An End Of Year Look At My 2020 Blogging Goals

 Following on from a post a few weeks ago where I shared how I'd got on with my personal goals for 2020, today I'm talking about the blogging goals I set myself. Back in January I was so motivated for a great year of blogging and set myself 5 goals that I really wanted to achieve so now we're almost at the end of what has been a pretty horrendous year, I thought it was about time I look back and see how I actually got on with everything. I'm not gonna lie, I don't think these ones have gone brilliantly but I actually don't mind!

Finally reach 5000 Twitter followers
I don't know why I try setting myself goals with Twitter because I just never seem to grow much on there. After being stuck around the same amount of followers for ages, I really wanted to finally reach 5000 this year but alas, it was not meant to be. To be fair I haven't tried that much. I've definitely been a lot more active on there over the last few months and I have noticed my followers creeping up recently so I have hit 4000 but I'm not that fussed anymore. I'm kind of done with focusing on the numbers so much, it takes the enjoyment out of blogging for me.

Up my Instagram game
When I set myself this goal I didn't even really know exactly what I meant, just that I wanted something to change. My followers had been stagnant for ages so I never intended to really try and grow it but I wanted to change my photography at least and I do feel I've done that a little this year. Really, I've just been sharing what I want. I've moved away from flatlays because I just don't enjoy setting them up and I don't have an endless amount of products to talk about and I just wanted to get the fun back with it. I've stopped caring about the likes as much, I've been posting as and when I feel like it and I've not forced myself to post often if I didn't have anything to share and I do enjoy it much more. I do tend to post more on stories now and obviously I'm working more on the Bear's Brownies and More instagram so my own Instagram feed just isn't really a priority anymore.

Earn a regular income from blogging
2020 has been a very up and down year in terms of blogging opportunities. I personally really noticed a dip in what work was out there around the time Covid started and then with lockdown understandably there wasn't as much around (or at least for me anyway) and it's only in the last few months I've noticed it picking up again. I couldn't say I've earnt a regular income from blogging this year, far from it actually, but like with Twitter, I kind of didn't try for a lot of it too. I shared some thoughts about blogging not long ago but in short I fell out of love with it and I just didn't have that passion in me anymore to keep going with it like I had before. 2020 has made me re-evaluate A LOT of stuff and blogging has changed for me. I needed a new challenge and something different to do everyday. Lockdown inspired me to get creative with baking again and obviously I then started my own brownie business just two months ago and that soon became my only goal and focus. So far it's going really well and whilst I'll still be blogging for fun, I can't say that I'm particularly bothered about making money from it anymore!

Get organised & find a routine
I definitely feel like I've become more organised with blogging again this year. Towards the end of last year I got myself in such a rut with leaving writing blog posts until the last minute, not posting when I'd planned and just generally being very dis-organised which isn't really like me, I'm a bit of a Monica so this year I really wanted to get on the right track again. Whilst I do have days sometimes that I plan to post and then don't, it's now because I'm either too busy with Bear's Brownies or because I have plans and that's life really isn't it? I'm proud that more often than not I've stuck to my schedule of 2 posts a week and I always tend to have at least a few posts ready in advance. I'm doing better than I was last year!

Share more book reviews 
I've thoroughly enjoyed blogging more about books this year and I think I've shared a really good variety. I only tend to blog about books I've really loved or felt passionate about which is why sometimes there can be big gaps between each review but I definitely think I've achieved this goal! Some of my favourite reviews from 2020 are The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, So Lucky and Normal People.

I might not have achieved every blogging goal I set myself this year and I can't say I'll set myself many next year but I'm quite happy with what I did do. Aswell as starting my own business and doing everything that entails, I've still kept up with blogging, I've made my Instagram more me again and just got through 2020. I think that's something to celebrate!

Did you set yourself any blogging goals this year? How have you done with yours?

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My 2020 Blogging Goals

Just a few weeks after I shared my personal goals for 2020 and at the very start of February (I know, I've left it late) it's finally time to talk about the blogging goals I'm setting myself this year! To be honest, they're very similar to what I set myself last year because if you saw my end of year look at my 2019 blogging goals, you'll know they didn't go particularly great. I did my best but blogging wasn't as much of a priority last year so I just didn't even really think about my goals until it was too late! I've started 2020 raring to go with my blog so I'm hoping if I can keep this up throughout the year, I might achieve what I've been hoping to for a while now.

Finally Reach 5000 Twitter Followers

To be honest I don't have the highest hopes ever for this because I'm just not as active on Twitter as I used to be but I would like to finally reach 5000. I find with twitter I go through peaks where I gain followers quite steadily but then it comes to a slow and doesn't really pick up again for weeks so I expect more of the same for 2020 really. I plan to take part in lots more comment threads as they seem to be picking up again a bit more now and I hope twitter chats become more of a thing again as I used to love getting involved in those and that was always a great way to meet other bloggers. If you have any other tips, let me know!

Up My Instagram Game

To be honest, I'm not sure exactly what I mean by this so I probably need to give it some real thought and really work out what I want to do with my Instagram this year, I just know I need a change. My style for photos has stayed the same for a while now and whilst I don't post many flatlay or beauty focused photos anymore, when I do I don't just want it to be the same as two years ago if that makes sense. I want to experiment with new backgrounds, new props and try and get creative with captions. I just overthink and get embarrassed if I ramble on too much, anyone else feel the same? My following has been stagnant for a while now so I'm not setting myself an official goal with that as it's just so unpredictable. I definitely want to keep up with my insta stories though as I really enjoying experimenting with different filters, templates etc and I just generally enjoy posting more on there than my actual feed.

Earn A Regular Income

This feels like a bit of a weird one to share because no one really talks about money when it comes to blogging. Everyone sort of alludes to it at times and we all say that we should be more open about it but then never really do it. I don't really want to share what my income goal is each month but I do want to start being more consistent with what I earn through blogging and it feeling like more of a regular income rather than just phases of doing really well and then a month of nothing. I'm sure I'm not alone in that struggle but when you're having a quieter month it does affect you, or so I find anyway, it makes me feel like I'm not quite good enough so I just want to really push myself this year and hopefully have my best year since being self-employed.

