Hey everyone! We are happy to be co-sponsoring Making Sense of Cent’s two-year anniversary giveaway!
Before we get to the giveaway, I want to share three blogging tips with you. Michelle’s site has been live for two years now, and as some of you know Young Adult Money has been around for a little over a year. In that time I’ve consistently done three things that I think have allowed me to gain traffic over time.
1) Post regularly
Posting on a regular schedule is incredibly important, especially if you start getting daily readers. Nothing kills a blogs momentum more than posting five times a week for a month and then not posting for a week or two. While I have always posted at least five times a week, it might make more sense for you to post only three times a week to start. Whatever you decide, make sure you can stick with the posting schedule. Of course, make sure that the posts you put up are quality and not just something you threw together in five minutes the night before.
2) Socialize and Network with other Bloggers
One thing most people don’t realize until they start their blog is how important it is to network with other bloggers. You’d be surprised how willing everyone is to help each other out. Consistently visiting other blogs and commenting on their posts will pay off in dividends as they likely will start reciprocating, at least from time-to-time. Don’t get upset if you comment consistently on a bigger blog but don’t receive comments from them on your site that often; they likely already comment on a ton of sites and have trouble adding new ones to the rotation. I personally try to reciprocate every comment with a comment on the commenter’s site (assuming the commenter is a blogger), but sometimes it’s just not possible.
3) Realize blogging is a big time commitment
Blogging takes a ton of time. Writing posts is just the beginning. From interacting with others, managing/building social media presence, responding to reader’s comments, planning new content, monetizing the blog, and improving your design, it can easily take up most of your free time if you blog on top of a full-time job. Be sure you can take on the time commitment before you start to avoid frustration. Make sure you keep your priorities straight as well. A final note: if you aren’t willing to put a whole lot into blogging, don’t expect to make a ton of money off your site. You get out of it what you put into it.
Now let’s get to the giveaway!
Prizes
We have THREE awesome prizes
First place – iPad Mini WIFI 16 GB
Second place – $150 cash
Third place – $100 cash
Here are some additional details:
- Open Worldwide
- If the winner of the iPad Mini prefers cash, then cash value for the iPad will be given instead
- Paid via PayPal
- All entries in the Rafflecopter are optional
Good luck!
Check out some of our favorite personal finance resources:
Are you getting the best credit card rewards? Check out the top cash back credit card offers (updated daily)
Make extra money: 15 ways to make money from your computer
Get the First Chapter Free!
Join our online community and get the first chapter of the book Student Loan Solution absolutely FREE!
Socialization can’t be over-emphasized, especially for new blogger. More often than not the established bloggers will help you along the way in terms of advice, mentions, guest posts etc and thats just totally invaluable when you are building your blog. So yes, reach out and form mutually beneficial relationships with other bloggers, in all of it though, it pays to be genuine :)
nice, thanks for hosting!
Nice tips DC! They’re all spot on…especially #3. Blogging can be such a huge time suck!
I agree with those tips! Nice giveaway! =)
I liked your tips. My big one would be to schedule the time ahead of time because I totally agree with #3 big time commitment!
This money would go straight to my debt snowball! It’s small, but my goal is to have it paid off by year’s end.
I would pay off some debt if I won the cash. If I won the ipad I would use it in my classroom.
I’d agree with all of those. I had no idea how much time blogging would take or how important and valuable networking would be. It’s definitely been a learning experience.
I’d love to win any of these! Being a student, it would certainly be put to good use. Thanks SO much for such a fantastic giveaway!
Thanks for co-hosting with me :)
If I won, I would seriously consider using the ipad mini, because my laptop is a POS and I want to replace it but my spouse and I disagree on whether that’s a good use of money or not right now!
Good tips DC. I have been thinking about my posting schedule. Doing it 5 times a week has been taking a toll on me. I am thinking about scaling back to MWF, but I am not sure how that will be received.
I’m in grad school and would definitely put this towards housing or books!
