My Blog Turned One!

I can't believe I'm saying this but my one year anniversary as a blogger has come. Who would'be thought I would keep it up? I'm so happy with what this blog has achieved over this year and how much I've learned about the community...

My story

I originally wanted to be a photographer (if you see my first post, I talk about my aspirations) but after failing to get any jobs, I decided it wasn't for me. I ended up in a rut wondering what the hell I was going to do with my life as I had known I wanted to be a photographer since year 7 (11 years old). I'm 20 now and in May 2017 I decided I was going to start a blog as I've always enjoyed writing! I had actually started 3 blogs during my teens but couldn't keep them up due to school work and - quite frankly - not caring about it.

What have I learned?

Be patient

It takes time to see results when blogging, and sometimes it does feel like I'm talking to myself but I'm aware that people do read my blog, whether or not they decide to comment or not. During my first year, I have gained 22,297 total pageviews so it's safe to say that my mum and boyfriend aren't the only people reading my blog posts. 

Communicate with other bloggers

At first, I didn't communicate with anyone in the blogging community. I would just post the link to my Twitter account and then leave it, but once I made a Twitter especially for my blog, things got better within the social aspect of things. I followed all the bloggers I could find and started replying to their tweets to make myself known - I even got added to a blog pod (which is essentially a group chat full of bloggers where you promote yourself and swap comments/likes/shares) for a few months. 

Realise what you can do with your talent

When I started this blog, it was purely for fun but as I fell more and more in love with writing, I realised that I could turn this into a career and make money from this. In June, I got my first writing job and even though I was only paid £7 for it, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I knew I could do this and make a living out of writing for people - so I did! I currently write posts for an events business, doggy daycare, and a gaming review website. I love what I do and I'm so glad I discovered it through blogging! On top of that, I'm so lucky to say that this year I've made £50 from this blog alone - which is crazy seeing as it's so new. If you'd like me to write anything for you, please contact me on phoeberuberto@outlook.com. 

Resist the urge to compare yourself to others

Yes, I do get jealous of bloggers who get 30+ comments on their posts, but I realise that they didn't have loads of readers from the beginning - no one does. They worked hard for what they have and they deserve it. I focus on myself and I make sure that I can make my blog the best it possibly can!

Some people won't understand what you do

I've had many family members and friends get confused about what they do - some of them don't understand how I make money from the internet, or they think I make money solely from this blog but it's okay. Luckily, I've never had anyone bring me down because of my blog and tell me it's not a realistic thing to want to turn into a job one day. 

What's to come?

Rebrand my whole look

I'm very happy with what I write about but this year I wish to change the name and theme of my website. Phoebe Says Hello was very random and I'm not certain that this is what I want my name to be when I finally buy a domain. I'm currently in the process of thinking of a name for my blog that links to both veganism and lifestyle (maybe even fitness). I also want a whole new theme for my website, I do love the minimalism but I think I want to make it more personal. So keep an eye out for my rebranding! 

Switch over to Wordpress

Blogger is amazing for beginners but after working on Wordpress for other websites, I've realised that it'll be much more beneficial to me. Once I've figured out how I can do this without completely ruining my website, I will. I just don't think Blogger is going to be for me as my blog progresses.

Stay tuned for what's to come, I'm so excited for what this second year is going to bring. Thank you so much to everyone who's read my blog before - even if you didn't enjoy your time here, I'm just thankful you cared enough to give it a read anyway.

Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions for future blog posts. I am also happy to answer any questions about veganism you may have.

💓 Phoebe xoxo