Hey lovelies, I’ve been quiet on social media lately and apart from the crippling anxiety that I’ve been feeling there is definitely a reason for this. Earlier in the year when we went into lockdown, I threw myself into blogging, to have a healthy distraction/hobby that I wanted to grow into a job. I’ve been blogging for 5, almost 6 years on this blog and I’ve been making enough money for at-least 14 months prior to March to be full time. Due to the uncertainty of hospitality existing afterwards I wanted to back myself, I live alone, I had no savings, and I fucking loved blogging. I love writing, and I could do it every day.
Through the last few months I’ve talked to Jenny and Vee about this a-lot, and how I’ve been feeling. I know this post probably won’t make me popular but it needs to be said.
The Constant Copying
When other bloggers see a blogger doing well financially or via social media, they will copy that blogger in at-least 80% of instances. 10% of those who don’t copy you will resent you for doing well, and approximately 5-10% will be your friends or neutral. This isn’t an exaggeration to any means.
I learnt this first hand after posting my Pinterest tips post, by no means do I own Pinterest Success or Pinterest help posts. But when I write a post named ‘2.2 million in 30 days’ and 10+ posts called ‘x amount Pinterest views in x amount days’ pop up, all people who have commented on your post without so much a mention of yours, it’s insulting. Noting inspiriation takes one second.
The copying of tweets, you tweet you’re going to write a post about sponsored post rates, and then see the same post by someone who has liked every tweet on your research for a month but it’s a magical idea that’s just popped into their head? Honestly, if you look up to someone, you’re ‘inspired’ by them, please don’t do this shit, it’s insulting.
Blogging about Blogging When You Have 0 Blogging Experience
I spoke to Jenny about this in June/July, as bloggers start blogging they seem to start following blogs that do well, and those that share blogging tips, then recreate the same posts or similar enough posts when they’ve been blogging for 5 minutes and wouldn’t know anything about subject.
That might sound savage but I see it daily. The most recent memory of this I have, is I switched my mailing provider and wrote a post about starting and growing a mailing list ( I currently have over 10K subscribers I know how to grow a mailing list because well I’ve done it) and a gal that had been blogging for 2 months pretty much typed the same post out word for word. I saw it, called her on it, and she blocked me.
The thing is as people label you more ‘influencial’ the more it will happen to you, and the more it happens to you, the more you loathe being on social media and feeling ripped off, and constantly exposed, it makes you want to stop writing all together.
Also it takes two minutes to say “hey I wrote this post I was inspired by x’s post” or “I recently read x and it really inspired me”
We all know the blogging niche is profitable, but there really is a right and wrong way to approach it.
Ebook Or No Ebook
Before I even start here I’m fully aware times are tough for people, as I mentioned at the top I knew when the pandemic hit that my job wouldn’t survive, and I would never want to offend someone in that position because being worried and stressed about money is horrible. But there really are better ways to make money than through a shitty ebook.
If you are selling an ebook, have at-least a years experience. ATLEAST. I’m bloody sick of seeing social media guides from social media ‘gurus’ who have 28 followers, and are charging more than the cost of my flat for a guide or consultation. If you want a decent instagram consultancy, or social media consultation, then get in touch with someone with actual results and real followers. Such as Vee – she know her shit.
If someone started blogging in March, starts selling consultations in June, and has ZERO experience, you are being ripped off. That’s simply it. People will ask you for refunds and it will poorly affect your reputation for selling.
Oh and without sounding like a bitter old lady y’all who tweet about social media help, needing help with Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest and then release a guide about it the next week which is a sold rip-off of someone else’s blog posts or guide. People notice, and it is probably why you aren’t making sales or growing your platform.
When it comes to ebooks, there are 7 people’s I would recommend out of the 50+ I have purchased.
