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Hey Beth! I know what you mean. I have had to really try to focus my time on the areas that give me the most return on my investment. There are tons of places I could spend it, but the breakdown is something like this:
-1 hour a week on SEO strategy–determining posts and titles for new topics and refining old ones that I flopped in the beginning so I can fix those. I’m big on making the most from what is already on my blog instead of cranking out new stuff constantly.
-1 hour a week (10 minutes a day or so) answering social media comments. I bounce through each one and answer the people who have a genuine comment that needs my attention. Facebook brings me only 0.2% of my traffic so I spend virtually no time there. It’s different for all of us, but Instagram and Pinterest are doing better for me so I focus there for the most part.
-3 hours a week writing about 2 blog posts/creating long pins for those
-4 hours a week on cooking/styling/recipe testing and food photography
-4 hours a week on product development
-1 hour a week on emails/talking to readers/emailing them
-1 hour a week on video production (I’ve been slow to adopt it, so there’s that 😉 )
I do hire out my Pinterest pinning. Hope that helps!
–Rachel
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Yes! I was wondering this too – that is SO helpful. Sometimes I feel so scattered as I work around kids and life and squeeze things in – I have no idea how much time I spend but a focused 15 hours sounds doable! (Key word being “focused” )
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This was a great podcast. I am already trying to really connect with readers and figure out what they want. I think the gold nugget for me today was not stressing about my list and not stressing when people unsubscribe. I appreciate what she said about wanting engaged subscribers rather than numbers.
Reply Absolutely Jennifer! What good are a bunch of people who don’t really want what you have to say? Gotta keep perspective on those “vanity metrics”. A big list does NOT equal an engaged list in every situation.
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This was a very informative podcast! What I took from it was that you have to connect with your audience. I have a natural skin care store. It’s not a blog while we do have a few blog posts. We sell great products but we are not connecting with our customers the way I would like. We need direction. I definitely took some gold nuggets. Thank you!
Reply Glad to hear it Ayanna! Connecting is really important. And not so much about you connecting and sharing yourself, as it is about letting your customers feel SEEN. That means talking about them and where they are right now. Good luck! –Rachel
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Sure! It was Casey from Media Wyse. You can message me privately for an additional bit of info Rachel mentioned about that.
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Really loved this episode as I am very new to food blogging, or baking which is my niche. One thing that I am really stressing me out with is the email list which I haven’t even start creating, cause I have no idea what kind of opt-in I should offer, cause that is what I read everywhere. That you need to offer some valuable freebie. As I am just starting I really don’t know what I can create right now 🙂
Really like all the tips Rachel shared, cause I don’t want to just be another blogger who spits out recipes and doesn’t connect with people. Now, in the beginning, I struggle what I should write in the content with my recipes, how I can make it be more engaging and keep me from just writing how much I love that recipe 🙂 A lot of stuff to think of, but I would like to do it right from the start.
Reply Hi Jeanette! The best things to use as an opt-in are VERY short. Think of the person you’re targeting as your #1 SuperFan with the content you’re creating. Is there a list of helpful tools that would quickly solve a problem for her? A list of mistakes she might be making? A recipe or two that’s SO simple anyone can do it? The biggest challenge is drilling down to what *she* needs, what *she* desires, and why she isn’t currently successful. A “bribe to subscribe” is simply a quick fix that will make her successful in a small way so she trusts you to continue helping her. 🙂 Hope that helps!
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I love the podcast format with interviews. And this podcast was encouraging, knowing ones audience doesn’t have to be enormous to help others and make a profit.
Thanks Jeni and Rachel!
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Jeni! I’ve been wondering what happened to your podcast!! I am so glad you are back! And I LOVED today’s episode with Rachel! What a great lady!! So smart and naturally funny! She had a lot of useful advice for aspiring food bloggers like myself!!! Thank you for sharing!
Side note…I tried to leave a review for your podcast and no matter what I did, it wouldn’t let me get much past the main screen after “leave a review” — probably operator error – ha! but I will try again!! Have a great week/weekend!!
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Loved this podcast, so relevant to what I need to learn. I think you I heard you and Rachel say that readers need to hear about new products FIVE OR MORE times before they go up for sale? That’s amazing! Guess that tendency to think you are being “pushy” has to go away. Um, like now.
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Kathy… Sales is just the transfer of enthusiasm from one person to another. If you don’t love your products enough to talk about them and share that energy, it’s time to fall in love with what you’re doing. 😉
Reply Hi Jeni! What a great episode – I love your interview style and the conversation you and Rachel had was so packed full! Is there a way to see a transcript of the episode? A couple podcasts I listen to have that and since I usually listen in the car or while I’m cleaning, I love being able to scan through it later when I want to jot down notes. I may not be looking in the right place (or it may not make sense to post it) – thanks! 🙂
Reply Thanks for the request, Bet! We’d love to make that available, but it’s further down on the priority list for the time being. One thing that can be helpful is if you need to re-listen, you can do it at 1.5X or 2X speed in iTunes! We do plan to incorporate transcripts at some point in the future though, Bet—thanks for the nudge.
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Hi Rachel! You mentioned, that you used to block Rich Pins in past, but don’t do it now. What are your reasons? I just tried blocking Rich Pins about a week ago, and I did notice a slight increase in Pinterest traffic. Great podcast! Thanks!