Get Organised & Find A Routine

I used to pride myself on being really organised and in some areas I still am but I've let myself get into such a bad routine with blogging over the last few months. Towards the end of 2019 I ended up leaving my blog posts until the last minute and whilst that probably works for some people, it just stresses me out. I had a good few weeks at the start of 2019 where I got lots of content written up, ready to go but I've quickly slid back into that 'oh I'll just write tomorrow's post in the morning, I've got time' no, I need to stop with that. I generally need to just get back into some sort of 9-5 with it too rather than doing the majority in the evenings as then I really struggle to switch off.

Share More Book Reviews

I finally shared a new book review a few weeks ago and that was Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. When I really started to pick up the pace with reading again in 2018 I shared loads of book reviews but then last year I felt like I was repeating myself all the time so I kind of stopped all together and just did my book roundup posts instead. I'm planning on doing the same in 2020 so I can share each book I've read but I do want to get back into writing reviews of the ones that have really impressed me. I know book reviews aren't everyone's favourites but I just want to write about what makes me happy so when I feel a book is worth shouting about, I will.

So, hopefully this years blogging goals go a bit better than last year but we'll see. I'm not putting too much pressure on myself but I do want to push myself so I'm hoping everything will be achievable.

Have you set yourself any blogging goals?

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The PR Secrets Tag

It's been a little while since I last took part in a tag post so I couldn't resist the PR Secrets Tag that I spotted on Jenny's blog a few weeks ago. It was originally created by the lovely Jasmine at Thoughts From Jasmin so make sure you head over to her blog too! I think when it comes to working with brands and earning money from your blog, it's easy to think we shouldn't talk about it or 'brag' but I love seeing other bloggers doing well and we should all be proud of ourselves! I personally think we should all be a little more transparent about it, so I think a tag like this is such a good way to start.

Do you remember the first brand you worked with? When, how and what was it?

The first ever brand I worked with was Niion, early 2014, who sold different baking bits so I reviewed one of their new cookie cutters. Looking back now, the review was horrendous, as were the photos but at the time I was so excited that a brand wanted to work with me only a month or so into blogging.

How do you get the majority of your PR opportunities?

I tend to find Facebook and Twitter are both quite useful when it comes to finding opportunities. There are a few great groups on Facebook that tend to update quite regularly and it's always worth searching the #bloggerswanted, #bloggersrequired hashtags on Twitter. It can go quiet sometimes so I do also pitch to brands myself every so often which I've had quite a lot of success with in the past. I do tend to get emailed from brands/PRs themselves now too but it's taken a long time for that to become a more regular thing!

Are there any brands you work with on a repeat basis? How did that happen?

There are a few PRs I've worked with several times, especially SparklePR who are some of the loveliest girls I've ever worked with! Whenever I'm sent anything I always make sure I actually feature it on my social media and my blog, and I tend to stick to similar time frames every time which I think people like. I think if you can show you're consistent and do actually use the products they send, then it builds up a good relationship. I've also worked with Soap and Glory a few times now too which I still can't quite believe!

Who has been your favourite brand to work with and why?

My answer is kind of the same as the last question. I adore working with Soap and Glory as they've been a fave brand of mine for such a long time. And again, SparklePR are just brilliant. They're always grateful for any features I do which is nice as a lot of the time brands don't even acknowledge you when you send them the post you've collaborated on! Kathleen are also one of the best brands I've worked with. So friendly, and they even sent me a Christmas card! I love when brands are like that as sometimes brands do like to try and make you feel like they've done you a massive favour by choosing to work with you.

Who has been your least favourite brand to work with? What did they do? (Give a vague description but naming isn't needed)

I can't think of a specific brand, I've been quite lucky really that no-one has ever really been that bad. There have been odd occasions where a brand has took longer than the agreed time to pay an invoice which is frustrating, and there have also been a few that have wanted loads of amendments making to a post once it's live, but overall most brands I've worked with have been great.

Has there been anything big that you've perhaps reluctantly turned down because you knew it wasn't right for you?

I can't think of anyone that I've been desperate to work with that I've had to turn down. Again, I think I've been quite lucky that the majority of the time the opportunities I'm offered are usually relevant to my blog anyway. There's been quite a few times I've said no to collaborations though where there is no budget or very little. We deserve to be paid, and to be paid fairly so I'm not afraid to say no now if it's not going to be worth it.

What's your favourite kind of PR to receive? (e.g. food, beauty, fashion)

Ooh, food is always nice! I started out as a food blogger so it's always nice to get some sort of food or drink to try. I'm really into beauty now though so I've loved getting a few more make-up and skincare bits to try over the last few years too.

What would be your dream brand collaboration?

There are so many I'd love to work with - Yankee Candle, Lush, Essie, Bomb Cosmetics, The Body Shop. Maybe one day!

I've absolutely loved answering these questions, I think this tag is such a brilliant idea! Feel free to take part and copy the questions, I'd love to hear your PR secrets too!

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My 2019 Blogging Goals

Now 2019 is well and truly under way, it's about time I share some of my goals for the year. I have a few personal goals, just not as many as last year so I didn't think that was worthy of a full post but I find setting myself blog goals and having them here to come back to always keeps me motivated. I was so proud of what I did with my blog last year, despite not reaching a few of my social media goals, so I'm hoping this year will only be even better.

