A friend emailed me distraught over what she should do as a blogger. She wants to write. She loves writing. But she was feeling so frustrated and stressed over all the stuff she felt like she “had” to be doing in order to keep up her blog.

She didn’t want to have to devote most of her time online to updating Facebook, posting pictures to Instagram, interacting on Twitter, networking, writing guest posts, and trying to figure out new social networks.

She just wants to write and live her life. I get that.Continue Reading

I haven’t set up my own blog yet; I’m stuck on a decision I have to make before I can really begin. How do I figure out what topic I should blog about? There seem to be blogs on pretty much every topic imaginable, so I know I could write about any topic, but how do I figure out what kinds of topics people would be interested in reading about? – Christopher

This is such a great question, Christopher, and one that many people have. Here’s my encouragement to you and anyone else who is considering starting a blog and wondering what topic would be good for them to choose as their focus:

Take out a sheet of paper or open up a blank page on your computer screen and answer these questions. There are no right or wrong answers. Just write exactly what comes to mind in answer to these — anything and everything you think of:Continue Reading

I am wondering if some of us are getting into blogging too late? Are there just too many blogs out there to really be able to get in on it all?

I have so many ideas, but then I do a little research and see that there are a ton of people already posting on these things. I feel like another blog is not needed.

So how do you make your blog something people need to read? The really successful blogs either look like they had money to put into it before making money or they have been around since the beginning. What are your thoughts? -Debby

Can I just encourage you, Debby? I don’t believe in any way that the market is saturated when it comes to blogs.

I know others disagree with me, but I hold to that statement because I believe that everyone has a unique perspective, everyone has a different writing style, and everyone has their own story. These three things will set apart your blog from anyone else’s in the world.

Think about book ideas and business ideas: there are millions of them out there. And yet, every week, many new books are published and many new businesses are started. Not all of them will succeed, but many of them will make a difference.Continue Reading

Ever feel like quitting your blog? Megan asked me a question about that recently:

I read your post about the three most important things to do after you start a blog, and I enjoyed it. I do have a question though that I’ve had for a long time, and was excited to see you were accepting questions! It’s a question I have asked myself every day for the past 6 months: What do you do when you’ve tried everything the experts have said to do, it’s still not working and you don’t have any extra money to invest in any more courses, consultations, or books?

I’ve been blogging for over a year now. I have read article after article, changed ad placements, guest posted, added better pictures to posts, wrote personal posts, have done TV interviews, have reached out to other bloggers, constantly retweet other bloggers, share content from other bloggers, and have recently re-done my site.

I still struggle to get traffic and “conversions”. I may have 98 views on a coupon deal post, and only 1 coupon print. Honestly, I’m exhausted. I feel like I wasn’t “cut out” to be a blogger…only thing is, I love writing and always have. I’m at my wit’s end. I’ve tried everything I have ever read to do and it just doesn’t work…what am I supposed to do now?

I’m not sure if this is something everyone at some point has struggled with, or not. I just didn’t think I would still be struggling after a year. -Megan

Can I just encourage you, Megan? I think all of us have felt this way at one time or another. Personally, I know that I’ve felt this way multiple times. In fact, I probably feel like quitting every few months.

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Ever wonder what you should do the first few months after you start a blog? I answer that question in today’s post:

Currently, I am considering the possibility of starting my own blog. For the past several weeks I have done TONS of research. So naturally, I was really excited when I saw your post about asking you questions about blogging.

I haven’t been able to find much yet in terms of tips or suggestions for once your blog is live (like the first couple of months). It seems like there is endless information out there about the logistics of getting the blog off the ground and running. And then, there is quite a bit of information out there for different ways to monetize your blog and make your graphics beautiful.

But, what I haven’t found very much of is strategy for your first couple months while your blog is just getting started. I would be curious to see more information (from you in particular) about what you would recommend a brand new blogger focus on in that first few months.

Quality content is obvious, but what marketing techniques would you recommend and what strategies would you use for optimum growth? -Alyssa

Great question, Alyssa! And I’m guessing you’re not alone in wondering what some of the first steps would be once you’ve actually started blogging. {If you’re still in the thinking of starting a blog stage, be sure to check out my comprehensive post here on How to Start a Blog & Make Money Blogging.}

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Hi there! I’m Crystal Paine, wife to Jesse, mom of three kids (Kathrynne, Kaitlynn, and Silas), New York Times bestselling author, speaker, business consultant, and founder of MoneySavingMom.com and YourBloggingMentor.com.

My Blogging Journey

I never set out to be a blogger. In fact, this whole blogging journey has been quite a surprise — and a wild and unexpected adventure!

Let me tell you a little about it for those of you who are new here and wondering what qualifies me to be a “blogging mentor” (I certainly wouldn’t have ever guessed I’d someday hold that title! Life has a way of surprising us all, doesn’t it?)

Back in 2005, when my husband and I first married and were living on a beans-and-rice budget in order to stay out of debt while he went through law school, I started a small mommy blog as a way to chronicle life as a new mom, share things I was learning and thinking about, and just have an outlet for my writing (I’ve always been someone who processes best through writing!).

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