Tag: niche

blogtober

Blogtober 101: The Do’s & Dont’s + Post Ideas

mindbeautysimplicity
follow me on Instagram

It’s that time of year again where bloggers take part in the daily 31 post challenge in October & honestly – the sooner you prepare the better. I personally, will not be participating this year but you can always reminisce on last year’s posts. Since many bloggers take part in this posting challenge, I wanted to share some insight to Blogtober including a few do’s & dont’s as well as post ideas.

What Is Blogtober?

During the month of October, bloggers in the community share a blog post every single day for 31 days. Seems like a lot right? It definitely is! Although I successfully completed the challenge last year, it was a lot of work & took early preparation. Typically, bloggers will post Halloween or fall related content [ but you can of course post whatever you’d like ]. And if you are someone who finds the idea of posting daily for a month to be rather stressful, there are no REAL rules. You can create a schedule that works best for you. This year, I plan to post once or twice a week in October, sharing Halloween & fall content as well as my usual intentional living posts. Last year, I shared a recap on my first Blogtober, so be sure to check that out if you haven’t already.

Now, that you’ve decided to participate in this challenge, the preparation is where the real fun [ or stress ] begins. Here are a few suggestions to make your Blogtober experience more of a breeze.

Prepare Early As Possible

Last year, I started writing fall content in July! In reality, 31 posts [ if you fully commit ] is a lot of content to write! I didn’t want to feel overwhelmed & stressed. The only issue I had with this was I would sometimes re-read a post a month later & not be satisfied with the idea. So, keep that in mind as well. You don’t want to write all of those posts months in advance & then want to start from scratch. Be sure the ideas you have will fit your future self. Anytime I had an idea, I would write them down & then schedule it accordingly. This year, I’ll be re-sharing a few old posts that needed edited & revamped. So, if you do run out of ideas, you can always look back at old posts for inspiration.

Guest Post & Collaborate With Other Bloggers

To help lessen the load, why not connect with other bloggers in the community. Open the floor up to collaboration or guest posts. This is a great way for other bloggers to expand their audience as well as give your typing hands a break. One of my favorite posts I did last year was share other blogger’s ghost stories / encounters. Whether you believe in the unthinkable or not, it was tons of fun to read through these stories & befriend other bloggers in the community. If say, a blogger has traveled to Salem Mass. & you haven’t yet – you can have them share their experience in a spooky travel guide. It’s always interesting to see other people’s takes on the season / holiday [ especially from those living all around the world ].

Get Outside Your Niche

Blogtober is the perfect time of year to get outside your comfort zone / niche. It’s a great time to experiment on topics you usually wouldn’t write about & to just have fun with it! I personally love sharing Halloween themed tags or share my favorite Halloween movies / tv shows as well as my general love for the spooky holiday. I love branching out from the usual decluttering posts, & sharing more about myself. It’s a wonderful way to connect more with your audience & allow them to see the writer behind the blog more authentically.

Have Fun!

Most importantly, these challenges are supposed to be fun & a way to connect with the writing community. So, don’t stress too much on being perfect or posting daily. My favorite part of Blogtober is meeting new bloggers & widening my audience. Be sure to support those who are participating by commenting on their posts, sharing them on social media & even advertising them in a future blog post. Let me know in the comments if you’ll be participating in Blogtober this year!

Post Ideas….

Before I go, I wanted to share a few blog post ideas to get you started. Also, be sure to check out last year’s 31 Blogtober Blog Posts for even more ideas! Also, if you have topics to share, be sure to include them in the comments below.

Local Haunted Spots & Their Origin Stories

Spookiest Places From All Over The World

The Blogtober Tag

Top Halloween Themed Movies / TV Shows in 2022

Halloween Costumes Throughout The Years

Halloween Through The Decades: Share Your Childhood Memories

Monster Mash Bash: Fall / Halloween Recipes

Share A Personal Ghost / Scary Story

Couple, Family or Single Costume Ideas

Why You Love / Dislike Halloween

If you decide to choose any of the topics suggested above, be sure to link back to this post!

-B

blogmas, blogtober

Happy Halloween! A Blogtober Recap

mindbeautysimplicity

Happy Halloween & final day of Blogtober! I can’t believe I actually managed to accomplish such a challenge. To be honest, I thought I had too much personal things going on that would cause me to call off the entire thing. But since I had it all written & scheduled, I pushed forward & successfully made it through my first year of Blogtober. Here’s what I learned:

Writers Block Who?!

As a writer, I tend to give myself a hard time when I’m dealing with spouts of writer’s block. After this challenge, where I was able to come up with 31 pieces of content, I will no longer feel this way about myself. If I can successfully do this challenge, I can do anything. And if writer’s block does happen again, I now understand as writers, we are not machines & merely humans. Taking breaks are healthy & crucial to allow ourselves to ignite the inspiration again. And I’ve also come to the conclusion of determining a more a proper blogging schedule for the near future. I’ll talk about some of the blogging changes in another blog post coming soon.

