Fashion, Life

My blogging goals (and they aren’t numbers)

Sophie

How to find your personal style

Since I’ve now been blogging for 3 months or so and am just about in the swing of things (although I don’t know if I will ever get used to the levels of tired involved with doing this around a day job), I thought it was about time I considered what my aims are for the rest of the year – my blogging goals for 2017, if you will.

I didn’t want to focus on numbers, though. Obviously they can be helpful as a marker of progress sometimes, but – and it’s just a personal thing because I know some people find it very motivating – I find that when I do anything by numbers (pounds gained, distance run, calories eaten, words written), I am not kind to myself.

I don’t want to be unkind to Sophar So Good by focusing on numbers alone. It’s my baby after all, and I want to love it and develop it rather than resenting it for not hitting a given audience by a given time…they’d just be numbers I’d picked out of thin air anyway. Here are my current blogging goals – they’re not ‘Reach XXXX followers on Instagram’ or ‘Get XXXX page views in a month’ – but they’re still the result towards which my effort will be directed:

New Look gingham ruffle top

Get better at…well, just about everything really

I very much believe in the importance of quality where content is concerned, and my goal is to get better at absolutely every aspect of producing this blog; writing, photography, the tech side, you name it. I’m still finding my writing style at the moment – writing is something I’ve loved since being a child (comes with the territory when you’re a bookish kid I think) and it’s something I want more than anything to be excellent at.

I’m aiming to improve my own photography for product, travel and lifestyle shots, and get better at outfit photos with the boyf, which I think – I hope! – is already starting to happen. Seeing these photos on the screen was the first time I had reviewed a set of images afterwards and thought ‘these look a bit like real blogger photos’ – which doesn’t even mean anything but there we go. Obviously I still have a long long way to go, but from now, I want my fashion images to be as good as these as a minimum, and I’m building on my own photography behind the camera too.

Clearly on the one hand this is difficult to measure because how ‘good’ something is is very subjective, but on the other, I know for myself whether my output is of a certain quality. It doesn’t mean that every post has to be an exquisitely expressed article style thinkpiece; I actually think off the cuff streams of conciousness, simple product reviews and quick outfit posts are great, I just want to do them well. If I’m not proud of it, it’s not getting published.

What is your personal style

Share the love

I’ve discussed before that it’s nice to be nice by making your support for other bloggers visible with comments/likes/follows etc, and this is something I want to do even more of throughout the rest of the year. I think it’s such an important part of blogging which I only realised when I actually started doing it myself, so I’m going to continue to make sure that I comment on other people’s blogs to tell them when I liked a post, plus get better at being involved on Twitter too. I’m fairly crap at Twitter – I never quite ‘got’ it, but I think I’m starting to now, so I want to use it to chat with some of very talented people doing this whole blogging thing.

I’m also making it a goal to meet more people in the blogosphere if the opportunity presents itself – I’ve been lucky to already make a lovely blogger friend Beth, and would love to meet more bloggers either locally or from different cities.

New Look black culottes

Continue to say no

Considering that I’ve been doing this three months, I’m surprised to have been contacted as much as I have by PRs and brands over the past two of those (I really wasn’t expecting to for a while). And this may seem like a strange goal, but: I am going to continue to turn down as many emails as I have to. Basically I suppose, my goal is not to be sucked into the idea that to be a ‘proper blogger’ you have to be working with brands to promote their products and just accept any old thing that comes along on the basis that I feel like I need to ‘catch up’. Don’t write my first sponsored post for 3 years? That’s cool, as long as I really do want to do it when the time comes. It’s something I’ve been set on from the outset, but Victoria from In the Frow touched on it in her piece on protecting your brand as a blogger which is a very good explanation of why you should choose what you accept carefully for anyone interested.

Personal style

Don’t get hung up on the ‘rules’

I am awful for reading blogging tips and then panicking that I need to be doing this or that or accept that I’m a failure. The thing is though; there’s no one size fits all or ‘right’ way to blog and the variety of successful bloggers out there all doing their very own thing is the perfect example of this. If it’s your blog, it’s your rules, so though advice is generally given to help with growth, it doesn’t mean you have to take it if you disagree or just don’t want to. I want to enjoy my little blog, and fussing about the fact that I’m not sure about a niche or am posting on the ‘wrong day’ (I never post on a Monday usually so what if no one reads this?!) does not help me to do that. The divine Sophie Cliff wrote a post about blogging myths that aren’t necessarily true (read it here) which was fab, particularly with the parts about niche, social following, and schedule; all of which are things that I don’t have and have previously read that I MUST GET OR I AM RUBBISH.