Have My Best Year Since Going Self-Employed

2017 and 2018 were great years for my blog but it wasn't without its ups and downs! After going self-employed, I put even more into my blog than ever before, it literally consumed every thought most days and because of that I do feel I did well in terms of brand collaborations and growing this as a business. I'm sure a lot of self-employed people reading this will understand the struggles sometimes though of how one month can be absolutely amazing and then the next, silence - no emails, nothing lined up. That's just part of blogging. Though I'm incredibly proud of what I've achieved so far and I'm so happy I've been able to turn this into a job, I want 2019 to be my best year yet. After a lovely break at Christmas, I've started this year ready and raring to go and now I'm determined to make my blog the best it's ever been.

Get Back Into Pitching To Brands

I seemed to lose all confidence when it came to pitching to brands last year. I have no idea why as it's not like I haven't had success that way before and I've always just had the attitude of, well the worst that can happen is they say no, but for some reason I just couldn't get my head into it last year. This year I really want to get back to pitching and working with brands I'm passionate about. Whilst it's always lovely to hear from brands/prs yourself, you also have to put yourself out there too and go and get what you want so hopefully now 2019 is in full swing and I'm feeling more motivated than ever, I can get back into this soon.

Reach 5000 Twitter Followers

This was my goal for 2018 but I ended the year on just over 3000 followers. I'm not disappointed in that as I still grew a lot on Twitter and worked hard on interacting more but I quickly realised once I'd set my goal that I'd probably aimed a little too high! As I'm over the 3000 hurdle, I think reaching 5000 is a bit more possible this year so fingers crossed. I'm keen to get involved in more twitter chats (if any ever seem to start up again?) and comment threads and really work hard on getting to know others. If you do want to follow me, you can find me here.

Reach 2000 Instagram Followers

This is another goal I was hoping to achieve last year but wow, Instagram is hard! As the year went on, more and more changes seemed to happen which just made growing your account was near impossible. It didn't seem to matter what I did, I just couldn't get anywhere close to 2000. In the end I finished the year on just over 1500 but I've hovered around that for ages now so I'm hoping 2019 is the year I finally get over the 2000 mark. I follow back so if you do want to give me a follow, you can find me here.

Get Creative With My Photography

This is a goal I'll set for myself each year as it's something I do really struggle with. I have times throughout the year where I seem to get into a good stride and create some really good photos (for me anyway) and then others where I just think I can't compete with anyone else when it comes to photography and I give up with it. I do think my photos have gradually got better year on year, they were absolutely shocking when I first started but there's always room for improvement and I'd love to really change a few things up this year.

I always like to challenge myself when it comes to my blog so I'm incredibly excited to see how it goes in 2019. I've got so many ideas of things I'd like to change and posts I'd like to write, a new year really does make me feel so motivated and I'm so determined to make this my best year blog-wise. Hopefully these goals will all pan out a little better than last years did!

Have you set yourself any blogging goals for 2019?

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4 Things We Shouldn't Feel Guilty About*

I'd really love to know if anyone else has found that the older you get, the more judgemental people around you seem to become? From GCSE's at school to choosing whether to go to university or not and then pursuing your career - everyone seems to have an opinion, and don't even get me started on people thinking they have a right to know what you earn and when you'll be having children. I've definitely not done things the easy way since leaving college and the 'plan' I had pretty much disappeared but I'm kind of sick of feeling judged because of it. I think with society as it is nowadays and social media being what it is, we all get criticised no matter what we do but I'm done with feeling guilty of how I live with life. So, here are 4 things I don't think anyone should feel guilty about (though I could have probably added far more!)

1. Wanting To Grow Our Social Media Platforms

As much as people say you shouldn't focus on the numbers when it comes to social media, as a blogger it's pretty hard not to. Whilst I agree it can sometimes be easy to get a little bit obsessed with it and almost too focused, I don't think keeping track of where you're at and setting yourself goals each year is a bad thing. Some people blog for fun but others treat their blog as a business and so kind of need to be aware of their follower count. I've seen many people comment online about how numbers don't matter and whilst I completely agree they aren't the be all and end all and I think the quality of your blog and your content is just as important, if not more, I'm not going to feel guilty for wanting to grow my social media platforms anymore. We're allowed to want to see results for the hard work we put in!

2. Changing Things We're Unhappy With

This applies to a number of things in life but the main one I see a lot of criticism over is cosmetic surgery. Now I'm not saying there's anything I'm desperate to change or would be brave enough to actually go forward with but I know many people online and who I've grown up with that have had certain procedures done and it has changed their life. Women, especially seem to get frowned up if they've had any work done as people just think you should love the body you're in no matter what, and whilst that would be nice, that's not the case for everyone. Whether you require dental services because you're insecure about the state of your teeth and want to be able to smile properly again in photos, or if it's something a little more personal, who are we to judge what one person does with their body? One small change could give them a much needed confidence boost.

3. Your Living Situation

I think no matter what your living situation is, whether you're living at home with parents, in a student flat, renting or have a mortgage, there will always be someone ready and waiting to criticise you. I think it's one of those things where if you're not doing exactly as everybody else is, or how they expected, then it's wrong. People who still live with family are made to feel guilty as it's just a given apparently that you don't pay rent and get everything done for you, but sorry that's not the case for everyone. Those who are renting like me, can sometimes find people judge because to them it's just common sense that you save for a deposit and buy a house. Many times I've felt embarrassed or guilty that we've been renting for years whereas other people I have know have already bought their first home, but I like my home! I'm not going to be made to feel bad anymore. No one knows the reasons why people choose to do what they do, and frankly it's none of their business.

4. Not Drinking

This is a big one for me and one that I find crops up at least a few times a year if there are occasions or events. It's just expected that you drink and if you don't, people think there's a big reason why. I'm not saying I'm teetotal, I do love a glass of prosecco every so often and in Summer sometimes it's nice to sit somewhere and have a drink but the majority of the time I'm just not about that life. I find alcohol can sometimes set my anxiety off and in the past I've found it's just not been worth it. I like to think I'm still pretty fun without the drink but I get the impression a lot of people assume you're boring or just a bit weird if you don't drink and I am beyond tired of it. Just leave people alone! I hate that some people feel they are entitled to know your entire life story and your reasons for saying no. You don't owe anyone an explanation.