People Stop Having Your Back When You Make It
Now before I was ever ‘popular’, ‘influential’, ‘grew my platform’, whatever you would like to term it, I was friends with some bloggers who had bigger, more engaged audiences than me. When you do well, people start to see you as a ‘threat’ even if you are genuinely looking out for them. Honestly it’s shitty and really disheartening to look up to someone, see yourself gaining the same traction as them and then they hate you for it.
I know this is a niche one, but its happened often to me and I’m so blessed to still have 4 close blogging friends.
Income Report Judgement
When I became a full time freelancer I fully decided to share my income, why? Google how much a freelancer writer/blogger makes and it’s either £10 or £9576079375697. There is no middle ground, and I wanted an honest report to show people how it could be done.
If you don’t want to read them, thats fine, but honestly seeing realistic income reports from freelancing can help freelancers so much. It’s not bragging if it’s done tastefully, so if we could end income report hate I’d like that.
It gets to a point where it feels like you have to make a choice, you stop sharing certain things and people don’t copy you, or you isolate yourself from the community because the pressure of being ‘inspiring’ and ‘influential’ feels to much, or you pack it in because really – other bloggers can ruin blogging for you. That sounds savage but unfortunately blogging has become a bit of ‘how much money can I make without doing any work’ and it’s a bit sad for those who have slowly built up an empire. I’m never against making money, unless it’s via faking it, selling shitty services, and down right copying your influences.
Some bloggers are bloody lovely, and those are the people to surround yourself with. I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments!
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I love your honesty Kayleigh, I love that you highlighted that blogging isn’t all a bed of roses, it isn’t sometimes! I hate blogger who copy other bloggers work, there is absolutely no excuse for that! Like you, I have noticed a lot of people are releasing Ebooks, some with barely any experience. I’ve been blogging for four years and I wouldn’t even dream of releasing my own Ebook yet, I don’t think I have enough experience to! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Your honesty is very refreshing. Thank you for shedding light on the flaws of the blogging community. Luckily, I haven’t experienced much of downsides of the blogging community, but I am always wary of people trying to make a quick buck but don’t have the credentials to back up what they’re saying. I’ve been really enjoying reading your work, and look to your blog for no-fluff, educational content. Which can be a rarity in blogs. And thank you for sharing your thoughts! This was a great read.
Aww i totally feel for you Kayleigh. Must be hard having so much hassle in what is your job. Its not an easy place to be in hating what you do but some people don’t make it easy to love. I hope you get your flare and passion back though and these issues subside x
Sadly, the copying extends outside of the blogging about blogging niche too. I have seen it happening in the pet blogging communities that I belong to as well. I think people see success and they aren’t interested in working to achieve it themselves, they want the ‘get rich quick’ path. What they fail to see is that we can tell…
I’m so sorry that you feel like this at the moment. I love your work and your blog. Reading your income report was so inspiring! I would LOVE to make money blogging one day but I know I’m not there right now.
I must admit, I was going to write a post on blogging for December then changed my mind after reading Jenny’s post the other week. I’ve been blogging for 17 months now but I don’t think I’m in a position to tell others how to blog and grow their blog when I’m struggling to grow mine.
I hate the idea of bloggers copying other bloggers. I usually just write about whatever pops into my head and think about the things that I like to read.
I hope your love for blogging comes back soon xxx
Oh my goodness, yes! The ebook thing is so frustrating!! I have had a plan in the works for an ebook and checklist for planners. But I am still holding back at the moment because I don’t want people to think badly of me. Stationery is my thing so I am hoping I will have the confidence soon. I hate people who have just started blogging and producing an ebook for £15! Like what? Thank you for sharing this!
Lauren http://www.bournemouthgirl.com
It was super refreshing to read such an honest post from a fellow blogger, especially one with a platform as big and successful as yours, Kayleigh! I have seen a lot of bigger bloggers saying that their posts have been stolen, which thankfully I haven’t experienced. I can’t imagine how mad I’d be if it happened to me! x
I totally agree. People who blog about blogging and don’t have a lot of knowledge about it nowadays are a lot.
YES YES YES to this post!!
