Holy moly does time ever fly. I started blogging just over five years ago this past February 2020. When I told someone about this milestone recently they began asking me a series of questions: “why did you start? How did you do it? Why is it called STRUCKBLOG anyway?” Let’s not forget my absolute favourite question, “I want to start a blog, what do I need to know?” I’ll get into why that one is a front-runner for me a little later.
Recently, I was interviewed by Amanda of Like a Voss Social Media about how I got to where I am today. Her questions caused me to deeply reflect on my blogging journey.
To celebrate 5 years of blogging I thought I would share the answers to these burning questions. And, in an attempt to answer the ever-popular query about how to get started with your own blog, I came up with a few things you may want to consider before doing so.
These are the things I didn’t know 5 years ago when I dove in. I’m chatting about it all: the technical side to blogging, the daily hustle, how I juggle my to-do list, and the times I’ve felt like quitting.
Thank you to Bloomex Canada for gifting me with this beautiful bouquet to make my workspace that much prettier.
Why Did You Start a Blog?
When I started this blog I was teaching kindergarten full-time. I spent my days wrangling (I mean educating, cough, cough) 35 four and five-year-olds and my evenings cutting out crafts for the next day. I felt uninspired, lost, and unsure of which direction to go in. I needed a creative outlet that didn’t involve sparkles and stickers.
After a few weeks of sighing more than usual and fixating on what was missing, I sat down one day and started to vent, via furious typing on the computer. I immediately felt better writing about the things that inspired and struck me. It was cathartic to focus on my passions, and suddenly, I felt as though I was able to infuse my life with the elements that were previously lacking.
But it still wasn’t enough. I wondered if other 20-somethings felt similarly, lost and confused about their personal journey. I yearned for that human connectivity. I didn’t know how to put my writing on the internet, but I knew other people were doing it and so I thought why not take a stab at it. I watched some YouTube videos about how to make a blog and a few hours later I had one. It wasn’t some fancy business launch since I had no intention of starting a business. I had no plan. I had no branding. I had no name. I just had some words on a page.
When I started, I was unsure of what to pursue, who I was, and what I was good at. But the more I shared, the more my blog became a space where I could just create and focus on the things that brought me joy and made me feel excited. It brought me focus, helped me to figure out my strengths and interests while developing my knowledge. Before I knew it, I had created a community.
This was one of the first “photoshoots” I ever did for one of my first big brand collaborations ever back in 2016. It was with Synergy Organic Clothing. I say photoshoot in quotations as it was just me and my husband taking photos in a public college building. It took us forever, and we took SO many to get a few good shots. The collab included a blog post, guest post on their site, a contest, and social media promotion. I truthfully had no idea what I was doing, but the dress I’m wearing was (and still is) a beautiful piece.
Why Did You Name It STRUCKBLOG?
If you know that my full name is Anna Ruck, you’ve probably figured out that STRUCKBLOG is a play on my last name. I wanted ‘Ruck’ to be part of my blog’s name because as a teacher at the time, I didn’t want to publicize my innermost thoughts and feelings for the grade 7’s and 8’s to find and giggle about at recess. Since I was simply writing about what struck me, the name seemed fitting. To make sure I was still keeping it personal I signed off my posts as just Anna (which I still do) and felt pretty clever about hiding the rest of my name in plain sight.
Now, before I get ahead of myself and make this sound really simple, please note that I had many other (and really bad) ideas for a blog name. It didn’t happen overnight. I had a notebook I would jot ideas in as they came to me over the course of a few days (sometimes at 3 in the morning). Fun fact, it also initially used to be written out as two words (ie. Struck Blog), but at some point, I changed it because I thought it looked cooler to have it as one word, like Madonna, ha.
STRUCKBLOG is a lot more than just a blog now. It’s videos, online shopping, creative services, and consulting. But, I still love the name, becuase it’s a reflection of me.
I still feel the name is fitting, because the more I work to develop my little corner of the internet, the more I, as a person, have become intertwined with my blog. Even though STRUCKBLOG is more than just a blog now (it’s videos, online shopping, creative services, and consulting) I’m not sure I could ever change the name. The blog has always been and will always be a reflection of me, even if I still don’t sign off my posts with my last name.
I Want To Blog, What Should I Consider?
You should decide if you’re completely out of your mind and if the answer is yes, go for it! I’m kidding, but I’m also not. Sometimes I think I must be crazy juggling as much as I do and dedicating so much of my time and energy to STRUCKBLOG. But, I love it. This blog is my baby after all!
Below I’ve covered some of the topics I find a lot of bloggers don’t talk about. These are the things I didn’t expect when I started blogging. If you think this work largely consists of posting pretty photos on Instagram, consider the following. If you’re still over the moon about the idea of seriously blogging after reading then you might just be ready to do it!
You’ll Have To Learn The Technical (and Sometimes Boring) Stuff
Writing, creating videos, and taking photos is only one-half of the equation. You need to create content of course, but you also want it to be found and digested enjoyably by readers.
In order to make that happen, (and once you’ve created a blog in the first place), you’ll also have to develop some business sense and tech know-how to learn how to drive traffic there. On an ongoing basis, you’ll also have to manage and maintain your website so it’s functional and easy to use for folks once they arrive.
This is the less glamourous (and for me, less fun) side of running a blog/website. Many people don’t realize that there is a lot of technical knowledge you need to gain in order to be successful.
Prepare to take on the technical stuff. It may not be as glamourous or fun, but it’s integral to ensure that your content is found and enjoyed.
But it doesn’t end there. I am continuously gaining more technical skills because I am a one-woman show. When something isn’t working, you bet I’m the one figuring out how to fix it (I think I’ve legitimately broken this blog for a few hours/days at a time 2 or 3 times over the years). Alternatively, you can outsource this work and pay someone, but I would highly recommend doing it yourself. This kind of knowledge comes in handy, and you’ll avoid costs that can really add up!
What specifically are you going to have to master when it comes to the technical stuff? Here’s just a few ideas and resources:
- Website/Blog Creation: by the way, a blog IS a website. People just differentiate between them since businesses often have a blog as part of their overall digital marketing strategy. But, in terms of carving out space on the internet for your creativity, it’s the same thing. When I started, Squarespace and Wix didn’t exist. These platforms make it dead easy for anyone to create a website (don’t be fooled though, it’s still time-consuming). Personally, I’m a diehard WordPress lover (that’s what this blog is created with). I love that there isn’t anything that WordPress can’t do and I don’t feel I’ll ever outgrow it. Here’s a great post that drills down on the pros and cons of the different website building options. That’s where you’ll need to start!
- Code/HTML: if you don’t even know what that means, code is basically the mumbo jumbo computer language your internet browser reads in order to display the pictures, words, ect, that you’ve worked so hard to create. The reason it’s a good idea to learn some of this language is because it will help you to solve technical problems that may appear to be more complicated than they really are. Knowing basic code has saved me hundreds of dollars, has helped me be successful in my work (where I post to other people’s websites), and has stopped me from pulling my hair out when fixing issues on this blog dozens of times. It might look intimidating at first but stick to it. I have a creative brain and am not naturally good at this kind of thing so if I can learn it, so can you! Check out Code Academy to get started for free, and Khan Academy for personalized online learning (I used both and loved it).
- Search Engine Optimization: or SEO as it’s known for short is so important! Keyword research is the first thing I do before writing a blog post so that I can organically incorporate these words and phrases into my writing. I never used to do this, so my old posts aren’t optimized and I really wish they were because this is how people will find your content when they search for a topic on Google. Now that I do this regularly, a third of my traffic comes to my blog this way. You can research keywords using Google’s Keyword Planner, which is what I often use.
- Analytics: you need to set up Google Analytics so that you can analyze your work. It can tell you how your content is performing, how many people are engaging with it, how they’re getting to it, and how long they’re on your website. That is just some of the information you can gain from using analytics, it’s an incredibly powerful tool and it can do a whole lot. If you’re totally intimidated by this, start with Google Analytics Academy (it’s free). It helped me learn how to set this up and navigate the tool so I can get the answers I need and tailor my content accordingly.
- Social Media: What does social media have to do with your website? It’s one way people will get there! But, you’ll need to learn how to use social media as a marketing tool to convert followers into readers. If you don’t have social media accounts set up, and aren’t sure where to start, you can also read my post 5 Social Media Mistakes You Might Be Making where I touch on which social media platforms you need. Recently, I’ve been learning more about how to harness Pinterest to its full potential as a tool to drive traffic to my blog. Continuous learning is a huge part of blogging, especially when it comes to tech stuff (which is always changing).
Blogging can provide opportunities to do some pretty cool things! This is me heading to Toronto Fashion Week with my media pass back in 2016 when I still lived in Toronto.
You can see more in these blog posts: Toronto Fashion Week: The Beginning, and Toronto Fashion Week: The Madness Continued.
If you want to read more about social media, and specfically about the mistakes you might be making, check out my post: 5 Social Media Mistakes You Might Be Making.
You Must Be Consistent & Committed, Every Single Day.
If I had a nickel for every time I came across someone who told me they were starting a blog after they learn about mine, I’d be living in a tropical paradise by now. I don’t mean to be rude or disparaging, but I won’t lie to you, it’s hard not to roll my eyes when this is announced to me with a whole lot of enthusiasm and yet, so little knowledge.
