The truth about blogging

blogging tips, Must reads!, random, , , , 107 Comments

Hello💕! Welcome or welcome back to my blog. (Aka your happy place😆)

I have a different kind of post for today – I’ll be writing about the reality of blogging, and what it’s like behind the screen.💻

I have seen a couple of posts like this on different blogs, and I wanted to share my take on it!

I hope you’ll find this post relatable in some way😉

Increase In followers does not increase your traffic

I honestly thought that an increase in followers, even just 10 could blow up your blog. well the reality was disappointing.

I was scrolling through my posts feed, and I noticed that my older posts from 2-3 months ago sparked more interest than my posts now, it had way more comments than what I get now. I felt like I had many people who actually took time to read my blog, and to actually care then. 🙃

I realized that I had more READERS, and not followers. Now, don’t get me wrong – I still appreciate every single comment or follow I get. Having 1000 followers doesn’t mean all of them read your blog or support you. 😪

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Likes don’t really matter

This is because most people who like your post do it just for the sake of it, just to seem “nice”. The thing that actually matter is a COMMENT. Most of the times, bloggers only leave a like because they skim read– but also keep in mind that some people can be shy to comment, or just don’t know what to say.🙊

There’s been times where I’ve really enjoyed blog posts, and I really wanted to comment something – but at that moment, I just didn’t know what to say. If I said “Great post!” they would think I didn’t actually read their post, and it isn’t genuine. 🤦🏻‍♀️

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What you read isn’t always the complete truth

I can’t stress this enough, this is all around the blogosphere. Let’s say you’ve read a product review or a sponsored post. The blogger might lie that they love the product just for the sponsorship or… 🤷🏻‍♀️

And that’s just one example. Let’s say you’re reading a daily routine post on a Lifestyle blog. what you’re reading is just a fraction of their day. they make it seem like it’s a perfect, aesthetic lifestyle – but do they provide every. single. detail of their day? No. They don’t write about their mental breakdowns, or their fights with their siblings. Etc.

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Readers > Followers

Thank you, Maggie for helping me with this segment!💛

This is something that I took a while to get + I wish I’d known this when I started blogging. When I first launched my blog, I would go on different account and follow myself..😬

It was until I learnt that readers are the ones that are important to build a community and make your blogging journey more fun!💕.

Quoting Maggie, “followers are an important part of growing your blog when it comes to monetization, but readers are of greater importance when building a community on your blog”

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From unsplash

Stats can be disappointing

Blogging isn’t easy – creating content regularly, proofreading, monetising your site, socialising in the community, being consistent..etc. Getting views or traffic constantly isn’t something that happens overnight ~

So yes, stats can be very disappointing at times, like when your readers don’t find your blog that interesting anymore..

But remember that you shouldn’t focus too much on stats, if a post you wrote got a lot of traffic, it doesn’t mean you have to create content similar to just that post – write what YOU want to, and not for likes or views.💖

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Thank you so much for reading!🦋

Have a great day and I’ll see you later!

Posted by

Heyy!! I'm Evin. An introverted teen who loves Harry Potter, One Direction,Blogging and making new frens💙 I have a cute little puppy called Oreo! I love him more than anything❤️🐶 I run a lifestyle blog and contribute to 2 collab blogs! (links in my gravatar profile) be sure to check them out!💫 Live life to the fullest and have a lovely day!

107 thoughts on “The truth about blogging”

  1. Ooouh darn. I felt the “I was scrolling through my posts feed, and I noticed that my older posts from 2-3 months ago sparked more interest than my posts now, it had way more comments than what I get now. I felt like I had many people who actually took time to read my blog, and to actually care then. 🙃” part.
    Like yes I got a lot of comments on my older posts but these days there’s like really less, which makes me feel that my blog isn’t good enough, ya know?
    And yesss Readers>>>>>>>Followers! Totallyy

    I agreee with the “likes dont matter’ like some people just scroll down, like and close the tab, I really look forward to comments, because then I actually know who’s reading </33

    Overall this post is totally relatable!! ❤ And also the "idk what to say at times, when i saw great post…." like lmaoo it does look like youve just scrolled down and commented for the sake of it 😂

