• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About/Hire Me
    • About Me
    • Hire Me
    • Contact
    • Family
    • Faith
    • FAQ
    • My Running Story
    • Recipes
  • Disney
  • Fitness
    • runDisney Information Page
    • Fitness
    • Races
  • Parenting
  • Travel

Through Heather's Looking Glass

  • Disney
  • Fitness
  • Travel
  • family
  • About Me

5 Huge Mistakes I Made As a New Blogger

June 5, 2018 | blogging, social media

I have been blogging over eight and a half years (wow) and there is still plenty that I don’t know. That’s what is so fun about this job, I learn something new every day because things change so quickly. If you want to be successful, you have to learn to adapt, which admittedly isn’t my strong suit…hence why this has been so good for me. Anyway, I’m rambling. I recently came out with an online guide for bloggers wanting to make money working with brands.  I wanted to help bloggers that were looking to make money with their blog and social media accounts that didn’t really know where to start. But then I started thinking…let’s back up to before you even get to that point, right? I feel like I skipped a step. I have a free email course for people wanting to start a blog, then I have my how to make money eguide I mentioned above…but nothing really for “in between”, so I thought I would craft a post with 5 huge mistakes I made when I was in my first 6 months or so of blogging in hopes that you can avoid some of them, and be on a faster path to success.

5 huge mistakes I made as a new blogger

1.) Blogging too often just for the sake of posting: When I first got into blogging, I was writing posts SEVEN days a week. Lawd. I mean, I know I didn’t have a child then so I had more time on my hands (can you believe I used to get BORED on the weekends?!? That clearly hasn’t happened in over 3.5 years)…but WOW that’s a lot of writing. The problem was, I felt like I “had” to blog every day because that’s what everyone else was doing, and so I would crank out a post even if I didn’t really have anything to say. This led to some really boring and useless posts that make me want to hide my head in shame. Now, I only blog typically two or three times a week, and my posts are much more informational and “deep”. Writing a post and editing photos is a big undertaking. Don’t get burned out by thinking you have to put up new content all. the. time. Because you don’t. It’s better to have QUALITY stuff that people will resonate with and want to come back for more of again and again.

2.) Not asking for help/not networking: Sometimes I will admit I can let my pride get the better of me, and this can lead to me trying to do things on my own. Blogging is NOT one of those things that you want to try to do on your own. Your peers are a wealth of information, and most bloggers are happy to share tips, help cross promote for you, and encourage you. If you put yourself on an island, you will remain on an island. People talk, PR agencies talk about bloggers to each other and to other bloggers. If you are viewed as someone who doesn’t play well with others, it could hurt you in the long run. There are some great Facebook groups out there you can plug into for some help and advice.

3.) Tried to be someone I wasn’t: I think at one time or another we have all fallen into this trap. We see someone else having success, and we want success too, so we do as they do. Granted there is nothing wrong with getting ideas from other bloggers, but there is a difference in getting an idea and making it your own, and trying to be someone you aren’t. Remember that your readers are reading your blog because they like you and what you have to say, not because you are just like someone else. Own your unique perspective and find your own voice. People will notice and you will find your tribe!

4.) Not being self hosted: It took me a minute after I started blogging to jump on the self hosted bandwagon. One because frankly I had no idea what it meant other than it sounding technical and complicated, and two, it meant spending money on my blog, and I had not even made any money, so it was scary to take that leap! Just remember, if you wait until you “have more money” to do things in life that have the potential to MAKE you money, then you will never make the leap. Being self hosted does have a cost, but it’s not high when you consider all the things you most likely spend money on in a week. You can get started for just $3.95 a month, and it will enable you to host ads on your site that will make you income. I don’t have to ever touch my ads and the money just gets deposited into my account every month, and it way more than pays for my self hosting.

5.) Not promoting my posts enough: When I first began blogging, I thought you wrote a post, shared it to Facebook and Twitter once, and that was that. It’s sad to think how many of my posts would have done so much better had I promoted them more. (I have gone back and reworked and re promoted some things, but still, it’s sad.) There are so many more ways to promote your posts, and you should definitely promote them more than one time! You did all that hard work, so get as many eyes on it as possible!

If you have any questions about the links above such as my free email course or my new eguide, let me know.

RELATED: The Ultimate Blogger Guide for Working With Brands

Like this:

Like Loading...

Sign up for my newsletter

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carrie says

    June 5, 2018 at 10:45 am

    Oh my gosh, it’s so nice to know that these seem to be common mistakes! I’m getting my act together to revamp my brand and move forward with a whole lot more knowledge! <3

Primary Sidebar

I am Heather Montgomery, a 30 something southern girl living in Knoxville, Tennessee with my husband Bobby, 10-year-old daughter Emma Kate, and our goldendoodles Dolly and Luna. I’m just a regular girl who likes to workout, travel, hang with my family, text, and eat chips and queso. Be sure to check out my “about me” page for more info!
Thank you for visiting, and feel free to contact me with questions, (or for PR inquiries or press trip invites) at Support@HeathersLookingGlass.com.

