for sponsoring this episode! Check out Memberful HERE!Check out the show notes (link below) for more information including links and resources mentioned in today's episode!SHOW NOTES: www.sparkmediaconcepts.com/episode130

Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast with Amy Reinke and Jennifer Draper. We are on a mission to empower women who want to start or grow their own blog. This podcast is for women who want to learn blogging basics and who crave inspiration and encouragement. Whether you are just getting started or have been a blogger for years, we are excited to welcome you into this space where we are passionate about creating community over competition. We are bloggers who want to encourage you to believe in your potential, step outside the norm and step into a life where you create your own schedule, your own success and your

own story. Join us for weekly episodes as we navigate blogging and work from home life, all while raising a family and having some serious fun along the way. Hey, and welcome back serious fun along the way. Hey, and welcome back to the Ultimate Blog Podcast. I am really excited for this episode today. There's been a vibe recently that I've been feeling as I'm in Facebook groups and talking to other bloggers. And that vibe has been kind of this thread of negativity with a lot of the changes. And especially for new bloggers coming in, I want new bloggers to start off with the power of positivity and how our thoughts can truly change how successful we are and how

powerful they really are. And whether you're a new blogger, whether you've been blogging for years, I think that we all can use that pep talk. And how can we get focused? And how can we keep the positivity running through our business? And how can that be one of the key foundations that we have? And so today, we're just going to go over three ways to stay positive as you grow your blog. And I'm just gonna dive right in.

Number one is to keep your purpose in mind. Notice I said purpose and not your why. I think those are kind of two different things. When you are looking at your purpose and when you're really reflecting on what that means, your purpose is your impact. It reflecting on what that means, your purpose is your impact. It's what you are trying to accomplish, what you're trying to do. Your why is why you're doing it. It might be to be able to provide an income for your family,

to stay home with your kids, build up a retirement nest egg, all those different things. It could look very different. But your purpose is when you sit down, it's that driving force that is reminding you of like, this is why I'm doing this work. Because we could go anywhere and make money, yet we are choosing to make money by blogging. And I think that there is just something different about that. I think that when we choose to use something that we are passionate about or our expertise or our experience or our perspective, our story, and encourage others with it, that's our purpose, that's our impact.

And so reminding yourself on these days that things feel hard or they feel overwhelming, remind yourself what your purpose is. Like what is the bigger picture here? Who are you helping? And what is your ultimate goal? I think too part of your purpose is asking yourself what community you are building around you

because that is a really important piece of blogging. It is about so much more than just sitting at your computer and pumping out some content. It truly is creating a community and helping others feel seen and heard where they are. We do recommend that you niche down. And so when you niche down, you can attract more people who are like-minded, who need the kind of content that you're providing and that you're creating. But you are in charge of that community and what you are building. And so my encouragement is, is to make it a place where others want to be. And the community can be built in a number of different ways.

It can be growing your email list. It's people who are engaging on your blog. Maybe it's social media. Maybe it's creating a membership. But what I will tell you is that people want to belong somewhere and they want to belong somewhere where the purpose aligns and where they feel seen and where they feel heard. So that's my tip. Keep your purpose in mind.

That's tip number one. And I think that that's something that you can continue to come back to. Your purpose might shift a little bit. Your focus might shift and that's okay. I think it's important to take a look at that. And if you haven't done that in a while and you have felt kind of this negativity pull, then I think that that could be a good place for you to start is just reconnecting with that purpose

and why you're doing what you're doing. Who are you trying to serve? Who are you trying to help? What is the ultimate goal? Tip number two takes me right into avoiding the negativity. And I know that that can feel a little challenging, especially because we are content creators. And so we are going to be on social media

most of the time engaging. But this weekend, I got in a Facebook group and I was instantly defeated when I came across this Facebook group that I go into or at least see in my feed often. And just to see the utter defeat that so many bloggers are feeling right now. And what I want to remind you of is, yes, I know that there have been a lot of changes

with blogging. I know that Google has a different algorithm that is really kicking a lot of people's you-know-what. I know that Pinterest traffic looks different. I get it. I really do. But when we surround ourselves with people who kind of focus on the negativity, I want to remind you that that is how you're going to feel. Instead, I'm going to encourage you to surround yourself with people who are one, being positive,

but two, being willing to think outside the box. So if you are not getting where you want to be with your blog by doing what you've always done, maybe it's time to consider something different. Maybe it's time to think of things in a new way. And if you are constantly feeling pulled in that negativity direction or you're surrounded by people who are complaining a lot and just jumping on the bandwagon of complaining, I'm just gonna encourage you to try to surround yourself with a positive group that is going to be willing to kind of get in the trenches and do some deep dive into what exactly needs to be done in order to improve whatever the issue is.