I hope this hasn't come across like just one big rant, I'm just quite passionate about all 4 of these things and I think they're all something different people will be able to relate to. Let me know though if you agree with any of them or if you have any other experiences you want to share.

*This post is in collaboration with Tooth-Doctor

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An End Of Year Look At My 2018 Blogging Goals

Following on from Tuesday's post which was a review of my 2018 personal goals, it's time to look back on the blogging goals I set myself! I aimed quite high with some of these so I already know I've not achieved most of them but I'm doing better than I was at the start of 2018 so it's not all bad. I'm still really glad I set myself these goals and it's actually been nice to look back on them!

Don't Put Myself Under Pressure To Post

I've definitely been far kinder to myself over the last 12 months when it comes to blogging and that was very much needed after putting myself under so much pressure previously. Before I felt I always had to stick to my schedule of posting 5 times a week, I needed to be on time for comment threads, I couldn't miss a day if I was away, it was silly looking back on it but at the time I thought everyone would disappear if I had a few days off. By the end of 2017 I was frazzled and I didn't want the same to happen again in 2018. Luckily it didn't, of course by Christmas I was ready for a decent break away from it but I definitely didn't feel like I had before. Throughout 2018 I made sure if I was on holiday or if I had plans that I just took that time away from my blog and I felt so much better in myself for it. It also meant when I came back from a small break, I felt ready and raring to go again, full of ideas. I'll definitely be making sure I carry on this way through 2019 too, nothing is going to happen if I take a few days off, like any job we're entitled to a break!

Reach Out To Brands

Compared to the year before, 2018 was not a good year for pitching to brands. I don't know what happened but I just lost all confidence with it. In the past I've been quite happy to send that first email to a brand and more often that not it's been how I get collaborations (which by the way, has anyone noticed a serious lack available over the last few months?!) but once 2018 started, I just lost my way with it and it meant whenever I did go to pitch, I felt I'd failed before I'd even started. Towards the end of the year I did get back into it a little and pitched to several PR's which went well but still I feel a little bit scared about it! I'm hoping over the next few weeks or so to try and make a list of brands I'd love to work with and just go for it!

Reach 5000 Twitter Followers

I aimed high with this given at the start of 2018 I had only just reached 2000 followers so it's safe to say, I didn't quite get to 5000. I mean, gaining 3000 in a year might not seem like much to some and I've definitely seen some bloggers fly past me in terms of social media growth but I actually find Twitter quite hit and miss. I seem to have bursts where I'm on all the time, interacting with others and growing at a good pace and then other times it seems all the people that want to follow me, already have done and I just won't get any further. At the moment I'm at 3311 which I'm quite happy with to be honest. I think for the amount of effort I've put in with Twitter recently, it's probably fair where I'm at now and like I said, I did aim quite high to say I can find it hard to put myself out there sometimes. Fingers crossed I'll have hit it by the end of this year.

Reach 2000 Instagram Followers

Another one I did aim high with but at the time I did think it was doable. I don't think anyone was expecting all of the changes to happen to Instagram over the year though which has meant growing your following and getting likes on your photos, can sometimes be near impossible. It's another one I've had weeks where I gain quite a few followers and my photos seem to do well and other weeks where I lose about 20 followers a day and struggle to get likes on photos I'm really proud of, I just don't know what you need to do to do well on Instagram anymore. At the moment I'm at 1561 so I'm glad I've got over 1500. When I realised 2000 wasn't going to happen, I set myself a goal of 1500 instead and luckily I don't seem to be losing too many at the moment so hopefully I'll at least stay above that for now.

Reach 200 Facebook Likes

Wow, Facebook has been the bane of my life recently! The amount of times I've just felt like giving up with it. I've shared my blog posts on my Facebook page for a long time now but towards the end of 2018, it just stopped growing. No matter what I did, no matter how I promoted it, getting likes was just impossible. I really wanted to get to a small target of 200 likes for the page but right now I'm at 175 So not far away but not really a massive difference to where it was at the start of the year either. Does anyone else struggle as much as me with Facebook? I've also found my posts and photos have had far less interaction recently too whereas in the past they used to do okay. I'm pretty disappointed with this one, I just can't find a way to improve it. I just wish people realised how far one like on a post goes, seriously support people! It's not hard and it makes such a difference to bloggers.

Improve My Photography

I'm really happy with the photos I took throughout 2018. Whilst they weren't hugely different to 2017 and some might think they didn't necessarily improve, I was pleased with them and felt generally they were much better than before! I loved getting a bit more creative with my blog photos, coming up with new flatlays and adding in new props, by the last few months of 2018, I felt I'd really made an improvement and changed things up a little. I also started to take note of which photos seemed to do well on Instagram and if there was any sort of pattern so now I know what sort of style to go for this year too. I just want to keep improving with photography because it's never been my strong point.

So that's how I did with my blogging goals, a bit of a mix. Of course I'd have loved to have reached my goal with every single one but I'm just happy to have achieved what I did and I'm better off with each one than I was at the start of 2018 so that can only be a good thing!

Did you set yourself any blogging goals?

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Blogging Mistakes I've Made

I can't quite believe that I've been blogging for almost 5 years. Some days it feels like two minutes ago that I started all of this and published my very first post, and other times I can't imagine my life before it. As I've been been a blogger for quite a while now, I've made many mistakes. Some of the things I had no clue about 5 years ago, the list is honestly endless. As I had no idea what I was doing when I first started, I got a lot of things wrong so I thought I'd share some of those mistakes with you. Maybe it might stop you from making some of them in the future too!