Good tips. I think the time commitment piece is huge. I didn’t realize just how much time I’d spend doing it when I started. In order to post regularly and network, you need to spend quite a bit of time.
I would use the iPad for work on the go and the money for a better blog design!
Very good tips. And I am taking part in this giveaway. I am not a very lucky person but you can only win if you play.
All great tips. For me a 3 day per week schedule is sufficient. I read so many blogs it’s almost nice when someone doesn’t post that much because then I don’t feel guilty if I don’t read. LOL!
Very simple yet effective tips DC. Thanks for the refresher. Content is King, Networking is Queen and Commitment is Ace. We try to manage 3 posts per week but want to increase it to 5 per week.
Spot on with the blogging tips. It’s a lot of hard, but rewarding work. All of us, especially beginners like me, need to realize it’s a huge commitment (that is, if we aren’t just doing it as hobby).
You’re right it’s such a huge commitment to run a blog, but it’s also rewarding to see how you are helping people make their lives better.
All of those are wonderful tips DC! Sometimes they are harder than they sound though. ;)
Good tips DC ! Blogging does take a lot more time then people think, unless they only meant to post once a week or once a month and just do it for fun. Good luck with the giveaway!
My blog is only a couple months old, but I really noticed the power of socializing with other bloggers. The only other way other than talking to people is to rely on google searches, which um, is kind of hit or miss.
My blog is only five weeks old, so I appreciate these tips! Do you think it’s important to set up a FB and twitter account, etc right away? What’s the best way to develop your blog presence with social media if you want to blog anonymously? Just by networking with other bloggers?
If I won, I would take the cash and put it towards my “Rescue a Dog” fund! I’ve wanted to adopt a dog for three years now, but with a cross-country move and job changes, the timing just wasn’t right. Now, I know I can provide a loving and comfortable home for a very deserving pup. :)
Great tips DC. I realized it generally takes me an hour to have a post ready to publish on my blog from start to finish so I know it takes time! But I really like writing about my own experiences as it is an outlet for me to continue my role as the self proclaimed queen of unsolicited advice ;).
I’d agree with all of those. I had no idea how much time blogging would
take or how important and valuable networking would be! I love these blogs and they have helped out so much! I would love the ipad mini…my husband has the ipad and so I would love one of my own! :)
This is the worst job ever in terms of time vs income, but I think it will get easier with time, or maybe my new normal is just reset. Thanks for the giveaway.
These are great tips. As a newbie blogger with big ambitions, I’m learning that the most important thing to remember is that I have to work hard at it if I want to see a decent result. But that’s like with most things in live worth having :)
I’ve been reading financial blogs for years, but Young Adult Money and Making Cents of Cents have really helped me get serious about turning my financial goals into action steps. I’m contemplating blogging to keep myself accountable to my goals, but I’m not sure I can make the room with my other responsibilities. We’ll see!
I would use the iPad of course, and put the money towards my credit card debt. Thanks for the giveaway!
Always put away some of your salary money, 10% for me, in the bank. :) Great giveaway!
No I would not- don’t like the idea of having something surgically changing my eyesight
If I won the top prize I’d use the ipad to replace the tablet i just dropped today and shattered the screen on!
If I won the 1st place prize I would use it to access my graduate school work, study, and access my textbooks. The other prizes could be used toward my additional fees that professors seem to add on as requirements for materials.
My tip: always put money in savings first on payday.
My financial tip is you have to stick to your budget. Realize that making small, manageable changes in your everyday expenses
can have just as big of an impact on your financial situation. If ever I won on this giveaway, I use the cash prize in paying all my remaining debts. Thanks by the way for hosting this giveaway. Hoping to win! :)
The iPad mini would be for my third grader who has Asperger’s. The money would go toward winter coats.
I was sure i commented – my number one finanacial tip however is Be Aware if how much you are spending and saving, have a budget and remember to work with it or rework it if situations change.