I’ve seen all of this happening in the blogging world this year and it’s so frustrating to witness. The constant copying is something that really bothers me within this industry. I’ll never understand why someone would want to write the exact same content as someone else when you have the opportunity to write WHATEVER you want! Even more so I will never understand copying content without even acknowledging that you were inspired by someone else’s work. It literally takes 5 seconds to type ‘I was inspired by x persons post’!!
Amazing post. x
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
I absolutely love your honesty in this blogpost. It is honestly so frustrating. Even though we are in a completely different niche (mine is conscious travel), I even see the copying and the rush to sell a digital products within a few weeks or months into blogging. It’s crazy and makes me kinda sad because I started blogging because I absolutely LOVE writing, photography and travelling. It’s sad that people will do everything to make a succesful blog. I’ve had someone copying almost exactly my blogpost and it just honestly hurts. It’s awful.
I haven’t read your income report as a freelancer. I just started as a freelance writer, got my first few jobs, and I think it’s going to be so helpful for me in the future. Will definitely check it out!
Totally with you on this and it puts me off trying to build an online presence when it can be such an invitation for unwarranted criticism! It’s crazy how judgemental people can be, and it seems to happen in all blogging niches. I miss the days when people set up blogs because they loved writing and wanted to share things – as soon as money came into it, it seemed to turned more spiteful and competitive. That said, I have so many wonderful blogger friends and it does feel like a lovely little community!
Girrrlll say it loud! Great post, I’m glad you’re calling out all of the bullshit. Hopefully copycats will think twice before they become ‘inspired’ by you but don’t credit you for it.
Unfortunately this has been going on for years. I let it put me off taking blogging seriously, don’t let it put you off. As frustrating as it is your blog is great and no amount of imitation can top it! X
For different reasons, I felt the same way. Now I blog for someone else and it’s reduced a lot of the stress I had with having my own blog
I feel like this post really puts into words all the negative things I’ve felt around blogging this year. Before my old Twitter was hacked (nothing like yours, mine was a small account) I used to LOVE the blogging twitter community. It was diverse, it was creative and it felt like a genuine community. Now it seems like theres this one type of blogging persona where EVERYONE is just promotiong their ebook, sharing their “pro blogging tips” even though they’ve been blogging for five minutes and … it just brings the overall quality and authenticity of everything down. I think a big red flag for me is seeing people marketing themselves as experts in their ebook then posting on the timeline asking for help on the topic? Like what?
Its disappointing because where it used to be easy to build real relationships with bloggers (most of my followers I’ve been *genuinely* engaged with for years) it now feels like you’re reading/interacting with whats basically a comment bot :/ great post!xx
Mia // beautiful-inspiring-creative-life.com
This is a very honest post, Kayleigh, and I really appreciate your honesty! I agree, it’s ridiculous that people often try to claim they have more experience than they do- and I like to only buy products by those who really know their stuff. I’m sorry you’ve fallen out of love with blogging/writing because of these reasons.
I have been into blogging since past 6 years now, but then I had a free blogging site + it wasn’t a full time thing. It was just to write my heart out when I felt like. But it was 2019 when I was introduced to digital marketing and the fact that blogging can help one earn money and it was something I wanted to give it a shot. I did. But recently I had a one on one session with a marketing coach who helped me realized that my domain name is not suiting to what I intend to convey. And I had to replace it with a new one which is live now. I again am a mess and I need to set my goals and priorities straight and it will take time… And even with all these experiences I still feel I have a long way to go and still a lot to learn. What you just mentioned people just copy paste your content, believe me people also copy paste all the methods that one use to market or look professional..and it pisses me off to see that I had to learn the hard way and while the rest just seem to copy paste things… It hurts…
I am so proud of you for posting this! Because I feel like people sugarcoat things a lot online and don’t really talk about the nitty gritty things. And the whole thing about people seeing you as a threat is BIZARRE like guuuuurl, we need to support each other and COLLABORATE! We’re a community, you know?
