Hello friends! It’s a new week but life has slowed down for a sec so I was finally able to sit down and actually work on my blog this weekend. I refreshed my layout a bit (you like??) and I also got some blog post ideas out of my head and onto paper (and the built in editorial calendar on here) so I’m feeling really rejuvenated with blogging!

I absolutely love having this space. Being able to share about fun things I get to do and super cute finds (like this floral midi dress I recently found at Nordstrom Rack that I strangely want to wear to everything, lol) is such a treat, and I will never take for granted that it’s a privilege that people even take the time out to read what I post. This is my personal space and I love being able to connect with people around the world, even when it’s over something as minor as a lipstick, lol.

Since the beginning, I always believed in putting your blog first vs devoting all of you time to social media, and honestly, with all of the changes that have been happening lately with these platforms, I’m glad that I have. In case you don’t care about these things (or do but have been under a rock), the algorithms have changed drastically for platforms like Facebook + Instagram (ESPECIALLY here), and not for the best for content creators. Never in my blogging journey have I seen so many bloggers panic about engagement and borderline begging people to like or engage with their posts on Instagram than now. While I 100% understand it because so many have been able to monetize those platforms, I also did some research and truth be told, most of those bloggers that freak out don’t update their blog regularly.

Well let me say, they MIGHT post once or twice a week on their sites, but they’re posting 1-3x a DAY on Instagram. Yes, it’s easier to scroll on IG and see things immediately, but we also have to remember, an Instagram post has the life span of 3 seconds while a person is scrolling their feed, and maybe 4 days before nobody sees it unless they come directly to your your profile. If you put it into perspective, that’s a LOT of content to be creating for a space that has that short of a shelf life-AND THAT YOU DON’T OWN. And unlike using key words + seo tricks to help your blog get found on the good ole internet, you can hashtag an IG post to the gods and you will never be able to duplicate that long term effect with their search feature unless you’re willing to shell out big bucks to constant “boost” + make ads. For most, that is not an option, but I haven’t seen that many increase their blog posting schedule either so…. I dare to ask: if you’ve been nervous about your growth stalling, how often are you actually posting to your blog?

Look, blogging (and blogging WELL) is a lot of hard work. It’s not easy. You have to make it a priority so that it will fit into your already full life. You can get frustrated all you want, but if you aren’t putting time into creating your best work and actually putting it on your own site, how can you be mad if nobody is reading it? Blogging is NOT dead. There are plenty of bloggers that I follow that do a damn good job with balancing their content creation (many of them while still work full-time jobs), and they never beg people to engage with them on social media. Their blogs are the priority while their social media is supplemental (which in turn allows them to post consistently to their IG without overloading their feed or feeling burnt out from it. See where I’m going here?) You may think posting to IG is easier bc it’s usually just one post or an IG story but is that really enough to grow at this point, considering everything?  While the algorithms on social media are indeed jacked, you know what’s not? Your blog. If you’re cultivating a real community, they will read your content there if you’re actively driving traffic to it.

If you’re blaming your schedule on why you aren’t blogging consistently, let’s get real for a sec:  sometimes we are indeed very busy, but most times lack of content creation boils down to being a time management issue. For myself, I know my coin falls on both sides. But I also don’t complain about growth or engagement because I know I’m not doing all that I can to increase it. I know what I do and don’t have control over, so if I’m not doing my part, how can I expect social media to do it for me? Accountability in this industry matters, so you have to get real with yourself, especially if you’re trying to use this platform for something else. Is the platform to blame for your growth (or lack there of), or is it the fact that you aren’t prioritizing your blog and creating great content for it consistently?

Now what I WILL say is dead is the notion of just posting to IG and thinking that that is a sustainable blogging/business model to follow. It just doesn’t work like that anymore. Unless you resort to shady growth tactics like secretly buying followers + engagement or doing loop giveaways (which at this point, it still blows my mind that some of y’all are doing these), you’re going to have to put time into creating content not just for your social media, but for your actual blog. This doesn’t mean posting just to say you posted, but posting meaningful content that is either aspirational, inspirational, or teaches someone something. There has to be value in your content, and as long as there are content creators out there providing value with their sites, blogging will never die.

If you do this and work towards building your community and driving them to a space that you actually own and create content for (like your blog, or even your own newsletter), you won’t have time to be worried about growth because you will actually be building something real. And that’s what this blogging thing is all about!

How often do you post to your blog vs. post on social media?

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