Do you remember why you started your blog? Feeling like you’ve lost your voice amongst the reviews and sponsored posts? You are not alone. A lot of bloggers have voiced their desire to get back to more content, content that provides value rather than an advertisement.
With the rise in “mom blog” popularity, there’s been an increase in brand campaigns and public relations reaching out to work together. At first it may seem like a lot of fun to try out new products, write up feedback and recommendations, and offer cool giveaways to readers. Unfortunately it can get hard to say no.
Next thing you know your living room looks like a shipping warehouse, you can’t enjoy an evening with your family without needing them to pose for blog pictures, and everyone wants to see their product featured ASAP. It can become stressful and overtake your blog’s focus. This in turn can impact your relationship with your readers.
The good news? You can transition your content without having to quit or start over. I was that blogger just last year, but I’ve made significant changes to reclaim my voice and take my blog back! Here are ten basic things I did to successfully make the switch.
10 Tips for Transitioning to More Content
- Stop pitching for products.
- Gradually increase content while decreasing basic reviews, giveaways and events.
- Revise your PR page and about me to reflect your new focus.
- Create a content calendar. If a pitch doesn’t fit well within it, pass. Plan out ideas in advance and pay attention to your posting schedule.
- Learn to say no. It’ll be hard at first, but you need to be firm with your focus.
- Create valuable, relevant content. If you continue some reviews and sponsored opportunities, fit them into a story or some other evergreen content idea. Don’t read like a commercial – be a storyteller.
- Get more personal. Inject you and your personality into your posts whether it is a story, a recipe or a craft tutorial.
- Find other bloggers with similar goals and support each other.
- Communicate with your readers. Engage with them. They’ll appreciate a heads up to major changes such as going from posting a giveaway daily to never again.
- Stop looking at the numbers. They will likely drop (at least for awhile), but you’ll be building a community of loyal readers.
Then, enjoy how freeing it is to have your writing be driven by your interests rather than by deadlines.
I hope this helps some of you who are struggling to break out of the constant review and giveaway cycle. Shifting away from being a review and giveaway blog has not always been easy, but I’ve found it rewarding. Plus, now I can concentrate more on the brand relationships I do have without feeling like I’m being pulled in a million directions.
Have you shifted your content focus? What things have made it difficult or enjoyable?
Bio:
Darcy Zalewski is a work at home mom with a daughter born in 2010 and a son born in December of 2012. Thankfully she never fully grew up and still loves to play with toys. She shares her experiences and passions about birth and parenting on her blog, Tales From the Nursery.
Not stressing over what to do for the next giveaway hop is nice. I do need to make a PR page, but no idea where to start.
Love your post, Darcy! Your tips are spot-on. I am not totally off reviews – but am being super-selective when it comes to products and sponsored posts, too. Like you said, it’s important to build a community of readers/followers, so making these types of posts read as stories helps with that. Saying no can be challenging, but when you see how rewarding it is to get genuine comments and feedback, you’ll remember how wonderful it is to have a blog that is all you.
Great post! I totally agree with your recommendations. I found myself overwhelmed and turning into *just another review blog*. I lost my focus, lost the enjoyment of blogging, and it started to feel just like a job. Thankfully, now that I’ve moved to more content, I’m rediscovering my love for blogging again.
Excellent tips! I’m still doing reviews because I do enjoy doing them when it’s something we really want. The sad thing is, I was going through all my son’s pictures for the last two years, and I realized that 90% of them are for reviews. I have hardly any pictures of my son that don’t look like he’s posing for a billboard!
It’s all about balance. Great post and at the end of the day you need to decide what your blog will be and who you would like to target. Some readers only read blogs if they get an incentive, like a contest. Some others don’t even read blogs with contests. That’s not always easy to reach to right audience.