Hi Kayleigh. So sorry to read this. Sad to say but there will always be those looking to capitalise on the hard work of others to avoid having to do any work themselves. Unfortunately, unless there is any copyright protection available to you, I’m not sure that there is much that can be done about it. I know its probably little consolation but if they are copying your stuff then its probably because its the best that they can find. Don’t let it put you off doing what you do 🙂
I frickin loved this post! You hit on so many points so well. As a new blogger I really really hate seeing how to blog and social media advice from people who have no audience and no followers. It’s just embarrassing! Why do it when it’s so obvious?! I ignore it all and only take advice from successful blogs. I really wanted to say something but I was worried about being judged and I feel like the blogging community avoids talking about it.
Also 100% agree about the ebooks I mean really? I feel a lot of it is so exploitative. I haven’t bought any yet the only thing I’ve spent money on is a Pinterest course (and from someone who is experienced and has the views).
Wish more people could be honest instead of pretending the blogging community is all good. Great post very honest!
I love your honesty, it’s so refreshing! Incredibly relatable too. Blogging isn’t perfect, there are days we struggle and want to stop. All the same we love it too. Thankyou for posting this! X
You highlighted the grey-side of blogging. And yes, it is true. Although, still, each blogger can find its place and audience in the world by promotions.
Thank you for highlighting the shitty side to blogging.
I love your openness! I have come back to blogging after a few years off/away and there seems to be A LOT of bloggers who blog about blogging but that’s all they blog about so it doesn’t make sense!
Sophie
Awh I really do feel for you because social media these days can be such a toxic place with so much competition. People can never just be happy for someone, there’s always some sort of jealousy or resentment, it really does need to change. All I can say if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all, and some people need to learn that.
Thank you for sharing this post!
Jared x
I imagine that’s incredibly frustrating! I haven’t grown my blog enough to be impacted by this but that has to be sooooooo disheartening! You’re trying your best to make genuine content only to have someone steal it. That’s messed up. And honestly, it comes down to morals. People with good intentions who care about their quality of work won’t pull things like that. And the ones who get mad when other people gain traction and feel threatened aren’t any better. We should be a supportive community! There are so many women bloggers out there and I’d rather see women building each other up, not tearing each other down. Keep doing good work <3
Such a great honest post! I’ve definitely being feeling similar especially with the discussion around blogging about about blogging with 0 experience. After blogging for nearly 8 years, it’s become a real pet peeve! Also, where’s the fun gone?!
Sarah x
Love your honesty. I find the copying very intense as I’ve had it happen to me before. It’s sad that it can all get like this sometimes!
I love your honesty, but I’m so sad that it has come down to this. I could never imagine copying someone else’s work. It’s probably why I’m so on and off with my posting. Some weeks I have million ideas and some weeks I have none. As a new blogger myself, I hope I won’t have to go through these things. I wondering though, do you reckon some blogging niches are more toxic than others?
I respect the young bloggers who spend the time to research, write, edit, and photograph-then post. I am no risk of stealing anyone’s thunder with my 35 subscribers and perhaps 300 reads a day. I wish you luck with your work-I just wish the more mature blogger would get a little more love and support. We clearly aren’t looking to compete and most blog for building community of like experienced folks.
Your honesty is so refreshing to see. I’m so sad it has come down to this though, that people copy your work in such a way. It’s a shame the blogging community has become like this, hopefully it can get better but who knows at this point? xx
Sorry to hear about your bad experience, Kayleigh! It sucks to work hard for something and then finding out later on that you’ve been copied or ripped off without any credit. I once experienced something similar to that before when someone tried to use the same theme as I have – and sure I don’t have any problem with that as the theme is available publicly. But to copy every single detail about my theme (which I customized of course), is insulting. 🙁 I also had some experience where my posts get copied too. I think that’s the price you have to pay once you reach that level of excellent work. Sad but it’s the reality. But hey, I hope you still continue blogging! 🙂
This is such an honest post and I appreciate it. Blogging definitely has its annoying things. I totally agree with your statements. Some people just think that it’s okay to copy others, pretend they are knowledgeable enough to teach others about blogging and are judgmental. Although all of those things are making me sad, blogging is still my favorite thing to do and I wouldn’t trade it for a thing.
