blisstastic

Bliss*Tastic Week 5: Marie from Make and Takes: Submitting Your Tutorials, Recipes and How-To Posts

by oh amanda on February 1, 2010

Blissdom is DAYS away! I cannot wait to be immersed in all things bloggy! Today, Marie from Make and Takes  is going to share how she increases TRAFFIC to her blog…

I’m excited to be here at Oh Amanda, sharing a few tips on submitting your blog to other sites. With my blog Make and Takes, I write a lot of tutorials on kid’s crafts, easy recipes, and home projects. Once a tutorial post is up and running, I like to submit it to a few sites, bringing in some new readers. I do this for my crafts, home projects, really anything can be submitted and featured.

Here’s a few of my favorite places to submit posts:

- Stumble Upon: Sign up and take a look around. This site has brought me a lot of traffic, it’s especially good with recipes. Some days I get a few hundred hits from it, other days a few thousand. So get to know this site. BUT with Stumble, you can’t submit only your own site. You’ll get flagged. I try to submit about 9 or 10 other posts from around the web and then submit one of my own. See my Make and Takes Page and you’ll see my reviews. To help with this, I’ve set up a few friends through email who are also on Stumble and we email each other our links to submit. This has been great. If you want, email me and I’ll submit your posts to Stumble any time: marie {at} makeandtakes.com. A few other good sites similar to this are: Kirtsy, Digg, and Delicious.

- Tastespotting: This is my favorite site to submit recipes. Here, you can submit as many of your own as you want. They do get a lot of submissions though, so sometimes they don’t make the cut. But if they do, it’s great traffic. They are picky about the photo, so make it really great quality. A few other good sites for submitting recipes are: Food Gawker and Food Photo Blog.

- Craftzine: This site is a great one for all kinds of crafts, and sometimes recipes. If you’ve got something original or eye catching, they’re sure to feature it and link back. This and the ones listed next, you can submit as many of your own as you’d like. Here’s a few other places for submitting crafts: The Crafty Crow, Get Crafty, Tip Junkie, One Pretty Thing.

Where have you had success submitting your blog posts? Good luck getting featured!

Isn’t Marie the best? I feel like she just let me in on her own private bloggy secrets! {And I’m totally starting a Stumble Club so we can stumble each other’s posts. Who wants in?} Besides knowing where to submit her posts, Marie has the most amazing creative content. Her blog is so fun, please make sure you subscribe to Make and Takes. And follow Marie on Twitter. Oh, and she’s even got a cute monster craft ebook you will want to download!

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Here’s the last 4 weeks of Bliss*Tastic posts so you can brush up before you get to meet these wonderful ladies IN REAL LIFE:

Week 1: Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife: To Niche Or Not To Niche
Week 2: Christine from Boston Mamas: Niche and Beyond
Week 3: Andrea from MommySnacks: Limitations (or not) of a Niche
Week 4: Amy from Finer Things In Life: Building Your Blog Readership

And don’t forget to check out the UNOFFICIAL Blissdom Parties Guide (including MY After Party at the Pancake Pantry!)

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Bliss*Tastic: Week 4: Amy From the Finer Things In Life: Building Your Blog Readership

by oh amanda on January 27, 2010

Blissdom is edging nearer! I have to admit, I’ve been getting very insecure and nervous about my blog lately. I think no matter how long you’ve been blogging the thing everyone wants is to attract more readers. Listen to how Amy from The Finer Things in Life attracts people to her blog…

Content is King. At least, that’s what they say. Yes, compelling writing is important to any blog; but if no one’s reading, the time and energy that goes into blogging quickly loses its appeal. What does every blogger want? Followers. Loyal fans. Groupies. Dedicated readers. Traffic.

In addition to sharing what I’m passionate about on The Finer Things in Life, here are a few strategies that have been time well spent for me as I strive to gain readership.

Interact with Readers. I spend time each week scrolling through all of my comments, responding to those that ask a question or contribute to my post or the discussion at hand. I also do my best to keep my inbox manageable and respond to reader questions or requests. As time allows and if they leave a link, I’ll try to visit their site and comment. I want my readers to know that they are valuable.

Offer Guest Posts. I’ve written guest posts for many different blogs. Sometimes I’m asked, sometimes I offer. Guest posting for others puts your work in front of a new, usually larger, audience. It also might make you a new friend, as “bigger bloggers” are often quite busy and will welcome a quality, relevant post for their site.

Be Visible on Twitter and Facebook. Social media can be a complete time sucker, but I’ve met, connected with, and collaborated with so many wonderful bloggers that the time is worth it. The key is to not just promote your blog. Interact. Re-tweet interesting tweets. Respond to requests or funny comments. Have conversations! It’s very likely that some people you “meet” on twitter will become frequenters of your site.

