What I Learned in my First Year Blogging

On August 1 2019, I decided to launch this blog! I’m thankful for Facebook and Instagram’s “on this day” reminder, because I almost forgot about my one year blogiversary. I remember continuing to put off my launch date, until finally, I picked a deadline for myself and just put it out there. If you’re a blogger or considering starting one, I want to encourage you to do it and stick with it! That’s why I’m sharing what I learned in my first year blogging.

I started The Cazee Creative because I needed a creative outlet. I was bored and uninspired working in an office everyday, and wanted to combine my love for writing with topics I’m passionate about. Although I had a vision before starting this, I really had no idea what that meant and how I would do it. Since then, I’ve been able to more clearly define my why, as well as my personal style. These are the lessons I learned that I hope will be helpful to other new bloggers out there.

Consistency is HARD, but crucial.

I still haven’t mastered this one, but I’m mentioning it first because it’s that important. Whether you have your own website or solely use Instagram, pick a posting schedule, and stick to it. It’s hard. I mean really, really hard. Life happens, and if you work a full time job, the last thing you’ll want to do is more work on your computer and phone at night and on the weekends. Yet it’s through working with social media, email marketing, and blogs full-time that I’ve seen it’s completely possible.

I’ve noticed a huge difference in growth when I’m blogging/posting consistently vs. when I don’t. I also have peace of mind when my instagram posts are planned out vs. when I throw something together last minute. Something I’m going to implement for year two of blogging is blocking time each week for batching content, photo taking, and photo editing.

You don’t have to invest a lot of money to blog.

In the past year, I had to invest in my website domain and hosting, (around $30 annually) and a couple of inexpensive presets to make my photos more coherent (less than $30). I would advise not investing much more than that at first. For one, so many people quickly realize that blogging is not for them. Once you figure out that this is a long term commitment for you, then you can start thinking about courses, a mentor, a camera/photographer etc.

Create content with the intention of serving others.

When I first started blogging, I had every intention of serving others with my posts. If you aren’t a blogger, it’s important to know that Instagram is the main marketing tool everyone uses, and it’s where the blogging community resides. And sometimes…it can feel like a rat race. At least it did at first. I found myself posting photos I didn’t even like for the sake of posting every day. Or subconsciously mimicking others’ captions, poses, and ideas because it seemed to work for them. I was following and engaging with accounts that didn’t inspire me and actually left me feeling burnt out for the sake of “engagement” and “growth”.

If there’s one thing I learned about this strategy is that it was really serving me all along. For the last couple of months, I’ve asked myself the question before posting: is this serving or encouraging others in any way? Does this align with my “why” for starting my blog in the first place? If not, I don’t post it!

Less researching, more doing.

I am 100% an advocate for personal growth and investing time and money into education. However if you’re anything like me, it’s easy to get stuck in research mode and never make it to implementation. I spent this year listening to podcasts, joining all the free webinars, and reading everything I possibly could about all things blogging. However, I wish I would have spent more time doing the things I learned. Have confidence to take the first step.

You have value.

I’m not just throwing this out there as an inspirational quip with no weight behind it. If you’re blogging with the intention of making money, either through brand partnerships, your own product, or a service you plan to offer, know your value! Something that Jenna Kutcher taught me (I binged her podcast all year) is that if you have ONE follower, you’re an “influencer.” If you can offer high quality content for a brand, don’t sell yourself short because of a follower # on social media.

I don’t regret the free marketing I did for brands this year, because I really did find value in the products I shared, and I had to start somewhere. (I’m talking about the brands who reach out to offer a free product in exchange for a post.) There is nothing wrong with accepting this IF you’re just blogging as a hobby. However, I’ve learned that most brands worth sharing will compensate. “Influencer” marketing is just that: marketing. It’s a job. It takes time, money and resources to create high quality content. I’ve decided to stop accepting requests to market for brands with no return in year two. I want to encourage you if you’ve been stuck in the same cycle of saying yes. It’s time to turn your hobby into business!

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I’m so excited to see what this next year of blogging brings for The Cazee Creative. Thanks for reading about what I learned in my first year of blogging. What are some lessons you’ve learned? Let me know in the comments!