Getting Back to the Honeymoon Stage of Blogging

September 21, 2015

Your inbox is overflowing with unread emails. You haven’t scheduled any tweets for this week and don’t even get started on how badly you need to tackle your blog’s comment section.

Remember when blogging was fun, when you’d secretly hope for your weekend plans to fall through so you could sit under the covers and write a blog post? Ahh, the honeymoon period sure was sweet. Now it’s been replaced by procrastination, hair-pulling stress, and self-doubt.

Let’s face it: You’ve lost “that spark” with your blog.

It happens so gradually that when we finally realize it, we are too far out of the honeymoon stage to get back into it. The good news is you can fall back in love with your blog. It just takes a little time and TLC.

Get back to your blogging roots to rediscover your “why”

You started your blog for a reason. Get back in touch with your “why.” When I start to feel an overwhelming amount of pressure on elevating my brand, I remind myself, “Kayla, you wanted this blog to be a fun way to build a community of like-minded creatives.” Then I pull myself together and keep moving forward. If it makes sense, write these reminders on a post-it note and scatter them around your office space so you are consistently reminded why you started.

Join a community

What better way to get psyched about blogging again than by connecting with other bloggers? Just because many of us are blogging solo doesn’t mean we have to do everything solo. Being surrounded by genuine encouragement and support from other creatives that “get it” can help comfort you while reigniting your passion for blogging.

Not sure where to start? I created a list of my absolute favorite Twitter chats to get you started. If you’re looking for a casual, creative community to help you get your feet wet, we’d love to see you in #createlounge!

Stop worrying about numbers

Numbers commonly cause us to doubt ourselves. We might think “Why does she have X%  higher pageviews than I am? What am I doing wrong?” First, get your head out of your analytics dashboard for a while.

Numbers are only a proof point to your bigger brand story. They can’t (and shouldn’t) tell the whole story. Don’t be discouraged if your traffic isn’t where you want it to be or your bounce rate might be higher this month than the last. Focus on creating awesome content for your awesome audience and let that be the driving force behind everything you do.

Experiment with a new platform

Sometimes you need a change of pace. If you feel like you’ve been scheduling the same posts to the same platforms, it may be time for something new. Maybe you’ve been dying to create video content. YouTube, Google Hangouts on Air, and Periscope (my personal favorite!) are all great places to start. This is your excuse to try something new and get adventurous! You may inspire your readers to do the same.

Collaborate with one of your favorite bloggers

Feeling stagnant with your content and feeling alone in the process? A dynamite collaboration may be just what you need. Choose someone in your niche who has content you’ve been gushing over and who you know is regularly open to collaborations. Write your pitch and start collaborating! Webinars, pass-the-scopes, Instagram challenge, whatever it may be, you’ll tap into a new audience while making a blog bestie (or BBFF, as I like to call it) in the process.

Go back to the drawing board

If you feel unrest when thinking about where your brand is headed, maybe you need a refresh or rebrand. A refresh will help you tweak elements of your brand while a rebrand tackles everything: changing your visuals, niche, target audience, etc. Take some time to reevaluate your vision and decide if a refresh or rebrand will help you fall back in love with your blog. If you settle on rebranding, here are tips to help you rock it.

I want to see you fall back in love with what you do.