Finding my personal style

Be consistent

I don’t think I’ve done too badly consistency wise so far – the longest I’ve ever not published for is a week. My goal for the rest of the year is to keep this up, which may seem like a cop out because it’s something I’m doing already, but I honestly find it so hard to maintain. I want to continue to post consistently, without committing to a certain number of posts per week on any given day but hopefully making a week the longest gap between posts that I have in 2017.

Parfois embroidered bag

Stats: be always improving

I guess this is the most number-related one; but I’m not going to set anything specific. My goal for my stats is for them to improve month-on-month for the rest of the year, even if that is by the tiniest of margins. For example, if I were to get 30 more page views in August compared to July, that would be an improvement, so I’d have hit my goal. Mine are obviously fairly low anyway and although a lot of the time I can see a correlation between work put in and stats, it’s not always the case and when I’m disappointed with the number itself, I’d like to be able to think that I’m still heading upwards slowly.

What is personal style

Don’t beat myself up if the goalposts have to move

Blogging is my hobby. While I absolutely love it, and want nothing more than to work my little socks off on it, life happens and things get in the way. That 7 day gap between posts might become 9, or it might be 4 but I’ve worked myself to extreme tiredness to do that, which isn’t good either. My stats might fall. I might publish something that I read back a week later and realise is not very good. I absolutely suck at accepting what I basically see as ‘failure’, so my final goal is to stop being unkind to myself over what is meant to be fun, shift the goalposts if necessary, and just keep at it.

What are your blogging goals for the rest of the year?

New Look one shoulder ginghamHow to find personal styleEmbroidered bag and slidersNew Look red ginghamTop – New Look | Culottes – New Look | Bag – Parfois | Sliders – Primark

Photos: Rob Poor

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Published by Sophie

60 thoughts on “My blogging goals (and they aren’t numbers)”

  1. I love this post Soph, I too try not to get too hung up on the numbers – so long as people are enjoying your content then that’s all that matters 🙂 Absolutely LOVE these photos too – you look incred! x

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    1. Ahh thanks lovely one! You’re right, as long as the people who are reading it are enjoying it that’s all good with me 🙂 xx

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  4. These are awesome. As a new blogger too, it’s nice that you aren’t focused on the numbers. The content is what is really important. Question – who takes your photos? I’d love to get into more outfit photography but have a hard time finding a photographer!

    Kendall
    http://www.weekendall.com

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    1. Thank you Kendall – and you’re right, content is key! My boyfriend takes my outfit photos, I’m not sure he absolutely loves it but he’s very kind to do it anyway. If he wasnt doing it I honestly don’t know who I would ask…hope you manage to find a photographer 🙂 x

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  5. Yesyesyes Sophie, excellent goals and you are so bloody right – numbers are never kind. Numbers are very rarely a positive thing and to compare your creative bubba to. I think your goals are wonderful and definitely achievable too! My main goal is definitely consistency (one Youtube video, two blogs per week, fingers crossed) and to not compare myself so much, just focus on what I can do to improve my own style and writing 🙂 Immy x

    http://www.immymay.com

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    1. Thank you wonderful lady! I know numbers are really motivational for some people but I think it just depends on you as a person and for me they really aren’t kind haha. Not comparing ourselves to others is so important – I always find when I focus on improving my own work without comparison I’m much more productive and happier with the outcome too, but it’s not always easy to avoid the comparison demons! xxx

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  6. I really agree with the brands one! When I first started receiving brand deals I felt really happy because I felt noticed, and though they are good if you actually like the thing you’re promoting, it’s hard to not get sucked into promoting everything! Great post, check my blog out too? Xx

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    1. So true – it can be easy to want to say ‘yes!’ immediately without thinking it through, but it’s so important to consider whether it is a good fit. Thanks lovely, I will do xx

