3 Common Myths About Blogging



It's time to talk about some of the most common myths that are behind blogging sometimes. I've experienced every one of these points myself, and I know others who do on a daily basis. So whether you're a blogger who'll be nodding along to this post, or a non blogger who might realise something new about blogging; enjoy! And let's get to the bottom of these myths eh?


1. 'We Always Get Free Stuff';

To the people outside of blogging, it can sometimes seem as if bloggers get free stuff all the time. I've been asked multiple times from friends and family, 'What stuff can I get them for free?' and I have to say it can get so annoying. First of all, that's not how it works. If I ever get something gifted to me, it's because that brand/company/person has contacted me and chose to gift me with it. And its a rarity at best anyway. I know bloggers who have a much bigger audience than me and who still pay out for all their own things they choose to review or include on their blog. And my blog is much smaller, which means I obviously get offered less 'free stuff'. And let's break down this 'free' product anyway shall we? Whether it's something we like or don't like, if we do a post about it - that's serious time and effort put into that item. Planning a feature, taking photographs, editing, publishing, promoting; it all takes so much time and effort that a lot of non bloggers don't see. I can easily spend two days preparing a post. Now if this was a job I'd be getting paid a lot more than one freebie for two days work within my schedule. So yeah the odd freebie is nice, I won't lie. But you have to put it into context. I'm working on my blog 24/7 and it's a rare thing to be gifted from a brand. Which leads me to my next point..


2. 'It doesn't take much time/effort';

Anyone can write up a post and press publish, and that's all it takes.. right? Wrong. Sure if you want to try that; that's fine, but I can almost guarantee your blog won't get anywhere and you won't reach much of an audience. I'm almost scared to think about how much time I put into blogging on a weekly basis, but if nothing else it shows how much I love doing it. I've mentioned the time it takes to prepare and write up a post, which you'll wanna put some thought into. Then you have to take your photographs, and believe me there is a high expectation when it comes to bloggers. We need good lighting (damn you Winter..), high quality images and great editing skills to keep up with the crowd. I'm certainly no expert, but even just trying and always improving where I can takes so much time. Then there's promoting your blog. This is hard. You have to try do this very often, without becoming 'spammy' or annoying. And you have to cater to your audience; consider what they want to see, across various platforms. I regularly use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Stumbleupon to promote new posts, or engage with my audience. If I schedule tweets throughout the day when I know I'm going to be too busy, (which is often - I work full time!) that easily takes an hour the evening before.


3. 'We're all doing it to be the next Zoella';

To be honest, this assumption is one I've seen inside the blogging community from other bloggers - as well as non bloggers. There's a certain belief to some that if we spend this much time blogging then we must be trying to get famous or trying to become so popular online we're the next big thing. And Zoella is a great example. Yeah she's great and she's done so well, but we're not all the same. For me personally, I do this because I simply love it. Since I discovered blogging I have felt more inspired, involved in a community, creative and happy than I have in years. I will do it for as long as that continues, even if I never have much of an audience. If it managed to get me into a career I love, or it somehow became possible to do this for a living then WOW. That would be amazing, but it's not the goal. It's not the reason I do it. I'm sure I'd be very disappointed if it were. And I know there's so many other bloggers who feel the same. Also, we all have our own unique blogs. I love to use mine to write about lifestyle posts, be creative, share my artwork, talk about important issues and include my love of beauty products. I'm never gonna change that to be more like someone else.


And so there you have it! The top 3 myths about blogging, in my experience. I have asked multiple bloggers across various platforms, and almost all mentioned these three things. I hope this clears a few things up for newbie bloggers or non bloggers alike :] I've loved sharing my thoughts on this - but tell me what you think! Leave a comment letting me know if you agree with any of these assumptions or you have any others on your mind.

Take care! x


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40 comments

  1. Great post, this is so accurate. Especially the assumption that all bloggers get free stuff, which is really not the case.

    Day Dreaming

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  2. Ah this is so so accurate - it does frustrate me when people think it must be so easy and quick but it takes hours to get the blog sorted and then to interact with the community even more - good thing I love it all! :) x

    Jasmin Charlotte | UK Lifestyle Blog

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  3. Amen to that! Great post sat here nodding my head the whole way through x

    Jordan | Keep Dreaming ♥

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  4. Lovely post, i think your thoughts were on point. A lot of people do think it's free stuff and an easy way to try an earn money - but its not. It's more like a freelance job that everyone is fighting for.
    Blogging has been a great thing for me too, ive gained confidence & expressed my creativity that was not as expressed before. I take photographs in front of people walking past my house & I no longer care or get shy..