Saying Yes To Every Opportunity

Whilst it can be so exciting to get emails from brands asking if you want to collaborate, it doesn't mean you have to take every single one. On a quiet month blog wise, any email coming through sparks a little bit of excitement in me but there are times when despite how low I might be on sponsored work or brand collaborations that it just isn't worth taking. It's only over the last few years I've really started making sure I'm only accepting campaigns that truly fit my blog and are fair because for a long time brands have been taking advantage of bloggers. A few years ago I didn't really know what I was doing so I was working for free sometimes, accepting insultingly low payments other times and bending over backwards for a small beauty product because I felt like that was the right thing to do and like I wasn't worthy of anything more. It was just amazing at the time that anyone wanted to work with me but now I can see it works both ways. Some brands always like to try and make you feel as if they're doing you a massive favour but they're not. Now I know what my niche is, I know what I'm worth and I'm not going to say yes to a brand who want everything for nothing. 

Undercharging & Underselling Myself

Following on from that point, I've been underselling myself and my blog for a long time. Despite bloggers and vloggers - all kinds of social media 'influencers' only growing in popularity, it can still a lot of the time feel like we'll just never be taken seriously. For a long time I've struggled when it comes to knowing what to charge when it comes to sponsored content because again, brands make you feel like them paying you anything is a good thing. But is £25 going to pay my rent? I don't think so. It can be difficult and uncomfortable at times to say actually, no that isn't enough, I charge x amount for x amount of work but we are well within our rights to do so. You charge what you feel you deserve, no one can criticise you for knowing your own worth. To be honest I still think I don't charge quite enough for the amount of time and effort I put into brand collaborations but I have definitely got better over the last year with really making sure things are on a more even playing field. Please, if you're new to this, or even if you're not, don't let people take advantage. If you don't know where to start with charging for content, a tip I picked up from other bloggers is to charge 4 x your DA, so if your DA is 25, charge £100. That's just a basic rough guide if you're unsure.

Following The Crowd

I actually don't think this is a major mistake I've made as for a long time, I've just done as I please with my blog but at the start, it was impossible not to try and follow the crowd. When I started my blog, I literally had no idea what I was doing. I was bored, had a lot going on and just needed to occupy myself. So, that's when Food and Other Loves started but I had no idea what I was going to talk about! It was only when I started talking to and following other bloggers on social media that I noticed the sorts of things that were popular. There were various tags I felt I had to take part in or be nominated in to get anyone to notice my blog, there were certain beauty products that everyone seemed to love and I didn't want to be left out. It's easy at the start to just follow everyone else and take inspiration from them because surely if they're doing well due to those things, you will too? but it doesn't work like that. Being different is a good thing! All of our blogs are unique, it would be boring if we all spoke about the same things, reviewed the same mascara etc. Now I genuinely talk and write about what I want despite what other bloggers are doing and it makes me happy. Don't be afraid to stand out.

Not Promoting My Blog

For some reason I thought people would just automatically find my blog without me really having to do anything. Thinking about it now, that's obviously ridiculous but it took a while for me to figure out that it takes a lot of work for your posts to be seen. Now I'm always scheduling tweets, it's the bane of my life but it works and on days I don't have any tweets going out, I really notice a dip in my views. Pinterest has also become a big thing for me over the last year, it's a brilliant way to generate blog views. I try not to be spammy when it comes to promoting my posts but I think I've found the right balance now, it just took me a while to figure out what was too much and what wasn't enough.

Putting Myself Under Too Much Pressure

There have been times in my past few years where I've been really hard on myself when it comes to blogging and sticking to a schedule. Whilst having a routine and posting on set days is useful for me for several reasons, I do think I've been a bit too obsessive about it before and I've put myself under far too much pressure. This year I've taken a real step back with it, allowed myself breaks if I'm away or ill, which I know sounds totally normal but before if I'd had a post planned, I'd be desperate to make sure I got it up regardless whereas now I just think, what's really going to happen if I don't? Absolutely nothing. Whilst I love posting so frequently because I have so many things I want to share, at times it can get a bit too much so I think it's really important sometimes to just take a step back and have a break. I find small breaks really help me re-focus too and I tend to come back to my blog with fresh ideas and more motivated than ever.

Have you made any of these blogging mistakes too?

Other blogging posts - 5 Must Have Apps For Bloggers // How To Get Out Of A Blogging Slump

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My Favourite Blog Posts #3

With blogging I find it can be so up and down sometimes. As I mentioned in my blogging slump blog post, it can be so easy now to compare yourself to others and feel like you're not good enough but YOU ARE. We all are and we all bring something different to blogging. Whilst I do struggle sometimes and put myself down either about how my blog looks, my posts or my social media (which is completely normal) I do also have times where I am so incredibly proud of what I've achieved and can't believe blogging was something I once knew nothing about. I still stand by what I've said many times that starting a blog is the best thing I've ever done and every so often I do like to have a read back through some of my posts. I've done two posts like this where I've gone through and picked some of my favourite posts from the previous year and I thought it was about time for another. So here are 8 posts I'm really proud since 2017, I'll leave links to them all in you want to give any of them a read.

We Got Married 

This had to be at the top of this list. I still remember posting about being engaged after such a special weekend so to finally be able to say we were married after what felt like forever of saving and planning before just making the jump, was amazing. It was a pretty short blog post but I love reading it back as I know just how happy and excited I was.

Planning a Small Wedding 

Following on from the wedding post, not too long after I posted my tips for planning a small wedding. I'd actually love to do more wedding related posts as they make me so happy and this one seemed to be really helpful for a few people. When planning a wedding as small as ours (literally George and I and two witnesses) it can be hard to find out much information as lots do go for the traditional wedding so I hope if you want a small wedding too, you find that post useful. I also really love reading it back too just because we really did do it our own way and it was exactly like we'd hoped.