    I'm sorry for this long comment but I just had a lot to say this time 😂😂😂👀

    Liked by 3 people

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    2. yes! You have a really awesome, supportive community when you first start your blog, then people just start leaving.. but don’t worry about your blog not being good enough, I think it’s really unique and interesting 💕🙌

      Yeah!😂
      Well, I’m glad you found this relatable 😌✌️ thanks for the comment!💙

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  3. Love this good blog evin, I don’t blog for followers or likes or comments (even though I love them all the same), I blog to get things out of my head, like a diary (or journal, in some countries) I also love writing so much, if it gets read then I’m happy, even if only one person reads it. Some of my blogs are very personal and very deep, some go deep into my depression, my lowest of lows, but also my highs and happy times, and also my day to day activities like work and seeing my son. I don’t write my whole day down, that would be boring but I write avout my highs and lows of the day, I’ve only been blogging since February, when I found a new passion for writing, I enjoy so much and it’s surprised me how much attention my blogs got from all over the world. I’ve now got over 300 followers, but some days only get like 25 views, it’s disappointing but I’m still happy i get them 25 views. Never be disappointed every view is another achievement, and also may be one life you save, one opinion you change. Hell even just one smile you have created, thats why I blog, just to make at least 1 person smile each day.

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    1. Thank you, rob! Yes, I completely agree with that! I don’t blog for views either, but I still find myself scrolling through my stats page a lot, but I guess that happens with everyone – whether it is, or isn’t the intention to get attention to their site.
      Blogging to get something out of head is also relatable, since it’s like having a diary, but public.
      It’s amazing that you’ve reached that achivement! Congratulations 👏🎊
      That’s true!😀
      Thanks for reading!

      Liked by 2 people

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      1. Your very welcome, I enjoy reading your stuff, and yeah I do check my stats quiet a lot 🤣😏 it’s up and down but I’m just happy they geat read lol.
        Also thank you so much. It does feel awesome to be fair.
        I also want to that every comment I get I reply to all of them, I’ve also set up a Twitter and Facebook page to promote, but mostly to interact with my readers, I love getting messages off my readers and having a little chat. I ask all of them if I can do a mini blog about them haha some say yeah and it doesn’t happen but I’ve had a couple that actually let me follow through with it, it’s fun.
        Thank you also for replying 💗

        Liked by 1 person

  4. I just read a blog post that completely contradicted these points. Ahhhh! LOL 😂

    You raised some excellent points. I cannot stress enough how important readers are when it comes engagement levels! 😅 It’s more than follower counts and the likes. They’re nice to have but having a lot of followers and likes doesn’t define a blog. For me, I don’t use my blog as a diary. I blog to bring value to readers. Usually I throw in some anecdotes (diary aspect) but I try to make sure that my blog posts have a point. There’s nothing more boring than reading about what someone ate that day or what chores they’re doing or what the weather is etc. that’s my opinion as I know some people love diary blog posts. Prior to uploading a blog post, I edit them 1000000 times go ensure that it flows and there’s aren’t spelling mistakes throughout. So I totally get what you mean that blog posts do not give a good indication of what the blogger is like offline and IRL

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    1. Hey Hilary! Haha😂🙌

      Yes, I know right? Oh, yeah I forgot to mention that bloggers who bring value also play a big part, so in that position, views do matter, but building a community is more important, I guess?
      I’ve just learnt to make my “lifetsyle-ish” posts more interesting, and yep i wouldn’t want to read about someone’s chores either😂

      Thank you for reading!💕

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Definitely. Someone could have amazing content but no views d/t lack of community. Engagement matters more than people think! 😅 I noticed that it can be quite frustrating trying to promote content on social media without some kind of following. Personally, I only use WP now. I stopped using IG and FB for other reasons and debating whether or not to pick it up again in the future.