Promote Other Bloggers. Seems the opposite would be true, but it’s kind of like never being able to out-give God. When I take the focus off of my own blog and share the love, I reap the benefits. Link to others in appropriate posts on your own blog. Tweet or re-tweet a post that moved you to action, or just moved you to a fit of tears or giggles. Link to a site on facebook so your friends and fans can get to know another writer. Stumble (thumbs up) your favorite posts and drive traffic to that blog. It’s important that we cheer for each other.

Content may remain king, but reaching out to your readers, meeting and supporting other bloggers is key to growing your readership.

Isn’t that great? It makes me want to run to my inbox and start emailing everyone right now! Please follow Amy on twitter and subscribe to her blog, The Finer Things in Life. I always inspired when reading her blog!

Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out on Bliss*Tastic Week 5 with the magnificent Marie from Make and Takes!

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Bliss*Tastic Week 3: Andrea from Mommy Snacks: Limitations, or not, of a Niche

by oh amanda on January 20, 2010

Are you lovin’ these bliss*tastic posts? Well, I am! Enter Andrea from Mommy Snacks. Read what she has to say about niche blogging…

Blog Definition

I met Amanda last year on our trip as #magicalmoms to Walt Disney World. I can honestly say I feel blessed to have met her and get to know her. We have since been fortunate enough to hang again on other occasions. She is the exact same person in person as you read on her site.  Her voice shines as bright as she is!

When she asked me to share something blog-related, of course I agreed.  I am passionate about all that is involved with the learning and growing of this community.  So much so that I have worked with some fantastic bloggers to create Savvy Blogging – a site focused on helping those who want to help make their blog a successful business!

As I began to write this, I looked at the definition above.  Whenever I receive questions or challenges on topics, I try to go back to the foundation. Knowing I’m reading from the *same book* helps me to be as objective as possible.

Did you notice that the definition, according to Merriam Webster, doesn’t say anything about rules, niches, monetizing or professionalism (I wish that was inherent for bloggers, but sadly it is not).  It certainly doesn’t say “some categories of blogs are more a blog than others.”  Wouldn’t that be silly!  Yet, I have heard people state that about authors in a certain blog niche.

A blog niche, or specialty, focuses on content and marketing to the target demographic.  You heard Christine share how she wanted to provide content for those living in Boston, saw a *hole* and with that passion created Boston Mamas.  JoLynne shared how she felt she was a memoirist and identified with a new niche.  She is equally successful in sharing everyday life on a personal level with her community.

I write, generally, in the money-saving/frugal niche. Let me back up. I started a blog to share a passion of saving money. It was only later that I understood I was in a niche, or specialty per *blogging* terms.  According to a demographic survey I conducted last year, my readers read primarily to find ways to save money.  So I check *that* box.

When you look at the three of us, are any one of us better than the other? I would say yes, they are super smart and I could learn a ton from them. In general, as we share and what we do according to that definition of a blog, no we’re not.  Do we adopt specific strategies to reach our target demographic, connect and achieve our goals? I would say absolutely.  Others may argue there is no strategy to it at all. That idea may be completely accurate for your blog.  That’s the beauty of blogging – there are no rules to blog!

The one aspect I see many blogs offer, regardless of niche, is personality!  I 100% believe that you can provide great information but if you fail to include your personality you will become boring.  Not that I follow every definition, but it does state that a blog is an *online personal journal….. the contents of such site.*

A large difference between what I do and what my readers will find in a forum or message board is that *personal journal* component.  They can find the same deals, and will find them more timely honestly. In that same reader survey I mentioned above, my readers stated they liked the personal posts, such as my faith and weight-loss journey, as well.  You don’t always find this level of personal sharing in a forum.  I believe it is also rare to see on many large niche sites.

Now, would my community continue to exist if Mommy Snacks.net became more personal and less focused on saving money? Yes, I did share in detail how a niche is important even if I break the rule myself :)   I am guessing if I wrote less content about saving money, my traffic would go down a great deal. However, I have a mind beyond deals and don’t want to start a new blog to share them.

Here is an example of a recent topic when I went outside my niche.  I have readers who want Buca di Beppo coupons.  However, I just shared how we won’t take our kids to visit Buca di Beppo anymore.  I received more comments in my personal post – moreso than when I have simply posted about a coupon for the restaurant.  What does that say?

At the end of the day, I go back to that definition.  I go back to my passion to help people *save on what you want so you can spend on what you need.*  I also strive to *keep it real* with my readers and show them who I am. I’m not perfect and I have opinions. I use my blog to share those because, well, it’s my blog.  Niche or not, I’m not changing.  I kinda like it the way it is!