Why I Love Musical Theatre and Why I'm No Longer Embarrassed by it 

Since 2016 I'd been posting a few theatre posts here and there, usually just when I'd been to see a show or something similar but this year as my love for all things musical theatre grew, I just wanted to share that on my blog. After really struggling with blogging for a while and not knowing what to talk about anymore, I decided I just needed to stop worrying so much about what other people thought and just post about what I truly love and musical theatre is one of those things. This post about why I no longer feel embarrassed about it anymore got such a great response and since then I've only felt even more compelled to talk about musicals and I've thoroughly enjoyed every post I've put out about it since. Seeing my first ever West End show, Wicked a few years ago just sparked something in me I never knew was there and now I can't imagine being without it.

Five Years From Now Book Review

 I've absolutely adored reading more this year, after such a long time not even considering picking up a book. At the moment I love nothing more than getting cosy in bed or on the sofa with a nice drink and a good book, it's such an escape and really chills me out. As I've been reading more, I've ventured into book reviews on my blog and like with musical theatre, it's something I'm so glad I've started talking about more. Out of all of the book reviews I've done recently, the one that stands out to me is Five Years From Now. I've lost count of the amount of times I've spoken about this since I finished it but it was outstanding. I was gripped from the beginning and heartbroken by the end of it and I genuinely still think about it now months later! I think you can tell in my review just how much I loved it, or I hope so anyway because I genuinely couldn't recommend it enough. The author herself has also read the review and tweeted me which made my week!

2 Nights in York

 I love love love a weekend break. Just a few days every so often for George and I to get away and relax is always something nice to look forward to and York was a place I'd dreamed about for so long. After getting married we thought instead of doing a big honeymoon, why not do a few little breaks instead? So we started with 2 nights in York, then the next month we had 3 nights in Paris and then finally a week later, a night in London to see a show. I love that we did it like this and got to celebrate in a few different places, each one I adored for different reasons. York was such a breathtakingly beautiful place and I've been so keen to go back since. Though we saw pretty much everything in those few days, I wish we'd had more time there, it was everything I hoped it would be and more.

A Christmas Trip To London 

How could I talk about my favourite blog posts and not include one from London? As long as we keep going to London, I'll keep talking about it in one of these because it really is my favourite place in the entire world. Though we've been in 2018 too, the trip towards the end of 2017 is one I look back on so fondly. It was a very spontaneous trip as George had a last minute work trip and it just worked out that I could go with him too, and as I'd been feeling quite low at the time, it was perfect. Though it was a work trip for George we really made the most of it, from having the full day on the Sunday to visit our favourite places and then see Winter Wonderland for the first time which was amazing, to having the full day on the Monday to myself before heading home, it was just lovely. I'm so comfortable in London that I really don't struggle at all by myself, in fact you'd think with anxiety it might be the opposite but it's like home to me and I had the most wonderful day by myself walking around London Christmas shopping and just sitting taking in the views. I think about it a lot actually and just remembering how happy I felt at the time and how at home I was, just makes me smile.

The Christmas Advert Hype 

I loved this idea for a post! Every year I get so excited for the Christmas adverts to start and last year I decided to put some of my favourites into a post. It definitely didn't do as well as I hoped it would but I don't even care, I love it and I'm so glad I wrote it. I remember so clearly the first John Lewis Christmas advert George and I ever saw together (it was the snowmen) and since then it's been something I look forward too as soon as Autumn hits, there's just something really special about it.

My Tips For Improving DA

 I've posted quite a few blogging tips posts recently but one I'm really proud of is one all about DA. The reason I'm so happy with it is because just over a year ago I genuinely had no idea what DA was let alone know how to begin growing it but after lots of hard work, it started rising and improving as time went on and I felt like for once I had something I could help others with! My tips weren't groundbreaking, as with all of my tips posts, it's quite basic but those are what I personally need so I hope if you're the same and can't be doing with anything complicated, it helped.

I think it's so important every once in a while to go back through your blog and re-read some of your old posts. As hard as we might be on ourselves sometimes, blogging is such an incredible thing and we should all be so proud of what we create.

Do you often go back through your blog?

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How To Get Out Of A Blogging Slump

Whilst starting a blog is literally one of the best things I've ever done, I do have times where I feel really low about it and struggle to find the motivation to even open the laptop. I think because there are SO many bloggers now it's easy to feel that you aren't good enough or don't compare to others, or that's how I feel sometimes when really we should all be celebrating how unique are blogs are and that we all have our own space of the internet to talk about the things we love. I definitely experience highs and lows with blogging and recently I had a massive blogging slump and took some time out. For a while I really wasn't sure if I'd come back to it but I did and I'm so happy about that, so I thought I'd share a few things I did to try and find my love for blogging again.

Take a break

First of all if you're struggling with motivation when it comes to blogging then my biggest tip is always take a break. There is absolutely no point forcing yourself to post something when you're not feeling it and it will come across to your readers if your hearts not in it. When you're buzzing with inspiration and passion for blogging, it shows in your posts so if you're not really proud of a post or are just posting for the sake of it, that also shows. I like to try and post 5 times a week and last year I was so hard on myself but now my thinking is, what is going to happen if I don't post today? Nothing! Don't be too hard on yourself and just take a step back.

Read blogs

When I'm lacking in inspiration I find reading other blogs really helps. There isn't much more that gets me back into blogging like having a proper read through some of my favourite blogs on Bloglovin with a cup of tea and just relaxing for an hour or so. Seeing their love for it and reading some fabulous posts always makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, and I just want to get back to my blog and write. It's also a great way of getting ideas for new blog posts, and that does not mean in any way copying, but sometimes you see something on another persons blog that sparks an idea for you.

Reflect and make changes

If you're struggling with finding motivation to blog there's usually a reason behind it so it's important you reflect on that and what's caused it so you can try and not get into the same rut in future. We all have ups and downs with our blogs, that's completely normal but recently I got really sad about mine and for a while I really did think about stopping all together. When I took a bit of time out and really thought about it, I realised I'd been putting too much pressure on myself to try and earn money from my blog and that needed to stop for me to get any enjoyment back from it. After going self-employed with my blog and it sort of becoming my job, it meant that I took it really hard when I had months where things were a bit quieter and nothing seemed to be coming my way. I'm fortunate that I'm not in a position where we rely on my income but that still wasn't a comfort, I wanted things to be as good as they have been in previous months and a really quiet month just made me reconsider it all. After a bit of a break though I decided I just needed to go back to basics and write about the things I truly love and if opportunities come my way, then they do, if not then they weren't made for me. And once I went back into it with that attitude, that week I had more emails than I'd had in weeks, which is just typical isn't it.