        Nothing wrong with lifestyle posts! Some of the best blog posts tell a really good story and teach people something, give a takeaway message etc. They say that story telling is good for building trust with readers too because it makes the content more reliable 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

  5. Hi Evin! You make a good point here. I think the amount of effort someone has put into their blog really shows, and yours shows that you care a lot. Keep building your community! The real ones will stick around, or realize the error of their ways and come back toy you 😆). I love reading your posts with all the emojis! It’s a very unique style and gives me a sense of your personality, as though you were actually sitting here talking to me. Have a great day!!
    💜 Kayslee, The Fangirl Fulfilled

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Hi kayslee! Yes, that’s an important aspect in a blog😌🙌 aw, thank you – that really means a lot💕
      yep, for sure!😄✌️ I’m glad you think so! Especially because that’s what I wanted my blogging voice to be :))
      You too, thanks!💛

      Liked by 1 person

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  7. Wow this is such a true post! I totally agree with all your points, specially the comment part. I don’t like it too when people just like the post but don’t read it or comment. Sometimes even I can’t comment cause I have the same problem you do. This was actually a great post! Keep it up!

    Liked by 3 people

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  8. I definitely agree with the likes don’t matter thing. If someone is just on your website to promote theirs, they will often either leave a like or a comment that isn’t about the blog post. Many a time, I have considered just liking a post because I wasn’t sure what to say to the author. I have now learned that even just a few words of support mean a lot, and it means you have more interaction with the writer than just liking it will give you.
    Thanks so much for this – the “what you read isn’t always the truth” part – I can really relate to thinking that someone has a really perfect lifestyle because of what they put online.
    Thanks for making my day!😘

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. I’ve been through that before, infact done that when I was very new to the blogging world.🙃
      yeah! Taking time a to leave a comment, it doesn’t even have to be too long – it still does mean a lot to the writer😄
      You’re welcome, and thank you aswell! 💙

      Liked by 1 person

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  9. Woww!! Dear evin, you’re very unique..! Such a interesting topic..! And I loved reading each and every lines.! You’re post will always entertain us..! Keep shinning my dear friend..! Have a beautiful day..!🤗💖💕

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  10. ah yes i was intrigued enough to read this post XD
    recently ive been trying to start up my blog and it hasnt been working, any tips would help
    i really liked this post tho cause i can relate XD
    i tend to brain dump on my blog tho, and its just a strange mess

    Liked by 1 person

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  11. What a mature approach to blogging, and the result is a really fine post. I must confess that I started out skimming, but as I became caught up in your thoughts and words, I allowed down and read every word.
    Thank you for a pleasurable reading experience.
    Your #1 Cheerleader,
    Ms. Rae

    Liked by 1 person

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  12. I completely agree with your post! I feel like the community has died down a bit, perhaps because things are going back to normal and people aren’t as free as they used to be.
    And I feel like leaving a comment so many times but I just don’t know what to say either!!!!
    Awesome post!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Ohh, yeah i forgot about that🤦🏻‍♀️
      I know, right? Sorry I haven’t been much active on your blog either, I try to read your posts whenever I can though!😅
      Thanks!💕

      Like

      Reply

  13. You are stuck with me until you stop bloggging. Hopefuly never.
    I have liked and not commented on some posts but I don’t skim read. If you get a like and not a comment from me just know that I did not have any time to write a comment. I Did enjoy this post. So true!
    I have been blogging for about 2 years and I only have about 15 to 10 people who comment on my posts and about 5-6 people who really are interested in what I post and actually chat with me. I have 85 followers and that is how many people interact with me.
    I have not been on wordpress for much of the summer so that is why you have not heard form me.
    Happpy Afternoon Evin!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Hi Corrie!
      Haha, I have no plans of quitting, hopefully never 😜
      Okay, I’ll keep that in mind :))
      Wow, 2 years is a long time! 🎉 oh, okay I get that👍 My school also just started so I don’t have a lot of time to publish posts😅
      Thanks, you too!💛

      Liked by 1 person

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  15. Eek, this feels woefully true. I try to read everyone’s posts, but I don’t often have a lot of time. I don’t comment much, because it scares me, and I want to say the perfect thing or nothing at all.😐
    I am much more of a casual blog post reader, and the lack of a comment doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy your post, in most cases.
    Great post, although I can’t TOTALLY relate in some areas. 🙂
    Happy Tuesday!✨

    Liked by 3 people

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  18. Amazing and relatable post! I can agree with most of these points. I find that one of the annoying/sad things about blogging is that people follow you just for the sake of it and never come back.😭 Maybe it’s just me…. 🤣
    I found this post so enjoyable and I read it word by word! 😀
    Have an awesome day,
    -flora

    Liked by 2 people

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  19. I completely agree with this post! Especially the part about where likes don’t really matter. It’s true though that many people just like your posts because it takes like 2 seconds but it is important to keep in mind that just like you said some people might not know what to say or be shy. There’s just no way to tell other than the fact that even shy people and those who don’t know what to say on a particular post of yours do comment at least once in a couple of posts in contrast to those who you see has liked your post but never commented. I completely agree that readers are more important than followers. I appreciate comments too, it’s great to hear from bloggers!

