I restrategized my blog purpose and this is what I realized + New blog look!
As bloggers, we all can get lost in the blogosphere sometimes, especially when it comes to the matter of our blog’s purpose and mission. It’s hard but trust me, if you know yourself enough, it’ll easily come to you.In this post, you can find:
- How I started in the blogging world
- How I found my blog purpose
- Tips for finding your blog's purpose and mission
- All about the New Yours Truly, Myrra blog
Starting out in the blogging world
I started out in the blogosphere like most bloggers out there. My main blog purpose was simply to share my thoughts and personal stories. I wrote not because I wanted to be heard but only because I wanted to hear myself. Writing was my form of self-reflection and because I couldn’t say my thoughts out loud, what I did instead was writing them.That was until I was given a break.A producer in Thought Catalog reached out to me via email to ask permission in republishing one of my articles on my blog. She said that she randomly read it while browsing the internet and that she absolutely loved it. The article was an emotional piece of mine. I had written it one morning – just after waking up to a sudden pride that I wasn’t a train wreck of feelings anymore, that I may have possibly moved on from the guy I thought I never could move on from. Yup, that’s me. I wrote the things and letters I couldn’t personally say and give to other people; hence the blog name - Yours Truly, Myrra.Without a doubt, I gave Thought Catalog permission. It was, after all, exposure to my articles. I didn’t know it was possible to be heard until I was already heard. I didn’t know that people would appreciate my words. I thought they were only mine to keep.So I kept writing. But not for my blog anymore. I was a Thought Catalog writer and I loved it. I easily wrote about my personal life and talked about my feelings to life, to myself, and to that special someone.But then came the plot twist. My heart was shattered to pieces by the boy-who-must-not-be-named and I thought the world was going to crumble by then. I was practically a body of loneliness and regret but still with a little spark of hope.That hope was gone when I realized that I felt numb. It felt like that guy took all my words from me. I couldn’t write in my journal. I couldn’t draft a post on my blog. I just couldn’t find my words anymore. Writing suddenly became a tedious and exhausting task for me.Long story short, I stopped writing… and blogging. My blog purpose turned to nothing and my blog became dead for a few months. I only had to blame one person for that and it’s not who you think it is. It's not him, the guy-who-must-not-be-named. No. Indeed, I could only blame myself for being too lazy, for letting the world’s circumstances get through me (we all know life happens), and for not pushing myself enough.
Trial and Error in finding my blog purpose
After coming back to the blogosphere, I find myself enjoying it again. This time, however, I was enjoying not only to share my passion but also to be appreciated for what I write. Brands came to me and asked me to collaborate with them. I said yes to most if not all of them simply because I saw them as opportunities to grow the legitimacy of my blog. I thought, hey look, brands trusted me with their products and services, am I a legit blogger now? WRONG.It exhausted me. Writing about stuff I didn’t necessarily like or supported wasn’t only bad for the reputation of my blog but also for my motivation to write. It also seemed like I had to please the brands and my readers so even if it meant writing in a very un-me way, I did it. I did it because I wanted people to recognize my blog – that I’m not only writing for me but for them. After all, write with the audience in mind, right?But, for the second time, I slowly lost my inspiration to blog because it felt like I wasn’t real to myself. I took a break from blogging (again) and promised that when I come back, I’m going to be a better, more meaningful blogger.After attending events where I met different people who had the same passion in blogging as me and gaining experiences and things to write about as I traveled Europe, I can say that now, I am finally back – this time better and more motivated to write to inform, share stories with, and inspire others. Trisha Velarmino, the blogger behind PS I’m On My Way and my mentor in last week’s Blogging 101 workshop, was right when she said that it is important to show the real self in blogging. We must blog not to earn or be famous but to make a mark with our words.
How to find your blog’s purpose and mission
It’s hard, I know, but trust me, if you know yourself enough, it will come to you.First, ask yourself why. Why are you blogging? Is it because you want to teach your readers about a topic you’re good at? Or is it because you wanted to share your stories about the travels you’ve made? Figure out why you’re blogging in the first place. Make a list of all your visions for your blog then cross things out until you’re down to 3 goals and then pick one. It’s always the hardest but it’s also the most worth it because this is what you’ll hold onto when things aren’t going your way.Decide who your target audience will be. When we talk to a person, we basically show him/her a side of us that we may not choose to show others. This is the same thing with blogging. You want to know who you're talking to, so you know the game you’re going to play – what you're going to talk about, how you want to be seen, and how you will engage with them.Choose a blog niche. Now, this one’s pretty hard as well but it should not be something that would limit you, especially if you're a multi-passionate person. A blog niche is basically the talk in the blogosphere as it is defined as the topic/matter that you discuss in your blog – i.e. budget travel for travel blogs, trendy fashion for style blogs, and so on. This is valuable because it can guide you in zooming into the topic you're most knowledgeable about.Last but not least, write down your blog purpose in a paper and post it somewhere you can always see. This is for you not to forget about it when you’re drafting your blog post and engaging with your readers. Your blog purpose is the reason why you’re doing what you’re doing. Make sure it’s what you’re good and happy at.
New Yours Truly, Myrra blog
I haven’t been gone so long as I had been when I first stopped blogging but I kind of felt I was again losing my push in writing and blogging. So before it happens, I rescued myself and decided to give my blog a new look. It took me such a long time to find the theme I'm most satisfied with but in the end, I'm so happy that I found 17th Avenue Designs' themes! If you're starting your own blog, I definitely recommend checking them out. Also, comment down what you think of the new blog look, please? Your thoughts are very well-appreciated!I just wanted to let you guys know that I’m here for keeps. I’m not planning to stop sharing my thoughts and stories to the world even if time and circumstances are making it hard to continue. Anyhow, you can visit my about page to learn more about the things you will expect from me soon (p.s. I have already scheduled the next two months in my blogging calendar so stay tuned!). After reflecting on what I wanted to write most about, I finally decided that my topics will mostly be about student/female/solo/budget travel, petite and classic fashion, and tips and tricks on blogging. You might also want to sign up in my email list below to get updates and sneak peeks on what I will blog about in the next few months and even get your own travel planner (for free!).Thank you for reading, loves! See you here again soon, yes? :)
