I started my first blog almost 6 years ago as a way for me to escape my corporate career in the fashion industry. My blog was actually pretty successful. I was making money from multiple affiliate networks, companies reached out to me for collaborations and events.
Then I reached the dreaded “blogger plateau” at the end of 2016. I was stuck, pretty soon I dreaded having to write another post. So what happened?
First of all, my content wasn’t “evergreen”. What do I mean by “evergreen”? Well, I had content that I continuously had to update. My previous blog covered the topics of daily/ weekly deals and sales, saving money, designer sample sales, etc. I was publishing content EVERY DAY was and it was EXHAUSTING. When you’re publishing up to 100 deals a week by yourself and inserting all those affiliate links, you start to dread it. My blog actually became a headache.
The same time I reached that plateau, I noticed that friends, family, acquaintances, were continuously coming to me for advice on how to start a blog and how to make money off of a blog. They liked my approach and how I didn’t sugarcoat everything. They liked how I explained the process of blogging in my own unique way.
When people come to you for advice about something, that’s a clear indicator that they see you as someone who is knowledgeable about a particular problem or subject. And guess what? Your knowledge is something you can monetize!
I began to realize I was more passionate about helping others start their blogs instead of writing the content that was on my previous website. No wonder I was procrastinating and didn’t give a sh*t about writing another post!
So, even though I spent years building my blog and wrote pages and multiple posts of content, I scrapped it. I decided to start over. I even ditched my healthy social media following.
Some of my friends asked me why I didn’t want carry over my audience to my new Instagram.
That audience followed me for something else. Something completely different. It wouldn’t be fair to change my name on Instagram to followers who are technically in a different niche.
In a nutshell, to change my Instagram would be all for show and would be no use to me and my brand that I am creating. You want your followers to follow you because they enjoy your content, they relate to your unique voice. This is especially important if you ever want to monetize your blog in the future.
Scrapping something and starting fresh has nothing to do with failure. I wouldn’t call it quitting either. I would say I am redirecting my focus. AND THAT’S OKAY!
2018 was a year of many changes. I finally found my true blogging passion, I also made one of the biggest and toughest decisions of my life. I decided to listen to my heart, ditch the 9 to 5 and never go back.
Lastly one of the most important things I learned this past year is that starting over can actually make room for success.
(Oh.. and one more thing… You might want to back up your old blog just in case. You can always re-purpose your old content!)