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      3. I’ve been in a blogging stump for a few weeks now, it’s becoming harder coming up with ideas that readers actually want to read. When I think of something though, I’ll definitely let you know ☺️

        Liked by 1 person

  20. Stats can be misleading! Sometimes your stats might be booming one week, when you’re posting a bunch of low quality posts, but the next week you post one good post and you get a tenth of the views. There are so many factors that go into it.
    When I started out, literally almost no one commented on my blogs. I envied people who got comments on their post. Now I’ll find myself being like, “it’s been a day and I’ve only gotten 2 comments!” It’s a weird cycle that happens with bloggers.

    My main thing, is I just want to have fun and make posts that people want to read. And make friends, like you. 🙂

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. Stats can be misleading! The only difference is that a bunch of children follow me and spam my comments so I get an average of a t l e a s t 20-ish comments a day which is too much for my lazy soul—

      Liked by 2 people

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    2. for sure 🙃 Oh, I thought that was only me! I used to be so excited when I got over 2 comments (around a year ago when i first started) but now I feel like I’ve ONLY gotten 30 comments.. 😬

      💖💖

      Liked by 1 person

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  21. Wow, this was a great post!

    I agree with all the points you made. Especially the likes vs comments part. I’m guilty of this because I’ve been on vacation and I’ve been busy so I’ve skimmed the posts or just liked them because I didn’t have time to read them. I don’t like that I do that, but sometimes life’s too busy. I’m working on actually commenting on posts and being more interactive. ☺️

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  23. I know I don’t leave a comment when i skim read. I think it’s perfectly fine if you don’t read every post all the way through. I tend to skim read posts that don’t interest me with in the first few paragraphs.
    I like this type of honest post, though!
    Sometimes I don’t comment because I don’t have a chance to, or i forget. Usually, though, when I leave a “great post!” comment, I mean it. I guess some people take that as “I skim read your post, but I follow you so I’m gonna comment.” lol.
    I like to see this side of your personality!
    -Haley

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Yeah! That’s why I appreciate when bloggers highlight the subheadings and important parts in the post – so you get the message anyways.
      (Reading it all the way or skimming)
      Haha yep😂
      Thank you!💕

      Like

      Reply

  25. I wanted to leave a comment yesterday, but I got caught up in something else, whelp-
    Stats ARE disappointing. Having a 1000 followers doesn’t mean 1000 likes or views, lol. This is a wonderful piece of motivation. And I loved the line: write what YOU want to, and not for likes or views. As long as we love what we write, I feel THAT is truthful blogging.
    Shine bright Evin!

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    2. haha, you’re good 😉
      yeah! i expected my stats to be booming when i hit a high follower count (like 500) and I expected to get over a 100 likes on every post..that never happened expect for just a couple of times.. 😦
      yep, that’s what blogging means to me ❤
      Thank you! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  26. I agree with all the points you mentioned here, Evin! I’m in love with your blogging style! It’s like you’ve become more mature in the way you blog! Your posts look so professional!✨ Thanks for sharing blogging advice- related posts! 💕

    P.S. How are you?

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Aw, im so happy to hear that! ❤ yep, i've actually noticed that too! it's kind of weird that I wrote "mission not-impossible" just a year ago xD

      hm, well im not really okay bc ive been going through some stuff :<

      Liked by 2 people

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      3. Wait, is that a post you did? I need to check that out XD

        Aww, Evin… I hope you get better soon! If you need anything, just let me know. I’m there for you! Love you ❤️

        Liked by 1 person

  28. Omg I used to stress about not having enough followers too! Especially since the people I follow on WordPress have way more followers than me. But I learned to not care about the followers and just enjoy chatting with the friends I’ve made through the community. I don’t comment on every post, but that’s because some posts I can’t relate to them, but I enjoyed reading the post. I read a lot of music blogs, so if the post is about a band/artist I don’t really know, I can’t relate to it, but I enjoyed the post, so I just like it. The stats are another struggle because I sometimes do posts on TV shows I grew up with, but they don’t get as many likes as my music posts, so that used to bother me. But somebody on the WordPress community taught me not to care about what other people think and just write about what I’m interested in! Great post!