    I have also enjoyed talking to various people in different countries with same interests which is just so damn cool.

    I love this little place on the internet x

    www.leannewinters.blogspot.co.uk

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  5. Great post :D I hate that people thing blogging is easy... it's such hard work xx

    Gemma // Miss Makeup Magpie

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  6. Fantastic post! I hate when non-bloggers say that blogging is easy or that it doesn't take any work at all. It really, really annoys me because it DOES take work and a lot of time to photograph, write, edit, publish, promote and talk with other bloggers... grrr!

    Jessica
    the.pyreflies.org

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    Replies
    1. I totally agree with you, Jessica! Blogging is a hard work, and we need people to respect the time that we invest in creating beautiful posts! <3

      http://stylesprinter.com/

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  7. Oh god, whoever says that it doesn't take time or effort has clearly never blogged. lol It's such an amazing hobby but very time consuming, as we all know too well. :) I also do it because I love it and I enjoy networking, making friends, interacting with other people with similar interests, exchanging knowledge and opinions. I doubt there will be another Zoella anyway. hehe x

    Renata | Speaking Beauty UK

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  8. This was a great post, and something I've been thinking a lot about recently. A lot of people don't understand the work that goes into each and every post !

    http://chasingrubieschasingpearl.blogspot.ie/

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  9. brilliant post,agree with everything that you said! People just dont understand the amount of time and effort that goes into every post! Oh the joys of being a blogger! xx

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  10. Great post! Sadly I think a lot of people start blogging for the freebies but I guess those are the ones that get quickly bored and stop when they realise blogging isn't a meal ticket to free lipsticks for life. Also, I dread to think how much time I actually spend blogging - thinking up ideas for posts, writing, taking photos, editing pictures, editing my text, scheduling, planning, promotion. I really isn't 'easy' but if you love it, it's more than worthwhile, which it is for me. x

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  11. This is so accurate! People always think we get free stuff and it's like no. Didn't you read/listen? I BOUGHT this! Same goes for YouTube, people think all you do is turn on a camera and upload a video. If only life were really that easy!

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  12. Number 3... yes!!! I can't stand it when people say bloggers are just trying to be the next Zoella, that's not the reason at all!!! I mean, a small percentage might, but most just do it because they love it! To be perfectly honest, I don't like Zoella at all, so I get even more annoyed when people say it to me, as I don't want to be like her at all!

    The Velvet Black // UK Style & Beauty Blog

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  13. I love this post, it's so true and very well written! My blog costs a lot of money and the occasional freebie is wonderful, but not a form of payment at all. I also don't want that as I would lose the fun in writing posts. I'm glad I discovered your blog :).

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  14. Great post! so true, we don't get stuff for free its very rare to get a freebie

    Melissa || www.vintagemelissa.co.uk x x

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  15. Defo agree with the Zoella part! I started blogging way before I even knew about Youtubers and their vlogs- let alone one single person like Zoe. I started blogging because of my love for writing.

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  16. Great post! I have to agree with you om all the points you've made. We defo don't get free stuff and it takes so much time and effort to plan and write a post and that includes taking good pictures too! It's definitely not as easy as it looks.

    www.lovehijabgirl.blogspot.co.uk

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  17. Very good points. I'm constantly planning posts, writing drafts and rushing home from work so I can take photos before the sun goes down!
    Blogging about free stuff at all comes with risks. Unless you know the blogger well, reading a sponsored post can feel forced and you never know how much they're talking up the product because it was given to them. Tricky!
    Brianna || http://extraordinarydaysblog.com

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  18. Great post and all very true. Blogging does take a lot of time and effort but we do it because we love it. I hate all the promoting of post and the tweet decking and stuff but it must be done :)

    Pams Stuff and Things

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  19. I agree: blogging takes a lot of time! Being a perfectionist, I always want to do even more, even better, every single day. As a result, I spend probably too much time blogging. But what can I say? I love it so much that I cannot stop myself! :))

    http://stylesprinter.com/

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  20. I agree, people seem to think we are in it for free stuff, sure being asked to work with brands is great but that's a result of the work you put in and there are not enough hours in the day to put in all the time you could to blogging unless you do it fulltime and even then I can imagine there isn't enough time!

    Grace
    http://grownupgrace.com/

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  21. SO many people think it's quick and easy. Sure, maybe if you bang out a short boring post with a few crappy photos, but if you're actually working hard on it then it takes a lot longer.Especially beauty blogging - I have to take product photos, apply the makeup, take photos of myself, edit photos, write, promote...so many hours taken up!!