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  7. I really like your outlook on being a blogger and having goals are always a good thing, keeps you focused and you have something to work towards otherwise you will get lost and lose focus and have no aim of where you blog is going. You should do blogging because you enjoy it, numbers should not be the reason you blog, but it’s nice to know people read it.

    yourhappylife101.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for reading and commenting Stacey 🙂 it is really lovely to know that people read but yes, ultimately I am doing it for my own enjoyment! x

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  8. I think this is the first post I’ve read that makes the most sense to me and I can connect the most regarding setting goals for my blog.
    Your Outfit & details are always on point 💕

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  9. I still can’t believe your blog is so young cos it’s so good and I love your photos! I have months when I get hung up on the numbers and months when I don’t care. I’m not even sure what my goals are anymore! Sometimes I definitely feel like I’m stuck in a rut!

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    1. Ahhh you’re a gem, thank you so much. I definitely know the ‘stuck in a rut’ feeling (in a bit of a funk myself at the moment too)…hope it has passed now!

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  11. This is a FAB post!
    I feel like I need to pep talk myself in a post like this to reboot myself.
    I am majorly struggling to just *DO IT!*
    But maybe not thinking about rules, and just doing my own thing is the way to go, and allowing myself that might mean I hit publish on ANYTHING!

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    1. Ahh thank you so much Holly! It is so difficult sometimes to realise that you just need to do something – anything – in order to get back to it isnt it. I hope you have found your groove again – I think if you need that little boost to get back in the game you do just have to go for it and put something out there just to kind of show yourself that you can 🙂 xx

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      1. I definitely just needed to *go with it*! September has given me a fresh start mode and I’m trying to post every day for the month – I hope I manage it!

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    1. Love what you said about everyone succeeding at their own pace, that’s a great thing to remember 🙂 Thanks so much for reading and commenting. It’s so hard to keep blogging consistently isnt it – I often think I need a couple of weeks without posting anything in order to make sure I can then be consistent for a couple of months afterwards x

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    1. Thanks so much gal! 🙂 Fingers crossed I can keep improving. And yesss haha that would be too funny, double the reason for people to stare in the street wondering what on earth we’re doing xxx

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  19. Absolutely loved this post! It’s so important to remind ourselves why we started blogging in the first place and that you should blog for you! It’s so easy to get sucked into these ideas of how it should be done, but the fun really is that there are no rules! 🙌🏻

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    1. Amen to that! I totally agree, it can be really easy to forget why you started and that you can do what you want at times – so I hope that I always remember that there are no rules! 🙌

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  21. These pictures are absolutely stunning and you know I love the gingham! It’s perf with those trousers too. It’s nice that you’re not getting hung up on numbers – I find it really hard not to and I do set myself goals by numbers, but such low ones that there’s almost no point in having them haha, but I know I’ll reach them and that makes me feel better! I think saying no to PRs is so important and I definitely say no to more opportunities than yes because there’s no point in building up a blog that you love to then just write about something that you’re really not that bothered about! I always try to remember that at the end of the day it’s a hobby for me so although it’s nice to have goals and I only want to get better, I shouldn’t beat myself up too much about it!
    Amy xx
    http://www.callmeamy.co.uk

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    1. Ahh I have definitely set myself fairly low number-based goals to make me feel good when I hit them before haha – I’m sure everyone does! Definitely nothing wrong with setting number goals, I think it just depends on what works for you best 🙂 I’ve also set myself not so low ones which I’ve then missed completely and that’s left me disheartened which is when I thought I’d better come up with something else for the time being since my numbers are so small. Your last point is definitely so important, of course we want to get better and better, but beating ourselves up about any of it doesn’t really help anyone (least of all ourselves/our blogs!) xxx

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  23. You’ve got such a fab attitude to blogging to say you’ve only been doing a couple of months and after having a read of a few of your other posts, I’m a big fan already! I’m with you on rejecting emails – it’s absolutely amazing to get opportunities but at the same time it’s so easy to take on every one just for the sake of it rather than if it actually fits with the blog! I reckon my goal for the rest of the year is just to be consistent and really work at improving my blog and being a bit more present on social media. Keep up the good work Soph, you’re doing fab! x