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. yep! I’ve compared myself to other bloggers, and it makes me feel bad about my follower count, but I’ve learnt that it doesn’t matter, though I do appreciate them☺️
      Yeah! Friends you make on here are literally THE BEST.
      Well, yeah I’ve done posts that I honestly find interesting, but they get the least amount of traffic 😦
      That’s a great piece of advice! I’ve actually heard it from another blogger too😆
      Thank you for this comment!😌

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      2. Thank you so much for doing this post where all bloggers can relate to these struggles. Like you said, I still appreciate my followers, I just don’t judge my worth because of them anymore.

        Liked by 1 person

  29. Totally agree with this post Evin and I’m really glad you wrote it! I’m honestly still coming to terms with some of these things because they’re hard truths sometimes.
    Like I’ll see another blogger who has less followers than me get like 30 comments on their post while I only get like 3 and I’m like whyyyyy 😭😭😭 So yeah I give up on trying to write for other people because it’s quite pointless 😂
    But yep other than that, how have you been lately?

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. Aw, thank you!💛 yeah, it’s sad that some people have to learn these the hard way 😦
      I know! They just have a more active community, I guess🤷🏻‍♀️
      Same tho🤚😫

      Well, im not bad..I’m just feeling lifeless at this point.😂
      mEh.
      How about you?💕

      Like

      Reply

  30. Omg I related to the part of noticing older posts having more interest than posts now. It really makes me feel like I’m not doing anything right and going backwards. This blog was amazing and I really needed it today! Thanks ✨❤️💗

    Liked by 2 people

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  35. Some of these tips are highly important I guess. Especially for freshers like me. I too didn’t know that in the blogging world (just like in other writers’ communities) readers help to build a community and not followers. However, my followers read my posts regularly and I am grateful for their genuine reviews.

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  36. I agree with all of them! I don’t exactly agree with the likes point😂 because I feel like likes matter too especially when readers are busy people 😂 I just really like having a place to go to, everything else constitutes a part of blogging but it’s not a cause 😉 Lovely write!💕

    Liked by 3 people

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  38. This post is very interesting because what you managed to point out is exactly what I was reading from other bloggers about doing. I’ve come to actually realize that half of the things that they say you should do to get views is actually extremely lazy and annoying. I don’t like commenting on other people’s blogs if I don’t take the time out to read. I plan on writing a blog to challenge these views and make the information more accurate for new bloggers. The commenting “Great Post!” When I use to get these on my posts I realized that nobody was reading my content. They were just trying to leave links. So I can honestly say with this one. Great Post!

    Liked by 2 people

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  39. I love your post. And it’s so relatable. Likes and high stats are nice, don’t get me wrong. But I don’t worry much about the likes and stats because if I did, I’d be checking them every five minutes and wouldn’t get anything done. I have a love of writing so I mostly focus on the content I can give my readers and on making it the best I possibly can. And that’s really all you can do. Thank you so much for posting. ❤

    Liked by 2 people

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  43. Noooo, there was a glitch. I have to retype my comment….
    Even though I’ve haven’t been blogging for even a year yet (almost there 🙂 ), I found this really relatable. When checking on how my blog was going, I would usually just check the followers and hits, and stuff like that, but those aren’t everything. Now, I usually check the comments and respond to them.

    Liked by 1 person

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  45. This was a really good post!!

    I’m definitely trying to not focus on my stats but it’s SO HARD!! It’s just because I’m still new at all this blogging stuff.

    Literally, getting one view in a day excites me but then I’m checking my stats every 5 minutes to see if I got another one.

    It’s so exhausting. 😅😅

    I also love how happy and upbeat your posts are. I can’t believe you’re only 13!!! Your writing is very mature.

    Liked by 1 person

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