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  22. Totally agree with everything you said! Especially how much time and effort it takes to blog regularly, I don't think people understand how much work we need to put into blogging if we want it to grow and gain audience. x
    Mummy’s Beauty Corner

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  23. Definitely agree! People think it's just sitting down and writing but many of us are perfectionists and always strive to get the perfect photo and edit edit edit. It takes so much time, but it's so much fun! Freebies are nice, but it's also more work when we have to trial them and review them!

    Sheri | Behind The Frames

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  24. I agree with it all haha! I've come across these three myths so many times. Especially the first and the third one! The second one, about blogging not taking much time and effort, is something I used to think myself. I knew that I took both time and effort, but I never realised how much until I started my own blog. Oh my, it can take forever to make something the way you want it to be haha! I love it though, so I'm not complaining ;)
    Great post and lovely blog! I just found it on twitter, it's definitely worth returning to! xx

    itsjustsofie.com

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  25. Love this post! Agree with everything you've said. You can tell a lot of time and effort goes into your blog and it's definitely appreciated :) x

    F U Z Z Y P E A C H D R O P S

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  26. Love all of your posts!! Blogging just makes most of us happy :) xxxx

    www.beauteagenes.blogspot.co.uk/

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  27. SO TRUE! I don't run a blog to be the 'next Zoella'. I blog because I am passionate about make up and want to share that with people who are also passionate about make up! It irritates me when people suggest anything other than that :/

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  28. I love your post! You are so right! Everyone should know these things!

    www.juliahasch.com

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  29. great post and so accurate! it annoys me that people think blogging is easy or does not take much time! xx
    www.amyschitchat.blogspot.com

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  30. To be honest, before I started blogging I did not realise how much time and effort goes into maintaining a well-presented blog with regular posts. It really does take up so much of our time but it shows! Literally couldn't agree more with all the points you've raised here. x

    www.kirstytalks.co.uk

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  31. You are bob on with this post. Blogging is much harder than people realise and I'm still a newbie and I'm learning all the time.

    Hayley \\ Compass To Guide

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  32. I definitely agree with all of the points you've mentioned. I have been blogging for six months and I have learnt all of those myths aren't true from my experiences.
    1. Freebies are incredibly rare and I have not been recognised enough to get them. Not that I am complaining or anything.
    2. Blogging takes so much effort. I don't post nearly as much as I would like to just because I don't have time. I had 11 ideas for Christmas posts, 6 were published so far and that's me when I have time off.
    3. I don't think I'd ever want to be like Zoella and expose too much of my life online.

    http://fishnetsxd.blogspot.ie

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  33. Great post! I agree with everything! For me because i am a relatively new blogger your second point stand out most for me! Thank you!

    KirstyLeigh

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  34. You basically just said everything I have been wanting to say this whole time, but I just cannot put them in words. It's true blogging/vlogging isn't an easy thing to do, it takes a lot of work and determination to actually provide great contents. I have experienced it and I don't find it stressful just because it's what I love to do in my spare time. However, it is pretty annoying when some people think that blogging is such an easy, unimportant thing to do because you are all wrong. We work hard on out content, our pictures, and everything else. I can relate to this post so much, thanks for sharing :)

    xo
    colorsinmybubble.blogspot.com

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  35. This is good to know for someone like me who is relatively new to blogging. I post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and the like and it does seem to take up so much time, but I put in the effort because I love the interaction with other members of the community who share my passion for beauty and fashion. Any other reason would leave a person unfulfilled in the end I believe.

    I'm in the process of designing my own blogging website and although I'm enjoying it immensely, it seems to be taking FOREVER! Part of me just wants to get posting, but I know the deliberate details will make it something special in the end.

    Shameless plug: @CatherineWyvern at all of the above ��

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  36. In regards to the last one, I started blogging and THEN heard about Zoella through the blogging community...whilst I admire how far she has come, she's definitely more of a VLOGGER than a blogger!! I for one am not doing this to be like her!

    Great post! xx

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  37. Great post, I don't think people recognise I work hard as a teacher (which has a huge workload anyway) and then the amount I do as well to keep my blog going and growing. Very very true words!

    Noodle

    venividigreentea.blogspot.co.uk

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  38. Absolutely agree with all of this post! So many people thinks it takes zero effort to write up a blog post and it grinds my gears! x
    lipstickandlightening.blogspot.ie

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