In our latest interview series which I like to call “Meet the Blogger”, where I spotlight inspiring creatives on this Blogger Magazine. We caught up with Sarah Campwho runs in search of sarah Blog.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your Blog?
Hi everyone! I'm Sarah and I run my travel blog, In Search of Sarah. I'm a 31 yr old, happily married (crazy?) cat lady, born and raised in Niagara, the wine region of Ontario. I'm a regular office worker with a passion for travel that was instilled in me at a young age. I have family overseas in the UK and I've been fortunate to travel to see them every year, and add on another country while we are there. I'm finding my feet with my new blog, which is aimed to provide travel tips and destination experiences from all over the world.
Describe what inspired you to start your blog?
Every time we would come back from a trip, people would want to know all the fun things we did! I used to post it on Facebook but eventually I started creating word docs and sending them to people. I figured the best way to have the biggest reach and share with others was to create a blog - and voila! It's taken me a few months to get it up and running, but now it's full steam ahead!
How do you motivate yourself to keep the blog up and running?
I've been lucky to join a few great Facebook groups that have been SO inspiring. I've also enrolled into a few training courses to help grow my blog. Every day there's a new task or sharing post to get content out there or to ask for support. The more I spend time on my blog, the more I learn, and the more I want to implement and grow. It's been so rewarding in such a short amount of time. I can't wait to see where it takes me!
How active are you on a weekly basis? How often do you communicate with your followers?
I launched my blog in the midst of Covid-19, so I've had the luxury of being on all day, every day, on various platforms! I post a blog a few times a month, but post to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest daily. I send an email to my subscribers once a month (that could change to more frequently) I can see this being a full-time job and I'd love to be able to turn this into that.
What do you think is the best social media strategy for getting more visitors to a blog?
Truly, creating content worthy of reading and share it to different social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. It sounds cliche and I even rolled my eyes when I read that, but there's no use in having thousands of Instagram followers if none of them engage with your content or even go on your page. Have a niche, find those users, and engage with them. Provide useful content that will help them solve a problem they're having. Pinterest has been the best social media platform yet for me to drive traffic to my blog! That, and joining Facebook groups specific to your niche. Find your tribe and help each other grow!
Would you encourage other people to make their blog?
Absolutely. Start it because you want to share all your ideas and knowledge with others. It can be as serious or laid back as you want. If you want to write content for yourself, that's great! If you want to make money blogging, you can do that too! There are no right or wrongs to blogging. It's a passion and it's rewarding, no matter the outcome. It isn't always easy and can be a lot of hard work, so make sure you actually want to do it.
A lot of people think that blogging is an easy way to make money online. Do you have some tips for those people who are interested in making money from the blog?
Sign up with affiliate networks as soon as you launch your blog and join groups with like-minded people on Facebook. Create an email subscriber list and engage consistently with those users, because at the end of the day those will be the most likely to buy from you and your recommendations. There are tons of resources out there to help you get started. Don't create a blog for the sole purpose of making money. You're missing the point! Create it to help others. Pass your tips and expertise on. Big bucks won't happen overnight and it will take some patience and dedication, but blogging can become your full-time job, as it has for many. So many people make a living blogging. It's inspiring. That's my goal!
What was the most challenging moment in your blogging journey so far?
Likely SEO (Search Engine Optimization). A lot of people blogging is just writing posts and that's it. It can be, but if you want to become serious there are other things you'll need to learn, like keyword research, backlinks, post formatting and headlines, labeling photos properly, etc. SEO is HUGE and can be a bit mind boggling, so this is the greatest challenge I have so far, just because there is so much to learn! I would also have to say that putting myself out there was a HUGE thing for me. I had a lot of anxiety prior to launching my blog, thinking, will people really want to read my stuff? I'm normally a very private person so this was a bit difficult to overcome, but I have to remind myself that I am doing this for me.
What is your greatest achievement outside of blogging?
This is a great question! I'd have to say making connections with people and growing as a person. Sound lame? I'm an introvert, so meeting new people can be challenging for me. My husband and I got married 5 years ago in Cancun and prior to that I joined a Facebook group called Cancun Brides that started with 400 members. I made real connections and true friendships there, to the point that a couple years ago 20 of us from all over the world met and went on a yacht for an afternoon! It's crazy to think that you may actually meet someone online that you have been chatting with for years. I still talk to these girls almost daily, and that group now has 4000 members (which I also Admin!).
Who Is Your Blogging Hero And Why?
I learned all about blogging from Heather & Pete Reese of It's a Lovely Life. Without their tips and guidance I wouldn't have the slightest clue what I am doing. This family travels the world 180 days a year and make $30K/month blogging, and they now help thousands start a blog and learn how to grow. It isn't all automated either. They are active in their various Facebook support groups daily! Serious goals right there.
What Advice Would You Give To A New Blogger Starting Out?
Be patient and kind to yourself. Magic and money won't happen overnight, but if you are consistent and patient, great things will happen. Try not to overwhelm yourself with all of the available training resources out there, and focus on one task at a time. Create meaningful content first and grow from there.
Have you collaborate with brands? If yes, name few brands you worked with
I just launched my blog last month and I'm working on my first local pitch, so we'll see how that goes! This is definitely in my plan for the future.
Finally, what are your thoughts about BloggerMagazine?
It's a great community of bloggers! I LOVE the Blogger Interview section. It's neat to hear some other stories and advice from them. This is such an extensive platform that creates newsworthy content for everyone!
Follow Sarah Camp on her journey at:
insearchofsarah.com | instagram.com/insearch_ofsarah | facebook.com/insearchofsarahc | twitter.com/searchforsarah | pinterest.com/insearchofsarah
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