Dear New Blogger – An Open Letter

Dear New Blogger,

So glad you found your way to this letter, it’s a pleasure to be speaking with you. I hope you make yourself comfortable and learn a little something while you’re here. It’s important to introduce myself if this is your first time here.

My name is AP and I am a blogger of 13 years, wife, mommy, mental health awareness advocate, and a whole bunch of other things wrapped up in a fashionista.

Often times when we begin blogging, we have no idea where the journey is going to take us. We just have a thought or an idea that we want to put into words and share with the internet.

In due time, your voice and thoughts will reach an audience made up of unique individuals who just happened to pick up what you were putting down. You may fret for a bit about your lack of readership, but I want to remind you today not to do that.

As you continue to create what you believe is amazing and great content, you might find yourself playing the comparison game with other bloggers. You might begin to wonder why it seems that they are further ahead than you; don’t do that either.

Social media can make things seem greater than they are in reality. You can’t worry yourself about what someone else gets because that keeps you from focusing on what you’re doing. This is one of those moments where “stay in your lane” actually applies.

There will be times when you will perhaps feel pressured to keep up with trends, shoot the perfect angles, and shop in the same places all the other bloggers shop. I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to do that either.

You’re going to sometimes meet bloggers you once looked up to and find out they’re as nice as they appear to be online. But you’re also going to meet some who have trash personalities and you will be disappointed. The best way to curb that disappointment is by never putting them on a high pedestal in the first place. Remember, you are just as dope as your favorite blogger.

You may begin to think that there is some standard of blogging you have to adhere to. Everyone will have advice about how to monetize, how to make money, how to be SEO friendly, how to drive traffic to your blog; but there’s no law that says you have to care about those things. If blogging isn’t a business for you, that is perfectly OK.

DO NOT lose yourself on this journey, do not compromise your personal morals and values just to seem more important. Do not “fake it til you make it”, do not buy followers or engagement because you want to “cheat the system”. Just be YOU. As long as you maintain your authenticity and your honesty; those things will carry you much further in life than any amount of frauding would.

Remember new bloggers, there is no pressure other than the pressure you put on yourself.

 

With Love,