but doesn’t want to tell you.
I have been debating for months on starting a new series. After my blogging story I wanted to begin a series regarding the truth behind it all. I get asked questions often about blogging probably because I wrote out my story for all read. So I have entitled this series “What every blogger wants you to know, but doesn’t want to tell you.” I have no idea how long this series will be but I am guessing about 5-7 installments.
Now there are a lot of reasons why we don’t want to tell you these things. It isn’t necessarily that we are trying to keep anything from you. Here are a few reasons I thought of…
1. It is just too personal
2. We think you already know it
3. We don’t want to admit it.
4. We don’t want to offend you
5. We don’t want to beg you.
So I am here to dish it out in the best way I know how. I will start with the fluffiest and easiest one first!
#1 We don’t want to tell you but…
we think of you!
With affection: I think I can speak for every blogger when I say we love you. We love our readers and we think you are the best! We are in awe that people actually want to hear what we have to say. We don’t say thank you enough because if we said it every time we felt it we would begin every post with “Oh my gosh you came back again, THANK YOU, you are so awesome and I am so grateful for you.” We don’t want to gush and appear disingenuous but we want to tell you way more often than we do.
When we do projects: Every time I do a project I think about if YOU will like it, now mind you I make it because I like it, but no doubt about it, I want you to like it too. I think about the easiest way to explain it to you. I wonder if you will be inspired or think I am crazy. I think about if anyone else will attempt this on his/or her own.
When we advertise a product: I think about you. Will you like this product or am I just seeing dollar signs? I often get nervous when I get the opportunity to receive something lavish, how will that make you feel? There is a fine line that bloggers who receive some form of compensation walk when advertising for a company. I want everything I say to be genuine and honest and I want you to believe me when I say I love a product that is why I only try to do one sponsored post / giveaway a week. Many bloggers will tell you they turn down about 90% of the advertising offers down because we want to represent our brand well and because WE THINK OF YOU when every offer comes in our email.
Yes, we do, we think about you, a lot more often than we say or care to admit. 
Well said! As a fairly new blogger, I can relate to (and appreciate!) this post. So, thank you for putting this out there. 🙂
looking forward to this series beckie!
I haven’t been blogging long, but yes, this is already true for me! Looking forward to more in the series- thanks, Beckie!
Well said! I’m looking forward to this series. 🙂
Amen! I am an up and coming blogger who would ultimately love for this to be my “job.” So it’s hard for me sometimes to turn down any offers that include free products or compensation. But I DO! Because it just doesn’t fit my readers and doesn’t seem authentic at all. I wouldn’t like that as a reader and wouldn’t expect my readers to either. I value them too much! Thanks for letting them know. 🙂
Beckie! You are very right – I always think about my readers with every post! I don’t want to bore them, but I want to be sure they understand what I’m doing. You’re also right – I turn down a ton of advertising opportunities because I decided, long ago, that it MUST fit my theme of organizing or I won’t do it. My readers don’t come to me for jewelry, so I don’t give away jewelry. I hope they appreciate that, even if they don’t even know it happens. Great job…looking forward to more of your series!
Becky B.
http://www.organizingmadefun.com
Organizing Made Fun
Thanks Beckie – I’m a new blogger and I’m totally looking forward to each installment 🙂
So true! And well put. 🙂
Well said indeed! Thanks Beckie for a great post!
gail
Beckie,
Oh man, you hit the nail on the head! Well done. I couldn’t agree more. You are such an amazingly sweet person, and it really shines through each and every post. Your success isn’t a fluke…you have such success because of the time, care, and thought you invest in every morsel of this blog. 🙂 ~ Virginia
So true! I’m really looking forward to your series 🙂
I had a blog with my sister and daughter and started a new blog for myself. That being said, this post is great. I can’t wait to see the rest of this series and I loved your story series. You are one that I always come back to, for inspiration and to learn what you have to show and tell and at time get a good laugh. So I hope this is not out of line, but can I just say that, I LOVE you! Your blog is wonderful and you have done a great job.
