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ProBlogger: What Defines Blogging Success For You?

ProBlogger: What Defines Blogging Success For You?

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What Defines Blogging Success For You?

Posted: 12 May 2014 08:58 AM PDT

imageThis is a guest contribution from blogger Carly Findlay.

One day, during a ProBlogger Twitter Chat, I got into a debate with a blogger who placed all their worth on statistics. Small page views meant they did not feel successful. I tried to tell them that success is more than just page views, but it was hard to convince them in 140 characters.
One big ‘mistake’ I made with blogging was wanting to monetize and feeling left out when brands didn’t approach me or knocked me back when I asked them.
I was getting nowhere with sponsorship pitches. It seems no brand wants a chronic illness blogger. Even the brand who make products that save my life didn’t want to work with me. I’d hear bloggers talk about how easy it was to create a media kit and get flown around Australia to view product launches and receive beautiful jewellery in the mail. And I wasn’t getting those opportunities. I was despondent, measuring my worth on a lack of press releases. I’ve since learnt blogging success is so much more than monetizing. Comparison is the thief of joy and all that.
I was annoyed for a short time. But then I realised, I am successful without fully monetizing my blog and getting millions of hits. While I wasn’t being inundated with offers to review products, I was getting offers from influential people that wanted to work with me. Editors, CEOs, teachers, charities, and causes. These offers of work – both paid and unpaid – have been more related to my blog niche and personal values that solely working with brands could ever be. Occasionally I will do a sponsored post for a brand that I value, but for the most part, I created my business plan to make money away from my blog.
Since I’ve started this blog (it’s one of many I’ve had since 2001) I’ve created a freelance writing and speaking career. I have written for The Guardian, DailyLife, Mamamia, ABC Ramp Up, News.com.au, BlogHer, The Daily Dot, Essential Baby, Kidspot, and Frankie Magazine. I’ve won numerous writing awards and been selected for The Guardian’s diverse writers workshop. I’ve spoken at conferences in Australia and the UK. I have also lectured in genetics and media at the University of Melbourne. I will run a number of sessions on writing and self advocacy at the Emerging Writers Festival this month and next. I’ve also competed my Masters thesis on the way blogging has helped me form a sense of identity.
Blogging success has also come from being asked my opinion on topics around disability advocacy and being invited to participate in events such as judging film festivals for organ donation and disability awareness. I reached out to Sam Johnson when he began Love Your Sister, asking him if I could blog his journey. He said yes!
One of the biggest things that has happened to me because of my blog was being asked to speak at a university conference in the UK after the university program found my blog. They tweeted a link to my blog, I thanked them, we formed a working relationship and they invited me to speak. My hospital helped fund my trip – I was their first academic patient that they sponsored to speak at an international conference!
Lastly, I receive messages from blog readers who are struggling with their appearance, or a new parent to a baby with Ichthyosis (the same skin condition as I have), telling me that my story has made a difference to them. Occassionally I receive an email from a reader telling me they felt alone until they found my blog and can now see some hope for themselves or their child, and have been encouraged to seek medical or psychological help. Through blogging I’ve come in contact with so many people from around the world, and I’ve personally met a few other people with Ichthyosis. I have had so many people write to me saying they’re confident to tell their story about Ichthyosis to their families, friends or wider communities (or even online) now. Hearing about empowerment like that is better than huge numbers of page views.
I believe that statistics don’t necessarily equal success. Bloggers can look for other ways to reach success, form communities, and feel intrinsically rewarded through knowing their blog makes a difference to readers.

My Top Five Tips:

  1. Find your niche
  2. Don’t become focused on or despondent with page views
  3. If you want your business to be blogging, see how you can diversify to make money beyond your blog
  4. Value your readers and celebrate that you’re making a difference to them
  5. Keep at it!
Carly Findlay is a blogger based in Melbourne, Australia, writing about what it’s like to look different. She blogs at carlyfindlay.blogspot.com and tweets at @carlyfindlay. 

