Somehow 2022 is here already! How did that happen?
The new year always makes me reflective.
2022 wasn’t a very exciting year for me.
But I did get to enjoy my first year with Gusto and get back into dog training. Not a bad way to spend the year.
As for the blog, well…. it was kind of quiet around.
But let’s reflect on the blog a little bit.
Thanks to Colby from Puppy In Training, we have the annual Pet Blogger Journey to look back at our year in blogging.
- When did you begin your blog and what do you currently write about on your blog?
I began Pet Faves in 2007 writing pet product reviews and it’s evolved into a blog with a focus on pet products and pet-themed products that enrich and improve the lives of pets and pet parents. Fancy, eh?
2. Name one thing about your blog, or one blogging goal that you accomplished during 2021, that made you most proud.
2021. I started the year with such hope and dreams and didn’t accomplish a darn thing.
Unfortunately, I spent 2021 working a second job and then even took on a small third job to help boost my budget. So my blog took a backseat because I just didn’t have the time. Trust me. I wasn’t happy about it.
3. What was the biggest blogging challenge you faced in 2021? How did you tackle it?
My biggest blogging challenge in 2021 was lack of time. And I just didn’t tackle anything.
Well, that’s not true. I did write a couple of posts including one inspired by my 17yr old Jack Russell on how to make life a little easier for your senior dog. And I took some time to help improve my site speed to help with the Google core but other than that it was pretty much nothing
4. Tell us one thing you learned in 2021 that can help us all become better bloggers.
So this is something I realized recently and that is to have faith in what you’re building.
When the pandemic hit my blog was really starting to improve. My traffic had increased. I was able to write regularly. My affiliate income was going up.
Then the pandemic hit and I lost my overtime at work(I work in healthcare). I panicked. That’s when I took on the second job whose only good points were that it was extremely flexible and I made more than minimum wage.
I did quit that job this past November and took a little break from blogging to do some craft stuff for the holidays so now I’m ready to get Pet Faves moving again for 2022 and this time I’m going to keep the faith.
5. What are your top three blogging goals for 2022?
My first goal is to actually blog. I work a full-time job and I still have my small VA job to work but I’m really going to work hard to make an effort to work on my blog.
My second goal is to reboot my email list. It is dead so I think I’m going to dump the subscriber list and start over. This time I have some ideas for some opt-ins to help get subscribers.
My third goal is to work on getting some more of my print-on-demand products up on some different sites and to start making printable’s for sale.
6. In the perfect world, where do you see yourself and your blog one year from now?
A year from now I plan to be making part-time income to supplement the overtime that I’m working and help me get out of debt a lot sooner
7. If you had $1,000 to spend on your blog how would you spend it?
If I had $1000 to spend on my blog I would probably spend it on Facebook and Pinterest ads to promote both my blog and the products that I’ll be selling
8. What is one skill you’d like to learn or improve in 2022?
In 2022 I would like to get more experience using Procreate. There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube so my goal is going to be to do one tutorial a week. This will hopefully help me with the designs that I do for print on demand.
9. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one challenge you’re having with your blog, what would it be?
So my question for the pet blogging community is what makes you subscribe to an email list? Is there a certain type of opt-in that makes you subscribe? Is there a certain type of information that you get in the email that makes you subscribe?
Here’s to a great 2022!
Hurray for 2007! That’s the same year I started blogging! Then again, I probably tell you that every year 🙂
As far as subscribing to an email list. If you’re using an opt-in then the opt-in needs to be tailored to the specific post. I think that would improve the percentage of conversions to your list. I’ll be testing that this year as I plan on creating at least a half dozen lead magnets for my site. I think the information you include on your emails is what keeps your subscribers on your list.
I’m going to work on my email list this year. If the questions come up again next year I’ll share my results. Hopefully, they’re great.
Happy New Year and all the best to you in 2022!
Hi,
Thanks for sharing your journey. Faith in oneself is so important, but something we sometimes overlook. Thank you for reminding us all of that.
Hopefully this year will be better. The positive side to all of this is that more people seem to have pets.
I have no advice about email list since I only started to grow my email list last month,
Best of luck in the new year!
Bonnie
Last year was tough! For so many reasons and it sounds like you were busy with life and working.
I hope this year is easier time wise.
And I wish you the very best success on your blog!!
Wow I live right down the street, so to speak, from you and didn’t know a lot of this! Congratulations on being a long hauler in the pet blogging world!
In terms of what would make me subscribe to an email list, it would be a super amazing lead magnet. Something I must have that speaks and calls out to me. That is on my to-do list for 2022.
All my best to you and thanks for being a bright light in the pet blogging world!
I sign up for email newsletters if I love the content on the site. That’s pretty much it. If there is extra content that you get when you sign up, that motivates me to sign up, too.
For me, if I read an interesting blog post and then see an opt in that offers more tips, I’m going to sign up for it. Also if I connect with that blogger’s writing, I’ll sign up.
I hope thing settle down and get some what back to normal for all of us.
Happy 2022!
I SO feel you on all the job stuff. I am actually in a similar situation. My work hours were cut due to Covid, so I also took on a second job. It’s so hard to work multiple jobs, blog, and attempt to have a life outside of just working all the time. 2021 I think was a tough year for a lot of people – here’s to a better 2022!