Why Blogging Isn’t Dead

Can I be honest with you? Like, really honest?

This past February, after blogging for 8 years, I really wanted to throw in the towel in professional blogging. I had a whole conversation with my friend Greta at NYFW sharing my plans to take more of a consulting role in this industry rather than being a full-time influencer. I was burned out, frustrated at folks cheating in the industry, and just over it.

Now that I’ve finally taken action to treat my depression and anxiety, I know my feelings back in February were just a symptom of my mental health illnesses. I was pretty disinterested in everything back in February, but I know that deep down, I love blogging — and I fell in love with it yet again this summer.

When I say “blogging,” I don’t mean posting on Instagram. I mean, actually taking the time to write out thoughtful articles on your own website. Many content creators in this day and age have abandoned their websites to focus on a social media platform. Instagram is definitely the most popular, and we saw a metaphoric rise with TikTok earlier this year. I’m not going to sit here and shame anyone who doesn’t blog regularly in this post: you can definitely earn a full-time income from just Instagram alone.

Last year, I was getting burned out because many brands even ignored the fact that I had a blog and several other social media platforms, and they were only focused on Instagram advertising. I started taking on more advanced projects, and I found myself spending days just to complete one Instagram post for a brand. I’m not going to lie; I fell off track with blogging as well, struggling to keep up with the demand for some of these Instagram projects as well as traveling.

Is blogging dead in 2020? Here’s why my answer is no, and why a blog can still be one of the most valuable content creation tools you have.

Professional Blogging

Instant Gratification vs. Evergreen Content

Sometimes, I can snap a photo same-day and throw it up on Instagram. Sometimes, I can write a blog post in 30 minutes flat. But oftentimes, it takes me days, sometimes even weeks, to produce both a blog and/or Instagram posts.

Did you know that the average lifespan of an Instagram post is 48 hours (Source)? That’s it. And afterward, folks will likely forget about it. It seems kind of silly to spend weeks working on a single post that will only appear in a feed for two days.  Sure, folks might do a deep dive on your profile and scroll to find something you created a few months ago, but your post is basically a wrap after a couple of days.

Did you know the average lifespan of a blog post is 700 days (Source)? This is honestly one reason why it baffles me that more brands don’t opt for a sponsored blog post. If you use SEO and create stellar long-form content, it’s easy to get consistent traffic on a blog post. Sure, I usually see a modest amount of hits on a post in the first few days that a blog post is up. However, once Google does its thing, it’s quite surprising to see your content blow up over time.

The posts that got the most hits on my site yesterday? An article I wrote in June about Black-Owned Wineries, a travel guide I wrote in July for the Outer Banks, and a sponsored post I wrote for Olay a year ago about retinol.

Long story short? If you’re going to invest the time to create content, your best option is to invest in a long-form blog post. I still try to post to Instagram daily to keep up with that algorithm; however, it’s exciting to see old blog posts pick up steam at a later date!

Why Blogging is Ideal for MicroInfluencers

I started my blog nine years ago, and I know for a fact that I create high-quality content for brands. Between sponsored posts and licensing, I make three times as much as I did when I worked my 9-5 gig in marketing.

Do you want to know one reason why I’ve landed certain campaigns? Because I actually have a blog, update it regularly, and a blog post is a required deliverable for a campaign.

Just think about it: if you don’t blog, you are possibly excluding yourself from campaigns. In 2020, I still get more Instagram-only campaigns vs. blog campaigns. However, the number of campaigns that have requested a blog post has gone up tenfold this year.

Pinterest + Blog Posts = The Perfect Combo

Pinterest is a high-key, underrated tool. The amount of traffic that Pinterest can drive to your website is mind-blowing! I have a winter bar cart that low-key makes me cringe that still makes the rounds every year. Heck, I even met someone last year that said they saw my bar cart on Pinterest before they met me, and they were stoked to see it IRL when they visited my house!

Sure, you technically can pin Instagram posts with Pinterest, but it’s a strategy that’s never worked super well for me. The combination of having my blog SEO with the Pinterest SEO works like a charm.

Pro tip: if you have a post that went viral on Pinterest, keep updating the affiliate links in that post. It’s an easy way to earn income passively!

Listen: I get it. Sometimes I’m not in the mood to blog. Sometimes I skip a day in my schedule because life happens. However, in the long run, professional blogging is a great investment of your time and a fantastic way for microinfluencers to grow organically.  Time to make a plan to ramp up your blogging game!

Do you think professional blogging is dead? Let me know in the comments below!

Photos by Tom McGovern