I’ve had this blog for about 5.5 years. The first two years I was very dillegent to post 3-5 times a week and my blog’s stats slowly and steadily increased. However, I never could figure out how to monetized this blog, and without that extra motivation, I sort of fizzled out. Especially when my crochet business started taking off. Quite frankly, I just didn’t have to time to exert energy into something that wasn’t going to profit much. Sure, the blog brought extra customers to my Etsy store, but not enough to make it valuable to me.
However, I’m now in a position where I can come back to the blog, with high hopes of monetizing soon! That simply means I am working on earning some money from this blog. It can definitely be done, and I’ve read several articles from blartists (blog artists – can we make that a thing?) who not only earn money from their crafty blogs, but can make a living solely on their crochet blogs! I have the need to be one of those blartists. So, I appreciate your patience as I work on rebranding, and I promise that little space to the left will soon have a shiny new logo in it! And if you also want to glean from their expertise, I’ve listed a few of them below ☺️
During the past years of blogging, I have paid attention to the stats, and what people are looking at, and liking, and linking back to, and commenting on. It’s a very specific kind of post that people are interested in. To be successful, it’s important to focus on creating this kind of content.
Tutorials
People love to read how to do something. Even better is if it’s simple enough that your readers can do it themselves! I have a few tutorials that I wrote a couple years ago, and still have frequent visitors to those posts. It is also important to realize what to include in a tutorial:
- Tools. Always, always, always include a list of materials needed to accomplish the finished product exactly as you have created it. List specific colors, brand names, and sizes. This is where affiliate marketing makes an impact!
- Pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. Good quality pictures. Show your reader how theirs should be looking every step of the way.
- Directions. Step-by-step directions of what needs to be done and how to do it. Did you know, that there are so many many people who cannot craft? They can look at a very simple craft project and have no clue how those results were achieved. Write for these people! Precise, clear, to the point.
- Video. Now, I’m not a video-person. I don’t appreciate my appearance on screen, and I detest the sound of my voice. But there is a great amount of value to be had with videos. Whenever you can, make and use one!
- Resources. Books, other blogs, additional information. Make it easy for your reader to further explore the kind of craft that you are tutorialing (yeah, that’s a thing). While it’s ok to direct them off sight, try to send them to other blog posts that you wrote when you can.
Freebies
People LOVE freebies. Like, gobble them up as fast as they can. They love to benefit from your hard work without having to do anything themselves. Sometimes that’s ok, but don’t get so carried away that you suffer at a loss.
- Printables
- Lists
- Information
- Giveaways
- Cheat sheets
Inspiration
It’s so easy to get discouraged, overwhelmed, bogged down, and just plain wanna quit. If you’ve been living for longer than a year, you’ve definitely felt “the burn-out”. So, include some inspiration and motivation for your readers. Whether that means bible verses to get through life in general, or encouraging quotes from famous people, readers love to be inspired!
Beginner’s guides
So many people are getting the idea that they want to give it a try. After all, if you can be successful, why can’t they? But they don’t even know where to start. More importantly they don’t know how to start. So, create a step-by-step guide for them. Don’t be afraid of sharing your experiences of what worked for you.
Guest Posts
This is an exciting prospect! To have enough of a following to merit the attention and time of someone else. Especially if you are able to bring in an expert who backs up your information. Adds to your credibility. And boosts your stats.
Giveaways
There is much debate on the validity of blog contests. Maybe you can run a successful sweepstakes, but are you bringing in freeloaders or an authentic following? Personally, I find giveaways to be too much work with not enough benefit. But there are some creative bloggers out there who will attest to their usefulness in moderation. I suggest experimenting and find out if it will work for you. I’ll include a few resources for you just because I’m nice like that ☺️
How to Create Social Media Contests That Convert
How to Run a Social Media Promotion and Not Go to Jail
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There are lots of different kind of blog posts that you can write: memes, narratives, FAQs, works in progress, infographics. While these are useful posts and can add to the validity of your blog, they are not as likely to bring a huge following in a short amount of time. Balance it out and you will be on your way!
Family Bugs Crochet Designs 