Engaging is A Second Job

Replying back to comments & reading other people’s posts took up lots of time. One of the hardest parts of this challenge was being active on social media & engaging with other blogger’s work. There were definitely a few days I was more MIA than others. But it was a great reminder to know to have balance with your blogging life & real life. I learned to plan out at least one day where I spent time reading & replying back to comments. I found it important to support other bloggers even more this month whether they were participating in this challenge or not. But I made sure it wasn’t an everyday routine, as I knew this would lead to burnout.

I Got to Be More Creative

I was able to go outside my niche & experiment with other topics & writing styles. It was a great way to expand my craft. I mean, I even shared a poem with you all. LOL And I learned having a niche can be good but you shouldn’t limit yourself either. It’s your blog, so write what you enjoy. I hope to continue with this mindset in the future with my blog posts.

Blogging Became Fun Again

I returned with the mindset that blogging should be fun & a creative outlet. Before this challenge, I was in a rut with my blog. I didn’t have an interest in continuing it. But Blogtober sparked that love for writing in myself again. It was a reminder to myself that even when it comes to a passion, you can & will experience burn out at times. And it’s quite alright to make a few changes along the way.

Supporting Other Bloggers Feels Good

My favorite part of blogging is connecting with other writers in the community. Reading your Blogtober posts, sharing ideas & collaborating made it even more worth while. I’m always so impressed with the entire community & the amount of talented individuals we have here. Cheers to all of us!

Will I Do This Again?

It’s hard to say how I’ll be feeling a year from now & where I’ll be. But writing about spooky season & fall was something I really enjoyed. So, maybe I’ll do this again – maybe just not daily. LOL I also learned life can be pretty unpredictable & sometimes you need to re-evaluate your routine to combat changes along the way. This challenge solidified the fact quality is better than quantity. Perhaps in the future I won’t post daily & merely share a few Halloween blog posts & spend more time promoting the few I decide to share.

If you have the time though, I definitely recommend Blogtober to all bloggers. It’s a great way to feel connected to in the community & to express your writing skills. I’m so proud of myself, the bloggers who also participated & how far we’ve come. I managed to hit 1,500 subscribers on the blog this month which is quite a milestone in my book. I look forward to see this blogging family grow.

Happy Halloween everyone! 🎃

-B

blogtober, blogtober

31 Posts in a Month?! Let’s Do This! Happy Blogtober…

mindbeautysimplicity

Happy Blogtober everyone! I’m so glad to be back posting original content. I’d like to thank the few bloggers who sent in guest posts for the month of September. Be sure to check out those posts here & go follow those lovely bloggers!

7 Simple Living Habits To Live A More Meaningful Life – Voureen

Essential Oils To Use While Decluttering Your Space – Alex Jean

Seasons Change – Natalie

pin it for later

Those guest posts truly helped me out during my month long hiatus & I’m so glad my readers enjoyed them! I’m excited to get back to a regular blogging routine & share all the content with you this month.

It’s insane to think I ditched the idea of posting 25 blog posts in December for Blogmas & replaced it with a more complicated challenge of 31 blog posts back to back in October; but here I am doing just that! If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I absolutely LOVE Halloween season.

As a child, my parents would throw the most epic Halloween parties for my brother, friends & I. And for some reason we began this tradition of just loving every aspect of the holiday. To this day my family & I try to have either a lunch/ dinner on the holiday in our most festive shirts or visit the local haunted town I’ll be talking about tomorrow. I guess in a sense, it’s one of the holidays that doesn’t incorporate much stress or expectations from anyone else. It’s just good ol’ spooky fun!

What To Expect….

So, obviously you’ll be getting a new blog post EVERY SINGLE DAY through Halloween. Can you believe I started preparation for this challenge back in July?! Yes, while most people were basking in the sun at the beach [ me included], I also had spooky season heavily on my mind.

I understand posting everyday for a month will be a lot. And I really hope you don’t get sick of seeing my content on your feeds & social media. But I’m looking forward to immersing myself in the blogging community & all the content that is to come.

I also plan to stay intentional during this challenge & balance my time of social media & enjoying the fall season outside blogging. I plan to have at least one day where I catch up on reading other bloggers posts / return comments. This is a reminder to all bloggers who are participating in Blogtober to don’t forget self care & have balance. If you miss a day or feel overwhelmed, it’s ok to take breaks. This is all for fun!

Are you participating in Blogtober?

I’d love to know if any of you are going to participate in Blogtober this year. I’m looking forward to soaking up all the fall / Halloween content & supporting other bloggers in the community like always.

You Might Also Like: 31 Blog Post Ideas for Blogtober

See you all tomorrow for local ghost stories!

Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest

-B