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What an encouragement for whatever type of blog you have! Now, if you are looking for a good deal, want to get your couponing on or just become bffs with Andrea, please subscribe to Mommy Snacks. And follow her on twitter. She is a GEM. If you ever get a chance to see her in real life–hug her neck because she will be an instant friend.

Stay tuned for Bliss*Tastic Week 4 with a special post from Amy at The Finer Things in Life!

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BLISS*TASTIC: Week 2: Christine Koh from Boston Mamas: Blogging Niche & Beyond

by oh amanda on January 13, 2010

Welcome to Week 2 of Bliss*Tastic! Today my friend Christine from Boston Mamas will be inspiring us…

I’m thrilled to attend Blissdom for the first time next month (I’ll be speaking on a panel about life balance) and I adore the lovely and positive spirit of Oh Amanda, so I was honored when Amanda asked me to guest post for her BLISS*TASTIC series.
Amanda asked me to share how I manage my local blog Boston Mamas while making it attractive to a broader audience. I receive a lot of inquiries about this topic from folks looking to start geographical niche sites, so it’s been a pleasure to think more concretely about my “niche & beyond” approach. Admittedly, my approach has evolved rather organically, but here are my key tips for blogging niche and beyond.

Find a hole.

I created Boston Mamas because I saw a hole and wanted to fill it. At the time, the city lacked a stylish, all-in-one parenting resource portal and I was brimming with ideas for what I wanted that portal to be. Whatever niche you are pursuing (e.g., geographical, food, craft, etc.), I recommend that you find a hole. The internet is a big place and there’s plenty of space for lots of blogs within a given niche, but identifying an editorial angle that is uniquely yours can be very powerful and also can help focus your writing and thought process.

Follow your instincts and passion.

My tech friends advised against going with a niche name like Boston Mamas, instead suggesting I use a more general name to attract a wider following and more advertisers. But this just didn’t feel right to me. Though I did want to write about a lot of general topics (e.g., eco-living, food, crafts, developmental issues), I was passionate about carving out something for Boston. I followed my instincts and good things have followed, both in terms of a national readership and a wide range of advertisers.

Be realistic. And don’t reinvent the wheel if you don’t have to.

I created Boston Mamas while I was still working full-time as a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard and MIT. Laurel was a busy, uber attached toddler. I was still coping with the loss of my father. Subsequently, I needed to be realistic, not only in figuring out what was feasible time-wise, but also emotionally in terms of what would be the most fun. For example, for a geographical niche blog, it might make sense to host an exhaustive events calendar. However, I didn’t feel that this would be feasible time-wise or much fun for me. Plus, I didn’t see the need to reinvent the wheel with dedicated calendar sites such as Boston Central already well established. Instead, I decided that I’d simply highlight cool event picks as they arose. It’s easier, more personal, and more fun for me.

Let content come organically.

In all aspects of life, I think it’s important not to try to drive square pegs into round holes. And when it comes to blogging, instead of trying to be something you are not, let content come organically. Stay true to your passions; content will spin off easier and more naturally and readers will tune in to that authenticity.

Believe in karma.

Within and beyond niches, I’m always troubled when I see bloggers (and also traditional media) view one another as competition to be conquered. The reality is that the internet is a big place and there is plenty of room for everyone. Not to mention that it’s pointless to do poorly by your fellow bloggers; other bloggers will not simply disappear because you want them to, and synergy goes so much farther. I have seen countless examples of how it pays to be a positive and generous member of the community, as well as how tearing others down comes back to bite people later. In a nutshell, believe in karma.

Try not to take things too personally. And keep moving forward.

One challenge for me in life is that I am a relationships person and tend to take things personally. So when aforementioned bad karma situations are directed towards me, my first reaction is to feel angry and hurt. However, the reality is that these instances will not go away, and the more successful your blog becomes, the more likely it is that you will encounter cranky people. The key is modulating your response. Jennifer James of the Mom Bloggers Club gave me the best advice on this topic. She said that you just need to focus on the positive and keep creating and moving forward. She’s absolutely right about that.

Make friends, and give back.

One thing that touched me immensely when I launched Boston Mamas was the kind and generous response of other bloggers when I reached out to make contact. In particular, Erin Kane and Kristin Brandt (of the locally based Manic Mommies), Asha Dornfest (Parent Hacks), and Danielle Friedland (formerly of Celebrity Baby Blog) were already established bloggers when I started out, yet they took the time to respond with kindness and also exchange ideas. I always think of these women when I get emails from others looking for advice and try to pay it forward as much as possible.

Step from behind your computer.

