This time last year I published my first blog post. I had been designing and building the website for about two months doing an hour or two here and there, watching youtube videos and reading WordPress “how to” guides. It took a long time to get it right but I knew I wouldn’t be posting or telling people about it until it was almost perfect. So it was late September before I felt somewhat ready.
Lesson’s & Learnings
ShePrevails has come a long way since it’s first post, a LinkedIn checklist.
In my first year of blogging, I tested the waters with different types of posts including travel diaries from my trips to Seville, New York and Croatia and even made some Youtube videos! Check out my YouTube channel here (there’s alot more to come). I shared some of my favourite recipes (before learning how to use my camera), trend reports, career tips, fashion posts and even my 700km charity cycle around Ireland. It’s been interesting to see the response each type of post has received, some surprised me.
My three most popular posts so far have been the recent 50-20-30 Budget System, My Holiday Tanning Tips and this Fashion Post. I also received many messages about each travel diary so they were pretty popular too!
I really enjoy posting about all these different things so I’m happy each post is from a different category as it shows you like reading it all. Although I want the main focus of ShePrevails to be about career tips, I will continue to post about all the other things us career girl’s get up to outside of work!
Awards
In my blog post “Things I have learnt since starting my blog” I spoke about how it took a long time for me to tell my friends I had a blog, and even longer to mention it on Facebook and other places where everyone would see. When I was nominated for an Aussie Blog Award in April I knew it was time to stop hiding and get more confident in my work. When I did this, I realised I was silly to have ever worried as I got nothing but nice comments and words from people. Although I didn’t go on to win the award, it was the confidence boost I needed to start taking the blog more seriously.
More recently, I was long-listed, shortlisted, and then made it to the finals in the lifestyle category of the 2016 Irish Blog Awards, sponsored by Littlewoods Ireland. Every time I made it to the next round I was shocked. The final round included a public vote and I was certain I wouldn’t make it further. The day I got the email to say I was a finalist was one of the highlights of my first year of blogging. The night was so fun as it was in a Circus! My category was one of the last of the night so I had to wait a long time to hear if I had maybe managed to get bronze or silver. I was Snapchatting as they called out the winners and after silver was announced, and it wasn’t ShePrevails I stopped as I knew I hadn’t won anything.
Then I hear SHEPREVAILS and my friend Aoife screaming “that’s you! You have to go!”.
The rest is a bit of a blur and very surreal. It’s not an Oscar but it tell’s me that starting my blog was the right thing to do, that I should keep going, and that I am doing a good job. Those three simple things mean so much to me. You don’t need an award to feel good about your blog, but it helps.
So, whats next for ShePrevails?
I have a lot of ideas and things planned for ShePrevails. I also have a lot of big changes coming in my life. I wish I could discuss them but I can’t for the moment. I think these things will give me a lot more to write about, and take the blog to another level. I’m so excited to see what the next year has in store for ShePrevails, and I know I will be back here this time next year writing a similar post. I don’t know if I would have been so sure a couple of months ago but I’ve seen all the great things that come from blogging and don’t plan on stopping. And no, I’m not talking about events or free gifts as I haven’t been too involved in that side of blogging. I’m talking about having an outlet for your passions. Writing about things that interest you, getting creative and engaging with other bloggers and followers.
It’s still a big deal every time I get a message or an email from someone telling me they like a post or a photo or want to know more about something. It’s a great feeling knowing the things you love are interesting or helpful to others too.
Thanks for reading <3
Sophie x