Remember why you started

This kind of ties in with the previous point but really just remember why you started when you're feeling down about your blog. I started mine because I just wanted a place to share my recipes and some of my favourite things and recently I've really stripped it back and gone back to those sorts of things and I've been enjoying it so much more than before. Whilst working with brands and earning money is a fab bonus that comes with blogging sometimes, that isn't my sole focus, it's not why I started and it's not what I want this to just be about. That's the reason you'll now be seeing more musical theatre posts on here and more recipes because those are some of my favourite things to talk about and really why I started this blog in the first place. It's so easy to get caught up with what other bloggers are doing but just take some time and try and think back to why you loved blogging in the first place.

I know I don't have loads of tips for getting out of a blogging slump and these probably won't be telling you anything you don't already know but these really did work for me. Just having a break and looking back on what I've already achieved with my blog made me so motivated to get back to it! Do you have up and downs with your blog? What do you do to get back into it?

Similar posts - 100 blog post ideas // 100 Instagram hashtags // Blog props on a budget

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A Mid Year Look At My 2018 Blogging Goals

Following on from yesterdays blog post which was a mid year look at my personal goals for the year, todays post is all about the blogging goals I set myself at the start of 2018. I find setting myself challenges and goals throughout the year really helps me stay motivated in every way really and I definitely wanted to push myself with my blog this year.

Don't Put Myself Under Pressure To Post

I've been much more kind to myself about posting this year. Though I really wanted to keep up with 5 posts a week, and the majority of the time I have, I've not felt guilty if a day goes by where I've been too busy to post or for whatever reason I've just not felt up to it. Whilst having a schedule is always good, it's not like anything is going to happen if you miss a day. This year I've also made sure to take breaks whenever we've gone away. Last year I still tried to find a way to publish a post whilst we were away when it could have waited, so this year I really didn't want to put myself under that pressure. I've been getting quite stressed with my blog and the whole community recently for several reasons so I've been trying to take more breaks from posting and just being more chilled out about it.

Reach Out To More Brands

So far I haven't really done much pitching to brands this year, I've kind of lost my confidence with it a little. Last year I had no problem getting in contact with brands and I did really well but for some reason so far this year I've really struggled. I've been focusing more on finding opportunities through Facebook, Twitter and other blogging websites and pitching to brands myself just hasn't really been something I've been thinking about. I ended up getting some really great collaborations by reaching out last year though so I think I just need to pluck up the courage to get back into it.

Reach 5000 Twitter Followers

I think I might have been a bit too optimistic with this one! There's definitely still time and I think I'm doing quite well with Twitter at the moment but I'll be surprised if I reach this target! At the start of the year I'd reached 2000 followers and I'm currently at 2619 which to say I never really see twitter chats going on anymore and things like that, I don't think is too bad. I'd love for it to keep going the way it's going though and I think I'll be happy with whatever number I'm at at the end of the year.

Reach 2000 Instagram Followers

I actually think this is a bit more doable than my Twitter goal. That being said Instagram is a constant effort and you always have to be working on it I find to get any sort of growth. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with it. Some days I post a photo and it does so much better than I thought and I'll see my followers have gone up and then other days I'll wake up to see I've lost 10 followers and a photo I was really proud of has completely bombed. I'm currently at 1380 and to be honest I'll be happy with anything more as it's so up and down at the moment, for everyone.

Reach 200 Facebook Likes

Like Instagram, I find Facebook quite a struggle! I don't focus on it much at all so I suppose I can't expect a massive amount of growth with it which is why I only aimed for 200 as that would mean it growing by about a 100 in a year which trust me, on Facebook I find is a task! I'm currently at 164 so any help would be massively appreciated.

Improve My Photography

I think this is something that I'll always be working on. My photos have come such a long way since I first started and even since this time last year I think. I'm not the most creative person so I do struggle sometimes to find ways to change things up but I don't think I'm doing too bad. I've bought quite a few more props this year to add to my photos and I'm just always trying to find ways to improve. I've put a few of my favourite this year so far below.

I'm quite happy with where I'm at with all of my blogging goals so far. I honestly work so hard on my blog and I'm pretty much always thinking about it and something I can be doing so it's nice to see some improvement and see my goals sort of going in the right direction, well most of them. Something I didn't set myself a goal with was my DA but I'm so, so proud that I've seen that grow over the last few months too. It's one of those things where they'll always be others above of you and it's so hard to grow but to say where I was a few years ago with it, I couldn't be happier with it. I'm just hoping to grow my social media a bit more now so if you do want to follow me on any of them, all of the links are below.

Did you set yourself any blogging goals this year?

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5 Must Have Apps For Bloggers

I'm on my phone far more than I should be but that's not to say I'm always aimlessly scrolling through Instagram and Twitter. So much goes into blogging that is far more than writing blog post after blog post and there are always things that can be done to help us keep growing and improving. When I can I like to try and keep up to date with all things blogging, whether that's commenting on posts, scheduling tweets or editing photos, I pretty much always have something that needs doing so I thought a post about the apps I currently use to help with all of this might be useful.

Buffer

I know there's been a lot of negative stuff said about Buffer recently as they've made some changes that don't make life too easy for us bloggers but they're still my favourite to use for scheduling tweets. I've tried others but I just can't get used to them. With Buffer it's so simple, just write your tweet, add in the link and any tags or hashtags you want to include and then choose the day and time you want that to go out. The issue I have with Buffer is that you can only schedule 10 tweets at a time on the free version so you can't plan days ahead with this but to be honest it's not a major thing for me as I tend to check buffer once I've posted a new blog post anyway so I can just get them all scheduled at once for the next day.