    Always, Alice

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    1. Oh wow – what a lovely comment, thank you so much! You’re right, it is amazing to have people emailing you with opportunities and easy to get overexcited but having a little think to consider if you actually want to be involved is so important! I know exactly what you mean about being a bit more present on social media too, that is probably something I should start working on too – sometimes I am so slack, especially with Twitter. It’s so hard to fit it all in though! Thanks for reading you absolute babe x

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  24. Love this post Sophie! It’s such a good idea to have goals that aren’t numbers based, although I have a sneaky feeling you’re going to skyrocket those numbers anyway because I love your blog!
    Interesting point on the turning things down too – when I started 4 years ago blogging (particularly the whole gifting/sponsorship process) wasn’t quite so established and bloggers would happily take these ‘gifts’ from brands without factoring in the amount of work required. I never accepted an item that I didn’t like and wouldn’t happily feature anyway, but I definitely missed a few chances to ask about budget! It’s great that you’re starting from such an informed position and won’t get taken the mickey out of in that way.
    Can’t wait to see where the coming months of blogging take you 🙂
    Lily Kate
    jolihouse.com

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    1. Ahh what a lovely thing to say – thank you! Such an important point about the amount of work required, post ideas/photography/writing/editing/promoting isn’t as easy as many people seem to think and is super time-consuming (or so I find anyway, although I am quite slow at it all) so I’d definitely only want to put that effort into something I genuinely like! Thanks so much for reading and commenting 🙂 xxx

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  25. This was a really refreshing post to read, I completely agree with you on a lot of these too. I am always saying no to companies and I feel bad for it but really I shouldn’t. Blogging generally is hard, especially with a day job as you said! You have an amazing blog here anyway, well done lovely! x

    adelelydia.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks so much Adele, really appreciate you saying that 🙂 You definitely shouldn’t feel bad for saying no to companies, if something isn’t a good fit it wont benefit them either and it amazes me when some brands don’t seem to understand that! Blogging is so much harder than I could have imagined before trying it myself. Thanks for reading lovely x

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  26. Just landed on your little corner and very much enjoyed what I saw, Sophie! I also just recently started blogging and although I try not to get caught up in the numbers, it’s challenging not to set up those goals and wanting them to happen quickly, but I am an inpatient person, so what do I know? Kudos to your boyfriend for these gorgeous pics! Much love from not so distant Cambridge 🙂

    Saida | She talks Glam

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    1. Oh thank you so much Saida! I’m the same – I’m impatient and can be pretty ambitious, so its really difficult not to want to set number based goals and smash them immediately, totally feel you there 🙈 The boyfriend very much appreciates the comments on these photos 🙂 And yay Cambridge – gorgeous city and not too far away at all! Thanks for reading xxx

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  27. I can’t believe you’ve only been blogging for 3 months, your photography is awesome Sophie! So much better than me when I was starting out, that’s for sure. I love what you said about continuing to say no as well, I do the same! I’ve been blogging for around 2 or so years now and I’ve never done a sponsored post because nothing has come along that’s been right for my blog/brand. It makes me happy that others are sticking to their brands and not just taking anything that comes along as well!

    Julia // The Sunday Mode

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    1. Ahh Julia thank you so much – my photographer aka my long-suffering boyfriend was very pleased that you wrote that! That’s so positive to hear, nothing wrong with sponsored posts and I’ve loved lots of ones that people have written where they’ve just been done so well, but if you don’t think it’s a good fit for you it doesn’t really benefit anyone does it. I’m sure in time something perfect will come along, but even if it doesn’t – no worries 🙂

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  28. Don’t worry about the numbers. Be true to yourself and the rest will take care of itself. I aim to blog once a week and for 2nd year running I’m taking a 6 weeks summer break before resuming with a daily blog for the duration of my travelling over 3 weeks before reverting to weekly. I try and say what I think even if it risks displeasing some. Take care and keep doing what feels right.

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    1. Thank you so much for this comment and such great advice. I’m feeling pretty good in terms of not worrying about numbers right now which is a nice place to be. Daily blogging for 3 weeks must be a lot of work!

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  30. and flow from one day to the other because they’re describing events I’m experiencing. It can be harder to achieve the same quality when I’m doing it weekly as I can make notes to myself during the week but the words/ sentences I had at the time may be lost.

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    1. That’s a good point – I guess it depends what you are writing about and in what style, and it sounds like it works really well for you!

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