December 2019 will mark three full years since I began Adventures from Elle: my baby, my sanity and one of my favourite hobbies. It’s also one of my proudest and most prized “possessions”. I don’t get to write much less travel as often as I’d like but I’ve managed to churn out over 100 articles as a full-time medical student (now doctor) and I’m pretty proud of that. My blog hasn’t had a dry spell of longer than two months either.
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This blog is a hobby. I have had a few perks along the way because of it though but I don’t do this for a living. I scarcely make a dime in ads (WordPress’ CPM is horrible) and besides a spontaneous ghost-writing gig I got to do once, that’s about it in way of earnings. Thus, this post isn’t one of those how to make $1,000 after 1 month of blogging and quitting your day job either. It’s quite possible to do that, but it’s not my reality. Instead, here are 10 life lessons I’ve learnt from travel blogging after nearly 3 years of having my own blog. Blogging is well worth it and the benefits of blogging are numerous.
Growing an audience with good engagement is seldom overnight, unless you’re willing and able to invest a lot of money into promoting your blog posts on social media. Your friends and family may visit your site initially for the novelty of it but eventually those views will decline unless you’re consistently churning out new well-written posts to pique their interest and attract a loyal fan base.
Quality is key. Don’t publish something you wouldn’t want to read. Proofread your articles before publishing to pick up and fix grammatical errors, and arrange your articles in an easy to read and follow format. Try to include bright vibrant pictures which support your story as well. Let’s face it. Some people are only here for the pictures and most people will just skim your precious piece rather than read each word.
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Look where making blogging friends got me. A whole daytrip!
Reading, liking & commenting on other blogs can get you far, and I’m not talking generic comments. If you read something you appreciate, have a genuine question or respectful opinion worth sharing after reading a blog, do leave a thoughtful comment. They may just check out your website and you gain a new subscriber. Befriending other bloggers whether virtually through Facebook groups, Instagram and in real life is important too. You can get invaluable support, ideas for new posts, great collabs and even form new IRL friendships.
Social media is your friend. Some months my #1 referrer is still Facebook even after having a few posts which have taken off on Google and appear on the first page of results. For a lot of people, myself included, self promotion was initially difficult because you’re afraid you’ll wind up seeming obnoxious. Shed that backward way of thinking this minute! What other people think of you is their business and if sharing your passion and projects online annoys your circle, you are better off without those people. If you follow me on Instagram, you are going to know when I’ve published a new article and if we’re Facebook friends, I will send you an invite to like my page. What you do with that information or invite isn’t my business.
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You have to ensure you’re doing it for the right reasons or it will soon feel like work. In the words of Chronixx, dweet fi di love, mi nuh dweet fi di likes. Your blog may never be a success. Maybe only your closest friends or your family will read your articles and that’s fine. You’re expressing yourself, developing your writing and editing skills and publishing pieces you’re proud of. That should be enough. If you spend all your time stalking the stats page and feeling disappointed that your new hit article only got 20 reads and still has no comments after one week, you’re probably not in it for the right reasons. The Internet is very fickle. After 3 years, I’m pretty surprised at the posts which have become crowd favourites. For instance, the blog post 22 Photos Which Show Why Portland is Jamaica’s Most Beautiful and Gordon Town Falls have each had several thousand reads while these posts are far from my best work in my opinion. In fact, hardly anyone bats an eyelid at my best-written or favourite articles but that’s okay. Keep doing you and producing great content. If the crowds are to come, they’ll come one day.
Don’t be afraid to state your opinions. You’ll be surprised how much people appreciate an honest review rather than that sugar-coated “everything was amazing” review, unless of course that’s truly how it was. If you say that about every place though, you’re going to come across as suspicious. For example, I would never recommend nor dine at Gloria’s Seafood Restaurant in Port Royal after a horrible experience I had last year, and while Blue Hole in Ocho Rios is a beautiful place, I wasn’t at all impressed by my experience and I didn’t hesitate in stating that unpopular opinion. That’s what I love about not getting paid to feature any place on here. I have complete autonomy over the views I express and I get to see what the place and its customer service is truly like since the owners or staff wouldn’t know I’m going to write a review. That’s not to say I may not do sponsored posts in the future, but if I do, that will be explicitly stated and I won’t review a place unless I feel their brand and philosophy reflects my own.
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Beware of imposter syndrome! The blogging community is saturated with several hundred thousand blogs worldwide so it’s easy to feel like your blog isn’t good enough, your voice doesn’t matter or you don’t belong because you aren’t nearly half as travelled as the other travel bloggers, you aren’t as stylish as the other fashion bloggers or you haven’t dined at even half as many restaurants as the other food bloggers. CUT THAT OUT! You belong, your voice matters plus someone can benefit from and will enjoy what you have to say. It still hasn’t all been said yet.
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That being said, find your niche and stick to it. It makes no sense to become a travel writer if you hate travelling or a food blogger if trying new foods and dining out isn’t your thing. Find something you like and then work to become the best in that niche and by the best, I mean better than you started. Your only competition is yourself. It’s also better to blog about one or very few topics, since choosing too many topics to blog about may drive away your current readers who only subscribed for one type of content.