~Mel
craftymeldesigns.blogspot.com
YAY! Your comment made by day! I love you back!
Awww thanks for the heartfelt comment Virginia. That meant a lot to me.
Very well said. I am looking forward to seeing more of this series. 🙂
Can’t wait to see more of this series … the first post was great. I always feel happy {with a little side of jealousy} when you get awesome stuff … you deserve it!
Glad to know that I am not the only blogger who thinks of thier readers. Will they like m? Will they like this? Will they think I am stupid? I love that you are sharing this. I am trying to figure out this blogging thing step by step and am curious always about bloggers that are really good at it (like you) who do this not just for fun but for a living. I find that AMAZING!
I am new to blogging so I look forward to your series. Thank you.
Absolutely true, I do my best, but noone seems to notice, but then the other big bloggers copy my stuff.
Sooooo true… I wrote a post recently and told my readers ( I was trying to find out why I wasn’t getting any comments) that my blog… is like my second skin… it’s a part of me, which makes them a part of me… ( I don’t want that to sound too creepy… yikes) Since I started blogging full time I eat, sleep, craft, think, talk, everything what will my readers enjoy… will they comment. I respond to every single comment made on my blog, and if I get huge someday , I’ll still respond….I blog because I don’t know how NOT to… I’m worrying I care too much…
Thanks for such an awesome post.
Carri
simplydonewright.blogspot.com
Great post – and series!
You are so right – with every project, I’m writing the post in my head as I work!
I will admit I started to blog to promote my Etsy shop, until then I had never even looked at a blog. Then though PINTEREST I found links to recipes on blogs and I was hooked – reading and mostly writting blogs. You are right I do find it amazing people want to come back.
Thank you Becky for taking the time to tell us this. I am a “senior reader”, so I just get on through google, not google reader or anything else. Just basic. Anyway, I would not have thought that you bloggers go through all that. So we thank you back., for how you serve US!! 🙂
I am a brand new blogger, and it is so hard. I want to grow my readership, but I also care so much about the readers I do have, that I am even scared about monetizing. Crazy, I know, but I struggle with that. I don’t really have enough hits right now to monetize but I am trying to think ahead.
Thanks for the series. (I came here via Myra at My Blessed Life). I think I will be following the whole series.
Could not have said this better!!! 🙂 I absolutely feel so thankful for my readers and every single comment… but it’s like you said, you don’t want to seem unprofessional… Or like you don’t deserve it! Even if you feel that way!
I have read two articles from this series so far and I can see why people love them more than other awesome tutorials you have. Its like straight from the heart ( not just yours…but also mine and possibly every other blogger out there). So true and honest. Bulls eye! Beckie.
Beckie, I am loving this series although I started in the back and am moving forward haha. That is usually how I read books anyways. Yes no kidding, I start every book at the end and scan forward. It has something to do with my dis-funked personality of abnormality. No I was not diagnosed by a doctor, I just diagnose myself lol.. Any ways this is so funny, personal and informative. Thank you for sharing this information with us in a highly enjoyable way. At least it doesn’t feel like I am studying calculus:)
Kristin from intentionallyinspired@blogspot.com
You are funny. I don’t mind if you read backwards if that works for you. And I love your self diagnosis!
I enjoyed your honesty in this series. I have been blogging for about four years and you touched on some areas that I knew little about. I was almost relieved to learn how long it takes you to prepare and write each post, I thought it was taking me far too much time. I blog as form of therapy. Five years ago I developed a neurologic condition that affects not only my body but also my mind. I struggle with not being able to do the things I used to at the same pace I used to and reading your series made me feel better about my blogging. Never under estimate your affect on others.
Thank you
Traci
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment, Traci. I love hearing that people are helped and/or inspired by my blog. It truly makes my day. I wish you the best with your blogging!
What blog platform did you start with? Blogger or WordPress? Im trying to start my own blog but i can’t decide between the two.
I started on Blogger but migrated to WordPress. The bummer about self-hosted WordPress is you have to pay to use it.