There is quite a buzz these days about being a successful MommyBlogger (or Bloggin‘ Mama as I like to call myself). There seem to be two camps of noisy vocal Mom Bloggers.
There are those who whine about the fact that they don’t get pitches from companies. They complain that they were not invited to Disney World, San Diego, or New Jersey. These same bloggers have accused those of us who do get free stuff, and go on all-expense paid trips, of “pimping our blogs,” and “exploiting our children for personal gain.” They’ve called us “Blog Whores,” and “greedy,” while secretly wishing they could do what we do.
Then there are many Blogging Moms who are asking the questions because they really want to know how we do what we do.
How do I create a successful and sought-after MommyBlog?
How do I get these companies to send me free stuff?
What do I need to do to get the PR people to notice me?
How can I get on the invite list for free trips?
These Mom Bloggers genuinely want to know.
First off, I don’t feel the need to defend why I blog, or that the reason why I participate in Wordless Wednesday is not to increase traffic. The voice that Mom’s who blog have is HUGE, regardless of whether you write as an outlet, for the pure pleasure, to post pictures of your family or you write for the free stuff…. In the end, we’re just moms who blog.
All of us. (Yes, even Dooce!)
We each bring a unique perspective to our readers.
Let me give you some examples…
- I have six children – My daily experiences, however, are quite different from those of my blogging buddy, Dawn, who also has six children. She is writing a book about her adventures.
- I homeschool, but my daily life is very different from that of my good friend, Melissa. She has all girls, and they are all beautiful and proper. Have you seen my family?
- I have a baby boy. My opinions about the clothes he wears, food he eats, and toys with which he plays differ from that of Shanda, who also has a baby Noah’s age.
All three of my friends have a good number of readers every day, as do I. Do the same people visit each of our blogs? No. That is what is so great about blogs. It’s all about variety and diversity.
Now, I don’t know the secrets to being a successful MommyBlogger. (In fact, if you can find someone who does, please let her know that I need to talk to her!) I do know that I work very hard, and spend too much a lot of time researching, writing, replying to emails and comments, networking, and building my community.
Consistent writing, quality content, having fun, and being in the right time at the place are all sure to help. I say be real, be yourself, write about what you know, and work hard. It might not hurt to email a few companies after you’ve written about their products, just to let them know you’ve blogged about them. Who knows they may come to you the next time they want to get the word out.
But, let the PR folks come to you… And they will, when you start writing about the things which they would like to promote. Ultimately, they look for the bloggers who have a wide range of different readers who all value your opinion about what you know best.
If you are still interested in finding out more about this genre of blogging, there are several Mommy Bloggers who have written wonderful posts about Mommy Blogging. Here are just a few…
Are you a Mom who enjoys blogging? Why do you like to blog?
