I love reading these type of posts. It’s always fascinates me what other bloggers do. So here is to my behind the scene post.
In short? Sweat and tears sum it up. LOL I trust that fellow bloggers will agree with me. I do love blogging, but it is the most labour intensive hobby that I know. On average? Each of my post takes me 4-5 hours to complete.
Post Making Process
Who knows, it can be just me being inefficient? I do try to be quicker at it though. Here’s the steps that I follow these days.
- Decide on a topic.
- Write down 2-5 key happy (or angry) thoughts. I don’t write about places that make me feel lukewarm 😛
- Go through photos and figure out what are the workable ones.
- Compress & watermark photos.
- Write the posts. *I do not insert photos as I write*
- Insert photos (+ vetting)
- Review.
- Save.
- Go away for at least 15min.
- Read again and decide if ready to publish.
- Schedule post.
Blog Schedule
I stick to 2-3 posts per week. It used to be once a week, but now I have so much back log that I am even considering 3-4 times a week if I manage to write quickly.
Traffic Drive
Clueless. I have no idea what helps with traffic. I have only started using social media to help the cause this year (after 18 months of blogging).
My biggest traffic comes from Google search and Google Plus. Probably, it is because I label my posts and file photos in a SEO friendly way? Like I said, I have no clue.
What I do know though is that great content doesn’t naturally attract traffic. There’s too many fabulous content out there. It is absolutely essential that one grows thicker skin and promote your own site to get traffic.
I am not into large following. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love a larger following, but low engagement leaves me a hollow feeling? E.g. I prefer a like than a follow on IG. Often people follow but never interact ever. I feel more happy from high engagement. It is more intimate that way? Organic growth is what I aim for.
Support fellow bloggers! Be genuine. Don’t support because you want something from them. Be supportive because you enjoyed their content, respect/admire their work. Traffic works in mysterious ways. A blogger that I admire and promote may not feel the same way about my blog, but someone else will. Just because the admiration is not reciprocal, it doesn’t stop me from promoting about blogs that I love. Blogsphere and traffic work in mysterious ways.
Software / APPs
Photo editing
I use Adobe Lightroom. I am very basic and these are the only functions that I use LOL
- Watermark
- Compression
- “Auto tone” or “Punch” if necessary
More recently, I’ve learnt to use Canva from the inspiring Cat Forsley. It’s a tool to make social media art or add font to photos. It’s really easy to use.
Social media management
I have only started to using these since Jan 2017. I find these 2 to be the most useful.
Later – This is a social media scheduling tool. I use this to load photos from my camera to instagram.
This is an app for keeping up with follow/unfollowers. I think this is useful for managing Twitter and WordPress.com blog. Their best features (personal opinion):
- Auto schedule posts at peak traffic time
- Track follower & unfollowers
- Reminders for tweet response
Their IG / FB / blog management thing is pretty useless? It is more of a nuisance than helpful? E.g. their IG “interaction” often involve asking me to like some ancient photos from one specific account (? seriously? that pic is 3 months old and why all pics are from the same account?)
I have tried commun.it as well. I came across this twitter management app from a very supportive subscriber. Often on his tweet, I find “commun.it” stamped. I got curious and gave it a try. This tool is for tracking twitter activities, automate tweets, suggests RT etc. It is too intrusive and robotic for me. I find it more annoying than helpful to have automated “thank you” tweets. It is insincere and tacky? I’d rather do my thank you tweet manually, thanks. I HATE automated DM with a passion. I think it is totally spamming people. However, I do know some bloggers who have enjoyed great success using this. Anyhow, this one is not for me.
Equipments
I am a beginner. I use a mixture of cameras and phone. I blog with any photo that I’ve got LOL Cameras & lens that I have been using for my blog / youtube:
- Canon 6D
- Canon 5D mark3
- Canon EW-83H 24-105mm
- Canon EW-83L 24-70mm
- Canon EF 50mm 1:1.8
- Canon EF100-400mm 1:4.5-5.6
- Canon G12
- Canon IXUS510 HS
- Nikon S33 waterproof 10m
- Sony Z3+
- Tripod
- Selfie stick
The most important is the moment that is captured and the narrative.
This post is inspired by Rachael’s post. Fabulous read 😉 Rachael is a beauty / lifestyle UK blogger. Seriously fab photos.
19 Comments
Very interesting post, Joyce, I’d love to write something similar. As for the time it takes to put a post together, I’m with you. It takes me about 4-5 hours and I hate when people assume that blogging is just a hobby that requires no effort. It is my third job!
Hi Nano, will love to read your “behind the blog”! Your blog looks so editorial!! Totally amazing. Blogging is certainly a very time/blood consuming hobby haha 😀 I love doing it though.
Joyce, bless your heart, I would never thing anyone would EVER use the word “editorial” to describe my blog. You surely made my day. ❤️
What do you mean that you’re a beginner, your photos are #GOALS! All that equipment has me drooling!
