7 Years of Blogging – What I have learned

I can’t believe this year marks 7 years of blogging like how did that happen? It honestly feels like it was just yesterday when my sister encouraged me to start a blog because I talk too much and actually enjoying writing ‘stuff’. I remember writing my first post and I remember my first collaboration like it was yesterday, not 7 years of blogging. Its crazy how fast time moves when you are having fun, when you enjoy writing and sharing content hoping that one day it might help at least one person.

A July Dreamer was born in the middle of the night of the eighth of July 2013, in my small rented room after a long day at my first graduate job. I had zero experience nor did I have any idea what I was doing later on that this blog would be my side hustle, somewhere I could earn passive income. Did you know that before I arrived at calling my blog A July Dreamer I went through 3 others (Myrabev’s World, Myrabev in a Corner and Purely By Accident)? All these blog names except for the latter had meaning to me and I loved that but none of them defined who I was. 

7 Years of Blogging – Lessons Learned!

A July Dreamer defines who I am, I was born in July (summer baby) and I am a dreamer who is often lost in the clouds daydreaming about a future I want to create for myself and my family. On A July Dreamer, you can find anything from travel, fashion, beauty to lifestyle and over the years, the blog has evolved into what it is today. But that didn’t come without learning via trial and error and after 7 years of blogging, this is what I have learned. 

Consistency is King

When I started blogging, I had so much to talk about whether that was content worth sharing is another question. I felt the need to blog every single day and share my every waking thought with my nonexistent readers. Over the years I have come to learn whilst consistency is key, you don’t have to blog every single day. You can create a schedule and accustom your audience to expect content on a certain day or days.

I struggled with reducing how often I shared content, I was heavy on quantity than quality and this showed in my SEOs for the website. In recent months I have taken the time to clean up some of the old posts but I still have a long way to go. For any new bloggers out there needing to advise, don’t overwhelm yourself and feel you need to blog every day, so long as you blog once a week then you are fine. 

Authenticity above all else

Being an authentic blogger is not that hard, you can be one by being true to yourself and be open with your audience. Until I started blogging I didn’t know just how many bloggers are not truly authentic to their own cause and share content that they don’t even believe in. Being authentic is about being honest with yourself, with your audience and with your customer. There are anonymous bloggers out there and it works for them but there are brands who which to know who they are working with and if you are truly who you say you are and are trustworthy. 

You also have to decide what authenticity means to you if you think it is important as you develop a relationship with your readers and/or customers depending on what your blog is about. For me being authentic is being true to myself and as a blogger sharing content I believe in, recommending products I have tried and giving an honest opinion. 

Value your content and your blog

When I started blogging, I didn’t truly value my content nor my blog because I thought it was just my small corner of the world was I mumbled. I did not think it would become a small place on the internet where I share what I love, work with incredible brands that I already either love or are open to trying. As a novice blogger, I didn’t appreciate the work that went into running a blog and thereby I undersold myself when it came to collaborations with both big and small brands and that followed me for a while.

It took me a couple of years to find value for both my content and my blog and charge brands according to what I believed I was worth. This is something I do even today, I don’t calculate my time hourly because each project is different, some take longer than others and some are shorter. Value your time, your content, yourself and your blog and also believe in what you can deliver. 

Comparison is the thief of joy

When I started blogging, I had no clue what I was doing but I found myself comparing my beginning to someone’s middle. I wanted to be the blogger with gazillion followers, worked with brands like Harrods, Mark’s & Spencer and the like. But what I forgot is that to reach there I needed to start from somewhere and as a new blogger I needed to start from zero, learn the craft, find like-minded people, have an audience (potential customers) and create my brand. 

For my first year of blogging, I was super stressed and though I shared content consistently, it wasn’t always content that I liked nor would recommend. I found that I had zero joy in what I was doing and needed to refocus my energy on something that I would be proud of. It took a lot of self-talks, relearning everything I knew at that point (which was little) and starting all over again and it’s about the time I decided to truly rebrand who I was and what I could offer a potential client. 

Support fellow bloggers 

One thing that I only learned after encountering some interesting characters in the blogging world I realised I need to find like-minded bloggers, form or join a community that encouraged us to support one another. Most bloggers are aware of Facebook blogging groups where you share your content which other bloggers read, comment, share or like in hopes of expanding your audience as you help them expand there’s. 

When you start out as a blogger, it can be absolutely daunting and terrifying also you find yourself jealous of other bloggers instead of thinking of them as inspirations. Meeting like-minded people in both your niche and outside of it can help you grow and develop as a blogger. When you meet one or two people who you can confide in on your blogging journey then you are most certainly halfway there. 

Passion goes a long way

As I celebrated 7 years of blogging, I realise without passion, dedication and hard work, I wouldn’t be where I am today. In 2013 when I started the blogging, I thought of it like a diary where I could write whatever I wanted without rhyme or rhythm. It was my corner of the internet but even then, I still had a lot of passion for an online diary.

I have met so many bloggers who have started and fizzled out completely because they had no passion for blogging anymore. I guess for most of us it helps that our passions help bring in a second income into our homes or puts food on our tables. Whatever your reason for blogging or starting a blog, you need to have passion for what you do, dedication to not give up at the first sign of trouble and hard work to push you through when you think about quitting. 

Blogging is hard work 

This is something no one ever told me about blogging, It’s all fun and games until it is not. I learned this the hard way when I started taking blogging seriously and thinking of it as a way to make passive income. As a blogger, you have a lot of responsibilities which include but are not limited to

• Content creator 
• Editor
• Proofreader 
• Photographer
• Graphics designer 
• Social media manager 
• Finance department 
• Legal department 
• Admin
• Customer service 
• Emergency contact  and much more 

I couldn’t believe how many things I am responsible for as a blogger. At the beginning of my blogging journey, I always thought you write the post, people will flock to read it. I didn’t think I would actively have to bring people to my site by sharing on various social media channels, informing/tagging friends with similar interests and much more.

Blogging is hard work, for an entire year of blogging I had earned £0.00 even if the original plan wasn’t to earn money but to just write to my heart’s content. Unless you intend to hire a team of professionals then be ready to jump right in – head first and get cracking at your new responsibilities. 

There are so many pearls of wisdom I want to share about how blogging has changed in the last 7-years and how difficult blogging is overall but I think these biggest are fine for now. As a blogger, I feel very empowered to have reached this far in my blogging career and I hope to continue sharing useful content to my readers. 

To my fellow bloggers, hang in there, you are doing great and good luck with your BTSs.