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger
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What Defines Blogging Success For You?
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How I Would Help Entrepreneurs if I Were the President

Posted: 12 May 2014 06:55 AM PDT

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Starting a business is HARD as shit.

I don’t care what any politician, any magazine, any journalist says… it is hard and if you believe in those overnight rags-to-riches in one of those “Fast Company” articles, please bang your head against your laptop/phone screen right now.

Thomas Edison said “success is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration.” Well, im telling you it’s more like 0.00001% and 99.99999%.

Of course, what’s even more obnoxiously annoying is how the government is claiming to be champions of small business (Obama’s “Yes We Can” is more like… “Yes We Take”), yet at the end of every month they have their hand sticking out, expecting to get paid for zero work they’ve done and zero risk they’ve taken.

I’m no anarchist. I’m no green tea party member. I’m no libertarian. But I do believe that in capitalism, entrepreneurs and the businesses they create (and hence the jobs they create) are the basic fabric of society. If you piss us off, we’ll either find ways to relieve that anger.. or just move. (No wonder so many internet companies are leaving US.)

Governments (and society in general) treat small companies like they’re big companies. But Steve Blank notes, small companies and startups are not big companies. So why should they be treated as such? (including taxes)

I have no desire to run for government office, but if I were the president and were looking for some kind of REAL economic reform, I wouldn’t be trying to “create” jobs bailing out banks and finance companies, as they don’t create value. IT’s like they’re trying to help an alcoholic quit by giving him more alcohol because his body is shaking from the alcohol withdrawal symptoms. Remember, an alcoholic is SUPPOSED to be withdrawing from alcohol to freakin’ quit.

Here are some PRACTICAL things the government can do

1) No corporate tax of any kind for companies if they’re under 5 years in operation and less than $250k in net revenue.

Children aren’t little adults. They are minors – they have their own set of rules, and a big chunk of adult rules don’t apply to them. Why don’t we do the same for companies that are just starting out so that we can give them a chance to succeed?

I would say if your company meets BOTH of these criteria

  • under 5 years in operation (as business entity of some sort)
  • under $250k net revenue (i.e. total revenue – cost of goods sold) – actually this is Mark Cuban’s idea, but i modified it .. net seems more logical than total (if you make $250k but spent $250k in goods to make that, you might as well not have done anything)

Then you don’t pay any corporate tax whatsoever. None. Zilch.

2) Free government healthcare for startups*

(* startups as classified from point #1)

Did you know health care as a percentage of GDP is the HIGHEST in US?

Staggering 17.9% according to WorldBank.

And you might imagine, the “expensive” states are bearing the biggest load.

 

Most likely, if you run a company, you notice that health benefits are probably your largest cost in terms of benefits.

This is ridiculous. How are cash AND cashflow strapped companies supposed to generate that much in health care costs for each and every employee?

Instead of having government sponsored healthcare for lazy welfare leeches, let’s give free healthcare to startups and their employees.

Im not a fan of forced redistribution of wealth, but since it’s there, let’s put it to better use.

3) TedX for Shark Tank (Shark TankX)

Bill Gates said

“If I was down to my last dollar, I’d spend it on public relations.”

One of the biggest reason for most startups not taking off is not lack of product market fit, not lack of experience, not lack of team’s abilities… but the fact that the market isn’t aware of what they do.

Unless you have a HUGE marketing spend (i.e. VC funded) or have some crazy growth hacking marketers to go viral, one of your biggest battle will be for getting some kind of press.

Shark Tank seems to have done a good job of getting exposure to startups and product ideas, but there’s only so many startups that can get coverage and there are only so many hours in a day that these investors can use to meet with them.

So why not use TEDX approach to Shark Tank? Have a “local Shark Tank” show in each and every city, hosted by local successful entrepreneurs?

I wouldn’t say that the government should get involved as equity partners (government should never be in business of any kind, other than basic government stuff like military, police, fire, roads, etc.), instead pay for the costs associated with producing & getting press for these shows.

What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the comments

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