Dear Blogging Newbie – It Is Your Time to Shine

Guest post by Felissa Elfenbein 

The sky is the limit for what you can do and where you can go with your blog. Trust me I know. You have a new career path set out before you where you are the one in charge and you call the shots. You are so excited. You have so many ideas. Dreams. Desires.  You want to do everything and experience everything and be a part of everything that you come across. Don’t just dip your toes in dive right in and take the plunge.

Sure there are rules and theories about how to do something and you can spend hours trying to digest it all. Don’t try. Start writing and sharing and interacting on social media and when the time comes that you need to learn the rules they will be there for you to learn. Right now focus on creating content and having fun. Unless you have a plan in place to go from zero page views to a million page views in the next six months, you should:

• Stick with the basics — Grow your reach and readership and social media numbers. Don’t get stuck in the mundane. If you are serious about blogging as a career devote 15 minutes a day to learn something new, registered for BlogPaws 2015, find yourself a blogging mentor that you aspire to be as influential as. Put in the time but honestly the most important thing you can do is create content and let your enthusiasm shine through. Apply for campaigns that you feel passionate about. Will you get in probably not the first few times you apply but as your page views grow and your social media numbers climb your passion and enthusiasm and fit with a brand can and will put you in the running for a campaign where everyone else is a seasoned veteran. I know that this is the heart of the issue. But stop for a minute and think about it. Do you really feel like you align with the brand? Do you feel like you can create content that will not only share the information the brand wants out there but do so in a way that will engage your audience? Right now you feel so passionate about blogging. Everything is a new adventure for you. You want to do it all and see it all. Put that passion into your blogging and people will start to take notice. Your numbers will grow and you will continue blogging. Don’t let blogging become a chore with a checklist you have to accomplish.
• Push for what you want — Don’t sit back and wish for something to happen without creating a process to get there. But don’t push for each step before you are ready. Let it happen in a natural progression. Dig your heels into the ground and be prepared for the long road ahead.

There are no ruby slippers in this adventure.  You have two choices. This can be a fun hobby for you or it can be the road to an amazing life changing career. 

(Photo Shutterstock: Two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels)