It’s been a good 6 months of me really committing to my new blog direction and later this week I’m going to share a post about the ups and downs of this change. It wasn’t a OMG SO DIFFERENT type of change as I had talked about other stuff than books on this blog since I started in 2010 but I really found that giving myself ~permission~ to write about these things came with shedding the book blog label and becoming a ~lifestyle~ (lol) blog written by a girl who really freaking loves books and is sharing her messy and wonderful journey through new motherhood.
Back in September-ish/October when I made this decision that OKAY I AM DOING THIS, I AM COMMITTING TO A NEW-ISH BLOG DIRECTION, I felt pretty good at all I had accomplished in book blogging. I really felt like I knew my crap, I had built a great community, my “stats/numbers” (ew I know nobody likes to talk about these or be proud of them it seems) were great! And I had committed to this thing for ALMOST 8 YEARS. I felt good. I felt like this would be easy.
And then it dawned on me I really only knew what worked in the book blogging community. I mean, sure, there are some things that are universal — having voice, good content, etc. — but I realized I had been in such a small niche and I was essentially starting over in this vast sea of blogging.
And sure, I had a great foundation from the experience of blogging and my background in working in social media & marketing back a few years ago — I knew SEO, Pinterest, how to promote, etc. But the more I started to work towards these changes, the more I had to admit to myself that there was A LOT I didn’t know. As a ~veteran~ blogger, I felt ashamed to admit that. I HAD “SUCCESS” IN BLOGGING, I AM NOT NEW TO THIS! I KNOW THE THINGS!
But ya know what? I had been mostly on autopilot for the past few years in terms of “learning” and growing when it came to blogging– I knew what worked and was comfortable in it and in my space in the book blogging community. I have always prided myself on learning and growing in everything I do but I had been gliding because it was working.
And that’s fine, I guess I just didn’t have that passion for expanding my blogging talents anymore. But my new direction was really starting to set my soul on fire and I wanted to run with it and grow and create something ELSE I could be proud of.
So I began to, during my free time when Riley napped, to start devoting my time to getting back on the blog learnin’ thing. A lot of the stuff I had known from work and my blogging experience still held true but I realized OH MAN…there was a lot I needed to get up on to grow my blog/improve it.
I felt like an eager little blogging student again and was amazed at how smart people were out there and what awesome things were happening in the blogging world. But I quickly became overwhelmed — so much information and not enough time with a new baby. I started to feel discouraged as I started to wade through all the information and which bloggers really knew their crap.
[Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links which means that if you click on a link and purchase something I’ve talked about or recommended, I’ll receive a very small percentage of the sale. Please see my disclosure policy for more info.
AND THEN LO AND BEHOLD — a gift from the blogging heavens:
It came at the perfect time.
I came across the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit and I sat there with my mouth wide open because — this was what I needed.
I needed resources that were already curated by bloggers who knew their crap that covered all aspects of blogging that I didn’t need to dig around for. Something that I could have and work at my own pace and not have to find it again in my bookmarks or on Pinterest boards scattered all around in no order. And the best part? So many of these bloggers who had resources in this year’s toolkit were bloggers I were already following and WANTED to purchase their resources but just couldn’t swing the money for all the various things with my new baby/not working budget (there is no paid maternity leave for the nanny life lol). AND THIS WAS AT A RIDICULOUSLY FAIR PRICE FOR ALL OF IT.
I started digging into it when I purchased it last October and I was so damn excited about it and it started changing my blogging life from all I was learning and I wanted to shout it from the rooftops like I do ANYTHING I love — whether it’s a song or a book or a Trader Joe’s treat or leggings that make my mom bod look AWESOME.
BUT I COULDN’T.
Because it wasn’t sold anymore. And ugh that’s such a bummer to praise something and shout it from the rooftops but like HAHA SORRY YOU CAN’T BUY. (Literally my life when a fashion blogger has the cutest dress on that I’m ready to buy instantly and then it’s like “sorry bought this is in like 2015 so it’s no longer available!). And obviously I hadn’t dug into it when it WAS still on sale so I wasn’t about to recommend it to y’all without spending substantial time with it.
And then, I got an email as someone who purchased this awesome blogging toolkit, that they were having a flash sale and reintroducing it to buy LITERALLY FROM TODAY UNTIL TOMORROW.
You guys, this is me officially being able to shout to the heavens about this fantastic blogging resource. DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS, BLOGGERS. If you are wanting to grow your blog and do MORE with it, you need this. But if you are feeling, like I was, that I wanted to do more and learn more and just really hone it in on my craft? I urge you to check it out because once it is gone it is GOOOOOOONE.
It has taught me so much and I see results from it and I’ve been making awesome goals and working hard towards them. AND I FEEL THE MOST FREE IN BLOGGING I HAVE IN YEARS. It’s a really great feeling. To be working towards learning and growing and getting even BETTER at something. Blogging has always been a fun thing for me to do but it’s also been the reason I’ve gotten jobs and interviews from jobs. And I’m glad to be continuing to learn more for when I decide what I want to get into career-wise because I felt like I lost my passion for this stuff for a while and now I’m excited about it again.
So let’s get to the deets so you can check it out:
(Lena’s Blog Traffic Bootcamp is FANTASTIC!)
The Genius Blogger’s Toolkit is 91 resources (eBooks, eCourses, templates, and workbooks) that literally have everything you need to propel your blog to the next step and far beyond. AT A SUPER DISCOUNTED PRICE.
Things like:
- how to consistently create meaningful content that keeps readers coming back for more.
- how to attract new readers using proven strategies like SEO, social media, and guest posting.
- how to get paid for your hard work
- understanding the legal and accounting side of blogging (um whoops I’ve been clueless beyond the basics)
- how to take advantage of the newest best practices and strategies so you can grow faster
- how to get it done even on a busy schedule (also hi as an overwhelmed new mom), so you’ll be ready for your big breakthrough.
I highly suggest clicking below and learning more (plus seeing a list of EVERY SINGLE AWESOME RESOURCE). Feel free to email/comment if you have any specific questions about it — I will be at work both days so might not have the toolkit in front of me but I am HAPPY to answer any. I genuinely am happy I invested in it (especially since it had like 5 of the resources I wanted to buy anyways — like Helene Sula’s Instagram ebook and Carly’s Pinterest book). I feel like I’ve learned a lot and not had to wade through and figure it out through trial and error like I did back when I started blogging in 2010.
It ends tomorrow (May 15) at 11:59pm ET so DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS if you feel like you want to up your blogging game!!
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