So let's say it's blog traffic, for instance, and your blog traffic is down or your blog traffic isn't growing. What can you do different? How can you think about it differently? How can you make sure that you're getting in front of your potential and ideal reader better? What can you do? And I know that if you're a seasoned blogger, you're likely doing all of these things. I get it. I'm not in any way accusing you of not doing that. I just want to remind you that you have the ability to create your own environment and your attitude plays a

huge role in your success. It plays a huge role in who is going to feel attracted to come to your site. It plays a huge role in what kind of content that you put out because if you're feeling frustrated behind the scenes all the time and you feel like you're just running the rat race, people can feel it. And so how can you get excited again about it? And what does that need to look like? Maybe it is like kind of shutting out some of that negativity. Maybe it is getting yourself plugged into a community that feels supportive. We do have a blogging community. It's called

the Ultimate Blog membership. And we have some of those hard conversations, but Jennifer and I are really diligent to make sure that the conversation stays positive and that we can encourage you because that is our goal. We've been there. We've been there through traffic dips and things not working and things changing and having to redamp all the things. We've totally done that. And so we really do understand. So if you're a blogger who has been around for a little while, you have a self-hosted blog, you can always apply to be part of that membership. If you are looking for a place that feels positive and feels like this is an area that I can grow in, we really want to encourage you to think about blogging as being exciting instead of frustrating.

That doesn't mean that there aren't frustrating days. There are. There are going to be frustrating days though in any job. So I think that that's an important consideration is I know that many people have kind of asked the question, well, if this isn't working for me, maybe I should just go back and work for somebody else again. Maybe I should just do that. And I want you to go back and ask yourself, like, what is that truly going to solve if that is something that's on the table?

And that's going to connect to your why, that's going to connect to your purpose. But ask yourself that, is that going to solve everything or is there a way around what I'm doing that I can make this work? That leads me into tip number three, and that is to focus on what is working and lean into that. Now, if you're not sure what's working, then I would strongly encourage you to consider taking our course Track SEO to Grow, because I think that you have to have that knowledge in order to move forward. In Track SEO to Grow, we talk about how to track the content that you have created and if it's working for you or not, and when to go back and update it.

And so if you're not, if you don't currently have a system to do that, I'm going to highly recommend that you consider the course. I'm going to put a link to that in the show notes. But once you have your data, if you see that Google isn't working, I'm just using Google because that's typically what we're going to go after is bloggers first and foremost. If you see that Google isn't working and you have been doing diligent keyword research focused on SEO for six plus months, and you're still not seeing growth, then I encourage you to focus on a new strategy. Try to find a new strategy. That might mean taking a new SEO course. If you haven't taken keywords with Alekka, that's one that we recommend.

She has one for food bloggers and then also one for non-food bloggers that kind of teaches the same principles, but we have had students in our membership take that and find a lot of value in it. It is more of an advanced course, but if you've been doing keyword research for six months, then you might be ready for that. Another aspect in the area that you can dive into is investing in Pinterest. Maybe you could start driving traffic from your Pinterest. So making sure that your boards are updated, making sure that you're pinning on a consistent schedule, being a little bit more strategic in your strategy there.

We have several episodes regarding Pinterest that I will actually link in the show notes for you as well to go back and learn a little bit more of that. We've had Cadel and Michelle Stevens and we have Heather Ferris coming on talking about Pinterest ads as well coming up. And so you have lots of episodes to tune into to consider diving into Pinterest if that is an area that you find you might want to spend a little bit more time in. Google is not your only option. And we are not in charge of when Google updates the algorithm. We are not in charge of what that does to our blogs, but we are in charge of our response to it and

how we are going to adjust and how we are going to think of things differently and start thinking outside the box by supporting ourselves and being in a positive community that can think about things in a new way and leaning into what's working, staying positive, even on days when that feels really hard. I get it. Thank you to Memberful for sponsoring this episode of the Ultimate Blog Podcast. Whether you are sharing your passion for food, art, relationships, family, health and wellness, or travel blogging, you can monetize your blog by adding a membership with Memberful. Trusted by some of the web's most prominent bloggers and independent publishers, Memberful

allows you to connect with your audience while building sustainable recurring revenue. With content gating, in-house newsletters, private podcasts, and tiered membership access, Memberful is the ultimate membership software design with independent publishers and creators in mind. Memberful gives you the flexibility to create your ideal online presence, deciding which parts of your website are accessible to everyone or only visible to paying subscribers. Plus, Memberful seamlessly integrates with all of your favorite tools, including ConvertKit, Discord, Google Analytics, and your existing WordPress website. Whether you choose to utilize the built-in integrations or you decide to use Memberful's in-house features, it's never been easier to start a

membership. And the most important part? With Memberful, you will always maintain complete control and ownership of your brand, your audience, and your business. Visit memberful.com slash ultimate blog to get started with a free trial. There's also a link in our show notes to learn more about memberful and how it can support your online blogging business. Another thing that you could do if you are wanting to kind of look outside the box in other ways that maybe could potentially help you grow is creating a freebie and then getting people on your email list and making sure you're really, really engaging and paying close attention to your email list because

those people are so very important to your business. One way also to kind of help with the growth of email and also just having an engaged email list is to use the Grow by Mediavine plugin. And that is a really, really great way for you to be able to grow your email list. And also they have Journey now, which we had Heather Toulouse on the podcast to talk about Journey, but you can actually monetize sooner with Journey. And so if that is something that you're wanting, you're feeling like you're spinning your wheels, you're not making money blogging yet, and you really want to, I'm going to encourage

you to download Grow by Mediavine. Use that plugin and then that is what's going to allow you to be able to apply for Journey and maybe get you monetized a little bit quicker. But know that it all takes time. Everything takes time. Building your blog takes time, building the growth, building the email subscriber list. It truly, truly does take time. And I know that that's hard.

