My 30 Day Blogging Challenge In Review
On the first day of March, we set a 30-Day Blogging Challenge and 100 people joined our group for daily writing. When the last day of the challenge arrived a big surprise was waiting for us. Can you guess how many people reached the finish line?
Let’s take things from the beginning. This challenge started after a lecture in Paris.
In the first week of February, I was giving a lecture about SEO, blogging & content marketing, when the topic of blogging struggle was raised. In the auditorium, there were 90 young bloggers who were patient enough to attend the 4 hours of lecture.
Among the many questions, one made quite an impact on the gathering. How to keep a blogger motivated to write one new piece of content every single day.
The Blogging Struggle is Real
Creativity and discipline are the 2 major must-haves skills. Then comes reality! So the big question is, how can a blogger actually keep up with the demands of everyday blogging?
My suggestion was based on my personal experience as a professional blogger. By setting up a detailed content calendar for a 30-day circle it’s easier to prepare your content creation process. If you break the big circle into smaller circles and adopt one general theme for each separate week, then it’s 100% doable. For example:
- On the first day of the month: welcome the new month and gently give a hint of the new topic of the month: Blogging
- Week A: Explain Blogging, types of blogging, history of blogging, platforms of blogging, tools of blogging, famous bloggers, and your personal story in blogging
- Week B: How to, Guides, Calendar, Titles, What to avoid, SEO guidance, Social Media & Blogging
- Week D: Presentation of top blogging events, Workshops, Promote your blog, Content Marketing & Blogging, Ethics of Blogging, Growth hacking tips for blogging,
- Last 1 or 2 days of the month: Closure of the month with a personal story about this month’s achievement, or even a presentation of your monthly growth.
As you can see, it feels safe to walk on solid tracks when you are writing with a well-formed strategy of interest. Even if circumstances force you to change your topics, still you have a crystal clear area to stretch your creativity.
Blogging Strategy
Having this blogging strategy plan on hand, all students were eager to participate in this 30-Day Blogging Challenge. So, we committed to accept this blogging challenge starting on 1 March and ending on 31 March 2019. Free topics, without any specific theme, but with the obligation to publish the process of the challenge.
100 bloggers were in the starting line, ready to create 30 new pieces of content. Each blogger would publish his/hers 30 posts on their personal or business blog. On the last day of March, we would check each other and the “winners” would receive a shout-out in our blogs.
What actually happened?
1 March 2019: 100 people joined our 30-Day Blogging Challenge
The enthusiasm was electrifying the auditorium. Hundreds of ideas were flying into the room and everyone was encouraging everyone. The funny thing was that no one opened an umbrella to hold the raining ideas. All notebooks stay blank. That morning I heard some of the best topics of my life. Of course, I opened my notebook and wrote down as many as I could, tagging the name of the creator.
First week: 7 March, 22 people drop out
The first 22 bloggers/students drop out in the middle of the first week. In their comments, they all wrote that it was extremely stressful to keep up with daily blogging and had no new ideas to use.
- Experience with blogging: above average (2–3 years)
- Age: 20–25
- Gender: Female
Keep in mind, that these 22 bloggers were the top voices on the first day of the challenge. In my notebook, their names were the ones with the best 15–20 ideas in the room.
Rule no 1: Keep notes of your ideas!
Second week: 14 March, 35 drops out
Well, that was unexpected. Usually, we have so many dropouts at the end of the third week. But, once again, statistics are not unmistakable. On 14 March, only 43 people were still in the Blogging Challenge. Their excuse was valid. Daily blogging is not cut out for new bloggers. You don’t believe me? Then read here why some people shouldn’t blog.
- Experience with blogging: newbies (3–10 months)
- Age: 20–25
- Gender: Female
Rule no 2: Know your limits!
Third week: 21 March, 21 drops out
The third week during this kind of challenge is called: disaster week. On the same Tuesday of that week, 21 people mysteriously were under the weather for their blogging commitment. But I had the pleasure to admire their trip to Cancun through their Instagram photos.
- Experience with blogging: average (1–2 years)
- Age: 20–25
- Gender: Female + Male
Rule no 3: Be honest!
Fourth Week: 28 March, 18 drops out
As expected, 97% dropped out of the daily blogging challenge. I am so sorry to announce that because two of the people were excellent blogging talents, despite the fact that they were mature newbies.
- Experience with blogging: elementary (1 year)
- Age: 20–25
- Gender: Female
Rule no 4: Stay focus!
Blogging Challenge Last Day
98% drop out of the daily blogging challenge!
31 March was the last day of our blogging challenge. Well, only 2 people reached the finish line… Me and the outsider of the group.
- Experience with blogging: advanced (5+ years)
- Age: 40+
- Gender: Female
Rule no 5: Persistence pays off!
12 Truths to Find your Blogging Nirvana
Maybe you find blogging an extremely difficult task for your content marketing strategy. So many times I hear bloggers complaining about the pressure they feel. They find blogging overwhelming and frustrating. But it’s anything but.
The beginning is always a bit rough, for all of us! In a month or two, you will find yourself feeling more confident in creating a steady blogging flow. Bear in mind the following and keep writing.
- Write like a real human being.
- Have your own personal writing style.
- Write as you speak.
- Reach the heart of each topic through your angle.
- Be persistent.
- Back up your words with data and facts.
- Try to write long-form, actionable content and use catchy headlines.
- Provide clear solutions to your audience’s problems.
- Guide your readers step-by-step to solve the problem at hand.
- Screenshots of statistics & insights are great data material.
- Invite people to take action. But you must set the example.
- Create more engaging and rich content.
Fame is good but devoted readers are better. So stick to your schedule and keep creating new content, day by day! Useful content never harmed anyone. Effective, quality blogging can take time, but is worth all of your energy! After all, blogging is a way of living.
Hey, don’t forget to use the basics of writing and SEO:
- Easy-to-follow sentences and paragraphs are essential.
- And Headings types 1, 2, 3, 4 exist for a season.
- Heading 1 is for the main title and headline.
- Heading 2 is for supporting your main title and keywords.
- Heading 3 + 4 are the little brothers that repeat and support the main key phrases.
- SEO needs all types of heading into a blog post.
Conclusion
The results of our 30-Day Blogging Challenge confirm the rule that only 2% is cut out for a blogger's life. Apart from stating the obvious, this experiment proved one more time that content is king.
Content marketing and blogging have countless benefits to offer not only for your brand but also to your own personal development. I am grateful for having the opportunity to dive into blogging in my early twenties because blogging has made me a better listener.
What is your opinion?
I would love to read your opinion on this topic. Have you ever tried to blog daily? How was the experience? What difficulties did you face? And how did you overcome them?
Thank you for reading my article. If you liked it, you could share it with your friends. In case you are interested to join our Guest Blogging Invitation, feel free to contact us and submit your articles.
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