Now, I’m not saying enthusiasm is a bad thing. Of course, you should be jazzed about starting a blog. That being said, I’ve met many people over the years who have told me that they are starting their own blog, only to see them do a post or two and then go dark. Why? Because they had no idea what they were getting themselves into. This is why “how do I start a blog” is my favourite question. Because it’s my ticket to opening up the conversation to the difficult realities of blogging and determine just how serious someone is about taking this on.
If you want to start a successful blog, consider whether you’re willing to give up all of your free time. It’s a daily commitment.
I am always taking photos, pretty much every day. I was excited when we moved to Kingston, Ontario, Canada because it’s so picturesque! You can casually eat ice cream on a stoop and it makes a great shot. When you’re a blogger you’re always making a mental list of great photo locations in your head.
It looks easy online. We create cute outfits, get sent products, and post pretty pictures. How hard can it be? In truth, it’s way harder than you think. We just make it look easy because we want our followers and audience to enjoy our content. We don’t share the unglamorous stuff because watching me fill our Excel sheets would be pretty boring!
Many people don’t realize how much of a commitment running a successful blog is. In order to develop a community and establish a trusting relationship with your readers, you need to be consistent, with everything. Establishing a community means you have an audience that keeps coming back, over and over, to engage with your content. Otherwise, you’ll be a one (or two) hit wonder.
Starting a blog is a daily commitment. Yes, every single day. A day does not go by for me where I am not working on something that is blog-related. Sometimes it’s the fun stuff, like taking photos or filming a video. But other days it’s invoicing or back-end website updates. If you aren’t prepared to give up every spare second of free time you have to become a successful blogger, forget it. You’re going to need to spend all (or at least the majority) of your free time working on your blog if you want it to grow.
Maybe you too are a mom who’s considering starting a blog? Be prepared to spend every nap time working, cus that’s what it takes!
For me, as a stay-at-home mom who runs this blog and also does freelance work for clients (you can find out more about my services on my Work With Me page), I don’t spend naptime watching Netflix or mindlessly scrolling through Facebook. I spend it working, and I have to be very disciplined about my time if I want to get everything done!
You need to seriously consider if this is a life you’re able and willing to live and think about how badly you want it. Because the time commitment will truly test your desire to blog!
This is what I’m often doing during nap time. I have a home office, but I’m being my loud, energetic self via video chat, it’s best I work far away from my sleeping kiddo.
You Will Not Be Able To Do It All
It is straight-up impossible to do it all. You cannot! So much goes into running a successful blog. From social media posts and management to email lists, to analytics, content creation, editing, emails, contracts, negotiations, blah, blah, blah. Unless you’re in a financial position where you can hire a whole team of people to help you juggle the multiple responsibilities that come with blogging, you won’t get to everything on a daily basis, and that’s ok!
If like me you hope to continue to live your life on top of having a blog, you need to come to terms with this reality before you start. It’s about learning how to prioritize and manage your time very carefully. You might have kids, activities, household tasks, or a full-time job to manage already. It’s nearly impossible to complete all the tasks that come with running a successful blog when your to-do list is already so long.
Those brands you follow that churn out amazing content multiple times a day? Guess what, they have help.
Maybe you follow a few famous bloggers or brands that produce multiple social media posts a day, send out fabulous email newsletters, and constantly have new content up on their websites. Newsflash: they aren’t doing it alone. They have the help of other people, and in most cases, it’s their full-time gig. Do not put these expectations on yourself when you’re first starting out, you’ll only end up disappointed!
What you can do is get really organized. And I mean ruthlessly strict with yourself. However you like to do it (either digitally, or pen to paper) you have to prioritize your tasks and determine what absolutely must get done today, what would be nice to get done, and what can wait until tomorrow. Otherwise, you’re going to have a hard time creating a lot of good quality content and managing everything on the daily.
These photos are from my second or third blog post ever. I don’t love them, but they aren’t too bad! I was gifted these jewelry pieces and over-the-moon about it. If you are starting a blog just to make money, hold your horses. I didn’t make a dime for years, I was just happy someone wanted to send me a pair of earrings in exchange for my creative work.
For me, if I’m focused on creating a blog post or producing a video, then social media management might have to be neglected that day. Or, if I’m creating Pinterest content, then I might not get to respond to my comments and messages on Instagram. That’s just how it goes because other things (like dishes, and raising a tiny human) also have to be attended to! You can’t get to everything every day and that’s fine. But be disciplined. Don’t pick up your phone mindlessly and don’t lie down on the couch, because before you know it those free minutes will evaporate and you’ll be unimpressed with yourself. Try to pick a few goals to focus on for the day and when you complete those, pat yourself on the back! You’ve been productive and are working towards your goals. Woo!
