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Tag: blogger
What Happened When I Began Using Tailwind
What happened when I began using Tailwind
This post contains affiliate links. I will get a commission if you make a purchase at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I love.
I have been a Pinterest user for years. Actually, more like a Pinterest hoarder!
When I began blogging, I had done so much reading on what I needed to do. After focusing on 10 things at once, I decided to back off and put the majority of my energy into one platform. I chose Pinterest. Having read another 857 articles about what I needed to be doing on that platform, I decided to stop reading and start doing.
I received a free month of Tailwind and thought, “why not?”
The first week, I did nothing but stare at the blank screen with a feeling of overwhelm which I had become quite used to over the last few months (Blogging can be crazy overwhelming, am I right?!). Finally, I dove in and started scheduling pins.
The default gave me 3-4 scheduled pins per day. Along with the scheduled pins, I began to manually pin about 20 pins today (which wasn’t much more than I had typically been pinning). I went with the 80/20 rule. 80% others, 20% my own.
I would pin from my blog to my main Nau & Forever Blog Posts board, then from there I would pin to other appropriate boards of my own as well as group boards.
Want some free Pinterest tips that I have put together? Get access to my free printables library and download your copy along with some other great printables!
My Results
When I began in January (1/31/18), my average monthly viewers were 13,673, with an average engagement of 289.
- March 16, my average monthly viewers were 41,882 (average engagement: 1,402).
- April 8, I had 51,700 monthly viewers (average engagment: 1,500).
Now, to some people, this may not be a lot, but to me, I was super pumped!
I took a dip at the end of March (like many bloggers) but as you can see, things are moving right back up.
Should you put all your eggs into the Pinterest basket? Absolutely not! BUT, from my experience, you should totally be utilizing this platform. The majority of my traffic comes from Pinterest.
I have also noticed a few of my pins showing up in the top feed of Pinterest. That totally warranted an impromptu happy dance while my husband was, like, “um…okay.”
These results are my personal results, but Tailwind publishes the Typical Results of Tailwind for Pinterest Users so you can see what the average growth rate looks like for all of their members.
Want to Try Tailwind for Free?
Silly question, I know. You can try Tailwind and get your first 100 pins FO’ FREE.
Tailwind now offers Instagram scheduling to help make our lives easier too!
Want some free Pinterest tips that I have put together? Get access to my free printables library and download your copy along with some other great printables!
Want to know what my favorite tools are for bloggers? Check out my Resources page where I update all my favorites!
Mom Boss: Victoria Moore – The Stay At Home Mompreneur
Mom Boss: Victoria Moore – The Stay At Home Mompreneur
Mom Boss Victoria Moore is the face behind The Stay At Home Mompreneur and My Momtastic Life.
I am so happy that we connected and that she is in my tribe.
This mom boss and I connected on Facebook and I help her with her Facebook group Stay At Home Mompreneurs, a group for mom bloggers and mompreneurs to grow and support one another.
If you fit that category, you should totally check it out!
This Texas Mom Boss is definitely someone to watch!
WANT MY TIPS FOR WORK AT HOME MOMS? GET ACCESS TO THAT AND ALL MY FREE PRINTABLES HERE.
Meet Mom Boss, Victoria Moore – The Stay At Home Mompreneur.
What made you decide to start your business?
Honestly, I started my first blog because I was bored, and I needed something to remind that I was more than just a milk-machine.
I left my job as a preschool teacher when I was only a few weeks pregnant, and my husband and I moved to a new city to stay with family until we got on our feet.
By the time my son was born, I hadn’t had a job in 8 months.
After documenting my pregnancy on social media and writing about the changes I was going through as a new mother, I took the plunge and purchased a domain name. I took it seriously from the beginning, but I had no idea I’d be earning money after only a few short months.
It started out as a hobby, and a means to document my son’s life, yet it turned into one of the best decisions I’d ever made!
How do you juggle it all?
I honestly don’t know. I’m not sure that I do, yet!
Most days I have to choose one of my main three duties to focus on: spend quality time with my son and make sure he has an awesome day, keep up with my home and animals, or work.
It feels like at least one of those three things gets put on the backburner each day, depending on whether or not my husband is home to help.