As Jo-Lynne wrote in her BLISS*TASTIC post, it is so powerful to meet people who speak your language. At every media event and blogging conference I have attended, I’ve felt energized, inspired, and honored to be amidst creative spirits. All of those in real life interactions have been so memorable and that’s why I’m thrilled to head to Blissdom next month. And whether it’s for Blissdom or another conference down the road, I urge you to start saving some money, step from behind your computer, and nurture your blogging passion by meeting fellow bloggers in real life. It’s such a joy to be a part of this online community, and the thrill of putting a real face to an avatar is particularly sweet.

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Christine Koh is a former music and brain scientist turned freelance writer, editor, designer, and creative consultant. She is the founder and editor of Boston Mamas, the designer behind Posh Peacock, writes a personal blog at Pop Discourse, and pens the Shoestring Magazine column Minimalist Mama. She resides in the Boston area with her husband and 5-year-old daughter. She tweets about it all at @bostonmamas.

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Isn’t she great? I first met Christine at the Pampers event and have had even more fun getting to know her online since then. She is genuine, intelligent, funny and incredibly gracious and kind. Plus, I think she’s kinda famous.

Stay tuned next week for Week 3 of Bliss*Tastic with the stunning Andrea from Mommy Snacks. She is a very big deal!

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BLISS*TASTIC: Week 1: Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife: To Niche or Not to Niche

by oh amanda on January 6, 2010

When I went to the Blissdom conference last year it was to decide if I wanted to “get married or break up” with my blog.   I walked away from my first blogging conference with so many action items, great ideas and brainstorms I didn’t know what to do with them. This year, I’m going to Blissdom with a different eye—I’m looking to refine and strengthen my blog. So, to get my blogs (and yours) ready, I’ve asked five of my favorite bloggy heroes to share their blogging strengths with us!

To kick off week one, my long time bbb, Jo-Lynne from Musings of a Housewife is sharing her wisdom…

Amanda is one of my longest (notice I didn’t say oldest) and dearest blogging friends, so when she asked me if I’d like to guest post as a part of her Get-Ready-For-Blissdom series, I was happy to oblige. Blissdom was probably the most fun I had in all of 2009, and I went to Disney World in November, so you know that’s saying something. Of course I went to Disney World with three kids and my parents, so that gives Blissdom a leg up right there.

Fellow bloggers often ask me if it is really worth it to go to blogging conferences, especially when blogging is more of a hobby than a job, and my answer is always a resounding YES. Conferences enrich online relationships, and suddenly “cyber friends” are “real life friends.” There is nothing quite like meeting someone face-to-face for the first time after chatting with them for months or years online and feeling like you are hugging an old friend. Well, of course, you are, but just try explaining THAT to your skeptical friends and family back home.

The best part about a blogging conference is, everyone speaks the same language. When you’re at a blogging conference, you never have to explain to your friends the difference between a blog and a post, you never feel like you have to defend spending the better part of your day online, and no one ever says, What is Twitter?

But I think the most valuable thing I took away from Blissdom last year was a renewed sense of purpose for my non-niche blog. In fact, that’s what Amanda suggested I write about today. It seems like everyone giving blogging advice preaches the necessity of having a niche, and I use to feel insecure about the fact that I don’t really have one. The worst is when I have to fill out a form and I’m asked to choose a category for my blog. Why isn’t Random ever a category?

My blog is all over the place, pretty much like me. I have many interests, and they wax and wane depending on the time of year or the direction the wind is blowing. Sometimes fashion is the topic of the day, sometimes it’s food and nutrition, sometimes it’s motherhood, sometimes it’s the reality TV show du jour, and sometimes it’s simply my stream of consciousness at the moment.

It has served me well, not having a specific niche. I’m certainly no ProBlogger, but my community has grown steadily over the past four years, and I have had various opportunities to represent companies and speak on the topic of blogging. And yet, everywhere I turn, the experts are saying, To be a successful blogger, you must have a niche.

My epiphany was during the writing session at Blissdom ’09 when Catherine Connors stated that she believes recording her family’s history is an act of love, and she referred to herself as a memoirist. Suddenly I knew that was exactly what I am. When I walked out of that session, I could have shouted from the rooftop, I HAVE A NICHE! I’M A MEMOIRIST! That was worth the price of admission, right there.

Blogging is a very personal thing, although certainly not private. Everyone has to determine what they want their blog to be, and it’s perfectly fine to have a blog that doesn’t fit neatly into a single category. After all, everyone’s definition of success is a bit different. I’m doing what I love, and I wouldn’t trade my modest home on the web for anything.

Wasn’t that beautiful? Please become friends with Jo-Lynne by visiting Musings of a Housewife, following her on twitter or meeting her at Blissdom! She is a delight–you will fall in love with her immediately! And want to become one of her groupies. Like me.

You don’t want to miss bliss*tastic: Week 2: Christine from Boston Mamas will be dazzling us with her bloggy prowess!

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