Being a “blogger” is always a term up for debate. What makes you a blogger? You make enough money to do it for a living, thus making it career? It’s your part time job? You have a blogspot account and just write casually? Whichever it is, there are some truths that arise when you do this blogging thing, and this is some of them.
1. People will openly come to you for advice.
If you have a blog with some type of category, you’ll find people coming to you for advice all the time on the given category. Once someone knows about my blog, it opens a flood gate of questions. While I totally love it, I’m still caught off guard when someone casually comes up to be for advice on the proper primers for their skin type, the right foundation colors, best skincare products, and more.
2. You’ve spent a half hour on a single instagram post before.
Every blogger knows insta-world is a sister to the blog-world, and every insta counts. If you have the perfect picture in your mind, sometimes it takes multiple backdrops, countless lighting options, a few different compositions and endless photos to get just the right snap. And we haven’t even mentioned editing it yet…
3. Yes, you get free stuff.
It’s true that companies will want to send you free things just for the hope that you’ll share them. You can get your hands one some awesome things, I’ve gotten clothing, makeup, jewelry, electronics, home goods and more. You’ll also get some really weird free products requests… Some of my weirdest requests for products reviews include an indoor piece of grass my dogs pee on, a his/hers pleasure gel (use your imagination..yep that kinda gel), and a re-usable rubber “tampon” (sweet baby Jesus, I’m all about producing less waste, but NO.)
4. At some point, you’ll get caught up in the “numbers.”
It’s inevitable that at some point you’ll get caught up in stats: blog followers, unique visitors, subscribers… The problem is, no matter how much growth you make, there will always be someone with more than you. Playing the number game is never a good choice unless you want to stop loving blogging real fast. Whenever I fear I’m following this path I remind myself that the only person I need to be interested in competing with is the person I was yesterday.
5. You need a thick skin.
When you put yourself so openly out there on the internet, you’re opening yourself to criticism. And trust me, people will criticize. They’ll make fun of anything they can think of, nit-pick small flaws about you, and pretty much just be all around rude. You’re going to have to learn a method for dealing with this. My go-to method is to let it roll off, usually I sing T-Swift’s “Shake it off,” and remind myself for every 1 nasty comment there are about a hundred or more nice ones.
6. The photos rarely look as picture perfect as they were.
Taking blog photos can sometimes be a nightmare. As simple and sweet as they often look, behind the scenes we were chasing the proper lighting, re-composing, moving locations, sweating, swearing and possibly having a minor hissy-fit before the photos are done.
7. Some people just won’t “get it.”
Trying to explain blogging to someone who doesn’t read them doesn’t get easier. It’s a confusing concept for some and a lot of people just won’t understand what it is, how it works, and how you make money on it. It’s the same with explaining your blog, I STILL stutter when people ask, “so what do you blog about?” “Um, it’s like, uh, see, I like coffee and, er, makeup and stuff..cocktails.” Seriously, I really need to nail down a tagline or something.
8. You’ll be caught off guard when someone in the “real world” recognizes you.
Even if you have tons of people reading what you’re writing, sometimes writing away behind a computer screen can feel a little anonymous. So, when someone recognizes you in your “real life” prepare to be totally surprised.
Any fellow bloggers, I’d love to hear some of your truths in the comments!