Most of the time, that means my son is happy, my animals have been fed and loved, and I’ve gotten some work done, BUT, my house is a wreck.
I’m a control freak about many aspects of my life. I like my home to be spotless, I like my son to be clean at all times, I like my animals to have clean pens and scheduled feedings.
But that’s not my reality anymore.
One of the hardest aspects of motherhood for me has been learning to cope with the chaos that is my life.
My son never goes hungry, but he might walk around with food on his face for a little bit.
My chickens will have their time to free range, but it might be an hour later some days.
I just make the best of every day, and try to remember that stressing the small stuff doesn’t help the situation.
Really though, I think I juggle everything by utilizing nap time, working after my son goes to bed, and time blocking during the day!
I’m the type of person who likes to get in and completely finish a task before moving on to the next. But that simply isn’t doable for the life I have.
I have happy, productive, and balanced days when I block off certain times to get specific things done.
Clean the kitchen for 30 minutes. If I don’t finish the dishes, so be it. The next 30 minutes I’ll read with my son. After that, I’ll check my email or social media for 20 minutes. If I can’t get through all of the emails, I’ll have to get to them later.
It’s worked wonderfully for me, but it definitely took some getting used to.
How did you meet your husband?
My husband and I are both musicians (though we don’t have time to play much nowadays).
One of my old coworkers happened to be my husband’s neighbor, and he sent me videos of him playing the guitar and singing.
My coworker gave me his number, and I went against my better judgement and texted him, asking to meet up to write music together.
We fell head over heels in love, immediately!
We started dating the next day and I practically moved in with him the next week. The rest is history!
What is the funniest thing that happened to you recently?
The funniest thing that’s happened to me recently would probably be my son taking off his poopie diaper and running around, only for me to find that it was the last one we had.
Oh, but it doesn’t stop there!
While my husband went out to buy more, he poured a bag of goldfish out on the couch next to him, rubbed them on his boyhood one by one, and put them back in the bag.
I think it was the biggest “boy mom” moment I’ve had yet. He’s really starting to transition from a baby into a weird little boy. Haha! I didn’t know how to handle this one.
After I stopped laughing, I showed him that he can just put them back in the bag, the middle step can be skipped.
What is that one song that always makes you happy? What’s your jam?
Low Down Girl Like Me, by I Draw Slow! It pumps me up, every time!
If they made a movie of your life, who would play you?
Oh that’s a hard one!
You know, I don’t really watch movies. I know, I’m weird! I can’t focus, and it just feels like a long commitment. Trying to get me to sit down and agree to watching a movie is like pulling teeth!
I wish I had an answer, but I honestly can’t even think of many actresses off the top of my head!
If someone made a movie of my life, it would probably take me a few days to get through the whole thing haha!
Here’s a totally unfair question…If you had to choose between wine or coffee for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
Oh coffee, most definitely! No question about it! I’m more of a beer kind of girl anyway.
When I became a mom, I wish someone would have told me…
I wish someone would have told me that it’s not the constant diaper changes, or late night feedings that make motherhood so hard.
It’s the internal struggle you feel to constantly be the perfect mom that you always envisioned yourself as.
I planned on feeding my son only organic, high-quality meals, to send out cute cards for every holiday. I thought ialways be patient and kind, no matter how much stress I was under.
Turns out I’m only human, and I’m the same old me I always was, except now I have a son, and crazy expectations for myself.
There’s nothing wrong with mac ‘n cheese for dinner every now and then, if it means you get to regain a little composure during the time you would have spent making an all-natural, fresh meal.
Your sanity is just as important, and sometimes you have to pick which is more important in the moment.
Being a “perfect” mom and doing everything by the book every day wears down on you over time, and it’s not always worth the anxiety. I thought I’d always be able to push through every bad moment, and just…DO IT. But of course, that’s easier said than done.
The last book I read was…
Oh Lordy, I wish I could remember. It’s honestly been probably over a year. Maybe even a year and a half. Sad, I know. I used to be such a bookworm. I’m sure it was something by Jodi Picoult. I LOVE her!
Three things I can’t live without…
Well, first and foremost, my husband.