Bloglovin

I love using this app for reading and commenting on other blog posts. It's so important I think to support one another and a little comment goes such a long way sometimes. That one comment on a post could make someones day. I also find Bloglovin is great for getting inspiration for new blog posts. When I say that I don't mean outright copying someone, but sometimes you see a post and it gives you an idea for a blog post of your own.

InstaEditor

I don't use any fancy editing apps for my photos. I've seen loads of others recommended by bloggers but I think I do okay with a basic one called InstaEditor. This gives you a few different options when it comes to your photos, you can add a range of filters or you can just do what I do and adjust the brightness, contrast and saturation of your photos. I don't think my photos look too bad and that's literally all I do to them. The app is completely free to so if you don't really know where to start with editing then this is a good one to try.

Influenster

If you're wanting to work with brands then this app is a brilliant one to have. The way it works is that you add in all of your details and just start reviewing products you already own and filling out little surveys. Keeping on top of these surveys puts you in the running for any brand collaborations that come up. It does require a little bit of work, it's unlikely you'll instantly get anything from it but eventually you do get success. I got to work with Real Techniques via this app reviewing their latest brush collection and it was definitely one of my most exciting collaborations so it's well worth having and sticking with.

Paypal

I love having paypal on my phone as many brands pay via this and everytime you get a payment you get a notification. This is fab as it means you don't have to always be checking if a payment has come in yet and it also saves the hassle of only being able to look on the laptop/computer which isn't always possible. It's a good way of keeping track of your payments too as they'll all be listed on your account and as you get notifications, if you've been expecting something and it hasn't come through that day, you can send a quick email on your phone wherever you are.

Are any of these your go to apps aswell?

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A Little Life Update

I thought the perfect post today would be a little life update as it's been a long time since I last did one on my blog. That's mainly because there has never been too much to share to be honest, not that there's a massive amount now but I just felt the urge to write a little blog post with a few things that have happened over the last few months and a few things we have planned for this year.

Going Self Employed

The biggest thing over the last few months or so is that I've officially gone self employed with my blog! Though I've been treating this as job for quite a while, it's only recently I realised I should technically be registered as self employed and make it official, I'd just been putting it off before. Now it's all sorted and I feel kind of proud that I've took this step with it. Though I've been working hard to earn money from this for a while, now this is officially being classed as my full time job I suppose it's only spurred me on even more to make something of it. I'm really happy that I've still been able to keep up with 5 posts a week the majority of the time, and I love the variety of things I've been writing about recently. I've got a long, long way to go and some months are definitely better than others but I'm really happy with the direction my blog is going in at the moment and how I've been doing with it. I'm not going to lie, it was a bit of a hassle sorting it all out but it was worth it (and kind of legal) so if you've been putting it off for a while, it's so much better to just get it over and done with. 

Holidays

For the first time kind of ever, we actually have a few holidays planned for this year and I am incredibly excited. We recently went to York for 2 nights which was dreamy. It was a beautiful city and I'd go back in a heartbeat. Next up we have our honeymoon in a few weeks. We finally decided on Paris after being torn between a few options but I think it's the perfect choice. We're going to eat all the croissants we can, do as much sightseeing as possible and hopefully just have an amazing honeymoon. I don't think you can get much more of a romantic place than Paris so hopefully it will exceed any expectations. Aswell as Paris we also have a night in London booked for the week after we get back. We're going to see Kinky Boots which I'm incredibly excited for, I've been wanting to see another west end show ever since we first went to see Wicked. There were so many to choose from but Kinky Boots is more much reasonably priced and it looks like such a feel good show. I'm obsessed with the soundtrack at the moment! Aswell as seeing a show, I just can't wait to be back there seeing all of our favourite places and taking it all in.

Anxiety

I mentioned in a post towards the end of 2017 that I'd finally taken the plunge and started medication for my anxiety which at first worked wonders. I just felt so much calmer and like my head was much clearer, but I'd say once the side effects wore off, so did everything else so I'm kind of back at square one again. One medication that works for one person might not work for another so I just need to find what works for me. I'd definitely say I have up and down days, but I always have and the tablets certainly didn't have a drastic effect. I think having some plans and having stuff to really look forward has really helped actually and sort of made me stay positive. I also think I'm finally getting somewhere with starting councelling too, unfortunately private is the only option as I wasn't getting anywhere any other way, but it will totally be worth it. At the moment some days I can go all day feeling totally fine, have no anxious thoughts, no constant checking for anything that could be wrong with me (health anxiety has been extreme recently) but then others I really struggle. When I'm having a bad day, I just try to take extra care of myself, and if I have a day where I don't accomplish much or venture far out of bed, it doesn't matter. Some days are just better than others but I'm working on it.

Home

I've had mixed feelings about the flat recently. The majority of the time I absolutely love it and will be so happy with what we've done to it and others I just feel like completely changing everything! I do feel like every year it becomes more and more like 'ours' though. It isn't officially but we're pretty free to do what we like to it so I think we've reached a point where we've put our own stamp on it, as much as we can really. A few extra touches have been added to the living room and the bedroom, the spare room is FINALLY becoming an office and should be done soon, and we have plans for the bathroom so I feel like it's all coming together. The spare room has been a work in progress since we moved in, but now we've decided on a desk, we've pretty much bought everything else needed and I just think it's going to be such a good little work space for both of us. When we first moved in I struggled massively and wanted to move out within a few days, it just didn't feel right and I didn't think it ever would but now it's properly our home and whenever we move again, I think it will be very hard to say goodbye to it and the home we've made. That's a few years away yet still I think but hopefully this is the year things start to fall into place in lots of different ways.

Have you got any holidays planned this year? or if you have any tips on Paris, please let me know!

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