Thursday 28 July 2016

Some thoughts on blogging, Instagram and being a little fish....


Every now and again I’ll feel incredibly down about my blog, I’ll want to throw it all in and have a life away from the online world. Only to realise that digital marketing is my day job so I can’t escape it even if I wanted to and who am I kidding? This blog has been my life for 6 and half years, I’d be lost without it. But it doesn’t stop the down days, it was only this week a post I had put literally hours in to (declining a social situation to finish it)  have very little engagement compared to one which took 5 minutes to knock together. I often ask myself whether I’d be better off ditching all other content and just stick to eBay basket posts instead. It’s incredibly disheartening if I’m being honest. The comparisons to other bloggers and making sure you create the perfect content is a weight on your shoulders and the feeling of making sure your social accounts are growing up and not decreasing becomes obsessive too and when you lose followers you question, ‘shit, what did I do wrong?’ Ok so the new shitty Instagram algorithm has screwed things up for most of us but still, I was making good progress and now I feel like I’m going 2 steps forward to go 3 back. And what is this nonsense about Instagram themes? My God, as if we don’t have enough to keep up with lets add this to the mix! Is my background white enough? Is this product high end enough? It’s so trivial but for ‘social influencers’ posting the right image is key and when you don’t have that right image, that’s when the little bubble you’ve built for your blog begins to burst.

Not blogging full time anymore also means I don’t get to go to events and press days like I used to, it’s rubbish and I hate missing them but you know, the day job comes first and I get that I really do. I love my job and I’m very grateful to have it.  But I feel like because of this I’ve fallen off the radar. Don’t get me wrong, I still get plenty of emails about new releases but it’s been months since I last heard from some brands I thought I had good relationships with. I feel like the name/brand I once built for myself doesn’t mean anything anymore and I’m all of a sudden a very small fish in a big pond.

I still like planning my blog posts, taking the photos and seeing what you have to say about them, I have some very loyal readers who have stuck with me since the beginning, so I’m not going to stop blogging by any means. But I’m seriously questioning my ‘blogging worth’ at the moment and it’s making me a little sad. I’ve read a lot of other bloggers posting similar things along the lines of... ‘’numbers don’t matter’’ and ‘’I blog because for me’’  and to some extent that’s probably true but I know deep down you care about how many Instagram follows you have or how many RT a tweet got, because I do too. By the way, I’m not posting this for any kind of sympathy; I just wanted to share my thoughts and hope that maybe if other bloggers are feeling like this too then know you’re not alone. 

Anyway, if anyone has any Instagram theme suggestions hit me up! 
Just kidding... 
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8 comments

  1. The Instagram algorithm really has me down too! I totally feel as though it's basically impossible for anyone to gain an organic following on there now if they're a little fish like me. I'm so glad you're not giving up blogging! I really dislike the stigma about numbers because yes there are a TONNE of other things involved in blogging, but numbers really do still matter

    Steph - www.nourishmeblog.co.uk

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  2. I completely relate the everything you say in this post Victoria. I have been a reader of your blog for years and years. When I first started blogging (nearly 5 years ago) I looked up to your blog, I remember being amazed at how many followers you has when I had about 3! I think the whole blogging world has changed (yet again?) and it's so strange! It's ever so saturated now. I can also put tons of effort into some blog posts and feel really disheartened when they seem to flop.
    Thanks for writing this - it's good to know I'm not alone!
    Gwen x

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  3. Totally relate to this. The IG algorithm is annoying me so much as I keep missing posts because of it, I can't understand why the company are insisting on implementing it when all of the feedback is so negative! x

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  4. I can definitely see a change in the blogging world. I started blogging ages ago and it seemed a lot more friendly and brands seemed just happy to talk to bloggers. I then stopped when I went to university and recently started again.
    It seems a lot more 'cut throat' and heavily based on competition against each other. Not great, but I'm hoping it'll turn around at some point!

    Jaynie Shannon * / Morphe & Zoeva Giveaway Running

    xx

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  5. I am totally feeling the same and it drives me nuts. It is so true that nowadays blog success seems to depend on good Instagram photos, which is just ridiculous! I spend more time on Instagram than on my blog right now while it should be the other way round. Maybe that is also because on Instagram I do get at least some feedback on what I post while my blog posts hardly get any comments anymore.
    I also know how you feel about your job! Even though I don't have a job yet, I've had other circumstance who led to a loss of traffic on my blog. 'I feel like the name/brand I once built for myself doesn’t mean anything anymore.' I noticed the same for my blog when I moved from Germany to Luxembourg. In Germany the blogosphere is huge and there are so many events and collaborations going on. Now that I don't have this address in Germany, no one over there cares about my blog anymore. And even though the blogosphere is growing in Luxembourg, I'm far from having the same possibilities over here. I also don't want to quit blogging because it still gives me some amazing possibilities, but right now I'm back at the point where I seem to blog for me, myself and I, which is not what I think a blog should be for. I'm thinking about using another language on my blog, as English is not my native language, to see if it will make me more approachable for people and thus help me build a stronger community. But it's a big step and a big risk so I really don't know what to do :(
    xx

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  6. It is so nice to know I'm not alone, the IG thing is a nightmare, I'm missing so many posts because of it, and blogging has changed so much, it used to be so nice and everyone was there for one another all RT posts etc and now it is so cut throat and theres none of that anymore, its so sad :( xxxx

    Zoe ♥ MammafulZo

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  7. Totally relatable and pretty saddening.
    I haven't followed your blog from the beginning, probably just over the last 3 years. (though I'm sometimes one of THOSE 'readers' that doesn't always comment....) But it's one of the most long standing blogs on my feed that I read. Many others I've unfollowed as I just can't relate to them anymore, with their growing success for example, but although it's not your full time job, you're blog is still a great read and relatable. I love the range of posts.
    I've been blogging 5 years now and it has changed so much but I've also just come to realisation that I just need to enjoy it and stay true to myself. Numbers do matter and I do let it get to me now and again, but I'm sure everyone says the same..

    Caroline.x
    www.carolineelgeywhite.com

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  8. As a bit of constructive feedback as a reader... I think you need to weigh up what sort of content you want to write about, i.e. is it going to be a 'I write for me' sort of blog, or do you want page hits/new readers/a level of exposure to your blog - in which case if this is the latter, you need to decide what it is that readers want to see. Personally, I was initially attracted to your blog from the ebay posts - everyone wants the designer look or to buy nice handbags and accessories, but most of us can't afford the price tag. The ebay wishlists often highlight a number of items that come under the above category that not only look good, but are far cheaper than the average highstreet equivalents. You don't know how many handbags I've bought that were linked from this blog and been asked about them on the street or by friends and have been shocked and amazed by the response. They may take 7 weeks to get here but they look bloody good and cost me less than the cost of a takeaway!
    If you're wanting hits and exposure, work out what makes your blog stand out from the sea of others - why people should follow you and not the next lifestyle and fashion blogger than comes along. Most bloggers post tutorials, product reviews, paid-for ads, complementary stays/excursions, with posts about what they've been up to in their own lives, and YES that content is fine as filler posts and to keep traffic coming in - but if you post the same content as everyone else, you won't stand out in what is a competitive market.
    It might be disheartening, but it seems from your above post that you need to readdress what the aim of your blog is - a creative outlet for you? Or attract readers and exposure as a blogger. Unfortunately though, I think with so many people these days willing to give up their Grandma in order to make their blogs a full time gig, the two do not go hand in hand. xx

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