Constantly reinvent yourself as a blogger. Learn how to edit photos better, switch up your blog theme, change your publishing schedule and don’t be afraid to try new ideas. It’s your creative space! For instance, I learnt how to create Pinterest ready graphics from a few free apps, add watermarks to my pictures, and I’ve started writing more lists and travel guides such as my list of all the waterfalls in Jamaica and a Blue Mountains Travel Guide in addition to the usual destination posts I started out with. One thing I wish I’d done earlier though was buy my website. I spent way too long with the free version of the website and lost majority of my search engine ranking and traffic after switching. I’d just assumed they’d automatically link but no, no they did not.
Everyone is an expert at something. Your voice matters. Someone is waiting for your opinions and advice about where to go, where to stay, what to eat and what to do. Go forth and write!
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If you were thinking of starting a blog, vlog, podcast or some other online means of creative expression, go for it! I hope you found this useful, and if you already have a blog, vlog or podcast, were any of these points relatable? Sound off in the comments section below.
Adventures from Elle is a travel blog for locals & visitors who want to experience the best of Jamaica, one adventure at a time. The blog is curated by Rochelle Knight, a junior resident (M.D.) in internal medicine and published author. She began the blog in 2016 as a medical student & wants to see the world, starting with her home country. Purchase her book 'SIGHTSEE JAMAICA' on Amazon and join her in Jamaica!
View all posts by Rochelle | Adventuresfromelle
57 thoughts on “10 Things I’ve Learnt in 3 Years of Blogging”
hey just found your blog, excellent read, very informative. I have learned over the few months that I started taking my blogging serious I don’t think It should matter who has been more traveled, who is more experienced. People will like you for you and that does not matter what or where you been in life if you can wow them now with ur writing then thats all you need. Just my opinion and hope new bloggers look at it this way and don’t get discouraged because of bigger and better bloggers… your audience wants what you have been writing not others this is why they come back each and every time you post.
I’m a little late reading this one but I think it’s by far one of your most comprehensive posts. I’m a stickler for details and you’ve provided enough for the anyone who’s ever thought of getting into blogging started. As you can see, my page hasn’t seen much action in quite some time and that’s for a few different reasons. The most important is that I’m roughly one year and a few months from my doctorate in Psychology and didn’t want to start blogging too much as yet. Anyway, you’ve inspired me for a while now so, who knows…you just see something from me soon. In the meantime, keep doing the great things that you’re doing, we truly appreciate it. 😉
Thank you so much! I’d love to see something from you indeed. I eagerly await. 🙂 All the best with your studies too! Keep pressing on. The finish line is in sight.
I found this a really useful read. Even though I’m passionate about what I blog about I still fall into your no. 5 category – sitting gloomily in front of the WordPress stats page.
In regard to no. 9 – think your advice is important here. I found doing some of the free WP blogging courses has really helped me.
I’m really glad you found it useful. Falling victim to the stats page happens to even the best of us. When you’re passionate about your content, you want as many people as possible to see it. All the best with your blog. 🙂
Thank you so much sharing this beautiful article! I’m very new in the world of blogging and often time come across exactly the same thoughts as you discussed here. This gives me a lot of motivation! This is a great read!
Adventures from Elle 
hey just found your blog, excellent read, very informative. I have learned over the few months that I started taking my blogging serious I don’t think It should matter who has been more traveled, who is more experienced. People will like you for you and that does not matter what or where you been in life if you can wow them now with ur writing then thats all you need. Just my opinion and hope new bloggers look at it this way and don’t get discouraged because of bigger and better bloggers… your audience wants what you have been writing not others this is why they come back each and every time you post.
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Thank you so much! Very well said. Our voices definitely all matter. 🙂 Best wishes on your blogging journey
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I’m a little late reading this one but I think it’s by far one of your most comprehensive posts. I’m a stickler for details and you’ve provided enough for the anyone who’s ever thought of getting into blogging started. As you can see, my page hasn’t seen much action in quite some time and that’s for a few different reasons. The most important is that I’m roughly one year and a few months from my doctorate in Psychology and didn’t want to start blogging too much as yet. Anyway, you’ve inspired me for a while now so, who knows…you just see something from me soon. In the meantime, keep doing the great things that you’re doing, we truly appreciate it. 😉
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Thank you so much! I’d love to see something from you indeed. I eagerly await. 🙂 All the best with your studies too! Keep pressing on. The finish line is in sight.
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I agree with you I didn’t even put the Word Press ads on this. This is my personal blog. A retiree way of keeping my mind active too
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That’s lovely! Blogging is such a rewarding hobby. 🙂
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I found this a really useful read. Even though I’m passionate about what I blog about I still fall into your no. 5 category – sitting gloomily in front of the WordPress stats page.
In regard to no. 9 – think your advice is important here. I found doing some of the free WP blogging courses has really helped me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m really glad you found it useful. Falling victim to the stats page happens to even the best of us. When you’re passionate about your content, you want as many people as possible to see it. All the best with your blog. 🙂
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Thank you so much sharing this beautiful article! I’m very new in the world of blogging and often time come across exactly the same thoughts as you discussed here. This gives me a lot of motivation! This is a great read!
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Thank you so much! Glad it was a pleasure to read for you as much as it was a pleasure to write for me. 🙂 All the best with your new blog.
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Definitely! Loved reading it and it answered a lot of my questions! ❤️
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