2013 Annual Pet Blogger Challenge

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Annual Pet Blogger Challenge

I can’t believe it’s time already for the 3rd Annual Pet Blogger Challenge, hosted by GoPetFriendly.com! This is our 2nd year taking part it the Q&A:

1. How long have you been blogging and provide a link to your post from last year’s Pet Blogger Challenge so we can refresh our memories.

Daisy and I have been working on our blog together since August 2011. Here’s our 2012 Pet Blogger Challenge Post.

2. What do you consider the most important goals you set out in last year’s post?

I was still just starting out, but my main goals at the start were to have fun and make it fun for our readers, learn as much as I could about blogging, help people find cool deals and save money on great pet stuff, and hopefully begin to monetize my blog.

3. Have you made progress toward those goals, or have your goals changed over the past year?

Definitely making progress, and the goals are evolving…but not really changing. I’ve joined a few really great blogger groups and have learned so much in the past 12 months. I’ve been struggling with time management, so I really need to add that as a new goal to make sure this all keeps being fun for me and everyone else!

4. How often do you post?

I post multiple times per day, 7 days a week. I had considered cutting back on the “deals” aspect of our blog, but looking at our stats, those are among the most popular topics and category so I feel like I’m letting people down if I don’t keep up with the great freebies, coupons and money-saving offers they’re looking for. I try to post 3 or 4 great deals and offers each day but some days there are more or less. In an average week I also post at least one product reviews and giveaway, an info post, sponsored post or public service announcement, Wordless Wednesday Photos of Daisy, a Sunday Pet Coupon Preview and  a Weight Loss Update since Woof Woof Papa and I are on the Nutrisystem program. We know the average reader doesn’t have time to read all of it, but we figure different topics are of interest to different folks and we aim to please!

5. Has your opinion of blogging on a schedule or as the spirit moves you changed?

Posting deals, coupons and freebies really doesn’t allow us to stick to a strict schedule. As I mentioned before, I try to look at what’s out there for the day/week and post about the deals I think people really want to know about or wouldn’t find on their own. I do use a schedule for my reviews and giveaways, and other topics that make sense to plan ahead like recipes, craft ideas, tips and guides. It’s always a balancing act.

6. How much time do you spend writing your blog per week? How much time visiting other blogs? Share your  tips for staying on top of it all.

It’s not just the writing that takes time…when you add the writing time plus research, social media promotion, interacting with readers, fans and followers, working on the back end of the blog, and networking with brands and agencies, it’s more than a 40 hour work week for sure! I also do some freelance work so there’s that, too. I look forward to Wednesdays because it gives me the chance to hop around and visit other blogs and leave comments for Wordless Wednesday (I’m behind schedule this week). I also use my smartphone and iPad with apps like Hootsuite and Flipboard to keep up with social media, blog and tech news, and to research new posts.

7. How do you measure the success of a post and of your blog in general (comments, shares, traffic)?

I look at a combination of things, including web analytics, likes, shares, comments, as well as engagement on social media. I try to take some time each week to see what people are responding to most, and make a mental note to do more of that and less of something else. Just looking at your pins on Pinterest can be really enlightening. One pin might only have 8 repins while another got 108 during the same time period. It’s not just about having big numbers for the sake of looking popular or successful…I really like figuring out WHY people like a certain post, topic or photo because I want to give people MORE of what they like! That’s the real measure of success, in my opinion.

8. If you could ask the pet blogging community for help with one issue you’re having with your blog, what would it be?

I’m not sure what I’d ask for help with…we have such a great community and resources available over at BlogPaws that I always know where to go if I need something! Most of our readers aren’t bloggers (or are pet parents who blog about something else), so I’ve actually been thinking about going straight to the source and doing a reader survey to ask our audience for help on what they like/don’t like and how we can improve our blog.

9. What goals do you have for your blog in 2013?

I’d like to continue to develop more original content while still bringing our readers the best hand-picked deals and freebies to help save them time and money. I’d also like to find more ways of monetizing my blog and working with more sponsors and brands on social media promotions to help cover expenses and eventually pay myself what I’m worth full-time so I can afford to start attending blog conferences like BlogPaws!

Comments

  1. GF I keep on reading and reading your post! Whatever you do, keep spreading the love and I’ll keep reading! 🙂

  2. I love what you do! It must take so much work to keep up with it. Good luck in the new year!

    Christie from lifewithbeagle.com

  3. You have such a happy and cheery website and I enjoy coming by and having a peek! I think you have loads of interesting things to spend time on in your blogs. Keep up the amazing job and look forward to connecting more in 2013

  4. What a great site, you have so much going on! I’m glad for the chance to ‘meet’ you on the Challenge!

  5. I am in awe of people who post multiple times per day. It seems like if you really want to make a living at blogging you have to devote well in excess of 40 hours per week! I spend much more time on various social networks promoting my blog and others than actually writing. It can be a big time suck, and sometimes I have to just make myself get up and walk away from the computer. The problem is I really love social media and most of my friends live inside the little black box that sits on top of my desk!

    • I totally agree, Vicki! I think you have to LOVE social media to be a blogger these days…sometimes it’s hard to remember to get up and walk away but Daisy is always eager to remind me!

  6. Nice to meet you. It seems you’ve established a nice niche in coupons/vouchers – I can’t say I’ve seen too many blogs with that focus. Pretty cool stuff. All the best for monetising and BlogPaws in 2013. 🙂

  7. Thanks so much for taking part in the Challenge again this year, Mama! The time definitely flies by at an incredible pace. I can imagine that the research side of your blog takes an incredible amount of time. I have no idea where I’d go to find the kinds of deals and offers you come up with. I hope that 2013 brings you even more success – we’ll definitely be following along!

  8. I love how you look at question #7. That sums up how I feel too – I want to give ’em what they want! (Luckily for me, I recently discovered my popular posts AND the ones I have the most fun writing are the SAME POSTS! YAY!)

    The pace you keep and how much work goes into Woof Woof Mama is really inspiring to me and I’ll be trying to do maybe half (?) of what you do as my goal this year. 

    Good luck this year – I know you’ll make it bigger & better than ever!

  9. Doing a reader survey is a great idea. I did one a couple years ago and got terrific results with lots of great feedback and ideas for my blog. I’m glad you mentioned it because i really should do another survey this year. Maybe I’ll try one on my Facebook page too.

    Best of luck with your goals in 2013!

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