In the day and age of Amazon, when everything is like, hey, I want this, and then it's in your hands within a day or two, this is still that like really, like you gotta get in the trenches, you gotta do the work. It's not something that's built overnight. And if a blog is built overnight, it's likely based on one viral post that's carrying.

And I'm not saying that some of that, those viral posts can't carry it for a long time, but you have to have that really strong foundation. And so the only way to have a strong foundation is to know what you're doing, to make sure that your attitude is where it needs to be in it and that you're surrounded by a group that can truly feed into you and help remind you of your purpose and why you're doing what you're doing even on the hard days. So I know that it can feel hard a lot of days. But I just, I hope that you'll take some time today after listening to this quick episode and just remind yourself of why you're doing what you're doing, and the

gift that you have to serve others with, and how you can create a community possibly within your own blog and show up for people. Because I think too, having a community helps with some of this because you're outward focused instead of just being so inward focused. Being part of a community of some sort can help with that. So as you send out your emails, as you potentially build a membership, as you start a podcast, as you just create content on your blog, whatever you're choosing to do right now, I want you to ask yourself that. How is this serving the greater good of what I'm wanting to do with my blog, with my business? And is this helping me feel positive?

And is it leading me to my revenue goals? And if the answer is no, it might be time to go back to the drawing board and ask yourself what needs to change. It is okay if things need to change. Things that work for us at one point or another might not continue to work for the long haul. And that is a okay. It is okay to shift.

It is okay to try something new. If something's working, keep doing it unless it's just totally dragging you into the ground. But we wanna keep doing the things that are working for us. And once we have like a routine with that and we know that it's working well for us, then we can add that next thing. We recently read Content Inc with our membership students.

And first of all, if you are a blogger who has never read Content Inc. by Joe Paluzzi, I am going to highly recommend that you read that book or listen to it on Audible. You can do either. It is so, so good. It is one of those books that I will refer back to often. I'm so glad I actually have the hard copy because I think it gives so much good insight. And I just highly recommend it because one of the main things on it is, he talks in the book about how many different platforms there are and one, how your blog is the most important,

which we say all the time, you need to have a home base, which is your blog. But there are a lot of other platforms that can take our time and energy. And we know about all of those platforms, but we don't have the bandwidth to be doing them all. So focus on where your people are. Focus on where you can do something and do it well.

And so I think that that's another way that you can just really stay focused on what you want out of this blogging business. And keep checking in with yourself and know that there's a reason that you started this blog. And I don't want you to lose sight of that on the hard days because we all have them. I said recently in a podcast, don't make big decisions on a bad day. Make big decisions on a good day because our insight can be a little bit brighter on a good day. And I'll just keep reiterating that, that we all have days that we've considered like throwing in the towel or is this really worth it? Do I really want to do this? And that could be your ultimate decision someday. Like this just isn't what I want to do. But I want you just to ask yourself like, what was the reason I started this? And stay connected to that. And remind yourself of your purpose.

Remind yourself of the impact that you are making. And don't sell yourself short, because the world needs your gift. And I just want to thank you for showing up in that way, however you are showing up, however you are serving people, because now more than ever, people want to be part of something. And you doing the work that you're doing, whether someone has said this to you today or not, it is impactful and it is important and your voice is necessary and it is welcome. And whatever niche you have, you can have a seat at that table. The internet is a big place. So don't sell yourself short.

I hope these three tips started your Tuesday off with a little bit of positivity and leads you into a week that you can remind yourself of your impact and your growth. And I just want to thank you for being part of our community and taking the time to push play on this episode today. community and taking the time to push play on this episode today. And each and every time that you listen, it means the world to Jennifer and I. And I just want to say thank you for that. We are very, very thankful for our community and all that you give back to us. So thanks for listening today. If this episode in particular was one that encouraged you, then I'd love it if you would share it with another blogger. And I hope that you have a fantastic day.

Thanks so much for tuning in today. If you'd like to continue the conversation about blogging with us, please find us on Instagram at Spark Media Concepts. You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter where we share blogging tips and inspiration. You can sign up by finding the link in the show notes. For those of you who are ready for the next step and want to start your own blog, join the wait list for the ultimate blog bootcamp. The link to join the wait list is also in the show notes.

Go out and make today a great day.