Some days I feel like a complete and udder blogging failure because I don’t chalk up with the other big money making blogs of the internet. But then, I have to step back and remember, why am I blogging?
There are many people making money blogging and writing content for the great wide web. The thirst to read, watch and score the internet for a variety of opinions is endless. But, I’m not that blogger. I tried to be that blogger but I just don’t have the hustle, the grace, nor the passion to create automated content for the purpose of advertising something to someone. Let’s get real, the majority of bloggers are earning money by selling you something whether it’s a brand they work with directly or indirectly.
I make most of my money off of advertisements. That’s why there are those obnoxious google ads everywhere. It’s because blogs cost money to run, and while I love this hobby, it’s an added bonus if I can offset the annual server fee and the url renewal, and the other little costs that add up in a year. I know they suck, but ads on blogs is how I can just have this space on the internet for me.
This space, this audience, this blogger, isn’t really the attractive IG worthy mom star of big contracts. I love all who read and follow, but advertisers don’t like that I can’t quiet nail down that niche. That’s why I started new hobbies like NorthernBCMoms and the Cloth Diaper Podcast because I wanted to create content for the right audience.
I love blogging…
I have spent my life as a constant oversharer. It’s partly my desperate need for attention mixed with my lack of confidence to confide in any one person. Nonetheless, at the end of the day I need somewhere to let out my heart, write about my life, and share with the void of the internet.
Sometimes I want people to read things, but sometimes like this post I just want to let it out. Let out the anxieties of never hitting 25,000 page views a month – I hang out around 14,000 page views right now – of never landing a big deal with a brand or sponsorship.
But it’s okay, because in the past few years I’ve met some amazing women and people. I have a little tribe of people that wouldn’t exist without this space.
This community that I’ve created of online moms is not my failure of blogging but my success. I might not be earning the contracts, receiving the press releases, or catching the attention of cloth diaper brands, but I have a community of women who support me every day.
That’s why the internet.
That’s why I blog.
Not to be famous, but to build community and share my story the way I want to share it.
Hi Bailey, isn’t there any way you could capitalize on your blog and cloth diaper expertise by doing cloth diaper consulting as a freelance local consultant? Or isn’t there enough demand for it where you live?
When I was pregnant I booked a baby-wearing consultant to help me choose the right wrap/infant carrier. She was working independently, not working for any brand and not getting any percentage on sales, I just paid her directly for the two hours she spent with me explaining the different baby wearing systems. This was the only way I could try many different products and touch and feel them.
I wish I had done the same thing for cloth diapers instead of buying many different cloth diapers here and there, and spending way too much. You’re probably the only person in your area who owns such a broad range of cloth diapers and has such a wide expertise on the subject. Isn’t there a way you could sell consulting hours to local moms, by advertising where the local moms go, or selling your consulting as a baby shower gift?