Please, no guest post requests. 🙂

More about me

Privacy Policy

You can also find me here:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • 5 Reasons to Try a New Way of Travel
  • Experience Superhero-Sized Fun at Gaylord Opryland DC Summer
  • Digital Nomads: Safely Working Remotely While You Roam
  • Tips for Surviving (and Thriving) as a Travel Ball Mom
  • Protecting Your Kids’ Eyes In the Digital Age

 

Search

How to Start a Blog

How to start a blog
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
  • Disney
  • Fitness
  • Travel
  • Family
😎 90’s summer loading….. If you grew up in 😎 90’s summer loading…..

If you grew up in the 90’s like me, you know we had THE BEST summers. They were simple, but magical. Yes sometimes we got bored and fought with our friends, but the freedom and fun was so memorable. 

In today’s world of screen time and filling every second of the day with “fun” for our kids so they never have to be bored, it makes me sad that they won’t experience what we did. So I am trying to recreate a 90’s summer the best way I can.

Will we still travel? Of course, it’s my job. But when we are home, I’m not filling every second with fun. I’m making her figure it out. Read a book. Do some chores. Then just…go. Play. Be a ten year old while I work. Then in the evenings we can play some more, together, while I tell stories of all the crazy and fun things I did as a kid during those special 90’s summers. ☀️ 🩷

#90ssummer #summerideas #summerideasforkids #carefreesummer
✨Celebrating 70 years of Disneyland magic!✨ W ✨Celebrating 70 years of Disneyland magic!✨ 
We made it extra special by booking through Apple Vacations, which bundled our trip into one easy, affordable package — total game changer for planning a family trip! 🏰💫 (ad)

From thrilling rides to fairy-tale moments, this trip was everything we hoped for and more. If you’re thinking about going during the 70th anniversary, this is the time to do it! 🎉

📲 Link in bio to check out @applevacations and start planning your own magical getaway!

#Disneyland70 #AppleVacations #FamilyTravel #DisneyMagic #PackageDealPerfection #whereyourstorystarts #disneyland70th
Having a tween is SO much fun. 😆 #tween #tween Having a tween is SO much fun. 😆

#tween #tweenlife #tweenslang #thisisten @theprincessek
Steal my 48-hour Pigeon Forge itinerary 🗺️☀ Steal my 48-hour Pigeon Forge itinerary 🗺️☀️
We stayed at @countrycascadeswaterparkresort so my kid could splash nonstop at the new indoor waterpark 💦—then packed our days with:

🏴‍☠️ Sky Pirates of Mermaid Bay @skypiratesgolf 
❄️ Pigeon Forge Snow @pigeonforgesnow 
🍽️ A meal at The Old Mill @theoldmilltn 
✨ Play at @wonderworks_tn 
🚀 Space Race Adventures @spaceraceadventurestn 
🎡 Unlimited rides at The Island with a 48-hour wristband @theislandpf 
🦖 See free animatronic dinos at Jurassic Adventure at The Island
🕹️ Play at the arcade while you’re there
🌍 Soar across America at SkyFly @skyflypf 

So much family fun packed into two days! 
👉🏻Save this for your next summer getaway to @mypigeonforge 

#MyPigeonForgePartner #mypigeonforge #FamilyTravelItinerary #PigeonForgeWithKids #summervacation
He thought I couldn’t pass him. Bless his heart. He thought I couldn’t pass him. Bless his heart. 😆

#loveandmarriage #husbandandwife #gokart
✨70 years of magic—and we just added our own c ✨70 years of magic—and we just added our own chapter.✨ #AppleVacationsPartner
 
We booked our Disneyland® vacation through @AppleVacations, and everything from the flights to the fairy dust was handled. 🎢🎠🪄
 
What a lot of people don’t know is that you can actually book Disney resort vacations on Apple Vacations! They have a designated page just for Disneyland Resort Vacations—and it made planning this special trip so easy.
 
We bundled our hotel, park tickets, and airfare all in one place, plus Apple Vacations offers vacation deals starting at $799 and expert support from start to finish. ✈️🏨🎟️
 
Swipe through some of our favorite moments from the most unforgettable family trip during Disneyland’s 70th anniversary celebration! Everything from limited time food and drinks, chew character outfits, decorations, and more! 🎉🏰
 
You can book this vacation—and so many others—on Apple Vacations’ website. One click, and the magic begins. 🌟
 
#Disneyland70 #AppleVacations #FamilyTravelMagic #whereyourstorystarts #disneyland70th
HAPPY BIRTHDAY @bobbymontg! 🎉 His bday was Fr HAPPY BIRTHDAY @bobbymontg! 🎉 

His bday was Friday, but we have been celebrating all weekend! 

B, sure how I blinked and have now celebrated TWENTY birthdays with you. 💚 EK and I would be lost without you and I hope you felt loved this weekend. 

#birthdayboy #thisis42 #summerbirthday

Copyright © 2025 · Through Heather's Looking Glass · Theme by Bella Creative Studio

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.

    %d