Choose which tasks are priorities for the day and focus on those. Write them down in order. Don’t try to get to everything every day. You’ll feel more productive because you will be!
You Will Feel Like Quitting (on more than one occasion)
I’m not going to lie to you, I have gone through many rough periods over the years where I was tempted to drop it like it’s hot. If you hope to run a successful blog for years to come, be prepared. You’re going to have days where you feel like quitting. I’ve had many of these days over the years. Most notably the time I took a 6-month-break because I was so unhappy with my work-life balance. I wrote all about that in Finding my Happiness: Why I Took a Blogging Break.
I’ve had, and continue to have, periods of time where thoughts of quitting creep into my mind. “Wouldn’t it just be easier to not do this? It’s so hard to juggle it all, maybe I should just stop.” This usually happens when I take on too much and feel overwhelmed. Sometimes it’s because I’m frustrated by trying to learn or fix something. Other times it’s because something didn’t work the way I thought it would or my idea failed. These are the realities of blogging, and you have to want success enough to push through the hard stuff. There’s a lot more good to this work than bad, but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to face these hurdles when they come your way (which I promise you, they will).
You may struggle with work-life balance or your mental health and unpedictably take a break from blogging like I did. I wrote all about that in Finding My Happiness: Why I Took A Blogging Break.
Looking back, I have no idea why photos like this one never surfaced. Maybe it’s because I don’t remember this day fondly. My husband, who usually takes photos of me didn’t want to, but I liked my outfit and demanded it. Be conscious of your relationships and the toll working as a blogger can take on them if you’re not open and honest about the support you need.
You Have to be Open to Sharing Your Life on the Internet
Nothing will challenge your ability to create a work-life balance like blogging will. I think many bloggers, influencers, and even small business owners struggle with determining what, and how much, of their personal lives they should share online.
It can be tricky to navigate. You want to create an authentic relationship with your readership and following by sharing the real you and your real life. But what can be hard is determining what to share and what to leave out.
All I can say about this is that it’s something that comes with time. When I first started blogging, I used to constantly ask myself “should I post about this?” and I often didn’t know the answer. But, with time and lots of trial and error, I learned what content was suitable to share as part of the STRUCKBLOG brand, and what to keep to myself. I based this off of analytics, what elicited conversations with readers, what topics appeared to be of interest, and what didn’t. Over the years I’ve been able to create a clearer picture in my mind of what aligns with my brand and what content my followers find useful and interesting. If it doesn’t fit this criterion, then I don’t post it.
In addition to approaching this challenge from an analytical perspective, you also have to think about the toll this can take on your mental health and your personal relationships.
If you expect your spouse, boyfriend, or friend to help, make sure you have an honest conversation about the support you need. These are the people that are going to help you overcome the challenges and assist you in staying committed to blogging. You don’t want to put strain on these important relationships.
It can be very hard to be vulnerable on the internet and to show a more sensitive side of yourself. You have to be prepared for and open to criticism. Some people may not like or may misinterpret what you have to say, and that comes with the territory. I personally have been very lucky in that I haven’t encountered a lot of haters, but it’s often the content that I never expect to be controversial that turns out to be. You don’t want to get into arguments with your followers or make them feel like they can’t share their honest opinion with you. After all, you want to engage your community in conversation. So, you learn to navigate these occurrences in a way that fairly represents you and your personal values while also maintaining your relationship with those who engage with you and your brand.
And lastly, don’t forget about your spouse, partner, roommates, family, or friends. They may be impacted by your decision to start a blog. Maybe they don’t want to be in your Instagram Story, or your boyfriend doesn’t want to take all of your photos. You should have a conversation with those close to you if you expect them to help you in some capacity. Don’t assume that they want to take on the task of becoming your personal photographer or copyeditor. Talk to them about how you may like to involve them first and make sure they understand what’s being asked of them. Having their support is of paramount importance because these are the people that are going to help you overcome the challenges and assist you in staying committed to blogging.
Anna
Interested in more posts about blogging? Check out One Year Blogging: Four Things I’ve Learned as well as We The Warriors: Two Years Blogging.
If you’re looking for help with starting a blog, website, social media presence, writing, content photography, or any promotional services, be sure to contact me! STRUCKBLOG offers a variety of creative and promotional services. Visit my Work With Me page to check out previous work and to download a copy of my Media Kit for pricing and details.
All opinions and comments are my own. STRUCKBLOG uses affiliate links. For more information about this and the use of sponsored products please see my disclaimer page.