I’m kind of with you on the large following, other than the opportunities that comes in tow! A good medium sized following around 10-20k would be great haha!
Thank you for linking to me, still waiting for my MLB to arrive to compare against yours! Seems to be sometime over the second weekend of the month here now, I did have it sent to my office but it always seems to come on a Saturday now, so not sure whether to change it back to home!
Helpless Whilst Drying
Thank you, Rachael 😄🤣
You’ll reach that following soon 😉 I know it.
Maybe change it back to deliver to your home? You’ve had rotten luck with office deliveries lately 😅
ps. I think we use the same layout – high five 🙂
Really? I’m using Cheerup. I am still tweaking. I’m experiencing total hell at the moment. About to make youtube to share my “emotional journey” of the migration.
I also like reading these types of posts 🙂
Where did you learn about SEO? I feel like I have read quite a few articles and use Yoast on wordpress but I still get very little organic search traffic… any tips you can share?
I am no SEO expert. I came across some SEO articles on google search and other bloggers’ posts. I myself water it down to 4 steps?
1) name all photo files with searchable names e.g. onuma-park-hakodate-day-trip
2) name all pages and posts slugs with searchable names e.g. onuma-park-hakodate-trip-idea-hokkaido
3) hash tag except on Google Plus e.g. #travel #japan #hakodate #hokkaido #daytripidea (maximum 5)
4) link up to related posts (out/inbound link)
O, your profile doesn’t link up to your blog (your WP avator profile doesn’t work and the wordpress page doesn’t work).
oh wow I didn’t know my profile wasn’t linking! it was still connected to an old blog, thanks so much for letting me know! hope this one links properly now.. its a good test 🙂
Absolutely 😀 fellow blogger support. 😉 when I click on your name, it still says site no longer available… maybe you need to change that on wordpress.com? or your actual profile? It is currently liked to https://gabgonedutch.wordpress.com/
Wow, I didn’t know that you own a lot of equipment for your blog and you’re so lucky to have them. Anyway, for the traffic, I also have no idea where to get them, but mostly I get my traffic from Google Search Engine which I don’t know why. Just like you, I don’t mind about the number of followers as long as I have good engagement from my readers then I’m happy for that. I used to write 3-4 articles per week last year, but since I had hiatus for the last 3 months, I’m now trying to write more often again. Thank you for letting us know you even more and about your blog. Continue to write Joyce.
Hey, Lai! Ja, me too! Google search is my number 1. I think it is because you write about specialised travel / remote travel? Plus, you have very high engagement rate (look at all those comments that’s happening on your blog!). So the SEO naturally places your blog post at the top.
Like I said, equipment is really just me showing off LOL Great blogs just need fab captured moments. I got the DSLR before I started blogging. The only item that I’ve bought for the purpose of my blog is the giveaway prize.
Hey, about you write a “behind the blog” too? Your posts are always full of poetic/philosophical thoughts + gorgeous travel of course. Will love to know your behind the blog 😉
LMAO that photo of you taking a photo of the whatever beauty product that it. XD
My process is a bit different. I usually write before any photos are taken – writing helps me formula what images I might like to take. Photos are always last to be added to any post.
My blog schedule has taken a nose dive. I’m backlogged to but I don’t don’t feel as pressured to pump them out lately. I’d rather just let things go by the waste side until I get into a groove again.
I agree your thoughts on having a huge following – I’d rather have conversations. I don’t think it’s necessary to thousands of followers – I couldn’t possibly get to know them all, you know?
I need to find a tool to manage IG followers – have you found a tool? The IG follow / unfollow gaming is getting on my nerves.
Ha, you’re a beginner photographer like I am a makeup nOObie. Look at your equipment! I literally have a Canon point and shoot and my phone, that’s it. Here’s my behind the scenes post if you’re curious:
https://stashmatters.com/2016/07/24/behind-the-scenes-tag/
Ja, me too! I can’t imagine how to possible know all the followers. It must be so impersonal? I’d love a large following, but it will probably only be my ego/commercial side speaking?
I have not found any useful/non-irriating IG follow management tool. Your account too? Ja, those daily follow/unfollow people are driving me nuts.
Seriously, I don’t know how to use half the functions on my camera (according to my better half).
I am hurt. Of course I have read your behind the scene 😛 LOL I have OCD and go through your archive haha. I went back to check to be really secure. I know that I’m up to date this year 😀
Aw I wasn’t sure if you read that one or not! I randomly see your comments on my blog LOL! 😛
Wahahah I stalk you all over the show~~~ 😛
I’ve started using an App called Followers+ – it groups people into different sections, people you you follow/they follow, you follow they don’t follow, and they follow but you don’t.
It also shows up people who unfollow, and it shows against whether you are following.
Some accounts follow me and I like the look so I follow back, but when they unfollow within 24 hours I get so much satisfaction unfollowing!
Thanks, Rachael! 😄 Ooo, I’ll this app a try. Those follow/unfollows are so annoying. 😥