Hurray!!! This is my 30th blog post in 30 days! I can’t believe that I’ve managed to keep up blogging daily for a whole month but I did it!
I’ve been taking part in Sark eMedia’s 30 days blogging challenge which has been a real eye opener and an amazing experience! I received daily emails from Sarah Arrow who is very generous in sharing her extensive blogging knowledge, posted in the dedicated Facebook group and got lots of useful feedback and advice!
And if I say Sarah has extensive blogging knowledge I mean serious blogging knowledge… not only how to write a personal blog but blogging for business which is on another level!
There has been so much information that I will have to go back and look at every single email again, each email opens up a new door to even more information and a long to do list for my blog!
My visitor stats have increased by 20% and I think they could have increased a lot more if I had had the time to properly promote my posts BUT the good thing is that the content is there and I can use it later!
Here are 12 of the most important things that I’ve learned in 30 days blogging daily:
1. Planning ahead
I must admit I did not have an editorial calendar before and this has probably been the tool which has made the biggest difference! I’m more organised, more structured and I can prepare in advance!
2. Discipline
My first post of the challenge was simply about the fact that I started the challenge and I wrote it to make sure that I would stick to it! And I did! I can tell you that it was not easy and I was very close to giving up a few times but I got through it!
3. Importance of the post title
I knew that the blog title is important of course but I learned what to look out for, tools to use to make it better and how to play around with it! Try this headline analizer if you want to check how good your title is! I don’t think it’s gives a true value but you will get lots of ideas on how to improve it!
4. Keywords and optimising the blog
This is an extremely boring topic to me but I learned a lot of new things about how to work with keywords and phrases and it’s something that I need to explore a lot more! It’s on my long to do list and thanks to Sarah I’ve got a few new tools to check out…
5. Speeding up
Before I started the challenge it took me hours and hours, sometimes days to finish one blog post. As I’m typing this I’m working on my second blog post for the day! I’m much more efficient and confident!
6. Connecting with others
I read so many blog posts over the last 30 days. I discovered new blogs, I made new friendships and new connections! The Facebook group has been really useful and I loved getting to know new blogs that had nothing to do with the topics that I’m writing about.
7. Perfection is overrated
If it’s actually even a thing! This is probably the main thing that has been holding me back in the past. I wanted posts to be perfect, with the perfect picture and headline which meant it took me ages to get posts out! What I’ve learned is that “good enough is good enough” and I can always go back and edit a post later!
I should have actually made this my first point which should always be the strongest one of a list post (another thing I’ve learned!)… Well, there are other ways to highlight something!
8. Overcome blogger’s block
I hit some brick walls on day 6 and day 20 but I got through it!
9. How to create an infographic
Not that I have had the time to create one of course but I’ve got the tools to do it and I understand the importance!
10. Being consistent
I have to admit that I have not been consistent at all in the past. I wrote a post when I had something to say or when I felt like it. I’ve got a much better plan for different posts for certain days of the week and I know I can stick to it because, hey, I just managed 30 days of daily blogging!
11. How to use blogging for my business
This was obviously a business blogging challenge so it was all about using blogging for my business! I’ve got some new ideas about what would be useful for my readers and some inspiration for things that I can do it add to it (ebooks, online yoga courses, yoga challenges etc.) Watch this space!
12. I can do it!
That is what I wanted to learn and that’s what I learned. I can blog daily. Even with limited time. Even if I don’t always know straight away what to write about.
So what’s next? Will I continue to blog daily?
Honestly, this has been a real challenge (!) I don’t think I will be able to keep up blogging daily unless I win the lottery, get a PA, a full time cleaner and a nanny of course. BUT I will be blogging at least three times a week! Here, I said it, which means that I will do it!
Having said that I’m moving my website to a new hosting company (I know, boring topic) so I might go quiet for a while until that’s done but don’t worry I’ll be back soon with lots of yoga, fun and family inspiration!
Wow thanks for sharing that headline analyzer link. Awesome tool. If you don’t mind sharing, what tools do you have for infographics?
The one that I’m trying out is Infogram!
Well done! I learned a lot of the same things myself, particularly about consistency and discipline. And the “I can do it” – we never know with something like this until we try.
I also enjoyed connecting with other bloggers, discovering folks in completely different niches from my own.
And I totally agree with you about point 7 – perfectionism. Often I think I could make a post better, but deadlines are a great antidote to that. As you say, there’s nothing to stop us going back and revising a post later anyway.
One wee thing – I think you mean overcoming blogger’s block not blogger’s blog! 🙂
Thanks Claire! And for spotting the type!! All fixed now 🙂
Great review! One of the best I ever read about the challenge.
Congratulations and Success!
Thank you so much!
Well done Christine! Such valuable lessons learned. I’ve been trying to complete this challenge for a month, I’m currently on day 9 (every time I fall into a slump, I start from the beginning).
Also, I love your layout. Thanks for sharing
Thank you! Good luck with the challenge and well done for getting back on the horse!
that’s a lot to pick up in 30 days, I’m sure it took me months to get the hang of it all. Well done indeed #BrilliantBlogPosts
thank you. I was blogging before but never to write every single day and that has made a big difference!
Congratulations! I don’t think I have the discipline to make it 30 days straight. That’s quite an achievement
Thank you! It was really hard at times but I’m glad I did it!
Well done! I’ve done the A to Z challenge in previous years and it’s tough… what’s tougher is keeping the commenting up!
Yes that’s true!
Wow, that’s impressive! I’m relatively new to blogging but think it’s great I’m sure it was a hard challenge but an amazing experience!
yes I can definitely recommend it! Especially if you are new to blogging! You will learn so much!
I’ve often thought about starting up my own blog. I’m struggling for ideas though. I’ll wait for that eureka moment.