Reply Hey Tania—the issue with rich pins isn’t really founded on much. For food bloggers, I’ve seen an increase in Pinterest’s analytics/reach for pins without rich data. Other niches haven’t been able to replicate this issue. I had them off for months and had an increase in reach BUT that reach did NOT translate in to more traffic on my site. I think you really need to watch the bottom line. When I realized that nothing was really changing on my site, I turned them back on. It doesn’t seem to make any difference either way for me.
—Rachel
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Hello Jeni and Rachel! I’d like to thank the both of you for presenting the world of blogging as it really is. What really spoke to me, the “gold nuggets”, are to just keep momentum, learn from your mistakes, and let your readers be seen.
I have just started my blog business (generally about gardening, sustainable living, my family’s journey toward a homesteading lifestyle, and other similar topics). I knew from the beginning that I wanted a business, rather than a hobby. My problem: I am analytical to a fault, so I find myself unable to proceed until I know what direction I’m going in. It’s paralyzing. Just to give you an idea, embarrassing as it may be, I only have two posts that are still drafts! They are ready to be published, but I feel that as soon as I do, I won’t know the next step and flounder. I have a fear of failure, despite the fact that I have a plethora of ideas swimming in my head.
On the flip side, my advantage is having an extensive knowledge of website design and coding. I basically created the stage for my blog, but no material, no substance, to be had on it.
The idea to help others is what attracted me to the idea of blogging. The love of writing brought me over the threshold. I don’t do well on social media. In fact, I hardly ever post on any social platform unless I am speaking directly to one person. I have a growing suspicion that it has to do with the “fake” feeling I get when I’m reading my feed (for instance: Facebook). I can’t engage with that. I had always thought I never posted on Facebook or any other outlet because I felt out if my comfort zone. It had never occurred to me that what I was really looking for, what I needed, was a sencere connection with other people. I also find I don’t waste time commenting on posts or sending a review simply because I knew I would be overlooked or ignored. Why bother?
I am compelled to express my gratitude for your honesty, Rachel. The answers are so simple, yet I know they will challenge me in every way. I know now that I just need to start, creating content and products. Once I do, and I make unavoidable mistakes, I will learn from them without fear. I will make one-on-one connections with others because that is the kind of business I want to run. Thank you both again for your encouraging message!
-Jennifer
Reply Hey Jennifer! You know, that’s a great place to be in–willing to move forward without being perfect. It’s so easy to feel paralyzed but if you’ll dig for the real person you are and let that shine beyond your stats and code, your readers will connect with you. There’s a huge homesteading market out there. Don’t be afraid to find your people.
–Rachel
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What a great episode! Rachel, you are so real. And your business strategy and purpose of connecting with your readers is, too. I was driving when I listened so I’m walking back through some of the nuggets… from an about page that isn’t all about me, to an engaged email list, to doing the right things consistently and not everything… thank you both!
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What a great podcast! I so enjoyed Rachel’s message, she reminds me of myself in many ways — how and why we got started blogging and the constant SEARCH! It was a good reminder to focus on connection, I’d lost that a little as I’ve worked so hard on SEO over the last year. Well, it’s back at the top of my list! Thanks for all the little tidbits that will help me course correct in places I needed it.
Reply It’s a balance of things Judy! If you have SEO under your belt work hard to keep those readers coming back. Make those connections–they’re worth it.
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I’d also like to put in a plug for a transcript. I am a visual learner and if I try to listen to a long podcast (or ebook), my mind wanders and I miss 90% of the content.
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ALSO an Evernote person. I get a little crazy about it. That checklist functionality is ESSENTIAL in my day to day process as well as my big picture stuff. I have a ‘master’ to-do list that has two lists… my BIIIG list of dreamy stuff in the sky, but also then my 2018 goal list (containing a summary of strategies and tactics).
Then, I make a monthly to-do list at the beginning of every month that sets goals mean to reach for my yearly goals. It also has things going on or special events. So, taxes will be on April. So will be a trip that I am taking and maybe some of the stuff I need to do to get ready. It also has goals like ‘
On Sunday, then, I make a WEEKLY to-do list that is meant to reach for my monthly goals. It starts to get into the nitty-gritty of tactics here. On this same day, I make daily todo lists. As much as I would like to say that I am great at executing daily todos, the daily ends up being a bit more of a guide. It gives me guidance on what tactics I should be doing today and the things I want to get done, but I do my best about not beating myself up when I don’t get things done. Life happens.
The summary is that I love Evernote and it helps me turn hopes and dreams (largely intangible stuff) into actionable items.
My biggest take away from this edition of the podcast is a goal to be better about blogging to my email list. I set up my email as a matter of getting SOMETHING out there. Yes, my subscribers get an email that basically says there is a new post. That is it. I want to work to engage the readers that took the time to subscribe in a better way.
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Hi Jeni
Thank you for this Podcast. I found a lot of little nuggets in it. I’m running a small home based business but am new to blogging and want to start of doing it the right way. Its comforting to know that everyone started somewhere and even more comforting to know that they don’t all stay stuck in their ways. I’m definitely busy jumping out of my comfort zone, not eve just climbing out.
Ronel
Thank you so much for this episode, it was the most informative pieces of advice I have ever heard. I connect with people in real life so easily, but I have to figure out how to do that with readers too. I laughed so hard since I really did think it was about the recipes. Since I that is usually what I look for. However, you are absolutely right, if I’m to go back to that blog I have to connect with them. An honest and heartfelt thank you!
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I can connect myself with your story to some extent as it goes till end. I mean It just reality of every blogger who are hungry to connect with as much as people for sharing some that help them.
Loved it. I feel like listening podcast again. 😀 ( Love from India )
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