I don’t know what I would do without him. I take on too much all the time, and without him, I’d be drowning.
If people don’t count, I guess I’d have to say coffee, my camera, and Amazon Prime.
Describe your perfect day.
My perfect day? Hmm…
I’m lame you guys.
The only thing that comes to mind is just simple little adjustments to the days I already have.
You know, my son letting me drink coffee without slipping toys and old goldfish into my coffee when I’m not looking.
Letting the chickens out for the day without getting poop on my hands.
Finding and making a dinner recipe that’s easy and healthy.
I know this all sounds so cliche and boring, but I mean it! I’m a homebody. I don’t really have any interest in going skydiving or anything cool like that. I like the life I have.
More than anything, it would be awesome if one day my husband just said, “You know what, don’t worry about anything. I’ll do all of the dishes, change all of the diapers, take care of the animals, and cook.” Haha!
If you could give 18 year old you one piece of advice, what would it be?
Oh Lord, first of all, I wouldn’t want to talk to 18-year-old Victoria.
You couldn’t pay me to do that.
But, if I absolutely had to, I suppose I would close my eyes (no one deserves to look at the hair and makeup I used to have) and tell her to quit being a fool and let go of the “friends” I had back then.
Also, I would tell myself to quit playing the victim and feeling sorry for myself. Nobody is going to feel sorry for you and change your life. Have your pity party, then move on and grow from the experience. Basically, GET IT TOGETHER, VICKY!
Things are going to turn around for you, and in two years you’ll be engaged.
What advice do you have for moms who want to start their own business?
1. You should absolutely go for it, no matter how intimidating it is.
No matter what it is you’re thinking about doing, even if it seems over-saturated, you can still making a killing doing what you love if you put your mind to it and market yourself the right way.
Since I started with blogging, that’s what I’m familiar with. I know when I was considering launching a blog, I was really discouraged some days. I thought there was no way I’d work my way up because there are so many bloggers out there, and I don’t have the skills that they do.
Anyone that’s been following along with My Momtastic Life since the early days (all four of you) know just how awful it was. My writing was mediocre, my pictures were grainy, and my topics were generic. I still have a lot of growing to do, but man. It’s like night and day.
I swear to you, if you start now, you’ll thank yourself later. You’ll learn that though there are plenty of competitors who have more experience, more followers, better pictures, better writing style, whatever – you can get there too, and it might not even take as long as you think.
Getting started is the hardest part. It’s intimidating to put yourself out there for the world to see, but it’s the only way to get to where you want to be. If you have drive and passion, people will be drawn to you from the beginning, and it will all snowball.
2. You don’t have to know everything before you begin. You’ll learn as you go.
Do some research, create a plan, and start!
You will learn as you go, it’s the only way.
Practice makes perfect, and like I said, starting is the hardest part.
3. Never underestimate the power of being polite and courteous.
Again, blogging is what I have experience in, but you can apply this to whatever it is you’re pursuing.
I quickly found out just how brutal and vicious some bloggers can be. (Please don’t let this discourage you if you’re thinking about starting a blog, because for every selfish, rude blogger you meet, there are at least 10 wonderful and respectful women that will make up for it).
Some women are in this for personal gain. They have no interest in helping others or even being decent. They don’t want to share knowledge or provide valuable information to others unless it benefits them more than it helps you. I’ve been understanding to a certain degree, because after all, we’re all trying to grow and reach the top. But I’ve always believed that we can do that together.
Your success does not hinder my own. Good content and good people will always rise to the top, and there’s room for all of us.
When I give advice or resources, I give it all. If someone wants to share a link to another Facebook group, in my Facebook group, I will always allow it, though this is usually a big no-no.
When someone wants to share their work, but they’ve missed the cut-off time by a couple of hours, I will openly allow them to share it anyway.
And I’ll tell you what – not a single person has complained. No one gets upset, because they know I would do the same for them.
My point is, I go out of my way to extend courtesy and kindness to everyone I meet, even when it’s not the norm. It’s how I like to run things. I don’t believe in cornering people into sticking with me simply by robbing them of information that other bloggers/groups can provide. The people who like the information I have to offer will be there, no matter how many other blogs they read or e-courses they take. We all have something different to offer.
