My Blogging Journey (So Far)

How my blog began

In June 2018, I hit ‘publish’ on my first blog post. I never thought in my wildest dreams thought that a) I would still be writing and b) that a little over two years later, over 10,000 people a month would be reading my content – truly mind blowing. What began as a fun hobby has turned into something much bigger and I am so proud of ‘past me’ for biting the bullet and going for it.

When I started my blog, I was a lonely stay at home mum to a two year old and a one year old. Life was chaotic enough but I felt a real pull towards needing something in my life where I could express my creative side. I had pondered launching a blog for a long time but I always doubted myself – whether I would have enough things to write about, whether any one would be interested in what I had to say.

One day, something changed. I began reading about the journeys of other influencers such as this couple and my mentality changed from ‘why me?’ to ‘why not me?’. Why did I think my message was any less worthy of being heard than anyone else’s? So, that very same day, I bought a domain name and the rest is history.

My first paid work

It took about six months of building my blog before I was first contacted to post a sponsored blog post. I couldn’t believe the email that I received and I remembered showing it to my husband and asking “read this for me… is this a scam?”. But it was real – I published a post on my blog and received payment for it a few days later. It was a perfect fit for my site and for my readership because the theme was weddings on a budget (my favourite thing to write about is saving money).

What I am discovering is that there is huge demand for family influencers when it comes to brands wanting to spread awareness of their offerings. I regularly receive invitations to collaborate with brands and it is really fun working to a brief whilst making the article relevant to what I know my readership want to read.

My current blogging strategy

I used to be quite dedicated to ‘staying in my lane’ and felt like I could only ever post about money saving topics. Now, I post authentically and from the heart – what ever topic I want to write about that day, I do it. I always think that if it’s a post that I would like to read, then other people would like to read it too. One of my most popular posts has been a recipe I created for chicken curry which was totally unexpected but just goes to show – post authentically and the readers will be there.

My blogging plans for the future

I would love to focus more on my social media – particularly Instagram. With the chaos of family life, it has taken a back seat. But I find Instagram really fun – I love photography – so it’s definitely time to dip my toe back in the water.