Antonia || Sweet Passions
it’s shocking how much copying is going on and ebooks costing a lot for little info that can be found online. Very well written.
Mel 🌙 | Moonlight Mel
Oof. This is painfully relatable. I’ve been blogging full-time for 5 years (since the very beginning, due to health circumstances that wouldn’t allow me to work a “typical” job). I was sitting here screeching “HELL YES” when you wrote, “blogging about blogging when you have 0 experience.” That one irks the heck out of me because I see it CONSTANTLY. And as someone with loads of experience (okay not ALL the experience in the world or anything, but I know my way around blogging quite well), I get so frustrated when I see others making crazy money with their tips when they… know nothing???? Excuse me? So – don’t feel as though you’re alone in this. I relate to most everything you wrote! And I’m sending you all the love and support!
Thank you for being so honest and open in this post! I completely agree with you in so many ways – I think it’s amazing how you’ve made your blog an incredible success and love all your advice/tips posts. It’s a shame there are so many people out there who will copy xx
http://www.dellalovesnutella.co.uk/
Yes. I agree with all of this so much. As a writer, I have a poetry account on Instagram and I write short stories here and there that I post. All of a sudden people I know became writers? They started poetry? They started writing short stories? I’m glad if I’ve ‘inspired’ them but it would be basic courtesy for them to acknowledge that and not just copy my things off the blog. And the thing about the support you get from people, that too I can relate so much. On Instagram it’s almost got me thinking if it’s robots I’m interacting with. I truly wish the best for people but yeah, I think this is how things are. It’s disheartening but I keep doing what I like to do and you’re great at what you’re doing, so you keep going!! ✨
I absolutely agree with you! The thing that bugs me the most is seeing the same kinds of posts everywhere (probably because they’re copied). And the blog advice from noobs is the worst. I’m not an expert in blogging, but I won’t pretend that I am.
This is a great post! Keep it up.
All the best, Michelle (michellesclutterbox.com)
I’ve been blogging since 1999 and even I know blogging changes RAPIDLY. I would never claim to know how to do this this or this despite how long I’ve been blogging! I agree, when someone is new to the scene and they claim they know how to do X things it’s a little… questionable.
The people who look to you for inspo and guidance genuinely, should matter more but it is easy to get irritated esp when someone is stealing your work (Idk how many times I’ve had this happen on Xanga and they would literally copy and paste my whole entry dedicated to my bf. Like really? Ya’ll got the same memories? That’s wild)!
Very open and honest. Did you feel better after getting all of that off your chest?
I’m new to blogging, but experienced in web. But you’re right it is frustrating seeing copycats and inexperienced people. However, this could be looked at as naivety thinking they can get big recognition quickly.
I loved reading this! I actually see a lot of your points throughout the blogging community. I don’t think I’ll ever speak upon blogging/email list/social media on my website but if I did, I agree I would make sure that my strategy is proven and I have years of success and challenges behind me. I think having credibility and being genuine is so important to build your audience. People are always trying to find an easy way out I guess. Thanks for sharing your frustrations! x
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com
While I totally agree with most of this I think it’s difficult to judge people and their experience without knowing them. My blog is only about a year old but I’ve been blogging for years before that both for myself but also for others, along with running websites for small businesses.
Other than that, yes so much.
I loved the honesty you poured into writing this! Not everyone would put themselves out there to judgment and speak so honestly about the blogging community. You’re completely right in being upset about new people coming in and sharing their almost non existent experience.
I look out for your income reports not with envy, but because I can see that people can make it with hard work and experience. There will always be people that will judge you for how much you make or what you do, but at the end of the day if you know you did your best and are sharing this to help, you shouldn’t be the one feeling bad for it.
Thank you for sharing this x