You would be surprised just how many doors will open for you, simply by showing kindness and compassion. You will make an impact in this world, and you will make real change, even if it feels small.
Want to keep up with Victoria? Check out her websites and social media accounts!
My Favorite Affiliates For New Bloggers
Check out this list of my favorite affiliates for new bloggers!
This post contains affiliate links. I will get paid if you make a purchase at no cost to you. All opinions are my own and I only share products that I love!
Are you a new blogger or new to the affiliate game? Affiliate marketing can be so overwhelming! There are so many available affiliates for new bloggers! Do you sign up for a bunch? Just one?
I recommend picking only a few to start with. In order to make money from affiliate marketing, you need the trust of your audience. If you are throwing out affiliate links left and right, they may think you are just trying to earn a buck.
Make a list of the products or stores that you already love! That’s a great place to start. For example, I love Jane.com. This store is through Shareasale affiliate program. Shareasale has a ton of stores in the program so I definitely recommend checking them out and applying.
1) Amazon. Hugely popular but only has a 24 hour cookie window. You can make money as a new blogger with Amazon, but I have definitely struggled with this. (Full disclosure: I’ve been kicked out of the program before for not getting sales, but it’s easy to reapply.)
2) DealPro. This is my favorite right now. You get $5 for each referral you send to DealPro when they sign up and are approved. If you enjoy writing sponsored posts, you should make sure you sign up for their Savings.com Sponsored Campaigns. They will have campaigns that you can join and make great money!
3) Tailwind. If you are using Tailwind, sign up for their affiliate program.
4) PicMonkey” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>PicMonkey. If you are using and loving their paid version, join the affiliate program and tell your readers how fantastic it is.
5) Skimlinks. It turns all of your links into affiliate links. You just need to make sure that you put their code into your site. (Don’t worry, they tell you exactly how to do that!)
6) It’s All You Boo! I recently got the Slay Your Goals Planner and loved it. I am now an affiliate for it. If you have a course or product from a fellow blogger that you love, see if they have a referral program. The payout is usually pretty great.
7) The Ultimate Bundles They bundle ebooks, courses and resources at a discounted price that you can let your readers know about!
8) ShopStyle
9) Siteground or whatever host you use and love. I personally love Siteground and the amazing customer service that they offer.
10) Ebates
Apply to programs that you love. Write posts about the products you love. If there is something that you really like but are unsure if they have an affiliate program, reach out to the company.
Don’t let the fact that you are new to blogging, stop you. The worst they can say is no.
11) Quickbooks
Aside from the fact that any entrepreneur should use this source, their affiliate program is incredible!
When I began blogging, I took a chance and emailed a company that I love. I was so surprised that they wanted to collaborate and I have been a Brand Ambassador for them ever since!
There are so many options for affiliates for new bloggers. This can be a great way to bring in some money and really grow your income.
Be sure to check out my Resources Page where I update my lasted favorites!
What are your favorite affiliates?
My Favorite Tools And Services For New Bloggers
These are some tools and services that I love as a new blogger!
This page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I will make a few bucks at no extra cost to you! Thanks!
I began blogging last summer, so I still consider myself a newbie. I have been doing a lot of trial and error figuring this all out. I have put together a list of the things that I consider as the best tools and services for new bloggers!
Siteground. This is my web host. I absolutely love them. Customer service is amazing and you can get a plan for as little as $3.95 a month. Check out my affiliate link here.
PicMonkey. I can say so many things about PicMonkey, but to keep it short, I’ll just say AWESOME! You can make adorable printables, graphics and edit photos. You can get the Premium package for as low as $5.99 a month. Totally worth it! You can also get a free 7 day trial. Check it out!
Affiliate Programs. Find some of your favorite companies and sign up for their affiliate programs to share your favorite products with your readers and followers. I use the following Affiliate Programs (these are great for newbie bloggers too):
Impact Radius
Technology Used by Successful Businesses (Rakuten Marketing)
Amazon
Deal Pro (my favorite right now! A great way to share deals and coupons with your readers. They also offer paid posts as well.)
Check out my Resources page for my most up to date recommendations!
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