The Secret Life of a Blogger

I think every child nowadays watches YouTube and knows about social media, it seems to be part of our everyday life.

More and more children are dreaming of becoming a influencer, blogger or Youtuber. It’s scary, when I was a child we barely had internet. There was no dreams of job to be online.

There seems to be a lot of misconceptions when it comes to having a career that is primarily online. Some people don’t understand the whole concept of it, while others don’t understand why it is even a career. There is a lot to learn about the online world for everyone including bloggers. I have learnt a lot since becoming a blogger and the majority are things also work in ‘real’ life. Some people wont understand and there will be people who don’t like you or your views. I have now learnt that it is fine for it to be that way. It is a dream job and one that I never thought I would ever have. It wasn’t something that I would have thought of at high school.

This is where the first misconception comes in. It is not a case of just making a blog and writing. I know that people say just write but there is so much that goes on behind the scenes that unless you are a blogger you will no idea about. Photos, unless you have studied to be a photographer or are just naturally gifted then it is going to take you some time to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Editing, the same as photos. Editing is hard work if you don’t know how to do it. Proof reading, one I am still working on. You need to read your blog post over and over again, just incase something is wrong. Once your blog post is published then there is social media. Good old social media.

When it comes to social media there are a lot of misconceptions. There are a lot of things that can be ‘faked’. Instagram is known for its ‘influencers’ with thousands of followers when in fact those followers are brought. They are 100% fake. Until not long ago, these influencers would have got work for their follower number but thankfully a lot of brands now look at other things such as post engagement (likes, comments, shares). If someone posts something they love, then it must be an #AD. This is one that annoys me. We are allowed to like things and recommend them without being paid. Trust me, a lot of bloggers don’t get paid for recommending anything. It is hard work to get to the point where brands pay you for posts.

Hard work. Yes, it is hard work. This is another thing that people don’t realise. It isn’t just a case of posting on social media and getting brands sending you ‘freebies’. If you work with a brand, they will most probably send you a product to feature or review. I’ve found some brands want a lot of work for a product that can be worth as little as £10. It also takes a long time. It isn’t a case of brands coming to you as soon as you create your blog. You need a good amount of time to find your readers, they will find you but the internet is a very big place so it can take years to become established in your niche. For me, the hard work is worth it and it is a dream job for me.

I realised I wasn’t the only blogger that wanted to tell people what it is really like to be a blogger so I asked some fellow UK parent bloggers, What do they wish people know about being a blogger?

• We are not a free service. We have work and bills to pay like any normal jobs. It takes time to write, photograph, edit, publish and promote the work you have just written/ work your butt off.
  Also you pretty much need to be a master on multitasking on the social media – as it is just never-ending! – Ethan and Evelyn
• The overwhelming sense of suffocating from the sheer weight of the self-doubt that often comes over you. They just see the words and photos you seemingly confidently put together; they don’t see the fear and anxiety that hide behind them. The sense that no one cares, you’re not good enough, and you should stop. – Isablog
• That we love people reading what we write, but we will still get a little bit freaked out if you mention one of our posts in a face to face conversation, ‘You mean someone I know actually read my post? Arggghhh!” – Counting To Ten
• I wish people knew that bloggers have feelings too. Just because we blog and share some of our life stories etc online, does not give any excuse for trolling comments etc. – Life as Mum
• That 2am would become a regular bedtime! – Me, Him, the Dog and a Baby
• That it isn’t easy. That a huge amount of blogs fail because people massively underestimate the work involved behind the scenes and the length of time you have to plug away to get noticed in any way or make any kind of money. Either you love it, or you can’t do it. – Whinge Whinge Wine